Father’s Day Address 2022

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 19 June 2022, by Major Michael Ramsay

 

When we refer to God as our Heavenly Father what do we mean? What are some of the traits and values common among fathers that are a reflection of the attributes of God? God loves us. He is proud of us. He is cheering for us…. We have a number of verses that we will look at on this Father’s Day that show us a little bit about God as our Heavenly Father.

 

Jeremiah 29:11: “'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. '”

We fathers are proud of our kids. We enjoy their performances: school, church and community plays, musicals, recitals. We celebrate their victories as if they were our own. I have cheered many dance medals, at least one soccer medal, and academic and behavourial awards. I think this is what is meant in part by Jeremiah 29:11: “'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. '” God loves us. Our Heavenly Father enjoys our performances and competitions. He cheers for us like a dad cheers on his children. God is proud of us.

 

Psalm 149:4 – “For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the humble with salvation.”

I am a proud father. I have three great kids. Rebecca has a natural ability in so many things. She learned to read very early, thanks very much to Calvin and Hobbs comics. Being our eldest, we celebrated so many firsts with her. All of kids! Sarah-Grace: I often remember one play she was in in primary grades. She portrayed a character called ‘Nasty Boots’ that I think the whole town celebrated – it really was that good. She has preached many times not only here but also growing up and as a pre-teen she even went on the road preaching a sermon she wrote and it was very well received. I was so proud. Heather -even right now, at 11 years-old - is producing her own TV show. Like any dad, I am so happy to see my children succeed. So with us, even more with God.

Psalm 149:4 – “For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; He adorns the humble with salvation.” God is our Father and thus like a father, I really believe that the Lord celebrates with us. He laughs with us. He cries with us. He celebrates with us. I know that in recently receiving the award from our community here, I spent quality time really thanking the Lord and spending time with God: Thanking Him for allowing and enabling me to serve Him and others. I know how I am cheering for my kids in everything they do for the Lord, and I want you all here to know that God is cheering for you and me too! And even more! He does take pleasure in us and He lavishes His love upon us.

 

1 John 3:1a – “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

As fathers we are also blessed just to see our children grow up: We are excited when they speak their first word, when they take their first step. We are happy when they make a friend.

We are happy when they celebrate rites of passage: We celebrate graduation from a class, high school (or maybe university); when they get a job, when they move out (even though you miss them terribly); and then for some maybe they will go on to get married and/or have kids themselves. And maybe celebrate many more rites of passage. 1 John 3:1a – “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

 

John 16:33 – “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. “

 

2 Corinthians 1:3 - “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

 

As parents we are always concerned for our children and hope they can avoid or get through every crises and struggle. God has the same hope for us like we read earlier in Jeremiah 29:11: “'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. '” But also John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” And 2 Corinthians 1:3, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

There is trouble in this world. As parents we hope and pray that our children will never fall prey to addiction (drugs, alcohol, gambling, anything); we hope and pray that they are always healthy (and can come through any times when they aren’t); we hope and pray that life doesn’t knock them down too hard or too often; we hope and pray that they are resilient and will continue to get up when life knocks them down (and learn from it too!) – for in this world there will be trouble but God has overcome the world. And as we have every confidence that our children can get through, God has every confidence in us too. We hope and pray that our children will receive comfort from us and we hope and we pray that they will experience the comfort that the Lord offers to each and everyone of us, even and especially in our most challenging times. The Lord, our Heavenly Father loves us even more than we love our earthly children - as impossible as it may seem that anyone could love more than we love our kids, our Heavenly Father does. We hope and pray, with the Lord, that our children are never consumed by hate, fear, or sin. Hate, fear and sin can paralyze us. But love trumps hate and God, our Father, loves us

 

Matthew 10:29-31 – “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

 

Proverbs 3:11-12 – “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in.”

 

When the Bible talks about sin, I really think it is often referring to an Heavenly Father trying to point His children away from trouble. I don’t think sins are a list of things that bad people do. It is more like something we do or something that happens which puts us in harms way (missing the mark). Or it is calamity, destruction and a force all of its own waiting to pounce on us. A loving Heavenly Father thus warns us like He did Can in Genesis 4:7. Remember Cain and Abel? Jealousy and rage and murder are about to consume Cain and entice him to murder His brother and so God (who loves Cain every bit as much as He loves Abel) gets his attention and says, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” God loves us all and He desires for us to overcome sin and to overcome the world as He has overcome the world.

 

Luke 12:32 – “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

 

Our children are among the most precious things in the world to us. God loves us even more than we love our own children. Just like our heart is full when our children make things for us – a picture, or a poem – so is God’s heart when we make things for Him. Just like our heart is full when they do things for us like make a party, mow the lawn, or clean the house; so is God’s heart full when we do things for Him. Just like our hearts are full when our children do things for each other; so God’s heart is full when we do things for one another. Just like my heart is full when I see my children helping and doing things for anyone in need; so God’s heart is full when we help out others in need (either personally, through our Army here, or in other ways). Just like our heart is full even just seeing our children together, so is God’s heart full seeing His children here together. And just like my heart is overflowing when my children are together with me celebrating and enjoying life, I can’t even tell you how much God loves to see each and everyone of you here with Him and each other today. God is a Father to each and everyone of us and His heart is filled and overflowing with joy to have you come together with His other children just to see Him and spend time with Him on this Father’s Day – just like any other day. He loves you.

 

So on this Father’s Day, let us come before our Heavenly Father and know that He is proud of us and He loves us and He wishes the best for us, He will never leave us nor forsake us and He will always be here for us even until the end of the age. Let is pray.

 

1 John 4:7-21: Love Them; Don’t Leave Them

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 20 February 2022, by Captain Michael Ramsay

 

The other night we watched in horror with all the other diners at a packed restaurant in Chilliwack as the TV abruptly switched from the Olympics to show police on horseback and with automatic weapons advancing on a crowd of protesters in Ottawa. You could hear the disbelief as none of us - even those who supported the action - could really comprehend that something like this would be happening in Canada. 

On Valentines Day, of all days, when our PM announced that this was coming, my mind went to 1 John 4 because, 'how do I love my neighbour?' has been a question that I -like many people, with many different views- have been and am still really struggling with during Covid-19. 

 

Perfect love drives out fear: People have been filled with so much fear and hate in this country that it is not only driving out love, but it is also clouding our reason - or at least mine! Bars were packed this weekend with people drinking and dancing and in very close contact with each other; we have been at sporting events where people are packed so close together that they can spill their drink on you or spew the food in their mouth on you when they cheer a goal - it doesn't make me feel safe. 

But then look at our rules around vaccine passports. In our province, one must be vaccinated to eat at a restaurant where the server takes your order from the table. The waiter, however, who goes from table-to-table does not need to be vaccinated. If unvaccinated people are more likely to carry the virus, then the legislation is putting all the customers and especially the staff at risk; if not, then what is the point of the passport - to keep unvaccinated patrons away from unvaccinated waitstaff? 

 

There is more: like we just said, one must be vaccinated to eat at a restaurant where the server takes your order from the table; however, you don’t need to be vaccinated if you place your order at the counter and then the same waiter brings the meal to your table. The waiter still comes to the table so why do we need a passport in one case and not the other?

A line that comes to my mind is one that Plato, in his Republic, put in the words of Socrates. When facing his questioners he said, "I am too stupid to be convinced by you". I think this is me relating to our current (especially vaccine) regulations. I am sure smarter people than I am can figure it out.

 

Wearing masks, washing one’s hands, and social distancing all make a lot of sense when trying to avoid a flu, a cold, or Covid-19. Closing borders and limiting travel are great ways to stop the spread of a global pandemic. Wearing masks, washing one’s hands, social distancing are all things we do here to help the vulnerable stay safe because we love them. We also still check people’s temperatures, and we have plexiglass separators everywhere. At the soup kitchen we even have them on every table separating each diner from the person in front of them. I might even go so far as to recommend that everyone who can be, be vaccinated: I have had 3 shots now!

 

The reason that I have had three shots is the same reason why I personally am troubled with our current vaccine mandate – because I am trying to figure out, in this time and place, how to best love my neighbour. I am vaccinated because I feel that I need to do everything out of love; I need to do everything possible to help others – even and especially those who are fearful of unvaccinated people. I would never want to exclude them from anything. I do realize however that there are people who cannot be vaccinated for health, mental health, moral and ethical reasons. I cannot possibly be a part of forcing someone to violate their deeply held moral convictions, can I?

 

The key for Christians alive at this juncture in history, I believe, is to not let the devil tempt us into fear and/or hatred of anyone. Like our scriptures today say, God is love. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God; if we love one another, God lives in us. Whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God.

 

Anyone of us who is on social media should check our posts. If we have posted something that demeans or belittles proponents of an opposing view, take it down. At the very least, commit to only building one another up in the future. If you find yourself getting worked up while you are watching the ‘news’, turn it off. If you find yourself getting worked up while chatting with someone else, take a breath and say a silent prayer for them – or better yet, acknowledge the heart of a person you many disagree with and say a prayer with them. That is an act of love and whoever loves God loves their neighbour. God is love.

 

At this time when our country is seriously and passionately divided, we Christians need to be united in love; we need to remember when walking with one another that:  

 

·        God loves us all (even the other guys!) so much so that He sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins and if anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.  

·        There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 

·        And whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love; whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God. 

·        For, God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them; if we love one another, God lives in us.

 

Let us go from here out into this world of hate and fear and let us be different. Let us refuse to hate one another; let us refuse to fear one another. And let us refuse to ‘other’ one another, and may we always, as brothers and sisters, live and walk in the love of God. 

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1 John 5:9-13: Dandilions

Presented to the Alberni Valley Men's Breakfast, 14 August 2019 by Captain Michael Ramsay
 
 We have recently moved back to Vancouver Island. We have just moved into a new place. I had forgotten how well dandelions grow on the Island. Those little yellow flowers are everywhere. I think we have more yellow flowers in the yard than green blades of grass. These flowers reproduce quite easily and effectively. Even if you pluck one out it goes to seed and effectively casts those seeds to the wind causing more and more of these little yellow flowers to grow.

This is really the same with our testimonies. Honestly truly if we are happy that we have Christ in our life and that we spend our life with Christ, as we share that information more and more people will realize how great it is to be with Christ in good times and tough times. As we experience and share our testimony about the comfort and joy of the Lord. we have the opportunity to see maybe even as many people come to share in that joy with us as dandelions that come from a single flower who shares its seed.

May we all be as effective at sharing as dandelions.

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1 John 2:1: Sinless and Sin Less

Presented to Alberni Valley Corps of The Salvation Army, 05 August 2018. By Captain Michael Ramsay

This week like last week, in the valley here, we are looking at 1 John. We are actually half way through a mini-series. There are these great little tracts called the 4 points. We have been using them as a rough outline. Last week Susan spoke about love. Next week, if all goes according to plan, we will speak about Jesus' death and then we will chat about following Jesus.

SIN

Today we are talking about one of everybody’s favourite topics: sin! Okay, maybe that isn’t anybody’s favourite topic but still it is what we looking at today. 1 John has a few things to say about sin and at first read it can sometimes seem a little confusing. For example:

• ·         1 John 1:8 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” AND
• ·         1 John 3:6 says, “No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.”

If we claim to be without sin the truth in not in us. HOWEVER no one who lives in Christ sins; how can this be? John says that no one who knows Jesus keeps on sinning but I am guessing that most of us here have sinned; so how does this work? The word ‘saint’ in the Bible more-or-less just means ‘Christian’ in today’s vernacular.[i] We, in this room, are mostly saints and we saints aren’t supposed to sin. But those of us who claim to be without sin, John says are liars and that we don’t even have the truth in us while at the same time he says that those of us who do sin don’t know and have never known God. It can be a little confusing

Sin is one of the key things that John is writing about in his short letter so I thought that we might spend some time looking into what the Bible means when it speaks about sin.

EVIL

Sin, in the Bible, can be defined a few different ways: there is the word Awon, which refers to a deep moral evil that is mentioned in Amos and a few other places.[ii]

MISSING THE MARK

Hamartanō is probably the word most commonly translated as ‘sin’ in the Bible; hamartanō, carries with it the classic definition of sin that we have probably heard before: that of ‘missing the mark’. It brings to mind the idea of an archer shooting for a target and falling short, missing the target. On the surface this seems innocuous enough but… if we find out that that archer is William Tell – who is famous because he shoots apples off of people’s heads – and if we then find out that the apple is about to be placed on our head, missing the mark becomes important.

NOT MEASURING UP

John Phillips explains sin as coming short of the divine standard. He gives this illustration:

Two men went to the recruiting office in London to join the guards regiment. The standard height for a guardsman was a minimum of six feet. One man was taller than the other, but when they were measured officially both were disqualified. The shorter of the two measured only five feet seven inches and was far too short; his companion measured five feet eleven and a half inches and, stretch to his utmost, as he did, he could not make it any more. Nor did his pleas avail. It mattered nothing that his father was a guardsman, that he promised to be a good soldier, that he had already memorized the drills and knew the army regulations by heart. He was short of the standard.

            Yes, he is taller than his friend (just like some people may seem holier than the rest of us) but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that he is taller, he still isn’t tall enough and there is nothing he can do about that. There is nothing he can do to grow any bigger. Thus he failed to obtain his goal. Likewise, it doesn’t matter if we are Jew or Gentile, male or female, employer or employee, a missionary, a relatively good person, or what have you… for we have all sinned and thus fall short (Romans 3:23).

 This is important. The word John uses in 1 John here is that same hamartanō when he says that “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” No matter what we do, we have all fallen short[iii] but as Chapter 3 makes clear that does not give us a right to just keep sinning and doing whatever we want because “No one who lives in him [Christ] keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” We cannot do anything to measure up but, in Christ, we certainly do have the freedom to be delivered from our sins. Jesus wants us to be free from the power of sin. As Christ makes us sinless we can sin less.

ID PLEASE: SINNER OR SAINT

Another way that the Bible talks about sin is contrasting sinners to saints – ‘Hagios’ is the root for both the word ‘holy’ and the word ‘saint’. They mean the same thing.[iv] And like we said earlier here, a saint is what Christians were called in the New Testament.[v] So, in essence you have two choices in the NT epistles: you can either be a holy saint and a Christian or you can be a sinner. You can’t be both.

In this sense the words ‘sinner’ and ‘saint’ are identity words. No one thinks that a sinner will never do anything right and certainly sometimes we saints have sinned; however, NT Christians no longer identify themselves as sinners; we are now saints. I liken it to when I was a young man. I used to be a smoker. Like many people I tried more than once to quit but to no avail. One day I decided I was a non-smoker. This was a key for me: even if I slipped up and had a cigarette or a drag from a cigarette, I never threw in the towel and decided that I am a smoker again. I kept identifying as a non-smoker until I one day I realized that I hadn’t had a cigarette in 20 years or so. Philippians 3:16: let us to live up to what we have already obtained. Since we are now saints and no longer sinners we will naturally want to sin less and be sinless. This is major part of what 1 John is addressing about sin in this short letter.[vi]

EVIL PERSONIFIED

There is one more aspect of sin that is very important here as well. Sin is not only an identity statement, a choice we make or an action we perform and it is even more than merely missing the mark or not measuring up; sin can also be a powerful force, as powerful as any addiction or habit; The Apostle Paul says, Romans 7:15, ‘I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate [to do] I do’. I don’t know if any of us can relate to that. I don’t know if any of us have ever struggled with wanting to do one thing and winding up doing another.

I like the way the writer of Genesis speaks about sin in Genesis 4. He writes about sin as if it were a kitten, a cat or some other predator. Does anyone here have a cat? Have you ever seen them hunting? They watch their prey for a long time and then they slowly move closer and then they crouch, ready to pounce on their target, and then they strike, capturing the one they were hunting in their claws or in their mouth. Genesis 4:7b: ‘But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.’

Genesis 4 contains the story of Cain and Abel. We all know the story of Cain and Abel, right? Cain is sad. Cain is angry that God accepted his brother’s gift but not his offering. Genesis 4:6-7, “‘Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.’”

God loves Cain. God is warning Cain before he ever kills his brother; God gives Cain every opportunity to do what is right and He is warning him that there will be natural and logical consequences if he does not do what is right – sin is crouching at his door. God is warning Cain that sin desires to have him, it wants to devour him and, of course we know, in this story that Sin does pounce on Cain as he gives in and murders his brother.

Sin crouching at the door. This is true in our own life too; it desires to have us but we must master it and this is some of what John is speaking about in 1 John when he writes, 2:1-5a:

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them.

Be careful, Sin is crouching at your door. 1 John 2:1, again: “my dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God;” however, Galatians 3:24 and Romans 6:1-6, we can be free from the power of sin. Since Christ is sinless, we can sin less.

At a conference last year, we saw a video of Immaculée Ilibagiza speaking and I have recently read her book, Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.[vii] I will inevitably share with you more than one story from this book as it is one of the most powerful books I have ever read on power of forgiveness and the power of love.

She lived through the Rwandan genocide: her mother, father, 2 brothers and many of her friends and extended family were among the up to 1 million people murdered by machete in 1994. She speaks about when it was all over and she first returned to her home and saw what had happened to her family. It was almost overwhelming: the devil tempted her with hate and with the sins of plotting, or considering, or fantasizing revenge; Sin tempted her to hope for bad things to happen to the people who killed her family, or to think bad things about those who tortured or/and killed her family. Sin was crouching at her door wanting to devour her while she was in her grief but she was not mastered by it: she refused to hate those who killed her family and thus give Sin power over her life. At one point she asked and was granted a chance to see a person directly responsible for killing some of her family members. She walked into the jail where he was held. The guard brought him out and threw him into the room where she was. Standing by the man, the guard prepared the man to hear what she had to say about what he did to her parents. She said, ‘I forgive you’ and she meant it. She evaded the sin of un-forgiveness that was crouching at her door ready to devour her. Forgiveness is a big part of love and John says that the love and forgiveness of God can deliver us all from the power of sin.

All of us have at some time fallen prey to sin. We have been captured by hate, or harm, or actions, or thoughts that have embraced us like the clutches of a predator’s claws but the love and forgiveness of God can free us from that sin. He offers us all – no matter what has been done to us and no matter what we have done – he offers us all the opportunity to be free from the power of sin. 1 John 2:1: “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” Any of us who are even now trapped by sin or tempted to be trapped by sin in some way, I invite us to either come forward here or pray in our seats that we experience that freedom from the power of sin today.

Let us pray. 

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[i] John D.W. Watts. 'Holy.' In Holman Bible Dictionary, general editor Trent C. Butler. Nashville, Tennesee: Holman Bible Publishers, 1991), 660. W.E. Vine. 'Holiness, Holy, Holily.' In Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Word. (Nashville, Tennessee: Royal Publishers Inc., 1939), 555. Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, ‘1 Peter 1:16 (Leviticus 19:2): God says, “…be holy because I am holy”  (Swift Current, SK: Sheepspeak.com). Available On-line: https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/02/1-peter-116-lev-192-god-says-be-holy.html

[ii] Donald E. Gowan, Amos. (TNIB 7. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 1996), 369

[iii] Cf. Thayer's Greek Lexicon, STRONGS NT 266: ἁμαρτία, cited from https://biblehub.com/greek/266.htm and Simon J. Kistemaker, ‘James, Epistles of John, Peter, and Jude’, New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids Michigan: Baker Academic, 2007), 245,301.

[iv] John D.W. Watts. 'Holy.' In Holman Bible Dictionary, general editor Trent C. Butler. Nashville, Tennesee: Holman Bible Publishers, 1991), 660. Cf. G.B. Stevens in Hastings’ Bible Dictionary. Cited W.E. Vine. 'Holiness, Holy, Holily.' In Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Word. (Nashville, Tennessee: Royal Publishers Inc., 1939), 557.Cf. Paul Minear, Interpretation 37 no 1 Ja 1983, p. 22: In his death and resurrection, Jesus' holiness or sanctification became the measure and standard of all holiness, whether of places, times, things, or persons. (Key passages which reflect this are John 10:36; 17:17-19; I Cor. 1:2; 6:11; Heb. 2:11; 10:10; 12:14-24; 13:12-14.)"

[v] Cf. The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, ‘40: Hagios’ (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishing, 1995), p.1.

[vi] This is especially true in 3:6; cf. NT Wright, The Early Christians Letters For Everyone: Peter, John, and Judah (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011), 151.

[vii] Immaculée Ilibagiza, Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.(Raincoast, 2006)

Devotion 3.31/132: 1 John 4:18: Perfect Love Drives Out Fear

I was speaking with a colleague the other day about an incident. Another person had been less than honest with us on an occasion or two. We were trying to come to terms with this. At one point I mused that this person seemed to always be afraid when he addressed us. I mentioned that this was weird because he usually did not bring us any new information and we usually did not greet him in a hostile manner. He also had more authority than either of us. Why was he dishonest with us?

Danielle Strickland spoke to the Officers of the OCE Division of The Salvation Army recently. She spoke about oppression. She said the language of oppression is lying and the currency of oppression is fear. This resonated with our experience.

Are you experiencing oppression in your life? If so pray to the Lord. Pray for your oppressors and pray for those being oppressed. Claim the promise that perfect love drives out fear; love your enemies, and pray for deliverance for all who need to experience the full freedom of Christ in their life today.

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1 John 2:15-18: Swansong 2018

Presented to River Street Cafe, 26 January 2018

I received as a present a book entitled, ‘Swansong 1945’. It is a collection of letters, speeches, and most of all journal entries written with imminent fall of Germany pending, from April 20^th 1945 until the end of the war a couple of weeks later.

There are journal entries from famous people like Churchill and Mussolini; Russians, English, and Italians; but mostly the journals are from everyday Germans watching their whole society come crashing down around them. Friends and family are dying or being separated from each other. Homes are being bombed day and night but if they go out in the street they may be shot by their ‘liberators’. There is no food. People sleep with their clothes on in case they have to flee at a moment’s notice. People try to figure out how to surrender without getting shot or killed in the process - just so they can eat, sleep and not be bombed. It is tragic.

Here is the thing – even though no one seems to believe Goebells’ propaganda anymore, the people seem to still love the senior leadership. They listen to the fuhrer intently, believe in his passion and resolve (even as they know the cause is lost) and they long to see or hear from him. Goerring and his associates were surprised at how people rushed to meet him, desiring even a glimpse of him, to offer their support and respects even as the world is crashing down around them.

Something similar, on an eternal level, is going on in our world today. The end of the Enemy’s time in our world is near. The end is obvious – just look around you. Just like there was no doubt that the German war effort was coming to an end and their leadership was to be replaced; so it is obvious that the devil’s reign in our world and our own society is coming to an end. We need to stop lapping up the words of the devil’s regime today just as much as the Germans needed to stop seeking out the leaders of their WW2 regime.

So with the end imminent, instead of serving the regime of the Enemy that is crumbling our world, causing death and destruction, we need to prepare the way of the Lord. When He rolls across this country and this world, all the destruction and death caused by the Enemy will be replaced by an eternal theocracy. The current CEOs of Greed, Prime Ministers of Self-Interest, and our Presidents of Death will be replaced with the Prince of Peace whose government will never stop ruling and being peaceful..

Instead of serving the crumbling regime of the Enemy in our world today, let us now pledge our allegiance to the Prince of Peace.

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