CP 289 A personal joy

CP 289 A personal joy during the pandemic

Hello from Fred after a rather long break. I assume you are well, mostly in spite of the isolation. The world has been attempting to deal with the coronavirus for almost 8 months now. It’s been a sobering time for everybody. Some countries appear to have done well, others not so. I must say I’ve been heartened and pleased about the way the Federal and State leaders of Australia have worked together on our local response. There was a sort of bliss for a while when we were spared the interminable and nasty bickering that seems to have been in vogue for many years. It felt good that we were all apparently singing from the same page of the same hymn-sheet. Apart from other things, heaven will have much joy simply because the harmony! Think about that. Through the Holy Spirit we will live within the harmony of the Father and his Son. We will know the colour, the music and the joy of peace. It’s called the Father’s love. I can’t wait. Which brings me to one particular personal j – or maybe relief.

During this restricted time I have managed to do something I have wanted to do for over 40 years. Back in the late 1970’s, as a pastoral student, I heard Pastor Harry Wendt, ex-Temora NSW, explain something about John chapter 1 which showed me a ‘wow’ glimpse of the completeness of what Jesus achieved for his Father and humanity. A fellow student, Ray Eisenmenger, explained that a similar truth was unfolded in John chapter 15. He went on to say that Harry Wendt (Crossways, Divine Drama) had said he’d like to do a whole study of John along the same lines.

That got me going on a quest. Ever after, in study of the Gospel of John, or study of anything written about the Gospel of John, I kept note of insights along the same lines as I’d got while still at the Seminary. Most of my books on the Gospel of John had little notes scattered through them, because the Gospel of John was riddled with the sort of insight Pastor Harry had shared about John chapter 1. Only thing was, I’d never seen them gathered together.

Many times over the years I said to myself that I really should have a crack at doing it, and sometimes I even set myself to start. And always, it was just too much of a mental or spiritual strain for where I was at the time. Well, thanks to Covid-19 lockdown (and boredom?) I finally got to it. The finished product is at the final editors. I’ve given it the title WE HAVE SEEN HIS GLORY. It has a subtitle, ‘Revelling in the Mystery and Majesty of the Gospel of John’.

It will be sent to Vietnam for translation in the next week or so. That is important because I wrote it with the Vietnamese Pastors in mind. As you know we have been doing Pastoral training with them for seven or eight years and that training has had to be suspended for this year and who knows how long still. Apart from the actual teaching of the liberty of the Gospel, it’s crucial to keep momentum with them during the pandemic time. It’s an important prayer point too – the care for, and welfare of, the fledgling churches of Asia. Who knows what has been happening during the diversions of the pandemic.

Asia Focus will pay for the translation and publication my book on the Gospel of John in Vietnam. If you would like to help with that you can do it through them. I’ll attach their details at the bottom. If the book is well received, it might also get translated into other Asian languages.

At this point I have not yet explored publishing the book here. It can be difficult to get it done by someone else so I might have to organise it myself as I did for earlier books. All I’ll say is, I’m confident that this message that’s been burning away in my heart for 40 years finally made it to paper in an organised fashion.

Anyway, thanks for reading/listening. Over the years so many of you have communicated comforting and encouraging messages. My prayer is that you may not only stay safe, but stay secure in the one who is our Rock, Jesus the Christ.

Fred

 

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