questions

"How's your mother?"

I was visiting someone who's getting now quite confused, and was on my way out. I'd enjoyed my time with the person who seemed really pretty perky. And I'd prayed as well.

Well and truly on my way out. I was almost at the door when the question was thrown.

An awkward one. Since my mother died a couple of years ago. As this individual would have certainly known in better days. She'd known my Mum for more than thirty years and was there at the funeral service. I think. I'm getting forgetful myself.

I want to be truthful. Lies never help. Even little white ones.

But I don't really think that it's going to do much good to get into the fact that my mother has passed away. It'll be upsetting. On all sorts of counts.

So I dodged the question a bit.

"Oh," I said, in a casual sort of way, "she's the same as ever."

Which is true, of course. And seemed to do the trick. There was a certain, solid comfort for the person in hearing that my Mum was the same as ever. Sort of re-assuring. Like the world is still a stable sort of place.

Which it is. Not just this world in which we live, but the realm of eternal glory into which my Mum has gone. It's a stable place. Secure. Enduring. And no longer exposed to the fluctuating circumstances we here in this present world must learn to live with now.

It made me see again that much of my time and energy is put towards preparing folk, not just to live out life here in this world - but preparing them for a world that's yet to come. And enabling them all to get a little taste of that far better world while still alive in this.

I'm not long back from our 'fellowship group'. It's been great these last two weeks to have had someone else along.

We've been starting to look at the record Luke gives of the life and ministry of Jesus. Taking it in pretty large chunks.

And one of the really good things about meeting like this is the chance there is for questions. He was full of questions!

Like - if God is so kind and so loving, how come poor old Zechariah gets to be totally dumb for nine months because he was a bit on the sceptical side when the angel told him his wife (who was well, well past it!) was going to have a baby?

And - why did Saul end up getting called Paul? And was Simon's being later called Peter the same sort of thing?

Good questions! And it led to some good discussion.

And a whole load more questions.

Mainly to do with the Bible we have and how we know it's true, and when it was written and how it's got into our hands and won't there have been just masses of alterations down the years and ... well, it went on and on.

But all of it useful and good. It's a gradual thing, faith in Jesus. Most of the time.

Most relationships are.

We want to be sure before we commit. And I think he was coming at things the wrong way round. Assuming he had to believe that the Bible is the very Word of God in order to trust in Jesus. But it's really the other way round.

Not - I believe the Bible is truly God's Word, and therefore I trust in Jesus.

More like - I've come to trust in Jesus as Lord, and therefore (because it was good enough for him, it's good enough for me) I gladly embrace the Bible as God's own word.

I want to avoid some deep philosophical discussion about the Bible being the Word of God (at least as our starting point), and get down to the basics of who this Jesus is and why he's so worth knowing.

Because what ultimately makes all the difference is relationship with him. If he is indeed risen, and is indeed Lord, and has indeed died for our sins ... well, it's him we need to know.

As my Mum knew him. And in death, in a very real way, went to be with her Lord, and entered a world that's stable, secure and all good.

How's my mother? She's at home, and she's good.

The same as ever she'll be!