Enduring Values

Tom H Blackburn, LTh

First published 1977

Dedication

To My Wife

- faithful companion and helper

through many years.

Acknowledgements

Grateful acknowledgement is made of the valuable assistance of Miss D.E. Cecil, Rev. W.H. Dalgleish, Rev. Peter J. Blackburn, our son, Mr G.E. Ludlow, and Samuel Lee and Co. Pty Ltd. Their help, freely given, has made possible the offering of this small volume to the Church as part of the celebration of the Jubilee of the Methodist Times. All proceeds, less postage, will be devoted to the Dysart Mission Appeal.

Foreword

Those of us who have known the Rev. Tom Blackburn as a personal friend for a number of years will recall how, at one point in his ministry, health problems prevented him from preaching. It was then that he began to develop his literary skills as an expression of his deep spirituality and Christian discernment.

The literary activity continued down the years and he enriched many with articles contributed to the "Methodist Times". Many readers share the editor's regret that Mr. Blackburn found it necessary to discontinue these contributions.

Now, as the journal of the Queensland Methodist Conference is to celebrate its Jubilee of fifty years of service to the Church, Mr. Blackburn has chosen a number of his articles to be made available in the form of this book.

Those who have enjoyed reading these articles in the past, and others to whom they will be new, should find here a treasure trove, a permanent sample of the mind of T. H. Blackburn, Christian preacher and seer.

It is a privilege to commend it.

Gordon L. Cook,

Editor,

Methodist Times

Introduction

Recently I came across an old sermon - written over fifty years ago for the Methodist Synod to which I was then responsible as a first-year probationer. I felt the warmth, almost heat, of the faith and love which then moved me to preach the Gospel of Christ. I remember how I prayed that God would "give me souls" in my first appointment to confirm in me His call to be a minister. I was almost making a demand - an unreasonable demand, but when I looked, apparently in vain, for a clear answer to my prayer, the call still persisted and I could do no other than answer it.

The half century which has followed since then has been one of severe testing for the men of faith. The amazing advance in the scientific understanding of the world, and the liberation of its resources to further the purposes of men have obscured for many the need for God and presented a challenge to faith as the vital means of knowing and experiencing Him and His power in human life. A second world war, climaxing in the use of the atom bomb, challenging and overturning Christian and basic human values, has added further confusion to the human scene.

In private living, and, here, I am not alone, many a date with adversity has struck deep at the roots of faith, challenging that most satisfying, simple trust in God, as Jesus presents Him to us - the Father whose utmost caring is seen in the sacrifice on the cross, and whose love triumphs for us mortal men in that mighty deed, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

How has faith fared across the years? My answer is given in these writings, all of which have been published in the Methodist Times, the earliest in 1950, the most recent in 1975. They are not arranged in chronological order, but rather in an attempt to illustrate Paul's great summary: Now abideth faith, hope, love.

In keeping with this aim, I have placed at the beginning the article on Faith, in the middle, that on Hope, and at the end, the article on Love. These and all that they hold for the enrichment of life are for us as for Paul, Enduring Values.

In the past ten years, since retiring from the active ministry, I have received much encouragement from interested readers, to continue writing. This I have done as long as seemed wise. I am hoping that my old readers - no reference to the passing of the years - and perhaps some new ones will appreciate this selection which I am privileged to present again as part of the Jubilee of the Methodist Times.

Tom H. Blackburn

Enduring Values - Faith

Always in the human scene there are passing phases and enduring values. Crossing the Darling Downs, I picked up two swagmen of the sort, I imagine, that gave us "Waltzing Matilda". With the Church in sight we parted, the swagmen for their long homeless trek, myself for home. The swagmen, already a rare sight, belonged to a passing phase of pioneering life in Australia. What of the Church? I saw then, that the Church lives, and will live, because she holds and shares with each succeeding generation very important enduring values.

The Threefold Gift

"In a word," says Paul, "there are three things which last for ever: faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of them all is love." The world is full of new things; some, we welcome; some, we regret and may even fear; in some, we recognise old evils masquerading as progress. There is nothing new which can outweigh, or even equal in value, for the good and satisfying life of man, this threefold gift of God in Jesus Christ. In experience they are joined and, in this meditation, we shall keep this in mind, even as, for better understanding, we think upon each separately.

Faith - Belief and Experience

The Apostles' Creed opens with the words: "I believe in God," and follows with a statement of beliefs, distilled from the Bible, particularly the New Testament. In its initial affirmation of faith in God, it may well link with other religions, but in the significant clauses which extend and complete it, the Creed is distinctively Christian. This is the faith we now confess, "Faith of our fathers, living still", and shared by the great company of Christians throughout the world.

To hold and live by this faith requires more of us than to assent with our minds to a set of beliefs about God. The "I believe" of the Christian involves the decision to trust God as Father, to accept Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, and open heart and mind to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. It means the daily choice to live in personal dependence upon God in Christ, accepting His word, testing and proving His promises, and meeting the challenge of unbelief in the deep conviction, born of experience - our own and countless others that there is an answer to every doubt, and that by faith we are in vital touch with the Living God Who makes Himself known to men.

Seeing the Invisible

Concerning this faith, the writer of Hebrews says it "gives substance to our hopes and makes us certain of realities we do not see".

Faith is not a leap into the dark to discover what, if anything, is there; but rather our human response to the light which breaks into our lives from God. What the eye is to man in his relationship to the natural world, so is faith to man in his relationship to God. Moreover faith, like sight, is the gift of God; given to illumine the mind, to cheer the heart, to give purpose and direction to the life of man; given so that he might see not only the creation, but the Creator, and learn to put his trust in Him. Of Moses it is said: "He was resolute as one who saw the invisible God." Jesus opened for us human beings a new era when He said: "Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father."

Faith Meets the Test

Faith lasts forever. It may be neglected perverted, set in a false antithesis with reason; it can he eroded by doubts, made ineffectual by materialism, until man - God's noblest work - becomes blind to his Maker and Redeemer. Still it remains true - faith lasts for ever. It endures and will endure to the end of time and beyond.

Of the Passing Ages

Faith stands the test of the passing ages. In its beginnings, it pre-dates history. Before the faithful Abraham answered the call of God there were those who walked with God. One age may be seen as the age of faith, another as the age of reason. Our own could, perhaps, be described as the age of doubt and unbelief. One thing is sure that in every age, our own included, there are men and women and not just a few, but many, who by faith see God and are sure of Him - so sure that their lives are transformed by His presence, and they become the heralds of a new and better life for mankind.

Of the Growing Knowledge

Faith meets the challenge of growing knowledge. It welcomes the scientific insight into the ordered universe, which has rid us of much superstition, and explained many things which were once seen as evidence of God's direct intervention. The God of the gaps - the once inexplicable happenings now explained - has become the greater God of the whole creation. It does not deny the reasoning, questing mind of man, nor undervalue the importance of knowledge, but, by its very nature, it is a protest against the assumption that reason alone holds the key to the understanding of the universe, and the ultimate reality to which it gives expression.

Of Life's Testing Experiences

Faith persists through life's testing experiences - its joys and sorrows, its achievements and failures, its personal victories and overwhelming tragedies. But not inevitably; for in good times as well as bad, a man may lose his faith - it may be with deep regret, or with hardly a serious thought. Not all are alike. For some, to believe seems as natural as to breathe; in others faith never escapes the challenge of unbelief.

A firm faith has enduring quality. Directed to God, it is sustained by Him in a meaningful experience of Christian living, and, as we shall see, becomes the ground of hope, not only for the believer himself, but for the world. So far from being defeated by adversity it is frequently deepened and strengthened by the encounter with it.

This is the Victory

The faith that endures - in childhood, religious heritage channelled through home and Church; in youth, a thrilling commitment to Jesus Christ and His glorious Kingdom; in manhood and across the years, meaning and value in life and service; in age, comfort and stay, and, finally, victory over death and hell.

"Have faith in God," for "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."

"And now abideth faith."

Reverie on Christmas Eve

And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10, 11.

At last the house was quiet, almost too quiet, thought Mary, as she bent over the cot with adoring wonder. It was Christmas Eve, and the last protesting child had gone to sleep. Their Daddy, whose duties had taken him far away, was coming home, and they had so wanted to keep awake to see him, but Mary had known, as she put them to bed, that she would wait the last hour or so alone and in silence.

There was still work to do, but in the quietness she only wanted to sit and watch her sleeping children, and to pray the Heavenly Christ to bless them and keep them from the evil in the world.

"O Christ, keep them from all harm," she prayed, "and may they grow up strong in body and upright in character. Bless John, and make him into a good man like his father, and little Jenny with her smiles and tricks, take her into Thy keeping, and the wee laddie in the cot - may he be dear to Thee as he is to us. Amen"

"Christmas Eve," whispered Mary to her sleeping children, "and daddy coming home," and then her thoughts ran on, "How strange to have married a man named Joseph! I remember now that Mother told me she had the Mother of Jesus in mind when she named me. Mary, Mother of Jesus, how did you feel as you looked at your sleeping baby? Did you ever fear for Him as I fear for mine? What was it that Simeon said to you? 'A sword shall pierce through thine own soul also.' You knew your Son was destined to suffering, and that you would suffer with Him, but what about mine? May they suffer in this troubled, evil age, and shall I not suffer with them? O God, when shall we witness Thy triumph? O Christ, when will Thy Kingdom of peace be over all? Wars and rumours of wars on Christmas Eve, and I am a mother of sons: How I wish Joe would come."

Clear and sweet through the night air came words of the old carol:

"Fear not!" said he; for mighty dread

Had seized their troubled minds:

Glad tidings of great joy I bring

To you and all mankind."

"Fear not": it was, of course, only the choir from the nearby Church carol singing, but, to Mary, it was the word of God in answer to her prayer. Deep in her heart she knew that in spite of the troubles of the world, all would be well. Her children might suffer and she with them, but they would never pass beyond God's loving care. And if His kingdom tarried long because of the evil heart of man, it surely would come. Had not Jesus said: "I have overcome the world." True, evil men had crucified Him, but He had risen from the dead. Was He not living now?

Kneeling, she prayed again: "O Christ, I know Thou art living and that Thou art here. Let me give myself to Thee, and, if a mother may, my children also."

It was now past midnight, and Joe's firm tread announced that he was at home. Mary rose to meet him, but he, sensing another presence than their own, restrained his greeting, quietly repeating Milton's words, which had been as music in his mind through all his homeward journey:

"This is the month and this the happy morn,

Wherein the Son of Heaven's Eternal King,

Of wedded Maid and Virgin Mother born,

Our great redemption from above did bring."

Clasping hands they turned to look at their sleeping treasures - at John, who would, one day be like his Daddy; at Jenny, smiling even in her sleep; and at the wee laddie in the cot. And then they saw another baby in meaner surroundings than their own. It was Mary who broke the silence with Keble's lovely words:

"Wrapp'd in His swaddling bands,

And in His manger laid,

The hope and glory of all lands

Is come to the world's aid."

Only Another

Nancy's soul was full of wonder. God had made her so. She saw what many fail to see, that glory which is over all the earth and which invests each separate creature with its own special beauty. Pam was a practical person. God had made her so, for He knows that the world must have folk who see straight to the heart of a matter, whom appearances cannot deceive. They were sisters and still young. Their Grandma, as they well knew, was no ordinary person, but truly a lady. Of course, she was growing old, but she was beautiful and full of understanding. Yes, God had made her so. "Grandma," said Nancy. "there's a bird outside, and, oh, it's so beautiful. Its feathers are a shiny black, and it has white parts on it." Grandma listened carefully to Nancy's glowing words, until Pam, unable to keep silent, exclaimed: "Oh, Grandma, it's only a magpie." Pam was right, but so also was Nancy.

"Only a..." To be matter of fact is a mixed blessing. It dispels illusions, keeps one in touch with reality, but its price is the loss of some part of beauty and truth, sometimes the most significant part.

A few days ago, I greeted at the door a mother holding her ten-days-old baby. Behind her stood the husband and father. She looked at me, but most of all, she looked at her child. I too, could not take my eyes off him, as I wondered at the mystery of this new gift of life. For a few moments we stood on holy ground, the mother, holding her baby, the father, in silent awe, and I, forgetting the duties of a host. Only another baby, and after all, babies are so common and can be such a trial. Only another - God forbid that I should say it again, for this was a firstborn son, her firstborn son, who had indeed come to her "trailing clouds of glory." There had never been a baby just like this baby, nor could there ever be another, just like him. He was unique, their very own son; for him they would live, and if need be, for him they would die. What hopes and fears already centred in him! He may become one of the great ones to whom God gives large opportunities. Who knows, he may be called to stem the tide of evil and build the Kingdom of God.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judah, He, too, no doubt, was to many, only another baby. "Did you hear what happened last night at the inn?" I imagine they said, "Well, it was not exactly at the inn. But, two folk arrived late, and there was no room for them, so the innkeeper put them in the stable, and now there are three - her baby was born through the night. Oh, yea, it was hard, but I suppose they'll be leaving in a few days, and really, they were fortunate to have the stable to shelter in." Only another, the many thought, but while Bethlehem slept an angel had announced His birth as the coming of the Saviour, and a choir of angels had commenced that chorus of praise, which, for centuries, has encircled the globe on the anniversary of His birth. Only another, but God was in Him reconciling the world unto Himself and His coming meant the beginning of a new era in the life of man, with far, far greater possibilities of good.

And now we stand on the threshold of a new year. Only another, some will say wearily. What is the use of facing a new year with eagerness and expectation? It will not be different from the old year. The old discords and strifes will be with us, and our besetting sins will haunt us in the future as in the past. How foolish to dream of new and greater achievements! How simple to imagine that by new resolves we may change the character of the old life! Come, now, let us be practical, and acknowledge that a new year means nothing more than that we must put a different date on our letters.

Only another? Away with this nonsense! Is not the fact of life itself a matter to wonder at, and what is time, if not opportunity to live? To have the prospect of another year is cause for deep thankfulness. Have we seen all that we would like to see, or done all that we want to do? Have we read all that is of interest, and happily finished our thinking? Are we so good that we no longer ask for time to cultivate the graces of the Christian character and prepare our souls for Heaven? This New Year may prove the best of years to advance these and other vital interests, and so may leave us even more thankful to God than it finds us. Moreover, it may be that this year such "times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord," that the life of the Church will be renewed, and the Gospel of Peace made effective throughout the world. "With God all things are possible," and it is with Him that we must now go forward, with wondering, thankful hearts, to the tasks and trials, the joys and sorrows, the disappointments and achievements of another year.

Springtime

A hill, rising steeply from the valley through which meanders Paynter's Creek to join the Maroochy River, its destination in the mighty Pacific Ocean. A hill, surrounded by higher hills, whose slopes, still clothed with native bush, recall primeval days and dark-skinned inhabitants. The valley, patterned by white man's industry into blocks of caneland; some, naked brown earth, waiting the planting; some recently cut; but most, a faded green tinged with yellow; and all, fitting into the kinks and curves of the tree-lined creek, and stretching through the open way, between the bills, and down the valley to the blue sea on the horizon.

The Challenge of the Heights

The house on the hill is seen first, and aspired to, from the valley. Heights are always an invitation and a challenge. From the road in the valley you look up and say: "What a stiff climb!" but from the hilltop you look out in wonder and thank God for the crinkling of the earth's surface, and for those high places where the greater glory of creation appears.

To the folk who live in the house on the hill, it is home. With deep content, they turn from the road to follow the winding track which climbs to the top of the hill. To me, a guest, the house on the hill is an enrichment of life.

Yesterday, a wallaby and a bandicoot crossed the path as we descended to the valley; to-day, jackasses looking down from the tall gum laugh, and magpies strut across the lawn. All now is quiet and full of peace except for the bird calls and the shrill cry of the cicadas, but when the rains come, and the swollen stream spreads across the valley, then the hidden violence of gentle nature is clearly seen from this high place.

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;

the world and those that dwell in it!

Let the floods clap their hands;

let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord,

for He comes to rule the earth.

Spring Comes

Spring is coming to the house on the hill. The warm air, the fresh green in the lawn, the chattering birds, the flowers, but most of all, the white cedar bursting into leaf - these proclaim the spring. Yes, indeed, "Let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord for He comes" - to renew the life of the earth. By the touch of God the grass and plants and trees are awakening after their winter rest.

I sit and ponder the world's need of a springtime for the life of man, after the long winter of loveless self-seeking and bitter strife; of unbelief and godlessness. Surely He, "Who makes the grass to grow upon the hills," and "turns a desert into pools, a parched land into springs," is well able to renew the spirit of man, until his life on earth flourishes like a watered garden and "the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness , gentleness, self-control" everywhere abounds.

Springtime of the Soul

Is it fancy, or do I really see the Lord coming in these days of radical change to refresh and renew and re-fashion the spirit and the life of man? Are we at the turn of the seasons? I have a thought, a feeling, but not yet a conviction, that this is so. In John Wesley's day in England, and throughout the world, for the humble and trusting, there came a springtime of the soul. Why not in our day? We have equal need, and God is faithful who has promised. As the sea breeze follows the valley to refresh the house on the hill, so the Spirit of the Lord comes to breathe new and victorious life into His people.

To Be a Man - Fully Human

"I am a man," said be. "With that I agree,'? said I. "But I am Everyman," he affirmed. "Then you are my kith and kin," I replied. "Perhaps we could go out together to see what the world offers us in this our day."

A Man Needs a House

We drove through suburban streets. "See," I said, "houses and houses and more houses." "Yes," he replied, eyeing them carefully to pick the one that pleased him most, "a man must have a house to live in. Some day I shall marry and have a family, and I intend to provide for them a comfortable home."

Highways

We turned into the busy main road. "I suppose we must have roads," I said, remembering the delight of walking or riding cross-country or along some bush track. "Sure," my companion answered quickly, "and you had better give your attention to driving on this one." He was just adding the obvious: "These are the days of the motor car," when a jet roared overhead to remind us that we need sky-ways as well as highways. We agreed that there certainly is meaning in a four-lane highway and in the flight of a plane.

Shops

"Perhaps we should turn in here," I said, as we approached the Shopping Centre with free parking provided. As we walked down the Mall, Everyman exclaimed: "This is a great place, a man could buy everything he needs here - almost." He smiled and pointed, "See, a ring for the girl I'm going to marry, a houseful of furniture and all the modern gadgets, clothing, tools, seeds and plants, even fish for the aquarium. I understand this - buying and selling belongs to the life of man."

Schools

We joined the road again, and soon found our attention drawn to a large two-story brick building, obviously a place of learning. "Does this mean anything to you?" I asked. "Yes, "he replied with a grin, "I have memories, not all happy, and of all that I learned, how much I seem to have forgotten. But I know the need to remove the reproach of ignorance, not just as a means to a good income, but as an open door to life."

Law and Order

The stream of traffic flowed on, ourselves part of it. "Have you got your driver's licence?" he asked, "the police are about." I saw what he meant - we were passing the Police Station. "Do you think we could manage without them?" I asked. "Well, no," he answered. "True, they have restricted my freedom at times, but we must have law and order. I shudder to think what the city would be like without its police."

Hospitals

"That big group of buildings on the right, what is it?" he asked. "The Hospital," I answered. "Doctors, nurses, medicine, surgery, sickness, health, life, death," he murmured, thinking aloud of what it means to have a ministry of healing, scientifically based, and motivated by compassion.

As a river flows into the ocean, so our road brought us to the heart of the city. He was silent as we crossed the city square, accepting without comment the new skyscrapers, glancing casually at the fountain, pausing for a moment or two before the City Hall, then turning deliberately towards the Church. I wondered if the sharp upward thrust of the spire reminded him, as it did me, of God, and the cross of the burden of man's sin and Christ's sacrifice.

Man Needs God

Presently he spoke: "Why do we human beings build Churches?" What purpose do they serve? Why is it assumed that everyman needs a Church?" "Because God made us for Himself and we need Him for the fulfilment of our humanity," I answered. "But isn't it true," he said, "that man has now grown up, and must learn to live without God?" "Man, as scientist and technologist," I suggested, "has made enormous advances, and may lay some claim to having reached adulthood, but man as a person is not yet fully human, indeed, if one may judge from the world scene, he is far from grown-up." "But, at least," he said "you must agree that, with our fast growing knowledge and power, we are on the way to maturity." "I will agree," I said, "that we are moving towards a perilous assertion of self-sufficiency, and not for the first time in human history. I was reading the Prophet Isaiah the other day and found this apposite word: 'Your wisdom betrayed you, omniscient as you were, and you said to yourself, "I am, and who but I?"'." "I suppose we are getting very proud of our achievements," he replied, "but then we are terribly confused by our failures and not a little fearful." "God is," I said, "and God is the Almighty - on Him we are dependent and to Him we are responsible. Over the lower orders of creation, with great powers given to us, but under God - this is our place in the scheme of things. Within this area we may reach maturity, moving out of it, we lose our true humanity." "In my heart I know you are right," he said, "but I must have time to think and, perhaps, to pray. Do you mind if we part here? I would like to go into that Church alone. It may be that I shall find God there, and finding God, come to my true self."

Returning home, I reflected on man's obvious needs, as we had seen them - houses, roads, shops with many commodities, schools for learning, law and order, hospitals and medicine, and that equally urgent, if not so obvious, need of the Church and God and the power of God unto salvation.

Tramp or Pilgrim

"These all confessed that they were ... pilgrims." - Hebrews 11: 13.

Life is a journey, its stages marked by days and years. "Another milestone," says Wayfaring Man, as he greets a new year. "I wonder how many more before journey's end." From the cradle to the grave, from the dawn of history until now, man continues a wayfarer.

On the highways are both tramps and pilgrims, and every man may become either one or the other. A tramp is a wanderer whose outstanding characteristic is his want of a controlling purpose. "Where do you live?" I asked two such wanderers. "Under my hat." replied one. "We generally get through a fence and camp under a tree," said the other. Purposeless wandering, movements without conscious direction, journeying without destination - these are the marks of a tramp. These also may be the marks of a man's life.

Now a pilgrim is a wayfarer with a purpose. He does not wander, but presses on to a destination, which he knows or fully believes exists. Writing of the men of faith of early days, the author of Hebrews said: "These all ... confessed that they were ... pilgrims." Living at different times, they were alike in that they were not fully satisfied by their earth environment, but felt that they belonged to the unseen spiritual realm. They "looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God." These were early on the road in the quest for the Kingdom of God.

To this quest Jesus gave definiteness by revealing the Kingdom as a present reality the rule of God, in righteousness and love, in those who have turned from evil to find forgiveness and a new life of reconciliation to His will. He also confirmed it as a pilgrimage to a distant goal, for He saw not only its present, limited manifestation, but also its power to grow and spread throughout the world, and its consummation in the full life and perfect society of Heaven.

Most important of all, Jesus became the great Liberator, freeing men for this pilgrimage . A tramp may appear to have freedom, but in reality he is bound by ignorance and indolence. A man is free only when able to realise the higher possibilities of his life, but this a tramp may not do, as long as he continues blind to those possibilities and bound by sloth. The bondage of evil and spiritual darkness go together, and are common amongst men. The bondage of evil - the life lived apart from God, centred in self, sometimes openly sinful, often outwardly respectable, but always held back from the quest for the Kingdom. Spiritual darkness - that ignorance which conceals from a man his true state. Jesus dispels this darkness, revealing to men themselves as they are, and He liberates them from the bondage of evil, thus setting them free to become pilgrims.

In Bunyan's classic story of man's greatest pilgrimage, when Christian was asked whence he was and whither he was going, he answered: "I am come from the City of Destruction, and am going to Mount Zion." He had one ruling purpose, to reach the City of God, the Heavenly Jerusalem. Christians today may regard Bunyan's pilgrim as too concerned about reaching Heaven, preferring for themselves abandonment to the service of God for their fellowmen on earth. But the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are one reality, representing the fulfilment of our highest hopes in the perfecting of God's work for and in mankind. This much is sure, that all need Christian's strong sense of being on a pilgrimage vital to life and destiny, his urgent purpose and clear sense of direction, his utter commitment of himself to the quest for God's Kingdom.

These all - the men of faith of early days, the prophets and apostles, the great Christian leaders and obscure but devoted believers - were pilgrims. May I address to you two questions with which I have been searching my own soul? Do you really belong to their company? Are you a tramp or a pilgrim?

Lord Jesus, Thou great Liberator of mankind and Friend of pilgrims, deliver us, we pray Thee, from aimless wandering. Quicken our flagging zeal. Give us Thy companionship, and help us to be faithful to our fellow travellers. Amen.

Our Daily Bread

(Written in Allora in 1950 after watching strong men stacking heavy bags of wheat in the grain shed by the railway line. As they took the bags from the elevator and walked across the top of the stack to raise it higher they repeated what sounded like a chant: More wheat! More wheat!)

"Give us this day our daily bread" Matthew 6: 11.

"More wheat! More wheat.'" What does it mean, this cry which I have heard so often through my study window? It is the cry of the stackers, as they take the wheat from the elevator to fill another of the world's granaries. To these strong men, exulting in their strength, more wheat means more pay: to hungry humanity it means more food. In places, near and far, people pray: "Give us this day our daily bread," and we on the Darling Downs work with God to answer their prayer. I would that more of us valued our privilege, and humbled ourselves under the hand of God, whose instruments we are.

Have you seen that amazingly beautiful patchwork, the agricultural lands of the south-east Downs? Gentle hills, open bounded by distant ranges, small mountains from which may be seen mile after mile of patchwork in Nature's best colours. Come when you will, come as often as you may, you will always find it beautiful, and never twice the same. Come in autumn, when the shades are from brown to black, with here and there a stretch of green for winter feed. See the rich earth lying naked and exposed to the sun and rain. Come again in winter, when the grain is being sown, not as in olden times, scattered by hand, but by tractor and combine, modern servants of man. Stay with us to watch Nature spread her variegated carpet of green over the land, anticipating spring whilst winter's chill is still in the air. Come once more in summer, when the gold and biscuit colours of ripened harvest give charm to the scene.

It was surely a smiling God who gave this country to men, in order that they might work with Him to satisfy the hunger of many with wholesome bread and butter. It is to our shame that so often we think only of making money, and growing rich so that we may enjoy ourselves. No man here, with soul awake, may doubt the steady, persisting, mighty work of God. Pressing upon him continually is the mystery of life in the apparently dead grain, springing from the earth in response to sunshine and rain, and growing, "first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." "Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit," said Jesus. To be confronted year after year by this mystery of life renewed in death, is to know that God is in this place, and that apart from Him we can do nothing.

The times have changed, as I was reminded by an old Downsman when he said: "I mind the time when we reaped with the sickle." "From Reaping Hook to Harvester" could well be the title of his biography, for he has seen and shared in the complete mechanisation of wheat farming. The times have changed, but not our dependence on God for harvests. By whatever means we work, this truth stands:

We plough the fields and scatter

The good seed on the land,

But it is fed and watered

By God's almighty hand.

The progress of science and invention has increased our command and use of power, so that we can do more than our forefathers did; but our utmost service, like theirs, is still to work with God in answering the prayer of multitudes for daily bread.

And all of us, in town and country, for whom this prayer is answered, should we not give thanks to God? To say grace before eating is to acknowledge a debt we cannot pay. In the few pence that buy for us a loaf, there is payment for the baker, for the miller and the farmer, but for God, nothing. Yet bread, like the life which it sustains, comes ultimately from Him, and is an expression of His goodwill towards us. Is not life a good gift and bread a wholesome food? Shall we pay our debts to men, but withhold our gratitude from God? Not if we have learned to call Him "Our Father" with sincerity and truth, and certainly not if we have tasted that greater provision for the spiritual life of man, "the Bread which cometh down from heaven."

Pass the Sugar, Please!

(Written in Bundaberg after relaxing for a few days in the home of a friend, who is pleased to be a cane farmer. Such kindness from man and wife and family, one never forgets.)

Rich brown soil, a broken fence, and beyond, rows of young growing cane; on the skyline, ragged trees; at hand, palms and symbols of the modern world - a bitumen road and a line of poles and wires. Sheds and various machinery, an open paddock and a lagoon where hyacinth grows, but most of all sugar cane, gathering sweetness for the crushing. Tall, green, leafy cane, hiding all save the rooftops of neighbours' houses; musical in the wind, with a tune and tone all its own.

"Farming is a way of life," quotes my host. "Farming is hard work," I know from my youth and early manhood. "A way of life," says my host. "This property is worth so much and from it we may expect so much or less in any given year." "A bad investment," says the man of business, "an inadequate return," but "Farming," says my host , "is not a business, it is a way of life." And I could add, for those who really accept it, a very satisfying way of life.

"From Morn 'til Eve"

Hours of labour do not count here. Before sunshine, I can hear my host moving with gentle tread down the hall. The cows must be milked, and the stage set for the day's activities. Of course, there is freedom here, the freedom of being one's own boss, but this would appear to be mostly freedom to work harder and longer than other men do; but not altogether, for every year there is the slack. Not that the slack is without its tasks, but rather that, with the pressure of crushing lifted, it is easier to put off till tomorrow what should be done to-day. One may even enjoy an extended holiday.

Of course, everyone knows that the farmer makes big money, that is, everyone except the farmer himself. He knows more about his costly machinery and his bank overdraft. But then, farming is a way of life, and he would choose no other. Not for him the daily trek to business or industry, but rather the rich, brown earth, and a job which is always at hand, to say nothing of the glory of the sunrise. He asked me had I seen it, but I had to confess that when the rising sun spread its glory across the eastern sky, I was still in bed.

A Calling from God

Every farmer should be a religious man, for his way of life is a calling from God to work with Him in producing food to sustain the life of man. This dignifies his life and labour, and makes the Church a necessity and worship a privilege. We gathered at the Church, overlooking the sea at the mouth of the river. There we sang and prayed, gave thanks and offered ourselves afresh to the good purposes of God. That blessed hour gave to everything its right setting.

Nearby was the sugar terminal, looking outwards to the needs of the world. Here ships come in empty to go away full, carrying strength and sweetness to hundreds of thousands of people in different races and nations. So the farmer plays his part in feeding a hungry world and himself receives the reward of his labours.

Sweet though Crushed

But, first, there must be the burning, the cutting, the crushing, the boiling and finally the refining, and all this to liberate the strength and sweetness that is imprisoned in the lush cane. Why must this be? Why doesn't sugar grow in lumps to be picked like ripened fruit? We might as well ask: Why is it that the full strength and sweetness of a human life is reached only by the way of suffering and sorrow? I read of the Lord that He was made perfect through sufferings, and I have observed amongst His followers that often those who have suffered most have most to offer. I like to think so, but in any case -

PASS THE SUGAR, PLEASE.

At the Cross of Jesus

"And sitting down they watched Him there." - Matthew 27: 36

"The Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me." -Galatians 2: 20

"They watched Him there." The soldiers who had done their appointed duty, whether with callous indifference or reluctance and sympathy, we do not know: these men, who had ignorantly crucified the Saviour of Mankind, sat down near the cross, and watched Him there. The suffering they witnessed will not bear description. A week earlier, they had been disinterested onlookers at the stir caused by His coming to Jerusalem; now, a soldier's duty had involved them in this final scene. His prayer for them was, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." What were their thoughts as they looked on Him and then, cast lots for His seamless robe? Apparently they were deeply moved by the signs which accompanied His death, for we read that the Centurion and they that were with him feared greatly, saying: "Truly this was the Son of God."

"They watched Him there." The chief priests and scribes and elders, His most powerful enemies, whose scheming had placed Him on the cross - these rulers of the Jews watched Him there, gathering the full bitter fruit of their triumph, as they mocked Him, saying: "He saved others; himself he cannot save ... He trusted in God; let him deliver him, if he will have him: for he said, 'I am the Son of God'."

"They watched Him there." His Mother and His Mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene; John also, and, no doubt, other faithful followers - these stood, for they could not sit at such a time in such a place, these stood and watched Him there. Inexpressibly sad, with the mystery of dark tragedy like a cloud over their minds, unable to bear the sight of His suffering, unable also to withdraw their eyes from Him, they continued at His cross, sharing His suffering to the end.

"They watched Him there." The common people, who had heard Him gladly as they passed by, paused to look at Him. Of some it is said that they railed on Him, wagging their heads and saying: "Ah, thou that destroyest the temple and buildest it in three days, save thyself, and come down from the cross." We may not doubt that there were others Who, looking on Him, remembered their debt of gratitude to Him for some deed of compassion. One may have thought, "But for Him this right arm had still been withered and useless"; another with tears may have acknowledged: "But for Him, my little daughter had now been in her tomb."

"They watched Him there" - friends and foes, those who regarded His death as necessary for their security and power, and those who had believed that it was He who should have redeemed Israel. And still, after 1900 years, men watch Him there. It is as though this is one scene which we cannot allow to pass completely into history. Enacted in a certain place at a given time long ago, still we see it as having a present reality and significance. It has never been clearer than it is to-day that, in its powerful effect on mankind, no death can compare with His; no death, ancient or modern, can equal His in its abiding meaning and value.

In his book "Christ in the. Silence," C F. Andrews tells how Dame Clara Butt, seeking comfort in a heartbreaking sorrow, came to see the great Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore. The poet was recovering from a serious illness, but more than once she was able to see him and was wonderfully comforted. Having thanked him, for the consolation he had given her, she said to him: "There is one more request I have to make before I leave you. Will you not let me sing one song to you here in the quiet of this evening?" Then she sang the negro spiritual

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there?

Were you there, when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there?

Oh, sometimes my heart begins to tremble,

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there? Was I there? Well, no, obviously no, but, had you and I been there, to what company would we have belonged? This we may not know, but since the cross is an abiding reality, historical yet belonging to all time, a living expression of the sacrificial love and saving work of God, we may this Good Friday make a spiritual pilgrimage to the place where they crucified Him. Perhaps we shall see there the soldiers who fastened Him to the cross, the chief priests and scribes and elders who mocked Him, His Mother and His friends and the common people who heard Him gladly. It may be we shall see Him only, and be constrained by Divine Love to kneel before Him and confess with Paul and countless others who have watched Him there: "The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."

Cross and Tomb

Of course it was made, and true, I made it, but still it was a gift - this symbol combining cross and empty tomb. The wood from which it was made was the gift of a friend, and the idea, though born in my mind, was equally a gift. The wood was old and well seasoned. Most of it had already been used in making another gift. There remained on the bench a collection of small pieces, too precious to burn, but what could be made of them?

Jesus said: "Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened." The weeks went by until at last prayer, spoken and unspoken, was answered. The idea came and was quickly transferred to paper. Then followed the task by which pieces were shaped and joined together to express, in one symbol, the truth that the death and resurrection of Jesus are inseparably joined in the one mighty, redemptive purpose and work of God.

The broad base, with rounded edges, represents the world to which the Son of God came; the empty tomb stands securely in the world; and above it, rising from the hill called Calvary, and supported by the tomb, is the cross, the instrument of that suffering and death by which we human beings are forgiven and renewed in heart and life.

By common consent and age-old practice, the cross is the supreme symbol of western Christianity; sometimes the crucifix with the image of Christ on the cross; sometimes the empty cross, as with Methodists. I accept this. To me, as to many others, the cross speaks to remind me of the love of God for all mankind, and so for me, even me. Looking at it I may find myself saying with Paul, "The Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." But I know that I can only feel the truth of this, because I see the cross from the standpoint of the resurrection.

Most T.V. viewers - or so I imagine - would still, remember the controversial play: "The Son of Man". What really disturbed me was not the somewhat hippie-like appearance of Jesus, but that final scene on the cross, with no slightest suggestion of the resurrection. It was made understandable by the explanation that the author, though impressed by Jesus, did not accept the resurrection. But still, I asked, how could one believe in God or man, if the end of that perfect life of love was there in the shame and agony of that cross?

James S. Stewart quotes one of Dostoevsky's characters as saying when confronted with a picture of the crucifixion: "Don't you know, a man might lose his faith by looking at that picture?" "That is what is happening to me," was the reply.

In the New Testament the death and resurrection of Jesus are inseparably joined. Jesus, in speaking of His suffering and death in Jerusalem, confidently predicted His resurrection the third day after. The Father, He said, had given Him power to lay down His life that He might take it again. It was beyond His disciples to believe this until after the resurrection; then they became the inspired witnesses to a truth they had experienced. With reckless courage they accused their countrymen of the crime of crucifying the Messiah, but followed this immediately with the dramatic declaration that God had raised Him from the dead, and these two events they saw as united in "the deliberate will and plan of God."

The New Testament interpreters of the redemption wrought by God in Christ emphasise this link between the cross and the empty tomb. Even when they write more particularly about the meaning of the cross, it is always from the standpoint of the empty tomb. Paul states categorically what all would accept when he says: "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins... But now is Christ risen from the dead."

Without the crucifixion there could have been no resurrection, but is it not also true, that without the certainty of the resurrection, there would have been no crucifixion? The two cannot be separated and understood. In both, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. It is this which I have tried to express in a symbol in which the empty tomb supports the empty cross and carries the announcement, most prominent in the proclamation of the early Church: "He is Risen".

At present, this symbol stands on top of the T.V., that modern window on the world, to remind me and all who have faith to see, that the life of man is always under the judgment and mercy of the One True and Holy God whose name is Love, and who came in Jesus Christ to live, die and rise again for our salvation. For I would see the world and all that is in it, not apart from God, but always in one picture with Him, and when evil is strong and advancing against the good, I would remember that Jesus who lived the perfect life of love was victorious, both in death and over death and the tomb.

The Master Craftsman

Jolly's Lookout! Below, a grass green valley, bounded on either side by tree-covered mini mountains, the view opening out to give glimpses of a township, and beyond, for eyes that are keen, the water tower at Redcliffe. "Can you see it?" I hear from one for whom it is a daily presence. "Yes, I can see it, right there on the skyline." Brisbane is there, too, but who, having escaped from the big city for a day's outing, would want to contemplate it from the mountains?

The Man in the Valley

Somewhere in that valley there lived a man who was a great lover - please don't mistake me - a lover of trees. I knew him in a little wooden Church, long since removed, when I was minister and he was a member and worshipper. I knew him, too, in his home in the valley, and it was there that his love of trees became most evident. Perhaps I should say, being more particular, his love of Queensland timbers. His knowledge of these made him an expert, as an official Government Journal acknowledged.

The expert was also a first-class craftsman and, in his way, an artist. He could see beauty and usefulness, hidden and imprisoned, in wood that others saw as fit only for burning. He could take that wood perhaps a post grown grey in a stockyard fence or an ugly, knotted, twisted stick, and with patience and skill, given only to few, create a new thing - a thing of beauty, to be admired and used. I looked with wonder at a sideboard, every piece of which had been carefully chosen for its hidden beauty, now displayed in perfect harmony. I was fascinated by the walking sticks, hanging in line across the door. Each had its own history. One, I remember, had been forty years in a fence before he found it. When I saw it, it was fit to be a present for royalty. I was not surprised when he told me that his sticks had been presented to members of the Royal Family and other famous visitors to Queensland.

After talking for awhile, he went into the adjoining room and I heard the click, click of wood on wood. Presently he came towards me to make a gift of a beautiful paper knife in his own design, which, he assured me, the Government had adopted. I accepted it gratefully, admired and used it, until by an unfortunate accident it was broken. I have seen the design many times since, but nowhere a knife to equal in beauty and usefulness the one given to me by the man in the valley.

The Worker in Character

I am reminded of Lax of Poplar and the Communist who called him a parasite, and demanded that he should take off his clerical collar. The Communist, in response to Lax's inquiry, said he was a cabinet-maker. "So you're a worker in wood," said Lax, "and if you are a good workman, I expect you could show me some handsome things you have made. I'm a worker in character, just as you are a worker in wood. That Church over there is my workshop. For over twenty years I've been at it every day, and in that time (although I say it myself) I've turned out some fine bits of work." They shook hands and parted - the worker in wood and the worker in character.

In the dedicated work of my erstwhile friend in the valley, I find a parable of the ministry of Jesus. My friend took ordinary and sometimes, apparently useless, discarded pieces of wood, worked patiently on them until a new creation appeared, combining both beauty and usefulness.

The Master Craftsman

Jesus was a carpenter who knew His timbers. It is easy to believe that the yokes He made eased the burden to the shoulders of the patient beasts that wore them. Jesus is the Saviour of Mankind, whose first concern is with persons - men and women, young and old, boys and girls, both good and bad. He is the Master Craftsman, also an artist, whose task is the making of men. He takes His human material with its rich variety - some of it broken, much of it spoiled, and He works on it with loving patience, not as the sculptor works, from without, but rather from within. He transforms the inner man, removing the crippling deformities of sin, emptying the heart of its bitterness, and filling it with love and goodness.

The finest examples of His craftsmanship are those outstanding Christians we name saints. Some of these are gifted leaders of mankind, but many are ordinary folk who do not find anything exceptional in themselves. All bear the mark of His handiwork in that pure goodness which reminds others of Him.

The Church is His workshop. His fellow-workers, those who have themselves submitted to His creative touch, and in whom He has put His Spirit. Listen, as the Master Craftsman and Saviour speaks again to all who will hear His word:

"Behold! I am making all things new!"

God and Man in Space

A country road, a lover and his lass, and overhead, the moon and the stars. "The heavens declare the glory of God." Who would ask for a car in circumstances like these, to blot out the sky and hasten the journey? To walk under the open heavens, in the awareness of God and love, is better than to ride.

When I Consider

A young man riding home, no wheels needed, he has a horse, and the stars for company. He meanders on for no one waits his coming. He seeks out the Southern Cross and the few other heavenly bodies known to him. The vastness and silence of the heavens, the twinkling of the stars, cast a spell on his spirit. "When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him?" He will drive a car some day, and lose the mystery and the majesty of the heavens. To arrive quickly will matter more than to see God in the stars.

Footprints in the Moon Dust

Three men in a spaceship returning from the moon. The impossible has been achieved. They have left their footprints in the moon dust, and all the world has witnessed their triumph. They have placed man firmly at the beginning of a new era of adventure and exploration - yesterday, the world; today the moon; tomorrow, the universe. From their spaceship they can see the sun, the moon, the stars, and the round earth. They are humble and reverent. In this hour of their achievement, they are aware of the vast knowledge and skill, the tireless planning and working, of a great company of dedicated men, and of that poured-out wealth of a nation, which has sent and sustained them, on their epic journey. They are aware, too, of God, the Living God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Indeed, God and man are together in space. Man speaks and we on earth listen: '"When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him?"

What is Man?

O man, how small and insignificant you are your planet home is but a speck and less than a speck in the apparently limitless creation, and you, yourself, so weak that an enemy too small for the eye to see can lay you low.

"What is man?" "Thou hast made him." Whatever else man is, he is part of God's creation, as truly God's handiwork as any one of the stars. "Thou hast made him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands." Surely, this latest extension of man's dominion into space is in fulfilment of this purpose.

O man, how great you are in you potential, never satisfied with past achievements ever reaching out in fresh endeavour to extend your power and dominion! How foolish to set a limit to your possibilities! And yet, there is a limit - it is your failure to discipline and purify your desires, and to order in righteousness and love your life on earth. If you cannot do this, what profit will there be in going to the stars? If this latest achievement ministers only to pride and feelings of self-sufficiency, the gain of it will turn to loss in the tragedy of a race that has lost its origin, and no longer sees its destiny in God.

We See Jesus

The hope of man in always in God. "Now we see," says the writer of Hebrews, "not yet all things put under him, but we see Jesus." Not yet - but. The human scene, with its strife, its tolerance of poverty, its violence and terrors of war, its naked and unashamed selfishness, is the background against which we must set both this latest human achievement, and the work of God in Jesus Christ to redeem mankind from evil. Without detracting one whit from the glory of man, displayed in his flight to the moon, let us remember that it is to the Incarnation we must turn for the salvation of the world. Great though the day of the moon be in the history of the world, it cannot compare with the day of Christ's birth. It is said of Him that "all things were made by Him." The moon and the stars are His, and, as He was in the beginning, so He will be in the end. God's purpose and work in Him embraces all that we can know or experience of good. The moon flight fills us with wonder - the greater wonder remains that the Son of God should come from heaven to earth, "should be made in all points like as we are, yet without sin," and that, as the Son of Man, He should follow the way of love to the cross and beyond, for the salvation of the world.

Let knowledge grow from more to more

But more of reverence in us dwell. (Tennyson)

Always there is hope for a world which God does not abandon to its own devices, for "with God all things are possible." Let the final word be this Word of God spoken by the Psalmist:

When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants,

it is I who keep steady its pillars.

He Called Me Brother

He was tall and black, his hair turning grey, his eyes, which held mine as he spoke, were burnt by centuries of bright sunshine. His title to this land was sure - by comparison, mine was doubtful. He grasped my hand and called me "Brother". I was surprised. He was not the first Aboriginal I had met, only the first to call me, "Brother".

Unduly familiar? No, for he was sincere. He was a Christian and so was I. We were servants of the same Master and children of the one Heavenly Father. And, in any case, is it not true, that God has "made of one blood all nations for to dwell on all the face of the earth"?

A Sense of Superiority

He called me, "Brother". Why was I surprised? Could it be that I had in me something of the pride of a people accustomed to ruling others? I remember riding on the miniature train on the "All-Red-Route" at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London. It was great to be an English boy and move from scene to scene of that Empire on which, it was proudly said: "The sun never sets." On that all-red-route we came to an Australian scene - an Aboriginal family with a gunyah, a kangaroo in the background, and, in the foreground, a fire on which roasted the catch for the day. In spite of my Australian years, perhaps there still remained in me some of that sense of superiority I breathed in as a boy, and had, I believed, since breathed out.

A Sense of Shame

He called me, "Brother", and I felt ashamed of those deeds which had placed him apart in a settlement and left me to live. house in the town. True, I had not performed those deeds by which a whole people had been dispossessed of its land, demoralised, broken and almost lost, but, when I searched my heart, I could not find assurance that I would have acted differently from the early settlers had I been amongst them. Nor could I be too hard on those settlers, whose gain had been the Aborigines' loss, since there seemed to be an inevitability about what had happened. But still I was and am ashamed. That it could happen, and did happen - this keeps my conscience in revolt.

A Willing Acceptance

He called me, "Brother", and thereby made me his brother. I found myself willing, both to be accepted and to accept. I had believed him to be, now I knew him to be a brother for or whose sake Christ died, and I was thankful he saw in me the same need for that redemption which made us one in Christ.

A friend of mine, who had been recently converted, and whose heart was warm with love to all mankind, was working close to an Aboriginal home, when he was invited in to share a meal. He accepted readily, but felt an awkwardness between himself and his hosts until, at the table, he said: "Would you mind if I say grace?" "Of course not." Heads were bowed and the simple thanksgiving offered; then, something remarkable happened - everybody relaxed and the group became as one happy family.

Spiritual Apartheid

Spiritual apartheid, which begins in the white man's assumption of superiority, can poison both sides of the relationship of Aboriginal and white Australians. It is a denial of love, both the love of God for man, and that love which God puts into the heart of man for his fellowman. It is an evil compound of pride and fear and greed, which manifests itself in segregation and in legislation which offers less than genuine equality to a dispossessed race. It puts a twist into a man's character and distorts his vision, so that he can neither see human beings as they are, nor act towards them as he should. It infects the soul of Australia, a sin of the righteous as well as of the unrighteous, found in places, sacred as well as secular.

To Be a Brother

He called me, "Brother", but what is it to be a brother? It is to make room for him in my heart, and this, for his own sake, because he is a human being and stands equal with me before God. It is to accept him as my neighbour, perhaps in the house next door, to talk with him and walk with him, heeding the word of the Lord: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." It is to make room for him in my pew, and to pray, not only for him, but with him, and to welcome his prayers for my own lost estate. It is to welcome him as a full partner in the developing life of this young, but already important nation.

Disturbing Fear

But I am afraid lest, with the passing years, the evil spirit of apartheid should grow and prevent the full and free acceptance of black by white and white by black. I am afraid lest this evil should frustrate the best efforts of enlightened legislators, and people of understanding and goodwill, to lead this nation into the security and happiness of a unity deep based in the realm of the spirit, and expressing a true brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of God.

Christ is the Answer

The answer to this fear I find in the ministry of Christ and the mission of the Church. Who is able, as Christ is able, to cleanse the heart of man of that evil which keeps apart those who should be together? What body of people, other than His Church, can better work for the mutual acceptance and spiritual unity between peoples who, having been divided, must now become one? There is much to repent of, and much to do, and, in this matter, each may begin with himself.

When the cleansing, renewing fires of revival swept through England in Wesley's day, the ugly, evil slave trade became intolerable - it had to go. Even so may there come, in our day, a fresh infusion of the Spirit of Christ, making intolerable the present division of white Australian and Aboriginal, and opening the way to a genuine brotherhood.

Lo, God is Here

The Acts of the Apostles provides the historical and spiritual link between the ministry of Jesus in the Gospels, and the interpretation and extension of that ministry which follows. It presents the origin of the Church as an historical event, arising out of the immediate past - the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, but having also its roots deeply embedded in the long history of God's dealings with Israel. Of equal importance with this, Acts presents the birth of the Church as an act of God, a new creation, a fresh beginning In the ongoing fulfilment of the purpose and plan of God.

"Lo, God is here!" These words, from an old Methodist hymn (683) express the surprise and wonder we all may feel as we read again the story of Acts.

"Lo, God is here!" in the Upper Room, with signs attesting His presence; in the street where the crowd hears, each in his own tongue, the mighty works of God; in the superabundant life, the amazing courage, the outgoing love, the fearless witnessing to the Risen Lord. "Lo, God is here!" guiding and inspiring His People, His presence seen in the mighty works performed in the Name of Jesus, and powerfully felt in the fellowship of the Church.

The simple but profound explanation given by Luke is that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Here we have a new, high peak in religious experience. As a vessel receives to its full capacity that which is poured into it, and then, must flow over, so these humble followers of Christ received the presence, love and spiritual power of God, until they could hold no more , and the blessing began to spill over into other lives. This was the supreme miracle of Pentecost, the Divine deed creating and establishing the Church as the People of God.

Thus the Church was born, not into isolation from the world, but into the world to serve mankind in God's Name, under the Lordship of Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Following the story in Acts, we learn how the hard shell of Judaism was broken, releasing the new faith to become a world religion. From Jerusalem to the Gentile cities, and on to Rome; from the synagogues to the market-place, the lecture hall, the homes of the people; from the pride and exclusiveness of salvation under the Law to the freedom and triumph of grace, we are led on until we see clearly that, from the beginning, it was not just a particular people that God loved, but all mankind.

As we reckon time, all this happened long ago, and inevitably great changes have taken place in the human situation. This has never been static, but in more recent times, the rate of change has been greatly accelerated by the rapid growth of knowledge and the amazing scientific and technological achievements which have followed from it. It is now over a hundred years since Tennyson wrote in his "In Memoriam"

Let knowledge grow from more to more,

But more of reverence in us dwell;

That mind and soul according well,

May make one music as before,

But vaster.

So the poet prayed; so too have I prayed, but so far, what has happened is that the growth of knowledge has tended more to scepticism than to reverence. Everything must now be challenged, even well-attested miracles and faith as insight into the truth of God is mistrusted. This attitude has advantages. It liberates us from much superstition, and to know that many things which were once attributed to supernatural action happen by natural means is surely all gain. So far from robbing us of our faith in God, it enables us to see Him not so much in the inexplicable segments of our experience, but in the whole vast ordered creation. Miracles remain and we accept them, as those who do not expect to find God confined within the known limits of His laws. but more and more do we see the miraculous in the whole of life.

This mood of scepticism, which pervades society today, must be reckoned with by the witnessing Church. Education, we are assured, is to make us think, and I have been told that if only the people who make up our congregations would think, they would no longer go to Church. The answer to this is, not that religion is proof against ignorance, but that Christians think as honestly as do others, and they find no irreconcilable conflict between faith and reason. Amongst the most brilliant and best educated persons of our age are significant numbers of practising Christians.

"Lo, God is here!" in His world, and, more intimately, with His Church. A few Sundays ago, I was present at a Confirmation Service in the Kedron Church. As the candidate pledged her obedience to Jesus Christ, and the minister received her into fellowship, and then gathered us at the Lord's Table in memory of the Saviour's love, I knew that here was an occurrence of the True Church, that Church which was born at Pentecost, and which, in spite of many grievous faults and failures, is still the Body of Christ in the world.

Mankind's most urgent need is the rebirth of faith in God, and in His Kingdom which is over all. In the present, perilous state of the world, with total disaster threatening, we read the signs of Divine judgment. But judgment, as Peter reminds us, begins at the House of God. We have heard the call to mission, and we are responding, I have no doubt, with sincerity. Still, most of us feel ill-equipped for the task. Do we not need once again, ourselves, to repent and believe the Gospel, and to seek in earnest prayer that fulness of life and power which came at the first Christian Pentecost? In Charles Wesley's words:

Lord, we believe to us and ours

The apostolic promise given;

We wait the pentecostal powers,

The Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.

Enduring Values - Hope

At the close of the Greater London Crusade, Sir Winston Churchill invited Dr. Graham to 10 Downing Street for an interview. "Do you have any hope? What hope have you for the world?" he asked. Dr. Graham answered: "Mr. Prime Minister, I am full of hope." Sir Winston pointed to the London evening papers, full of crime and hate, saying that when he was a boy it was different, and adding: "I am an old man, and without hope for the world." Taking his New Testament, Dr. Graham explained the ground of his hope. Sir Winston listened, then replied: "I do not see much hope for the future unless it is the hope you are talking about, young man. We must have a return to God." No man inspired more people with hope during the Second World War than did Mr. Churchill. The war won, this great leader apparently came close to despair for the future of mankind.

God's Gift of Hope

Hope is God's gift to human beings, deeply implanted in them, almost instinctive, keeping them forward-looking, believing in, striving for, strongly desiring and expecting a better life. And as life in this world is short and afflicted with many evils, men dare to believe in the fulfilment of their highest hopes in life beyond death. "To travel hopefully" may not be, as R. L. Stevenson suggests, "better than to arrive", but, at least, it is necessary to the journey. Men still cling to hope when all the circumstances are against it. Paul speaks of Abraham, the man of faith, hoping in a hopeless situation. Many brave hearts do this and, like him, are rewarded.

Unbelief and Despair

Others yield to despair. For them, there is the dull agony of hopelessness, meaningless existence not life, and the suicide's temptation to end all. There are always some who reach this extremity, but today, there are so many that we are compelled to ask, "What 's wrong with our way of living?" Many answers could be given. The one that concerns us now is the breakdown of religious faith.

This, I believe, is the basic cause of the despair which haunts so many today. Strangely enough, it is related to the great human achievements in science and technology. These represent a new peak in the development of man. They have raised him to an eminence from which he should be able to see a new and better day dawning. Instead, he fears what could be total disaster, brought about by powers of his own creating. Setting aside faith in God, grasping at unlimited freedom to do his own thing, he has lost, not only physical security, but, what matters more, his spiritual security. That this seems to have happened almost inevitably does not detract from its tragedy.

Faith and Hope

For all of us, life holds an inbuilt risk, a hazard which must be accepted. Living is an adventure which demands faith and hope. Our constant temptation is to concentrate on security, comfort, pleasure, and to neglect the deeper need for faith, but there is no final security save that which we experience in God, no unquenchable hope save in His Kingdom. Faith and hope belong together in the Christian life. No one who has faith can be without hope, but only that hope which is grounded in God can meet the test of the chances and changes of life. Hope is a steady burning light, kindled and sustained within us by faith in the Living God. Maintain the faith and the light will burn through the darkest night.

The Christian Outlook

Faith and hope transform the Christian's outlook on the human situation. The news and views of mankind, daily delivered to us by the mass media, with a steady emphasis on the irrational and tragic elements in human activity, and constant forebodings for the future, could well produce in us despair. What saves us is our vision of God, fully involved in the life of the world as Creator and Redeemer and Sovereign Lord. We see Jesus and God in Him bringing to fulfilment the Divine plan, both in co-operation with men and in spite of their rebellion, and we take courage and face the future with confidence.

The Jesus Movement had its beginning in California amongst a generation of disillusioned young people. They had rejected the world of material values, with its grasping after money and things, created for them by earlier generations, and, in despair, many of them had turned to drugs. Even more disillusioned and embittered, they turned to Jesus to find a new and better way of life. Their Gospel is simple - an unquestioning acceptance of the Bible, the love of God and salvation by faith in Jesus. Almost without exception, they believe and proclaim that these are the last days. The movement has spread until it now has a world significance. They are full of hope, not in the future of man in the world, but in the triumphant consummation of the purpose of God in Christ. In this they differ from the materialistic prophets of doom who see only a bitter end to man and his world.

Are they right? Few would answer confidently either way, but all would agree that the end, like the beginning, must surely be in God's time, by His choice and action, and in fulfilment of that purpose which brought Christ into the world. No doubt, these are the last days and the Kingdom of God is at hand; no doubt Christ is coming again; but could it not be that He is coming to call and challenge His people to follow Him in a fresh adventure of faith in the saving of the world? It has happened so often, when men have said, "This is the end," that God has extended man's time and opportunity. To answer the call and follow Him in today's society with all its complex problems, accepting the discipline and the cost of discipleship, this matters to all of us, and this is our best preparation for His final appearing, concerning which no man knows the day nor the hour.

I am sitting before a print of Salvador Dali's "The Sacrament of the Last Supper," sent to me by a niece in America. The central figure is Jesus. Above Him and reaching to the sides of the painting there is a floating segment of a twelve-sided Greek symbol of the universe. Across the top are outstretched arms, partly realistic, partly transparent, which seem to reach out to embrace the whole. Below, and parallel to the outstretched arms, extending on either side of Jesus, are the disciples, their heads bowed in adoration. The face of Jesus is portrayed full of grace and truth. Before Him, the broken bread and the chalice; behind Him, what must surely be the waters of the Sea of Galilee and the hills and mountains of that land where He taught and healed, fed the hungry and pointed men to God. The distant horizon is lit with a pale, gold light, suggesting a perpetual dawn. Salvador Dali, having been a leader of a school of surrealist art stressing the irrational element in the subconscious mind, turned from the study of Karl Marx and the Nazi, Rosenberg, to the study of Theology. This painting followed, with its clear expression of the Christian faith and hope. I share it with you, in order that, together, we might feel the depth of truth in Paul's words: "And now abideth faith, hope, and love."

Today we have concentrated on hope - the Christian hope, arising within and sustained by faith. Would you say with me; "I believe, therefore I hope"? "Hope" when it is grounded in God, "maketh not ashamed". We are familiar with the Order of Knights great hymn, "A charge to keep, I have". As I write, the second verse keeps rising in my mind, Here it is. Why not sing it now? Faith and hope demand commitment.

To serve the present age,

My calling to fulfil;

O may it all my powers engage

To do my Master's will.

A Love Letter

Dear Mother Church,

This is a love letter - not the sort I used to write in the days when the Conference decreed, "That students all must bachelors be", but more that kind of letter an older man might write to his Mother on Mother's Day.

It was within your family that I was "born again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ." I was a teenager then, in love with life in this world, nor did I lose the thrill of it, Indeed, all its values were enhanced. Years later an older man gave me the words I needed to express the new sense of wonder which filled my mind.

Heaven above is softer blue,

Earth around is sweeter green,

Something lives in every hue,

Christless eyes have never seen.

So this world to which I was joined by flesh and blood appeared in its greater glory, shot through and through with the light of God, its Maker and Redeemer, and so I became a citizen of another realm, the Kingdom of God, truly present in this world and everywhere manifest to seeing eyes, yet infinitely greater and belonging to eternity.

And this you did for or me, by opening my eyes to see Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the World, and my Saviour. Without denying the values of my human heritage, I would make my boast of Him. The man that I am at my best, He made me to be, and my failure to be steadily that man has been my failure to trust in Him and obey His word.

Dear Mother Church, you taught me my need of worship and gave me my place in the House of Prayer. What inner strength has come through this, what depth of meaning and value in living, what challenge and inspiration to serve!

I hear you criticised and, in truth, I too, can see your faults. You are not yet made perfect, but if you were, how could I belong to you? Your faults are my faults, and my sins mar your image.

Your people are the People of God, measured by a divine standard and always falling short, but they are my people. I have found them good companions of the way in youth, eager and aspiring; in maturity, still aspiring, reaching for the stars for themselves and all mankind; in age sustained by faith and hope and love.

What a company I see before my eyes, all friends, some, indeed very close friends; all alive, but some, not a few, in the Kingdom of Heaven. How right that the Church of the Living God, and such you are, should be the Church of the living, both here in this world and beyond this world in the Father's Home! I cannot begin to name them, these saints and saints in the making, but I may and do give thanks as I remember them. One thing I can and must say: of hypocrisy in the company, I have no memory.

I write as one of your Methodist sons, grateful for John and Charles Wesley and the eighteenth-century evangelical revival, with its emphasis on personal religious experience, its outgoing missionary concern, and its record of achievement in social righteousness. But I write also as one who, long years ago, was encouraged and, indeed, required, by you to open his heart and mind to all who share the faith of Christ, and name them brothers in one family of God.

Dear Mother Church, how sore divided you are! If there is, as we may hope and pray, a healing of divisions, then I shall still be with you, and there, too, will be the old values in a richer, wider fellowship.

I have beard it said that you have had your day; some have even been bold and foolish enough to say that God is dead. But we know better. It is borne in upon us that the deepest need of man is of that faith which it is in your power to give and sustain. Our boasted human progress, away from dependence upon God, is towards the wilderness; our hope is in the recovery of faith and in renewal by the grace of Jesus Christ; our true destiny lies in the Kingdom of God.

The air is full of the forebodings of scientists, today's prophets of doom. They call us to join them in the attempt to solve the problems which have followed from their amazing successes. I listened closely as one of them, who has the ear of the world, declared that the time has come when we must be really Christian or perish. Really or truly Christian? What does this mean? Perhaps a general acceptance of the Golden Rule, but does anyone suppose that this can be accomplished by the will of man? Do we not know assuredly that the selfishness which rules the heart of man and impregnates society can be overcome only by the Spirit of God as men are reconciled to Him?

Dear Mother Church, we need you, the whole world needs you, and never more than now. You need us, your sons and daughters, and never more than now. You have not failed US. You gave us God. May we not fail you.

From one of many,

Hardy.

A Threefold Bond

“The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,

Grapple them to thy soul, with hoops of steel.” Shakespeare.

We have just finished an exercise in friendship. The sky is a dull grey, but for us, Darby and Joan together, the time has passed pleasantly, as we have read again the messages we received at Christmas time. Each card and letter has brought before us some friend or friends. Giving free rein to imagination we have seen them again, heard their voices, and responded to their warm affection. And those who have written have brought to mind others whose hearts are open towards us in Christian love. What a wonderful network of friendship spreads throughout the Church!

Friends in Church

To belong to the Church, being part of its weekly fellowship, and not just a fringe dweller, opens the way to the most exciting and enriching experience of friendship possible to man. Nor is it a question of age or maturity. It can begin in childhood, continue through the teenage years, yield its satisfactions in adult life, and be the strong comfort of old age.

We sat side by side in school - friendly rivals - this was the beginning of a friendship, deepened and cemented in the happy life of the local Church, and destined to last a lifetime. I looked up to see two men on the College balcony - this was the beginning, not only of a partnership in study, but of lives shared in the liberating bonds of friendship. He was a layman - I was the minister - we had a common interest in the work of the Church - this was the beginning of a friendship which will last until death and beyond. In simple ways like these are friendships begun, to be tested and strengthened by the passing years.

Values of Friendship

"There are two elements," says Emerson in his essay on Friendship, "that go to the composition of friendship. One is truth. A friend is one with whom I may be sincere. Before him I may think aloud ... The other element of friendship is tenderness ... When a man becomes dear to me, I have touched the goal of fortune." He opens up friendship's great ministry in our lives when he says: "It is for aid and comfort through all the relations and passages of life and death. It is fit for serene days, and graceful gifts, and country rambles, but also for rough roads, and hard fare, shipwreck, poverty, and persecution."

No doubt it could be said that you don't have to go to Church to form friendships having these values, that there are other groups and places where true friends may be found. I agree with this.

An Added Value

But having agreed, let us go on to acknowledge that friendships formed in the Church have an added value which could be named fellowship. Its symbol is not a line, suggesting a relationship between two persons, but rather a triangle indicating a relationship between three - oneself, one's friend and the Lord to whom both are joined. It is this threefoldness which is the distinctive mark of Christian friendship, this upreach to find unity in God, which enhances all the normal values of friendship, and adds its own peculiar blessing - the sharing of life as an experience of the friendship of God. He whose good fortune has been to find such friendships in the place where they abound, the Church, has experienced thereby such an enrichment of life as must move him continually to thankfulness.

Pleasure in Meeting

There is pleasure in the meeting of friends. In the foyer of the S.G.I.O. Theatre during a morning tea break at the Methodist Conference, the atmosphere breathed friendship. Friends were greeting friends with a handshake and a smile. There was here a nod and there a cheery word, some little discussion of business but many personal enquiries and not-a-little concern to know how others were faring. Friendships ripened across many years were being refreshed and new friendships were at their delightful beginning. I, who have attended many conferences, was surprised to find that a delegate attending for the first time could feel lonely. A warning, this, to old-stagers to extend the friendly hand and cheery welcome to the newcomer, so that he may quickly feel the warmth of love at the heart of his Church.

A Friendly Church

Unfriendliness in a Church may not be the unpardonable sin, but it is difficult to forgive, and it can exist side by side with the closest friendships. Some who have been unfortunate, have claimed that Churches are unfriendly places where people form cliques, leaving the stranger in cold isolation. This, we may well protest, is not generally true, but such truth as there is in it rebukes us who have found our most satisfying relationships in the Churches to which we have belonged. The cup of friendship should not only be full but running over in genuine friendliness to others. Not exclusiveness but openness is to be the mark of the friendships of those who are the friends of Jesus - openness, not just to other believers, but to all for whose sake Christ died.

One final word, let us be sure that we ourselves are offering the friendship we seek from others, for in the words of Cowper:

Who seeks a friend, should come disposed

To exhibit in full bloom disclosed

The graces and the beauties

That form the Character he seeks,

For 'tis a union that bespeaks

Reciprocated duties.

This Man and This Woman

"This Man and this Woman." We could name them Adam and Eve, since they are sure that God has made them for each other. They want me to marry them, and I am willing. They have taken their religion seriously and are familiar with the inside of a Church. Theirs must be a Christian marriage. They seek and must have the blessing of God.

The Right Approach

In a permissive society, with the suggestion always present to grasp the pleasures of sex before they are lawfully given by God, they have kept themselves pure. Now, on the threshold of marriage, they are deeply thankful that their coming together will be wholesome and without regrets.

Standing before me, supported by their attendants, behind them relatives, friends and well-wishers, they await the opening prayer: "O God, grant that, as by Thy holy inspiration they make their vows before Thee at this time, so by Thy grace they may be able to perform the same."

The Promised Good

What is this holy estate of matrimony into which they seek to enter? What is it that makes it "honourable among all men," whereas other ways of joining together leave men and women guilty and ashamed? It is the way of life ordained by God "for the mutual society, help, and comfort that the one ought to have of the other." Of course, they are right, "this Man and this Woman" - they have been made for each other - physically, mentally, spiritually, they are complementary. The fulness of the gift of life demands for them this togetherness within a secure relationship. They do not expect always to agree, nor that the sky above will always be blue, but they do hope to build each other up in joy and sorrow, in success and failure. And why not?

My old friend had been badly broken in an accident, but what troubled him more than the pain was the fear that he and his wife might not be able to return to their home. She loved to sew for the grandchildren; he had his own interests, mostly around the home. How long had they been together? Half a century or more. A book could be written about the mutual society, help and comfort they had found in each other.

The Primary Purpose

But this is not all. For "this Man and this Woman", looking eagerly to the future, there is the primary purpose of marriage, "that children might be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.'' In choosing to marry, they align themselves with this purpose, reaching out for both home and family as the gift of God.

Why do they want children - their own children? Surely they know something of the heavy cost of parenthood, not just in money, but even more in love and unrequited service, in responsibility and anxiety. I think I understand why, for I myself know what it means to look into the eyes of the wife now become "Mother", holding close to her breast the child that will one day call you "Daddy". I can still feel something of the solemn, uplifting sense of being caught up in the creative cycle of life. This "Man and this Woman" already have their dream children. Let them make their vows before the Lord and may their dream come true.

The Solemn Vow

"Wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife? - this man to thy wedded husband?" Think well before you answer. You must know your mind, be sure of your heart, be ready to affirm this with the full strength of your will.

You are ready? Then join hands and speak your vows, so that God and man may hear. "I do take thee, for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish," - and now, close and bar the door, so that there can be no easy withdrawal say it firmly: "until death us do part, according to God's holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth."

Proud Symbol and Humble Plea

You may take this ring now, the outward symbol of the vow you have made and put it where it will proclaim to all men your new status as man and wife, and kneel to begin your life together in humble dependence on God. "O Eternal God, send Thy blessing on this man and this woman that they may faithfully live together, and ever remain in perfect love and peace together, and live according to Thy laws: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen"

In perfect love? Yes, then remember: "Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own."

They are passing out of the Church now. A brief half-hour has sufficed for the making of vows which will demand a lifetime to pay.

The More Excellent Way

The wisdom expressed in Christian marriage is old; but it is not out of date. Like all true wisdom, it is modern in its application to the continuing needs of man. The stamp of God is upon it in the infinite worth it places on human beings - men and women, and children. It calls for self-discipline, self-control and the acceptance of Christ's law of love. It creates a stable society in which all, including those who do not marry, may find a secure place and a useful and satisfying life.

Vision of Hope

There he lies - the latest scion of the stock - a son, a grandson. There he lies in his hospital cot, round-faced, more or less, pinkish, with blue eyes scarce revealed as yet, long fingers, long toes, a Blackburn nose. Who's he like? His father, his mother, his sister - there is no brother. What a teasing question. Perhaps he's like his grandfather, but then, which one? Who can say?

Love Feels No Burden

There he lies - in his mother's arms, and on her face, and in every line of her, supreme fulfilment and deep content. She has given her husband a son, their son, and to herself a task, and a sweet burden. How can they bring him up to be the man they fain would see him? God knows and God will help them. Meanwhile there is this gift of love which fills her heart, the love which "feels no burden, regards not labours, would willingly do more than it is able, pleads not impossibility, because it feels that it can and may do all things."

There He Lies

There he lies - alive but not yet aware of life, and quite ignorant of the world into which he has come. One thing he knows - he knows what he must do to live and grow, and this he will do.

Little feet, what a long way you have to travel, in elements three, by land, by air, by sea. But you belong to an age of speed and freedom from the bounds of earth. For you, it could be to the moon or beyond, but first there is the world to explore, and, like all of us, you must begin in your own backyard.

Little hands, what a lot you have to do, to lift up and to put down, to take and to give, to build and destroy and build again; what skills you must learn, what service render, what evil you may do, what need of dedication to the good.

Little head, what a lot you have to learn. Before your schooling is done, the vast accumulation of knowledge will have doubled, and your education, when finished, will only have begun. I look into your face to see if you have that gift of wisdom which is greater than knowledge.

A Little Fellow

But you, little fellow, are only one of many. I walk the long corridor of the hospital ward - in every room, a mother or mothers, expectant or having received the gift of a son or a daughter. You are alone now in your hospital cot which swings gently to the touch, but you must learn to live with others.

These are your generation. We must decrease; you must increase. The marvels we have seen will be your commonplaces, but what greater wonders will be yours that we cannot even imagine.

In a Big World

We apologise to you, not for the size of the world, big enough for man though a speck in the universe, but for the tangled skein of human society in it. Honestly, we have tried hard to make it better, but evil is strong, and faith has not always triumphed. Indeed, we have lived through an ebb-tide of faith and have seen liberty becoming licence and evil taken for good.

Our hope and prayer is that your generation will stem the tide of unbelief and evil, and that the Kingdom of God will again be manifest with great spiritual power in the Church and throughout the world.

Suffer the Little Children

Little fellow, we know that we cannot bind you since God chooses to leave you free, but we must and do give to you the best that we have found, and what is that best, if not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ?

The Church is full; the congregation standing; there he lies, in his father's arms now; gently he is placed in mine. The water, the sprinkling, the universal formula. "I baptize thee into the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." From all parts of the Sanctuary eyes are watching as "we receive this child into the congregation of Christ's flock, that he may he instructed and trained in the doctrines, privileges, and duties of the Christian religion." Back to his parents he must go, and into his mother's arms. He'll be a man some day; a man of God, we trust and pray.

Always there is hope for the world into which babies are born.