A Good Day?

April 2025

Dear Friends,

“What is wrong with the world?”  If I asked you all this question I would receive a large assortment of answers!  Whatever you think of the Bible, its ancient answer does make sense of the world that we live in:  

We are created to be God’s ambassadors, his agents in his world.  What’s gone wrong is that we don’t want the job.  We would rather serve a different ‘god’, one who doesn’t restrict us or expect us to serve him, a ‘god’ who leaves us free to pursue comfort, wealth, approval, success or self-indulgence.  We might say our family is all that matters to us, or the good of the nation or the planet, or we might be fully committed to an ‘ism’ – they can all be ways of serving the goals we choose.  

Our hymns are ‘I did it my way’ and ‘No-one tells me how to live my life’ but a whole world of people pursuing their own agenda leads to the darkness that we experience – irritation, selfishness and loneliness through to hatred, violence and war.  Darkness with glimpses of light that make our hearts ache with a deep sense that life should be better than this.  ‘Do whatever makes you happy’ does not make us happy.

And the relationship that is most damaged is with our Creator – we want life and all his other gifts but not his authority over us.  How could we complain if swift judgment followed?

How amazing then if our Lord should don our garb and wade in to take our mess on himself.  “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.”  That tree was the cross from which Jesus cried out as he allowed God’s wrath at our sin to fall on him, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!”

Thorns – a symbol of creation against us – were made into a crown and pressed into Jesus’ head.  Iron – a gift in the rocks from our Creator – was shaped into nails to kill him.

And that terrible day became known as ‘Good Friday’.

Sincerely

Graham Burrows

Wise Dominion

March 2025

Dear Friends

Human beings are unique among the creatures of this world because we are made in the image of our Creator.   We are God’s self-portrait in his art gallery (see my February letter).

But what does this mean?  Physically, we have eyes because God sees, and hands because God builds, helps and rescues.  Morally, we understand that not everything that we could do is something we should do – like our Creator we know there is right and wrong.  We are also like God because we are made to rule over his creation, to have dominion over the earth as his representatives.

Some people believe that the world would be better off without mankind: “Leave it to its natural state, don’t disturb nature, reduce the number of people on the planet, make as little impact as you can!”  But that’s not a Bible view; if we are to rule we must make an impact.  We are certainly to rule wisely, with respect and love for all that God has made.  But not timidly.

The world is a hostile environment for men and women (Genesis 3:17-18).  Even with a vigorous and skilful use of the resources of our planet it is not easy for mankind to grow enough food; it is not easy to protect yourself and your family from cold and heat, floods and droughts; it is not easy to avoid disease, disasters and death.  Life for many was, and is, a struggle for survival.  To get beyond that and to have time and money for things like healthcare, sport, music and travel required us to be ‘benevolent lords’. 

When we take charge of our environment in this way we are mirrors reflecting the power and glory of our Creator and obeying his command: ‘God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."’  (Genesis 1:28)

Sincerely

Graham Burrows

The Repair Shop

February 2025

Are you saying I’m an animal?

Well, animals eat, sleep and communicate like us.  We’re classified as mammals and have hearts, lungs, muscles and DNA like theirs.

But we walk on two legs!            

As do gibbons and kangaroos.

We have opposable thumbs.

And so do gorillas and koalas!

What about our brain?  It’s so large!

Yes, but the same size, in proportion to our body, as the brain of a mouse.

OK.  But what about our ability to think in complex ways, and about abstract ideas and morals, and even to wonder why we exist at all?  

Human beings seem to be uniquely able to do all that, but those who can’t, like newborn babies and brain-injured patients are still people, aren’t they?

So is there something that unequivocally distinguishes us from animals?

Yes, but not in our biology.  It’s in something our creator said: “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness …” (Genesis 1:26).  Everything that God has made tells us something about him, but men and women are like mirrors reflecting a clear image of our maker.  All the paintings in the art gallery tell us something about the artist but human beings are this artist’s self-portrait.  That’s why your life matters so much.  And the lives of every other person.

Did God really say that?

Jesus believed that God did, and so did Jesus’ apostles (Matthew 19:4  James 3:9).

We humans do some ugly things. Can we really be made in God’s image?

The likeness is spoilt by our high-handed rebellion against our creator.  We have slashed the painting in the gallery.  Now Jesus alone perfectly shows us what God is like.  His mission is to restore you and me to our intended glory.  He has the power to take off our old warped self and reclothe us once again in the true likeness of God himself.  It’s the greatest Repair Shop in the world. 

Sincerely

Graham Burrows