the narrow path

Narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Today provided a graphic illustration of just that - at least when it came to the regular lunch-time service.

There was a path (hardly a 'road') through the thick-lying snow. And it was narrow. And only a few 'found' it.

There were six of us there at the service today. Five if you exclude myself as the one conducting the worship and preaching. Four if you exclude the pianist who'd rung to check whether the service would actually be on.

One of the four expressed her gratitude afterwards - "Thank you for treating us as if we were a large congregation!"

The singing was lusty, and largely in tune (no thanks to me!). The prayers were the more direct and specific, given our common awareness of people not there and the reasons for that. And there wasn't any skimping on the reading and expounding of the Scriptures.

The road is narrow that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

It was Jesus who said it. And he plainly meant it.

That 'narrowness' lies at the heart of our discipleship. Whatever may be the merits of a so-called 'broad' church, it certanly doesn't mean that there's a breadth to the canvas of credal, confessional faith.

We can't just believe what we want. There's an uncomfortable 'narrowness' to the truths of the gospel from which we're not able to wriggle free at all.

God is our Maker, holy and sovereign and good.

We are rebels, sinful, tainted and destined for hell.

Jesus is the very Son of God, our only Saviour.

Audaciously entering this tarnished world, and living out, as fully man, a life of matchless obedience, he suffered in our place and bore (to the point of exhaustion) the rightful wrath of that holy, loving God.

His being raised from the dead confirmed that his work was completed, authorised him to pour out his Holy Spirit on his people, demonstrated that he is the one who will judge us all at the last, and guaranteed that all who have trusted in him shall share one day in that resurrection to eternal life.

His return is awaited. Be warned. Be prepared. Believe.

The gospel declares such non-negotiable truth. It is uncomfortably 'narrow'.

And it's not just what we believe that is marked by this challenging 'narrowness'. it's how we behave as well.

Discipleship is a way of life. His way. According to his word.

Which doesn't sit comfortably with the standards and values and lifestyles of the God-disowning country where we live.

A nation which prides itself increasingly on being so 'broad-minded' that it tolerates, encourages, and wants to applaud just about anything and everything in terms of a so-called 'liberal' (a complete misnomer since it's actually enslaving rather than liberating) outlook on life and living.

Following Jesus involves our deliberately taking that 'narrow' path.

The 'wide' gate, and the 'broad' path, which we seem constantly to be being encouraged to choose, is a literal dead end.

Its comfortable 'room for manoeuvre', and its very attractive 'freedom' to believe what you want and behave as you like, hides the destination. It leads only to destruction.

Jesus said it, not me.

The sooner we get back to a proper understanding of this radical discipleship the better it will be.

You don't want the fountain of life freezing over!