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Tasmanian Anglican

December 2003

 

 

 

 

John Harrower


 

 

 

 

 


This year's Clergy Conference was wonderful. Photographed at Archer's Manor is The Team: L-R. John Morse Bible study leader; Bob Witten M.C. and joke teller extraordinaire; and principal speakers Lynley and Kevin Giles

 

Bishop's reflection

by John Harrower

 

 

The 'God Thing'

Driving along the Midlands Highway late one night this week, following a Confirmation at Kempton, I turned on the radio and listened to George Negus launching his latest book, The World from Islam.

George was doing some good old Aussie stirring, no doubt good for sales, about the 'God thing': 'If God is, maybe he or she might eventually get around to telling us how close or how far each of us is from the truth. If he or she is not, then we're on our own folks!'

Interesting comment from George when releasing his book in time for the Christmas sales! After all, Christmas is 'God…telling us how close or how far each of us is from the truth'. How could our intrepid journalist have missed that one?

Revelation

'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call him Emmanuel,' which means, 'God is with us.'

At Christmas we celebrate the fact of God telling us the truth that God is very close to us in the person of Jesus Christ. Christmas is all about the 'God thing'. For George to have missed it brings me a deep sadness.

The angel's revelation to Mary, the virgin birth, the Life of love, the Teacher of the Sermon of the Mount, the Miracle-Maker, the Innocent giving his life for others, the empty tomb, the resurrection appearances, his disciples' changed lives and the reality of his presence to the saints through the centuries, all point to 'God telling us the truth' in the God-man Jesus Christ.

Answers

Some years ago a popular song entitled, 'What if God was one of us?' asked, if God was one of us what would God be like? Jesus, the baby, grew into the One who said, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me… Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.' (John 14:6,10)

The 'God thing' finds its answers in the Christmas story. The Christmas story is wonderfully told in the New Testament of the Holy Bible, in the Gospel according to St Luke chapters 1 and 2. Please read it.

Rejoice in the good news of God's telling us of himself. The 'God thing' is after all what Christmas is about.

Enjoy God's self-revelation in the Babe of Bethlehem.

 (signed) John

P.S. Yes, George Negus' book is simplistic, superficial journalism, which misrepresents religions; is deliberately or ignorantly provocative to Jews, Muslims and Christians, and not a good gift! An excellent gift (mentioned in November's Tasmanian Anglican) is Islam in Our Backyard, by Tony Payne, which won the Australian Christian Book of the Year Award 2003, and which has been given by the Anglican mission agency SPCKA to all Australian Federal and State politicians.