Dietary Rules

Towards the end of November every year, the village of Oystermouth in Swansea shuts down to traffic for the best part of a day while the local populace come together to turn on the Christmas lights.  The actual event takes place just outside the church I belong to, so we usually open up to serve tea, coffee and mince pies to the locals.  As well as giving mince pies to those coming into the church, we also hand them out to those outside in the street.

A couple of years ago, we were approached by a member of the trading standards who told us that we couldn’t give the mince pies out the way we had been doing.  He went on to inform us that we had to have a sign on the tray stating EXACTLY what was in the pies.  

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but over recent years we seem to have become far more aware of the food that we eat, and the changes have all taken place in my lifetime.

Three word Phrases

 

You would not be surprised to learn that I am fascinated with words. It would be a poor job if someone who spends a lot of time writing and public speaking was not interested in the words they use. Our choice of words and vocabulary develops over time and reflects what we read, listen to, watch, etc. Developing a pool of words you can draw from is good, especially if you want to communicate clearly.

 

Interestingly, we love to express ourselves in short, snappy statements. However, I was intrigued at how often we use memorable three-word phrases that communicate our point clearly. Let me give you some examples:

 

Black and White

Haves and have-nots

Kiss and tell 

Pros and cons

Tried and tested 

Flesh and blood

Down and out

The art of remembering!

 

This week brings us two “remembering” dates, one trivial and fun, the other serious and poignant, writes Bert Cargill of St Monans Gospel Hall. “Remember, remember the fifth of November” says an old rhyme, the date behind this week’s fireworks and bonfires. On 5^th November 1605, Guy Fawkes was caught guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder in cellars under the House of Lords. This “Gunpowder Plot” was hatched in hatred against the new King James and his policies, but was foiled. You can guess what happened to the plotters! An Act of Parliament then decreed that bonfires throughout the land should remember this date annually! The Act was repealed in 1859.

 

Next weekend, however, will bring another and more serious remembrance date. The terrible World War I ended officially on 11^th November 1918 at 11am. After more than a century, communities across the country willingly remember it each year. No need for an Act of Parliament. No bonfires and no fun. Just quiet reflection and thankfulness, for surely hard-won peace is so much better than cruel, destructive war. It’s easy to forget. But remembering and reflecting on this is very important and well worth the effort. 

 

In addition, many of us like to remember and reflect upon Jesus Christ and what He did. He is often forgotten - His unique birth, His perfect life, His teachings unparalleled in worth and value, His death on a lonely cross for us and for our sins. And most amazingly and significantly, He rose again from the dead as He said He would. If He had not died and risen again, there would be no Christianity. There would be no one to give us salvation today, to give us hope for tomorrow, and to assure us of a place in heaven forever.

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

50 days until Christmas

Did you know that on the 5th of November, there will be 50 days to Christmas? November 5th is a noisy, colourful time of the year and heralds the end of the Autumn season. For me, it can be an evening to drive around certain areas of Swansea whilst pulling over to enjoy a hot dog…or two or, quite simply, sharing a bag of chips with a flask of tea and the windows slightly down. The sights and smells have been so familiar since my childhood days and are a real highlight and something to look forward to.

Halloween would have been and gone and Harvest would have also been celebrated in the midst of the colourful carpet of leaves that continue to fall from trees. Harvest is that time of year to reflect on how food is produced and its journey from farm gate to kitchen plate.

Summer has gone, Autumn is passing . . .

 

By the time you read this column, the summer will nearly be over, and many people will be heading back to work, children to school and young adults off to university.

 

Many years ago, in farming communities, the end of the summer, the harvest's completion, and the crops' gathering was a great social event. It was often seen as a time of new beginnings, a fresh start, and when the cycle of life began again. 

 

The Bible develops this idea by calling people to enjoy a fresh start in their relationship with God. Jeremiah, one of the ancient prophets of Israel, wrote the following words - ‘The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved,’ Jer. 8. 20. Jeremiah is often described as the ‘weeping prophet’. A prophet in Bible times was a man who brought God’s message to the citizens of his country (and sometimes other nations). He was commissioned by ‘the Almighty’ to communicate a straightforward and specific message. Jeremiah had been doing this for a long time. He had become discouraged and downhearted with the lack of response from the nation he spoke to. It is recorded in Jeremiah chapter nine verse one that the Prophet was brokenhearted and wept over the state of his nation - ‘If only my head were a pool of water and my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night for all my people’^[1]. 

Any thinking person should be very upset at the state of our nation. We live in days when there is no absolute right and wrong, truth is traded for lies, people are free to do what is right in their own eyes, and we are often very self-centred. I believe God is very upset that we have moved so far away from the morals and values He designed us to live by. 

It could be said of us - ‘The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved,’ Jeremiah 8:20. As a society, we have lost our way.

 

However, as individuals, we still have an opportunity to make things right. God is calling our nation to repent of our evil and the pain we have brought upon each other by breaking God’s moral law. This change of mind and heart starts with individuals!

 

We can be saved and rescued from God's judgment against our sins. This is the very reason Jesus came. The Bible unequivocally states, ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,’ 1 Tim 1.15. This is a message of hope and encouragement that should fill us with optimism. 

 

If we follow the advice of scripture and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, realising that he died and rose from the dead to take the punishment for our sins, and if we accept him as our Saviour and Lord, we will be saved.

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^[1] https://www.bible.com/bible/116/jer.9.1-2.NLT

All photos courtesy of Unsplash