To begin at the beginning

So begins Under Milk Wood, by Dylan Thomas. But beginning at the beginning isn't original to Thomas. Whether consciously or not, the playwright and poet seemed to be echoing the opening sentence of the first book in the Bible, 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.' (Genesis 1:1). Interesting, that.

For until the middle of the 20th century, the scientific consensus was that there was no beginning. The universe, it was held, has always existed because matter is eternal. Not much need for a Creator, then. That consensus was shattered when scientists teased out the logical implications of Einstein's Theory of Relativity. Real world evidence that the universe had a beginning came from the discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation, a lingering trace of the 'Big Bang'.

But as the old saying goes, 'nothing comes of nothing'. That presumably means the universe could not have created itself. Created itself from what, exactly? And so we're back to Genesis 1:1. Astrophysicist Robert Jastrow reflected his book, God and the Astronomers, "For a scientist who lives by faith in reason, discovering the universe's origin ends like a 'bad dream'. They have climbed the mountains of ignorance, but as they pull themselves over the final rock, they find a band of theologians and philosophers who have been sitting there for centuries."

That's the thing. Begin at the beginning, and you are confronted by an all-powerful, wise, and good Creator who exists outside of time and space. In other words, God. But how could we know such a transcendent being? Well, we could if he was pleased to reveal himself to us. Which is where Jesus comes in.

John opens his Gospel with these words, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through him, all things were made.' (John 1:1-2). Then John says, ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us’ (John 1:14). He through whom the word was made entered his creation as man to bring us back to God by his sin-atoning death and mighty resurrection. The Bible begins at the beginning and concludes with Jesus, 'the Beginning and the End'.

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A ripe old age

 

It was bad enough when a woman of a certain age complimented me for looking 'dapper'. I thought only snappily dressed elderly gents were called that. Now people I haven't seen for a while ask me if I have already retired, or when I'm going to. For the record, I'm still the right side of 60 (just), and don't intend to stop working anytime soon. Nonetheless, I seem to have crossed an invisible line and suddenly become an older man. At least in the eyes of others.

This was exacerbated the other week when my boy racerish Vauxhall Corsa developed a fault, and the repair garage gave me an ‘vintage’ Honda Jazz as a courtesy car. Twice on a short journey, I was cut up at roundabouts. Other drivers obviously thought it would take an age for me to get anywhere near them, so they chanced it. The cheek.

Nothing against older people, of course. I just didn’t expect to become one quite so soon. But the prospect of ageing doesn't mean it's all downhill from now on. Yes, a certain amount of physical and even mental deterioration can be expected with the advancing years, but old age can still be a time of spiritual growth and ripening fruitfulness.

I have known believers who became frail and housebound in old age, yet even with the advancing years they were full of faith, hope, and love. Spending time with them put me in mind of words found in one of the psalms, 

 The righteous will still bear fruit in old age,                                                                                                  they will stay fresh and green,                                                                                                                        proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright;                                                                                                                    he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.’                                                                                     (Psalm 92:14-15)

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The shame of it

‘What will the neighbours say?’ worries Mrs Waldo in Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas. Her husband’s much gossiped about behaviour was tarnishing the family name. Thomas’s play for voices was the product of 1950s Britain when the fear of being shamed in the eyes of one’s local community helped to keep people in order. Although that didn’t quite work in the case of Mr Waldo.

 

The idea of being shamed by what anyone else may think of us seems a little quaint now. Self-expression trumps the censure of society. Who cares what the neighbours say? But perhaps good old-fashioned shame has nothing to be ashamed of. Even in our shameless times. Think of the habitual shoplifters who fear neither the opprobrium of society nor the sanctions of the law. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah bemoaned the spiritually broken times in which he lived,  “they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush”.

 

But it is sometimes recognised that shame may still serve a useful purpose. In a recent article in The Times the columnist James Marriott reflected on how we may cure people of their addiction to smartphones. He argued that the key thing is not so much the government clamping down on big tech, as socially stigmatising mindless scrolling, or using screens as a way of keeping the kids quiet. Oh, the shame of appearing to be a phone-addicted zombie.

 

Shame is the healthy, although uncomfortable feeling that arises when we are found out doing something wrong, or at least something that is frowned upon by society. It is a sign that our consciences are in good working order. Daniel (of the lion’s den fame) in the Bible confessed the failings of his fellow Jews who were exiled to Babylon in these terms, “To us, O Lord, belongs open shame…. because we have sinned against you.”

 

How can we hope to cover our shame and blot out the wrongdoing that caused it? Jesus came to deal with the guilt of our sin by dying on the cross for us. He faced the shame of public crucifixion as his enemies jeered at him, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” But it was precisely because he was the Son of God that he endured the cross, despising the shame. That is what it cost him to save us. By faith in Jesus we can know the forgiveness of our sins. Plus, the Scriptures assure us, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 

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An idle tale

That's how early followers of Jesus reacted to emerging reports that he had risen from the dead. 

I mean, once you're dead, you're dead, right? Even Jesus couldn't defy that iron law. The story was easy to dismiss because it seemed so unlikely, but also because those who told it weren't regarded as reliable witnesses. Women, their testimony counted for nothing in those days.

But the last thing Jesus' female followers expected was to find him alive from the dead. Early on the first Easter Sunday morning Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome made their way to his tomb laden with spices to complete the process of laying Jesus' body to rest. They wondered how they were going to move the large stone that covered entrance to Jesus' tomb so they could go about their work. But they needn't have worried, for when they arrived at the tomb, they found that the stone had already been rolled way. They entered the tomb, but mystifyingly, the body of Jesus was nowhere to be found. 

Two men wearing clothes that gleamed like lightning explained all, “He is not here; he has risen!”. As the women went to tell the other disciples what they had seen, they encountered the risen Jesus for themselves. When the women excitedly told the others what they had seen and heard the response wasn’t one of ready faith. Hardly. As Luke says in his Gospel account, ’these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.’ 

Jesus appeared as a bodily presence to his other followers later that day. It was only then that they were convinced he had indeed been raised from the dead. What the women said was true. 

Jesus’ resurrection was the most momentous event in history. It means his death atoned for our sins. It means the power of death has been conquered that we may have the hope of eternal life by faith in him. It authenticates Jesus’ claim that he was the Son of God. 

Jesus is risen! Maybe not such an idle tale after all.

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The line separating good and evil

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

In July 2024 on BBC Question Time political commentator Andew Marr hailed the election of the new Labour government led by Sir Keir Stamer with these words, "For the first time in many of our lives, actually Britain looks like a little haven of peace and stability". With near constant speculation in the media over how much longer Starmer will occupy 10 Downing Street, Marr’s quote hasn’t aged well.

On being elected the Prime Minister pledged to clean up public life. Then In February 2025 he proceeded to appoint Peter Mandelson as UK Ambassador to the United States of America. Starmer was forced to sack him from that role some seven months later, once Mandelson's links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstine were revealed. The scandal blew up again earlier this year when the publication of the Epstein files laid bare the full extent of the former ambassador’s relationship with the disgraced financier. Mandelson has since been questioned by the police, although he denies any criminal wrongdoing. Starmer is now under pressure again, as the process by which Mandelson was vetted for his ambassador role has come under intense scrutiny. 

My point isn’t a party political one. Politicians of all stripes have been involved scandals over the years. So have high up business people, figures from the church and members of the royal family. As the Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn reflected,  “The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either—but right through every human heart". 

Believing that your political cause is more virtuous than the other lot is no bulwark against moral compromise. It only serves to make the hypocrisy worse when self-regarding politicians are caught out doing themselves what they decried in their opponents. As Tim Shipman, political editor at the Spectator points out, "Sanctimony in politics usually comes back to bite the sanctimonious. When those concerned hold themselves in as high esteem as Starmer does, the fall is even further. Believing you are good does not insulate you from behaving badly." (The Spectator's Evening Blend email, 17 April 2027)

Recent events are a stark reminder of our fallen humanity. No matter how high we may rise, there is something within us that brings us back to earth with a bump. The Bible calls that something ‘sin’. Our political leaders have no answer to this problem, for they like us are part of the problem. But God has an answer, and his answer is Jesus. The Son of God came into the world to save us by dying on the cross for our sins. By faith in him we may be forgiven and be put right with God. That's good news not only for public figures engulfed by scandal, but you and me. 

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A Christian Country?

Some local councils (not ours, thankfully) have changed their Christmas Festivals into Winter Festivals. On seeing that people often roll their eyes and mutter, ‘Isn’t Britain meant to be a Christian country?’ It depends on what you mean by that.

Has the Christian faith had a massive effect on our country’s history and culture? Yes. Does Christianity have an official role in the political constitution of our land? Again, yes. The King is also supreme governor of the Church of England. Anglican Bishops have seats in the House of Lords. The Monarch is crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury. 

Does that mean that each individual citizen of the United Kingdom is therefore a follower of Jesus? Clearly not. According to the latest census, people identifying as Christian are now in a minority. We live in a society where people of many faiths and no religious faith manage to rub along together. A good thing too. 

As a Baptist I believe in the separation of Church and State. I don’t think that the monarch should be supreme governor of a branch of the church or that Anglican bishops should be appointed to the House of Lords ex officio. Yes, Christians may be involved in politics at a local or national level. It’s also right for individual believers to exercise influence on society, but of course people of other faiths or none are free to do the same. 

We can’t link Christianity and national citizenship because the church is composed of people ‘every nation, and tribe and tongue’. A Christian is a person who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for our sins and rose again from the dead. A Christian acknowledges that Jesus is Lord of their lives. A church is a local gathering of believers who seek to bear witness to Jesus and serve him in their daily lives. No one can think themselves a Christian because of where they were born. What counts is whether they have been born again. 

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