King’s Mill Dukeries Centre demolished

Photo taken from http://www.chad.co.uk/news/local/demolition-of-kings-mill-buildings-just-weeks-away-1-5176219

Memories! Over 25 years ago I went to the Dukeries Centre with my wife. The initial tour and a stop for information was the forerunner to a visit that lasted some hours and, eventually, resulted in the birth of our first child. Apart from various traumas that are etched in my memory, I would have to remember the centre with a degree of affection. The staff were superb, and to leave the hospital with our first child was memorable – life changing!

As I watched the short video on the CHAD web site I was conscious of how things have changed and how time has flown by. My son is now a working man. That helpless babe that we carried from the Centre could easily carry me now. But where have those 25 odd years gone? What was once “state of the art” is now a pile of rubble! You look at the area surrounding and you find a thoroughly modern hospital, a completely different traffic junction, a B&Q Superstore, and many other changes besides. Perhaps the greater challenge is to look in the mirror and see what the passage of those 25 years has done to me!

If we are honest the signs are there in all of us. It may be the hair that’s turning grey. Perhaps the figure is not what it used to be. The face shows signs of aging – the spectacles, the signs of dental work, the lines, and the wrinkles. We are all getting older! But there is a challenge here too. Are we prepared for “the wrecker ball” that will bring our life to its conclusion, as the machine has done for the Dukeries Centre? It was striking listening to a woman visiting her dying mother in hospital. She confessed that she was frightened of death. For her it was an unknown, an uncertainty.

For the Christian we take the Bible’s promises seriously – as truth! The Lord Jesus Christ said, ‘He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life’. To accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour is to remove the fear of death, and the uncertainty in relation to our spiritual life beyond death. It assures us of the forgiveness of sin, peace with God, and a home in heaven. Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour? For the true Christian the passage of time takes us nearer to the glory of heaven!

The Thatcher Legacy

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/margaret-thatcher-dead-newspaper-frontpages-1820371

The news of the death of the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher brought diverse responses. Some spoke of her with affection and respect as a former political leader, political ally, friend, or colleague. For others the announcement of her death was an occasion for celebration, and a pop song describing her as a witch rising up the charts. To some she was a heroine. To others she was hated. Many of those from wealthy backgrounds, in positions of privilege or in business would see her as the person who helped to make Britain great. Those who once worked in Britain’s primary industries such as coal, steel, and manufacturing, may well see her as the person who destroyed British industry. There can be little doubt, or discussion. Margaret Thatcher divides opinion in death as much as she divided opinion during her life.

My mind went to someone who has divided opinion for far longer, and far more substantially. He asked the question of the leaders of the day, “What think ye of Christ?” The question is every bit as relevant today as it was then. Society is divided in its opinion of Jesus Christ. All would have to admit that He was a real person who lived, and who died. But is that all? The question that Jesus asked of the Pharisees had more: “What think ye of Christ? whose son is he?” Here is the crux of the issue!

Are you among those who think that Jesus Christ was merely the son of Joseph and Mary? Perhaps you think He was a good man. Perhaps you would go further and speak with a degree of respect for His words and works while He was alive. For the true Christian Jesus Christ is far more, and far greater. He was a man but He was also God. It was Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus, that made the tremendous confession, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”. This is the key.

Why is this important? For Jesus Christ to be anything less than God would be to undermine the salvation that He offers to you and me. He was virgin-born, sinless, and holy. He died on Calvary, a hill outside of Jerusalem, to pay the penalty that was ours. My sin, and yours, deserves God’s punishment. If we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour and confess Him as our Lord and God, we can know forgiveness and peace.

What’s your opinion of Jesus Christ? This is something that needs a decision!

What does Easter mean to you?

In an increasingly secular society this is an important question. For many children they will think of it in terms of Easter eggs and a holiday from school. For some adults, the long weekend will provide a welcome break from work and an opportunity to relax. Alternatively, it might be an occasion to get some of the jobs done around the house that have remained undone, or unfinished. Perhaps, for some, it may be a time for the family. But is that all?

Although Easter bears no relationship to the real time of the death of Jesus Christ, it is a time when some Christians reflect upon that event that took place some 2000 years ago. Whether we like it or not, that event changed our way of life. 2013 is measured from the time of the birth of Jesus Christ and our annual cycle of bank holidays revolves around Christmas and Easter as the two major events. What is so significant to Christians across the world of the death of a man some 2000 years ago?

The simple answer is that the death of the Lord Jesus Christ was unique. In that horrific act of crucifixion, we might expect a victim to die as a result of his injuries and the torture of the execution method. However, the soldiers that came to hasten the death of those they regarded as criminals were amazed that the Lord Jesus Christ was dead already. Why? The answer is that He had ‘given up the ghost’, that is, He had given up His life willingly because He had control over that event in a way that we haven’t.

Good Friday is meant to remind us that the Lord Jesus Christ died willingly and voluntarily as a sacrifice to God on account of my sin and yours. At Calvary, in His crucifixion, He paid the penalty for our sin. The Bible says, ‘Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree’. But there is more. For Easter Sunday reminds us of His resurrection from the dead. On the third day after His death, Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and is alive forever. That is why Easter is so important. Our sin and guilt can be dealt with – cleansed and forgiven. By faith in Christ we can know sins forgiven and have peace with God. Is that what Easter means to you?