Musings

As I settle in my seat on the balcony of this historical German church, I can hardly contain my excitement. A feeling of jubilant anticipation pervades the air as people find their seats and the orchestra warms up. The  Thomanerchor  (St. Thomas Choir) *  files into lines at the front of the church and a reverent hush finally settles over the audience. The timpani drums roll, the notes from the flutes and oboes flutter delicately to the church rafters, and the trumpets sound joyfully: Jauchzet, frohlocket! Auf, preiset die Tage …   (Shout for joy, exult, rise up, praise the day) resounds the choir. Transported by the heavenly tones, I close my eyes. In my mind, it is the 25th of December, 1734. Cantor Johann Sebastian Bach is leading the elite male choir on this chilly, Christmas morning. For the first time, the magnificent tones of the  Christmas Oratorio  are reverberating in St. Thomas Church, Leipzig. Und sie gebar ihren ersten Sohn ...

Stephen Hawking famously said: There is no heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark. Comparing the human brain to a computer, he firmly declared his atheistic stance. Dr John Lennox’s reply to this statement turned it on its head: Atheism is a fairy story for people afraid of the light! Who has the correct perception? Are we just living in a sphere of darkness without God or can we find evidence for God’s light and creatorial power? Evidence for God’s existence The order and design of creation. This is the most compelling sign in my opinion. I cannot look at the beauty and detail of creation without marvelling at the Creator. In the 1980s theoretical biologist, Dr Hans Meinhardt, began to wonder how the beautiful patterns of shells formed. As he researched, he discovered that the rules which govern the formation of the patterns in nature such as leaf arrangements, sand dunes and snowflakes, were the s...

The Garden Tomb, Jerusalem. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:14 ESV) In the past few days, I have read several articles that question the claims of Easter — ‘There is no evidence of the resurrection,’ the proponents write, ‘it is a fabrication, the Biblical text is not reliable…’ On the contrary, the existing evidence presents a solid argument. The apostle Paul asserts that the litmus test of Christianity is the resurrection. The more I read and analyze the evidence, the more I become convinced intellectually in addition to knowing the living Christ by faith. Testimony of Women The Gospel writers record that the first witnesses of the empty tomb were women: Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. (Luke 24:10 ESV) In the first century, a woman’s testimony did not count; if the story had been fabricated, Luke and the o...

While half the world turns green today in celebratory euphoria without much knowledge of St. Patrick’s legacy, the day has a deeper meaning for me. But first, let us look at the man himself. Slemish Mountain, Co. Antrim, N. Ireland. Myths Debunked There are three commonly held  untruths  about St. Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland: 1. St. Patrick was Irish. St. Patrick was not Irish. He hailed from a rich, Romanized family in Great Britain; in the 5th Century, Irish raiders attacked his parent’s estate and brought the 16-year-old as a slave to Ireland. Legend claims he tended sheep either on a volcanic plug known as Slemish Mountain, Co. Antrim, or near Killala, Co. Mayo for the six years of his captivity. 2. He banished all snakes from Ireland. This is a myth which grew around the life and acts of St. Patrick. Snakes simply could not cross the Irish Sea after the Ice Age. The only reptile that made its way to Ireland was the common lizard. 3. He introduced Christianity to Irel...

  How do I know the Bible is true? My Bible.  Photo by author The Bible has been my go-to book for over thirty years and I never tire of reading it. Which other book would I read over and over again? This phenomenon in itself proves to me that it is no ordinary book! Not only do I read it for spiritual teaching and encouragement, but also because evidence exists for the reliability of its claims. Quick Facts The Bible is still the world’s bestseller, having sold over 5 billion copies. The full Bible has been translated into 724 languages (NT 1617 languages).¹ It was written and compiled over 1500 years by 40 authors. There are two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament (the  Tanakh ) is the Jewish Bible, containing 39 books (the Torah, historical, poetical, prophetic and wisdom writings). The New Testament has 27 books: the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Epistles and Revelation. Historical Accuracy The Old Testament The Old Testament was...