Alphabet Photography

We just splashed out on a JONATHAN and an ABIGAIL from Alphabet Photography at the knock down price of £120 for the pair (at The Eastbourne Town and Country Show in Princes Park). If the kids weren't in tow, one could spend ages having fun choosing the pictures. We both thought they were rather clever and cool and hope the kids will like them all their lives!

Lifted!

I've just finished reading Sam Allberry's book on the resurrection, Lifted! (IVP), which was out this January. I must say I've thoroughly enjoyed it. It's been a very busy week with the Passion For Life Mission and at times I've been whacked out, but I've come back to Lifted! with enthusiasm and gone away encouraged.

Sam has a very lively engaging style. The book is packed with striking expressions, illustrations and anicdotes. Yet there is real theological substance here too.

In a way, the book is a series of mini-expositions and I would have liked a Scripture index so that I could more easily steal the headings!

The resurrection was at the heart of the apostolic preaching and it is often neglected today, sometimes from a wrong-headed desire to keep the cross central, when of course the cross and the resurrection belong together. One necessitates and explains the other. They are not rivals.

The biblical message of this book has the potential to be profoundly life changing. It is worth reflecting on the resurrection as God's affirmation of the physical and bodily, when Christianity is always in danger of being perverted into gnosticism. Or think of Jesus' resurrection body as the pattern both for our resurrection and what we might call the resurrection of the cosmos. This world will be transformed and renewed as Jesus' body was, so all that we do in this world matters.

Here are my jottings from the book:

The resurrection is more than the happy ending of the Easter Story

It’s not just the big tick after the big cross

“The resurrection changes everything. It guarantees our forgiveness, empowers us to change, and gives us a hope for the future and an urgent mission in

the present.”

(1) Assurance

The resurrection shows that Jesus’ payment for the sin of the world has been accepted by the Father.

The payment has been received with thanks.

The resurrection assures us that Jesus was who he claimed to be.

Acts 3:15

The resurrection “reveals and confirms his [Jesus’] four-fold identity: the Son of God, the Christ, the Saviour and the Author of life. The resurrection shows Jesus was exactly who he claimed to be.”

(a) Son of God

Ps 2:7

Rm 1:4

(b) The Christ

Acts 2:36 quoting Ps 110:1

(c) Saviour

Acts 5:30-31

(d) the author of life

Acts 3:15

Jn 11:25

The resurrection assures us of what Jesus has done

Rm 4:25

1 Cor 15:17

“the resurrection is the consequence and demonstration of our salvation because death is the consequence and demonstration of our sin.”

Death as the wages of sin Gen ; Rm 6:23

(2) Transformation

United with Christ

Spiritually raised now (Col 3:1), physically raised at Final Day (Rm 8:23)

Rm 4:17

God gives life & new life

1 Sam 2:6

Ez 37

Ps 16:10

Phil 2

God gives us resurrection life. “With it we enjoy a whole host of newness: new life, new perspective, new conduct, new power and new ambition. Resurrection life changes everything.”

New life

Eph 2:1-10

New perspective

Col 3:1-4

New conduct

Eph 5:8, 11-14

Colossians 3:5, 8–10

Acts 4:32–35

New power

Romans 8:9–11

Romans 6:5–14

New ambition

Phil 3:10-11

(3) Hope

Not wishful thinking / uncertain

Rm 5:5

1 Pt 1:3

Mistake 1: The mistake that the resurrection has already taken place (2 Tim 2:17-18)

(a) Wrong to think: We have it all now

Perfectionism, prosperity, health, wealth – believe it and receive it, name it and claim it – if you don’t the problem is your lack of faith

(b) Wrong to think: This is all there is

Mistake 2: There is no resurrection of the dead (1 Cor 15:12)

1 Cor 15:14-19

Jesus is the first of many

“It is clear, then, that the basis of our hope as Christians is the resurrection of Jesus. As we look back at the basis of our hope, we are then able to look forward to what is the content of our hope: bodily resurrection in the future.”

Rm 8:11

Look at nature nature:

(i) put death in, get life out

1 Cor 15:36

(ii) what you get out wasn’t what you put in

1 Cor 15:37-38

(iii) God is, of course, able to give things the appropriate kinds of bodies

1 Cor 15:39-41

Look at the risen Jesus

1 Corinthians 15:49

Philippians 3:21

Continuity & discontinuity with Jesus pre-resurection body

1 Corinthians 15:42–44

Perishable, dishonourable, weak, natural bodies will be transformed

Resurrection hope for creation

Frustration & Promise

Rm 8:19-22

Discontinuity

Rev 21:1, 5

Isaiah 65:17

Isaiah 11:6–9

Continuity

“God says, ‘I will make all things new’, not ‘I will make all new things’.”

Genesis 9:11

Matthew 19:28

Persevere

1 Corinthians 15:58

(4) Mission

Acts 17:30-31

The exaltation of Jesus

Phil 2:5-11

The reality of judgement

Rm 1:3-4

Daniel 12:2

John 11:25

Acts 4:1-2

The necessity of mission

Mt 28:19-20

Change & Alms

I'm reading and so far very much enjoying Sam Allbery's book on the significance of the resurrection, Lifted! experiencing the resurrection life (IVP, 2010). I plan to plagarise it on Sunday evening.

Sam has a lively sense of humour and an engaging turn of phrase.

I liked this on the beggar in Acts 3:

But on this day he didn’t get change, but changed. He asked Peter for alms but received legs!

Christians in Media Conference

If you're a Christian working in the media, you'll probably want to get The Blueprint Annual Gathering organised by the CoMission Media Forum in your diary.

Boris on Sam

I very much enjoyed Radio 4's Great Lives on with Boris Johnson on Samuel Johnson on BBC i player.

This post is one long spoiler!

The programme begins with Matthew Paris re-telling an anecdote about Sam’s yabber-dabber-do sense of fun, rolling down a hill as a colossal middle-aged man.

Boris describes Sam as Paul Merton mixed with Jeremy Paxman, the Regis Professor of Greek and a first-rate poet.

If the programme can be believed, the Doctor was complicated man, a deeply humane realistic minimalist Conservative who took the part of the poor, the mad and those on the margins of society. Sensitive and compassionate, he abominated slavery with violence. He was angry, impatient, insightful, generous, intense, courageous and sincere. A tormented genius he hated cant, flim-flam, hypocrisy and idle nonsense. He combined Anglo-Saxon gruffness with massive erudition and specialised in rudeness. He was always resentful of those who were successful with less mental equipment than he had! He was afflicted with constitutional melancholia, very severe clinical depression and mental crises. He is often thought to have suffered from Turret’s Syndrome. He disliked talking about himself yet he was fantastically competitive. He feasted on guilt that consumed him. Longing for recognition, he always performed. He was hyperbolic, earnest and serious with a great sometimes bizarre sense of humour. He had an auto-flaggalent streak, obsessive compulsive, driven, he feared his own behaviour, feeling lazy, thinking he was indolent, not honouring God. His application and concentration were fantastic though wasted lots of time, eventually he worked very fast, driven by deadlines. He died in terror of hell and in very great pain.

Sharnford Farm

The Lloyd family highly recommend a trip to Sharnford farm in Eastbourne.

It's free to wander round and we saw chickens, ducks, cows, donkeys, goats, pigs, ponies, lambs and a dog and a rabbit. There's a little kiddies play area. Jono very much enjoyed "driving" the tractor and there are a couple of lakes in which one can fish for a small fee.

The place is mainly a fruit farm where you can pick your own, but that sounds a bit like hard work to me.

Service in the coffee shop was friendly and helpful and the prices were reasonable. I very much enjoyed my tea and warm cheese scone, although I can't imagine Weight Watchers would approve (11/29 points for the day blown, I reckon). I chose that as the healthy option against sponge cake with cream and fruit.

In the shop we grabbed some salt beef for lunch, some frozen breaded mushrooms, curried fruit relish and fig relish. There was an interesting selection of frozen fruit and veg as well as a butchers and some baked stuff.

Shame dogs are only allowed in the car park!

There must be worse ways to spend an hour or two.