Not only could something good come out of an unfashionable, working class town in Northern Judea, the saviour of the whole world did come from there. Not only is the fact that this is true an important pointer to the way that the kingdom of God works, but the fact that scripture records it for us is an even stronger signal to us that God’s economy is not class conscious. We must remember that God chooses the humble things to confound the wise - and we should not hastily jump to any conclusions about what God wants to do in a community. Familiarity does breed contempt and we must be willing to step back and refresh our sense of what God is capable of doing amongst his people.

Paul’s second letter to Timothy was written at a time that turned out to be close to the end of his life. Paul realised this to be the case, and so we can justifiably read his encouragements to Timothy to be amongst the things that Paul regards as most important to the Christian life - they were the things that Paul chose to share with Timothy as what were likely to be his final exhortation to his apprentice. It is in that context that he highlights the importance of regarding scripture as being divinely inspired; he charges Timothy to be ready to do his work, in season and out of season. We should expect to encounter opposition to God’s principle - but our responsibility is to stand firm and do what we should whether we feel like it or not.

“Those people are in a good position who, in mercy, forgive the ones who hurt them and reach out to the suffering and the needy. It is to these that God himself will, at the last day, show mercy.”

In the fifth beatitude, Jesus gives us a clear picture of God’s expectation of us: we are to be merciful people, just as God himself is merciful. Too often we miss the significance of that expectation - it is to those who receive mercy that mercy is given.

Recent weeks have included an usually high concentration of external ministry at 5TCF. The thread has clearly challenged us to approach change wisely, making our first priority reaching more people with the good news of Jesus - but to do so in a way that remains true to what God has made us - a multi-generational family-oriented church. John 15 records that, in his last hours with his disciples before his death, Jesus gave them some clear instruction on the importance of being fruitful disciplines - why it matters and how fruitfulness is brought about. Not only is Jesus the vine - he is the true vine. Like all plants that need pruning, if left to our own devices we would become straggly and less fruitful than we should be. We must grasp that fruitfulness as disciples is not optional - it is our fundamental purpose. And the pruning that goes with that fruitfulness is not optional either - it is essential.

There is a world of difference between moving from one place to another and simply drifting from one place to another. As Christians, we are seeking to travel along a line that follows the thread of the long-term narrative of the kingdom of God and the rule of Christ. But this kind of purposefulness has implications for the way we choose to live.

The Christian life is one of pilgrimage. Scripture is full of examples that demonstrate the reality of a life that is constantly looking forward towards things that we have not yet seen. Noah, Isaac and Elisha are all examples that show us what lives of faith involve. We must expect to have to pursue things that we have not seen; overcome our past; and pursue what we hope for with persistence, even when our efforts do not meet with signs of encouragement.

The faithfulness of God is beyond question. Scripture makes it clear that he is committed to standing by his people and ensuring that what he has promised comes to pass. By the same token, he expects a faithful people to honour their obligation to do something useful with the things that he has, in his faithfulness, invested in his people. We have so much to thank him for - and that creates a real sense of expectation on us to be faithful to God, who has been faithful to us.