Wales has amazing castles. Here are some found in the north west. Most of these represent Edward 1st’s attempt to subdue the unruly citizens of Wales in the C13th. The one exception is Dolwyddelan which started life as a Welsh castle guarding a route in central north Wales but also ended up in the hands of the cunning Edward.
Caernarfon Castle
Inside Caernarfon Castle
Conwy Castle
The Rounded Walls of Conwy Castle
Dolwyddelan Castle
Criccieth Castle
Beaumaris castle
St Peter’s Rome
Recently an old friend from the Catholic tradition commented on a poem I had written about the importance of acknowledging those, from the past, who had paved the way for us. He reminded me that this goes back many generations. Not so subtlety he reflected that even for Protestants our origins go back to the Catholic tradition.
As I pondered further I considered the reasons for the Reformation. The reinstatement of the primacy of the Word, a return to “Grace alone” and the corruption in the Vatican at the time were all key issues. It took the church 1500 years to get to the point that the Reformation occurred. Despite the corruption in the church there were many bright lights and examples of Christlikeness. My readers will be aware of my occasional reference to Teresa of Avila. (See here and here). It wasn’t all bleak. Yet it has taken the Protestant tradition less than 500 years, since Luther nailed his theses on the door at Wittenberg in 1517, to come to a similar state. Instead of indulgences we have the “prosperity gospel” – selfishness in different clothes. The primacy of the Word is under strident attack. Issues that secular society seeks to reevaluate such as gay marriage and abortion are understandable, however that many in the church support these causes is not. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
The Reformation Wall, Geneva
The point is this: the church must continually be reforming itself in the light of Scripture. In every new era as issues arise, the Word of God needs to be applied afresh to the times. The Catholic church recognised this with the Counter Reformation and the Vatican Councils. We may disagree with many of the outcomes but at least they understood the need for review.
On the immovable foundation of the Word of God, what do we need to reassess about ourselves, our values, our priorities – both as Christians and churches? Is it time for another reformation – a reformation that can trace its spiritual ancestry through those who, over the centuries, down to the early church have striven to be faithful to God, His Word, His Gospel and His Kingdom?
The Dutch C19th/C20th theologian and statesman, Abraham Kuyper, is not that well known in the English speaking world, yet his works are worth knowing. His devotions are particularly inspiring.
Here is another short quote from a longer devotional: “Lord Teach us to Pray” in “To Be Near Unto God.” (The Kindle version is available for a very modest price).
The Paternoster (The Lord’s Prayer) in the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
“Undoubtedly, the highest end is attained when, independent of every aid, from the free impulse of the Spirit, the soul lifts itself up to God, and on the wings of the Spirit, spreads itself before God in sacred, devotional language. Such glorious moments are not infrequent in the prayer-life. And it is plain that in such moments even the Our Father is not sufficiently concrete to direct the soul in its utterance before God. But in all seriousness, how many among the great and small in the congregation have risen to these sacred heights. And, if there are such, how many are the moments of a long day, when they are in such sacred and exalted moods? We must needs reckon with reality. And think not only of yourself, but have a tender consideration for the poor sheep in the church and in your own home, whose spiritual standing is still low, and who yet needs must pray, and for whom it is no less glorious than for you, when in prayer they come a little nearer unto God, and may perceive something of his holy presence. How much higher did not the apostles of Jesus stand than we, and yet for them Jesus deemed a memorized prayer so little aimless or superfluous, that he himself gave them one.”
Kuyper, Abraham To Be Near Unto God. Kindle Edition.
The footsteps
of those who have
walked before
are often deep and weary.
These footprints,
impressed by
burdens and loads
are beyond
my ken.
My thankfulness
is not always
fulsome.
My remembrance
not always
aware.
In fact,
my steps
show
rushed
ingratitude;
Careless
stomping
over distant memories
and fragile treasures.
Past ghosts,
forgive
my
unthinking
selfishness
and careless disregard
of paths forged
that speed my journey.
My dad and fellow workers in WW2. Dad is top left.
I have reflected previously on some of my father’s experiences as a conscripted worker in Germany during WW2. (See here) Dutch workers had more freedom than others as the German authorities simply said, “If you abscond we will pick up your father to take your place.”
My father worked north of Berlin in a place called Hennigsdorf on the Havel river. In 1945 he and his fellow workers were liberated by the advancing Soviet armies. The workers found themselves in the midst of extremely harrowing battles as the German army made its last ditch stand.
One of the few detailed stories my dad told me about this part of his life centred on this liberation. By 1945 his clothes, and in particular shoes, were in a state of extreme deterioration. One of the liberating soldiers motioned (language being a useless option!) to my father that he should find a German soldier’s corpse with the right boot size and “liberate” them for his own use. I gather there were quite a few and they all wore high quality boots. But even after years of war my dad was still squeamish about such matters. The Russian soldier, seeing my dad’s reluctance, took off his own boots gave them to my dad and then went in search for an appropriately sized and equipped corpse.
Yes, it is a strange story, yet I have always seen it as an act of unusual, but real, grace. This was one of only a very few experiences that my father ever shared with me about that time of his life. The grace shown in the midst of horror was a memory he could share.
Revelation 19:6-8
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
“Hallelujah!For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,was given her to wear.
There is a feeling in the general community that secular state education is neutral and Christian education is partisan. However the real question is, can any educational system deliver education that is not shaped by the values and particular world-view of both the system and the teacher? To be frank, I believe the manner in which we teach any subject is saturated in a world-view.
For example, history is more than just a collection of objective facts but also about how we interpret them. We can ask, is history simply events determined by the decisions of humanity – are we in charge of our own destiny, or are greater forces at work? Is science the exploration of the chance events occurring over millions of years or is there a higher being at work? Any study of literature is the study of values, worldviews, hopes, aspirations and failures of humanity. A neutral objectivity is naive and foolish.
Why do I raise this question? There is an arrogant totalitarianism developing in democratic countries that suggests that the only truly valuable education can be pursued by the state – everything else is partisan. The reality behind this thinking is that mankind is “god”. We determine what is valuable and true. The majority rules. Somehow truth is determined by the greatest number.
Essentially the fundamental difference between Christian education and state education is the God/god that we follow. The God I follow has revealed himself in His Word and in His son. It is a truth that has withstood the test of time. The god of secular state education is determined by the values, votes and fashions of any particular era.
I know where my loyalty and faith lies.
Now it is getting colder I like to remember the Alcazar in Seville, Spain.
If your eyes are attuned, when you travel around France and Spain there are numerous signs indicating the Camino to Santiago. They are on walls, paths and buildings. They are a silent indication that you are on one of the many paths leading to the Spanish city of Santiago. But I had never noticed them until I had actually gone on a portion of the pilgrimage. After that, I bumped into these signs regularly – I began to notice them. Until I had consciously connected these signs with the pilgrimage, these signs were invisible to me.
We need to have this sense of attunement too, with the representation of Christ in the Old Testament.
The Old Testament, without seeing Jesus is, quite bluntly, a pointless book. The promise of Christ is the backbone that holds the Old Testament together. But when we start to look for him, he is not just in the promises and prophecies, but can also be glimpsed in key people (e.g. Moses – prophet, priest and king), ceremonies and rituals (the sacrifices in Leviticus find their reality in Jesus) and events (the exodus from Egypt and the entrance into the promised land declare so much about Jesus and the reason for his incarnation). The coming of Jesus, and Satan’s desire to prevent his birth is a continuous undercurrent that surges through the highs and lows of God’s people in Old Testament history. What if David had been killed by Goliath or Joseph had been killed by his brothers? What would have happened to God’s promises?
O.k. God is sovereign, yet we see that sovereignty against a backdrop of Satan’s hatred and humanity’s sin. The golden thread that draws the Old Testament into a unified story of God’s salvation history is the promise of Christ – the Messiah.
One other reason for recognising this important truth: it prevents the Old Testament from becoming just another version of a morality tale alongside brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. The O.T goes far beyond “daring to be a Daniel” or “having the courage of David” it is about God and his plans to see the King and the Kingdom come.
A book that does a wonderful job relating Jesus and his kingdom to the Old Testament is Graeme Goldsworthy’s Gospel and Kingdom. It has been around for a while yet it is still a great introduction to open ones eyes to Jesus, his kingdom and the way it is revealed in the Old Testament.
Gospel and Kingdom is a book I have purchased on a number of occasions and yet I don’t have a copy on my shelves because I have given it away or “loaned” it on numerous occasions.
I had intended to meet up with my uncle and aunt and as a consequence I found myself in a country town hall with 150 people dressed in orange clothes.
No, it wasn’t a Hari Krishna gathering, but rather, Dutch people from Western Victoria celebrating their origins with food and festivities in a small town called Timboon. It hadn’t been my intention to go there but that was where my rellies were going to be – the mountain and Mohammed and all that. Behind some trestle tables there was a roaring trade in Dutch foods – soups, bread toppings (Dutchies love there chocolate and candy sprinkles), biscuits and so on.
I knew I was among Dutch people. There were very few “please’s” and “excuses me’s”. Everything was stated in that unnervingly abrupt “take it or leave it” manner – not malicious just matter of fact! It is a way of conversing that makes our German cousins, in contrast, appear downright warm and friendly.
Some of the people, like me, were very young when they immigrated and yet here they were celebrating the coronation of a new king, doing quizzes about the Dutch royal family and trying to speak Dutch – asking each other what boat they came out on. Yes, most of us were 1950s boat people!
This unexpected experience was a bizarre reminder that our first few years can have such a powerful and life long influence on us. Most of these people have spent the vast majority of their lives in Australia and yet there is a corner of their heart that is always a flat, soggy, tulip infested part of Holland.
Well, I had better put aside the roll mops and zoute drop, find my clogs so I can go out and do some gardening in this blistering 10C heat!
Travels from Ur 