Orange Reformation cannot be appeased

Orange Reformation and its internet claims that undermine the worth and work of the Institution for its own sectional interests, cannot be appeased.

No group should be allowed to exist that has the objective to sew discontent, and to take pleasure in doing what we regard as conduct alien to, and hurtful of the Institution.

Action must be taken to prevent this group, or any other Orangeman, from saying words and taking actions, which bring the Order to division and disrepute.

There are disciplinary rules in the Institution to deal with this situation. They must be used or it will suffer grievously from negative judgements and public distaste.

We have to see ourselves as others see us and move to ensure that the Order is what it claims to be a Christian organisation, positive in its commitments to the Christian faith and valuable in its place and purpose in society.

This matter must be dealt with expeditiously, for it is of deep concern to us now and promises to be more worrisome for the future well being of the Orange Institution.

Past experiences have taught us that we must not try to mediate with, or accommodate to, the aims, attitudes and aspirations of those who are set to advance their own agenda which is contrary to that of the Institution as a whole.

It is better to lose Orange Reformation members, than to allow their contrary views in order to retain them. “ An empty house is better than a bad tenant”

The Church And Society

Article 3 ~ April 2010


"We see real love, not in the fact that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to make personal atonement for our sins. If God loved us as much as that, surely we, in our turn, should love each other. " 1 John 4: 10, 11

. . . it is His (Christ's) explicit command that the one who loves God must love his brother too." 1 John 4: 21

A refusal of some church people to consider the views of fellow-believers of other denominations, much less to take them seriously, is the mark of that divisiveness which bedevils Christianity.

The churches may differ in belief and doctrine, but often their antipathies are about loyalties, animosities, and an unwillingness to live happily together. There is endemic suspicion and distrust even while verbal assent is being given to the Christian concept of brotherly love. It is easy to be self-satisfied when what we have makes for contentment.

There is pride of denomination. We should be more anxious to fulfil the Divine commission, and by learning from others and sharing with them, help in the common cause of bringing people to the knowledge of God and to faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord of their lives.

The task of the whole church is to influence the society of which it is a part, though the extent to which it involves itself in it will often be questioned. Churchmen have been charged, and condemned, for expressing political opinions because 'it should have confined itself to religious matters.'

This denial of Christianity's inclusiveness of everything which affects the lives of people is a refusal to recognise the church's true vocation which is to serve people whoever and wherever they are and whatever their needs.

Christians should fulfil their obligations as citizens, that must mean being concerned with and involved in all that matters to people in their society. There is always the language of religion, but the words which are meaningful today often have political and sociological content. Christian outreach in a secular society must be all-embracing. No subject is without the need of a Christian viewpoint, which will have the purpose of helping people to live happier, better and more useful lives.

The co-operation of the churches is needed in efforts to change our society.

"Sharing such others insights and standing together as Christians is an utterly essential part of our duty if the Christian faith is to remain credible to the people at large." (F. J. Mitchell)

Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long

Statement on the State Visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom.

On this the 450th Anniversary Year of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland, we call upon the Pope to recognize that we stand for ‘civil and religious liberties for all, special privileges for none’ and to respect these settled and cherished principles of the United Kingdom on his first state visit here.

Freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, the fruits of the Glorious Revolution 1688-89, allows various groups, religious and non-religious, to voice and demonstrate their concerns during the Pope’s visit. This is permissible in our democracy where there is freedom for expressing religious, political, moral, and ethical attitudes and responses.

The claim of the Pope to be the Vicar of Christ with supreme and universal primacy over church, state and world is unacceptable to us. He is the Head of the Roman Catholic Church, and ruler of the theocratic City State in Rome, without authority or jurisdiction within this sovereign state, which is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

We have a proud Protestant heritage in which we name a few of the many who have contributed hugely to the wellbeing of people here and throughout the world.

· William Tyndale translated the Holy Bible into English so that all may read it.

· Thomas Cranmer bequeathed the Book of Common Prayer to the English Church.

· John Knox spearheaded the reform of the Church of Scotland.

· William Bedell commissioned the translation of the Holy Bible into Irish.

· John Locke was a philosopher of political and religious freedom and tolerance.

· William and Mary safeguarded civil and religious liberty for every citizen.

· William Wilberforce led in the campaign which abolished the slave trade.

· David Livingstone pioneered medical missions.

· Florence Nightingale brought better training and practice to nursing care.

· Thomas Barnardo provided for and protected neglected, orphaned and vulnerable children and young people.

· C.S. Lewis, Christian apologist and author, challenged people to think deeply on life’s realities and what the faith has to say on them.

· HM Queen has exemplified Christian love and charity in the service of all.

The Protestant Reformed faith has contributed largely and positively in the making of the United Kingdom, the tolerant and diverse society in which its people can live together whatever their differences. We believe in the all sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures, in the knowledge that our salvation is a gift of God through Christ alone by faith alone. We appeal to our members and people generally to be guided and governed by the example of Jesus Christ and to live peaceably and happily together for the common good.

A Prayer for the Clergy and People

O God, the Creator and Preserver of all mankind, we humbly beseech thee for all sorts and conditions of men; that thou wouldest be pleased to make thy ways known unto them, thy saving health unto all nations. More especially, we pray for the good estate of the Catholic Church; that it may be so guided and governed by thy good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. Finally, we commend to thy fatherly goodness all those who are any ways afflicted or distressed, in mind, body, or estate; that it may please thee to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities, giving them patience under their sufferings, and a happy issue out of all their afflictions. And this we beg for Jesus Christ his sake. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)

Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long

St. Patrick: the real Patron Saint revealed

St. Patrick's Day March 17, with its concentration on Ireland and the Irish and its celebrations in music and song, parades and parties, has long been the most popular day of the year for many more than the Irish. It has been said with more than a little accuracy that all in New York are Irishmen on St. Patrick's Day with the green of the Emerald Isle the colouring for everything.

That the day is well known everywhere does not mean that Patrick is any more than a name to very many; and that could apply to Ireland too. People need to be reminded or told that the patron saint of Ireland was a Christian preacher, teacher and writer whose life and work had such an effect on his time and thereafter that hr is to be seen as the pivotal person in the beginnings, and development of Christianity in Ireland. As with historical figures generally much has been written about St Patrick.

BACKGROUND

When the man speaks for himself we learn some things about him. He does that in two writings - his "Confession" and "The Letter to Coroticus", in five sayings in tin book of Armagh and the hymn, "The Breastplate" which has been attributed to him He tells us he was a Roman Briton from Bonnaven Taberniae. The location of which has been set in Scotland, near Dumbarton on the River Clyde and in North Wales near Milford and we are left with these uncertain choices. His father was Calpurnius, a farmer and deacon of his church and his grandfather was Potitus, a priest. Captured and taken as a slave to Ireland he served a chieftain, Milchu, as a swineherd and cattle drover for six years on Slemish Mountain in Co. Antrim. In his captivity Patrick came to see his dire straits as a punishment for his neglect of God. He described in his Confession how he "earnestly sought God and then I found Him."

TRAINING

After he escaped from his captivity there followed the "Silent Years" in which at home he worked and trained to be a minister of the Gospel. In a time of religious awakening in Europe Patrick studied in Gaul, France, where his mentor was Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre, and perhaps in Rome. It was in these Silent Years that he had a Paul-like vision of one Victorious bearing letters and one "The Voice of the Irish." As he took the letter he "heard the voice of those who lived beside the wood Foclut near the Western sea." Responding to the call to "come over and help us" he returned to Ireland, having been consecrated a bishop by Germanus. The year was 432 and by his leadership there began the growth and development of the Celtic church. An early covert was the chieftain, Dichu, who gave him a site at Saul, Co. Down, where his first church, "Patrick's Barn" was built. From that beginning there were churches to follow in several places as Patrick and his Christians converted people from paganism. And these Celtic Christians were to take the faith to Britain and Europe with incredible results in the spread of Christianity. Whatever historians say about Patrick and Celtic Christianity his writings are Bible-based - the scriptures are quoted extensively - and his preaching and teaching was Christ centred and people orientated.

PRACTICE

The legacy of St. Patrick is a Christianity free from the disunities and distresses that have adversely affected it in Ireland for many centuries. A cure for the ills, divisions and disturbances of today would be in return to the emphases of St. Patrick - the fundamentals of Christian belief and the primary purpose of the churches and Christians to bring people to faith in Christ to enjoy the benefits of the Gospel.

Denominational claims on Patrick mean little when what is important is that the man be seen for what he was - a pattern Christian whose life and work should be a persuasion on Christians everywhere to be as he was in his commitment and witness to Christ and in his service for people. If that thought is not lost in the festivities of St. Patrick's Day there is gain for those who participate in them.

Disunity - Unity

Article 3 ~ November 2009

"Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Jude 3:3 (AV)

"I . . . earnestly appeal to you to put up a real fight for the faith which has been once and for all committed to those who belong to Christ" (JBP)

The General Epistle of Jude with its condemnation of false teachers and plea for loyalty to the truth of the Gospel has the practical purpose to warn against all such and to encourage, persuade Christians to value those who stand firm for the faith and to share with them in the fight against whoever and whatever would threaten its continuance and growth.

It is a singularly appropriate appeal to believers in these contentious times for the faith and the churches, under continuous attacks from materialists, humanists and most militant atheists.

The reality is that within the churches there is unity and disunity and we are constantly made aware that Protestantism is so diversified in theology, ecclesiology and attitudes to evangelism and ecumenism that it cannot be a definitive summation in Christian faith and practice. It is, though, what is taught and believed in Protestant churches to give them a unity in diversity.

The tenets of the faith recited in creeds by those with set liturgies, are the beliefs to which others give assent for the differences are less theological than practical and historical. Any research on denominational origins will find their beginnings, while dissimilar in each case have more to do with personal preference, the dictation of conscience and the choice of church order and discipline.

These aspirations were the causes of separation and alienation.

Time and circumstance has encouraged some to develop good relationship, and to present a better picture of Christianity to the world. Each of the churches would insist however that the primary task is to worship God and to show by word and deed to commitment to Christ. And to claim that the Christian philosophy for life is based on the conviction that people need God, for without Him life is lived in a lesser dimension, that the faith works when people turn to Christ and their lives are changed and enhanced by that decision.

It is the recognised duty of the churches to bring people to that experience and to have and enjoy the benefits.

The faith is always more than a corpus of belief. It is the motivating force in the lives of Christians, true to their commitment to Christ. The contention is that the answers to the ills of the world and the needs of people are to be proud in the Christian faith, that if the country is to be freed of the distresses, the attitudes and lives of people must be changed and centred on character and conduct best exemplified in the Christian way of life with its Christ. Like selflessness and determination to care more for others than oneself to practice that Christian brotherliness that seeks the good of people spiritually, intellectually and physically; to help bring about just legislation and to condemn all that grievously disaffects us - sectarianism, racism and classism among them.

On issues of such consequence there should be unity in the churches for disunity is defeatist and disastrous for the faith.



Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long

The Christian And His Fellowman

Article 3 ~ October 2009

Nowhere in the writings of St Paul is there more rational, sensible and sensitive thinking on Christian, and other, attitudes on human relations than in Romans 12: 10-21. With its sentiments expressed in words and phrases with charity and precision, memorable and still applicable, beginning with "Be kindly affectioned one to another: in honour preferring one another not slothful in business . . . serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation . . . given to hospitality", and ending "If thine enemy hunger, feed him, if he thirst, give him to drink . . . Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good."

Principles to be Applied
It was said of a preacher that in his sermons he stated the obvious and then spent time explaining it. One could be excused for feeling that anything added to this passage, by way of interpretation or explanation, would be superfluous, for it speaks so clearly, for itself. There is value, though, in meditating on sentiments so clearly stated by Paul, at his most inspired, putting words to thoughts.

The practical application of these Pauline posed Christian principles would have far-reaching consequences. Paul makes a strong plea for that quality of forgiveness which Jesus exemplified in His speech and conduct; that humility which the early Christians, and the first Christian Martyrs, literalised in their reaction to misunderstanding, violence and persecution.

The evangelising quality and value of this kind of conduct has its illustration in the effect of Stephen's martyrdom on the once grossly intolerant Saul of Tarsus. St. Augustine explained it, "The Church owes Paul to the prayer of Stephen."

To be happy with the happy, and sad with the sad, is to share in the common crises experiences of our fellows. Happiness and grief, gain and loss, are of the warp and woof of life. It comes easier to share joy than sorrow. Many a man in trouble has found that his convivial friends are only dependable when the going is good. Friendship is proved in adversity. Shared tears bind people together as shared laughs never can. And yet, apparent contradiction, it is often easier to say sympathetic words to someone in the dumps than to congratulate the fellow who is scaling the heights.

Envy is a sin which prevents us from being big enough to appreciate the quality and ability of another person. "He is a poor man who can't appreciate another man's brains, or brawn." Envy is the attendant of the empty mind. "There is not a passion so firmly rooted in the human heart than envy." (Sheridan) Here is a proverb, "He that would live clear of envy must lay his finger on his mouth, and keep his hand out of the ink-pot."

We are to live in harmony with one another. Good relations among Christians can be elusive.

Church Tensions
Church tensions are the cause of division and separation. "See how those Christians hate one another" was someone's indictment of some who claimed loyalty to Christ but showed little of his spirit. Nothing is more destructful of Christianity than the antagonisms of Christians.

The most unChrist-like attitudes and actions are sometimes found where lip loyalty to Him is given with noisy enthusiasm or belligerency of the tongue, without depth of spiritual sensitivity and sympathy. The faith which shows in high quality Christian living is not always where it is to be expected.

Pride is the vice of the foot. Nothing is more persistent and pernicious than the sin of pride. The early Church was where master and slave sat down together.

Any form of egotism is to be excluded, whether of an estimate of oneself, that would lead to lack of respect from one's fellows, or any kind of self-seeking that leads to the anti-social vices like contempt for them. "If a proud man could only see how small a vacancy his death would leave, he would think less of the place he occupies in his lifetime."

Our Christianity should be winsome, forgiving, winning; never hard, unbending, repelling.

Revenge not for Men
We are to live in peace with all men, conditionally, "if possible; and so far as you can." Principle must never give way to courtesy. Tolerance can be weakness. Peace is the masterpiece of reason.

Revenge is not to be considered. It is not for us. It is the prerogative of God. Vengeance can break people, kindness can make them.

We are being reminded continually that violence begets violence. There is no solution to our "Northern Ireland Problem" in violent reciprocation. The lawkeeper must not degrade himself to the level of the lawbreaker. Booker Washington, the great black scholar and statesman, who knew about degradation said, "I will not allow any man to make me lower myself by hating him." The way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend.

We are saying no more here than that we must do one thing, help our people to see the sense of the Christian attitude to life, and to help them to take God seriously and to meet His demands on them courageously. We need real Christianity to be like Christ!

St Paul And His Partners

Article 3 ~ September 2009


Prominent among the disciples of Jesus named in the Gospels were Peter, Andrew, James, John and Paul.

There were others, men and women whose contributions to the growth and influence of the Christian faith were equally acceptable.

They were those willing, able and available to play lesser roles in the plan Jesus had to bring people to real faith and trust in God and to believe that in Him God was personalised as a man among them.

The leaders were dependent on these others to enable them to meet their joined commitments to Jesus.

The truth inherent here is that God does not only need those who do extraordinary things but all those who do ordinary things extraordinarily well.
This article "Paul and his Partners" illustrates that reality in his life.

There can be no doubt of the very large contribution St Paul made to the progress of the Christian Faith as a teacher, preacher and author. The church's indebtedness to this one man is readily acknowledged, and evidenced in that his thinking, insights and perceptions on the faith, are taken as the true and acceptable beliefs of Christians always and everywhere.

Very many books have been written on the person, worth, work and writings of Paul. They describe him as the pastor, missionary, writer exemplar of Christianity; and tell of the respect he earned from his fellow believers for his total, selfless, committal to Christ. They showed him, by their care for him, in the many experiences of his most active and adventurous life, a devotion that made it possible for him to keep going in spite of the handicaps of ill health, injuries, persecutions and imprisonments.

Paul greatly valued his many friends. He named some of them for their very much appreciated contributions to him in care and concern, and often at considerable cost to themselves. They shared with him in the making of Christians, building up their local churches and living out the faith in their communities.

Among them were those whose ability, commitment, self-sacrificing zeal for the faith made them pastors and leaders of such competence that by them the church of Christ had an amazing growth. There were others, "ordinary Christians", who lived their lives quietly and responsibly in doing what they could for the continuance and development of the church where they were. The situation has similar characteristics then and now.

To recall friends of Paul is an exercise in understanding and appreciation their worth in their several and diverse relations with him.

There is Barnabas, a Levite of Cyprus, who on becoming a Christian gave all he had to the church (Acts 4: 36, 37). Available for service he was sent to Antioch (Acts 11: 19, 24) and thence to Tarsus where he persuaded Paul to go back with him to Antioch. Later the two of them were taken at Lysta to be manifestations of the gods Jupiter and Mercury (Acts 13:3). They were together at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15: 1, 2) and with Silas they visited the churches to advise them of the findings of the council.

Paul and Barnabas disagreed over John Mark whom Barnabas wanted to take with them on a missionary journey. The two went their separate ways in the remaining tours (Acts 15: 36-41). In spite of the break they remained good friends caring for one another (1 Cor 9:6; Gal 2:1, 9:13; Col 4:10; 2Tim 4:11). John Mark, nephew or cousin of Barnabas was probably the boy who followed Jesus to Gethsemane and was injured escaping from there (Mark 14:32). Scholarly, he was called "the interpreter of Peter". His Gospel is largely the dictation of St Peter.

Silas (Acts) Silvanius (Epistles) (2 Cor 1:19; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess1:1) was chosen by Paul to travel with him when he broke with Barnabas. Silas was jailed in Philippi. Later Paul left him and Timothy at Thessalonica while he went on to Athens and his confrontation with the scholars at Mars Hill. Silas and Timothy were in Corinth with Paul and are mentioned in his letters to the church there.

Timothy of mixed race, Greek and Jew, was also with Paul on his second missionary journey. It was on his promptings Paul wrote the letters to the Thessalonians and Corinthians. He was with Paul in Corinth when he wrote to the Romans (Acts 20:2; Romans 16:20) and in Troas in his imprisonment there (Col 1:1; Philemon 1) and on the apostle's request in his jail at Rome. Helpful to Paul at Rome were Onesiphorous, an Ephersian Christian (2 Tim 1:16, 19; 4:19) and Onesimus, a runaway slave who on Paul's advice returned to his master Philemon at Colossae with good result to both Christian men, (Philemon) Tychius who accompanied Onesimus had been with Paul when he went to Jerusalem and was described by him as his "beloved brother." It was he who brought the letters to the Ephesians and Colossians.

Not all Paul's friends were equal in ability and quality. There was Demas who had had potential as a Christian (Col 4:14; Philemon 24) but who abandoned the faith (2 Tim 4:10).

There were many more than these that received creditable mention by Paul. These are the reminder of the value of friendship and the beneficial effects it had on Paul always thankful for his friends and himself a good friend. Paul and his partners is the reminder that however important the Christian leader there must be those who are his/her dependable co-workers always at hand when they are needed. He or she and they go forward together in the Name of Christ Jesus our Lord. (read especially 1 Thessalonians).



Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long

Youth For Christ And Christ For Youth

Article 3 ~ August 2009

Christianity began as a young people's movement. The fishermen whom Jesus found by the shores of lovely Galilee, and whom he challenged to be His disciples, leaving their boats and nets for a great avocation and a mighty adventure, were in life's morning time. It was a retinue of youths that the Master gathered to His side. When He and they moved about the villages, and among the cornfields, or under the olive trees, or by the waters of the lake sharing memorable experiences of friendship and service, His mode of addressing them was "lads."

And He was their contemporary. When Isaac Watts was composing his popular hymn, "When I survey the wondrous Cross," he had thought of following that line, not with the words we have "On which the Prince of Glory died," but with these: "Where the young Prince of Glory died." It is a pity that version didn't win its way, for it would have been a constant reminder to us that the Captain of our Salvation had the dew of youth. Ecclesiastes 7:1 "In the days of thy youth"


Youth is the time of generous impulse and eager enthusiasm. Dr. James Stalker wrote: "There is something awe-inspiring in the first glance cast by the young on the world in which they find themselves. It is so clear and unbiased; they distinguish so instantaneously between the right and the wrong, the noble and the base; and they blurt out so frankly what they see. As we grow older, we train ourselves unawares not to see straight or, if we see, we hold our peace. The first open look of young eyes on the condition of the world is one of the principal regenerative forces of humanity."

There is a fund of idealism in life's morning. Caution and calculation come later, as do contempt and cynicism. "Remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them." Response to the clarion call of Christ; committal to the high enterprise is never easier than at the threshold of manhood and womanhood. Then should come the challenge to discipleship.

And let it be the living Lord who is held up to youth, the man of action, the Leader depicted in the Gospels who appeals not to our softness but to our strength. Let it not be some anaemic figure, some creature of the theologian's imagination, remote from reality. For it has not always been the real Jesus that men have acknowledged. It was acclaimed as a triumph when the Emperor Constantine embraced Christianity. Was it not rather a sad day for the Church, for to assimilate the celebrated convert she compromised. Was official religion pure ever since? We talk of the faith spreading and conquering Europe. "What Jesus conquered Europe? A conventionalized Jesus as unlike the real one as the floral patterns on wall paper are unlike the flowers of the fields."

Youth hungers for a creed, a cause, a captain. If some worthy passion doesn't grip it then some base frenzy may intoxicate it, some pernicious philosophy may ensnare it in its toils and hold it in the thrall. Douglas Hyde says that where there is a spiritual vacuum Communism rushes in to fill it. There is a void in too many hearts. Help the Saviour to possess those vacant places. He can fill with unparalleled good the empty hands of yearning reached out to life by wistful souls.

It is said that the needs of youth are someone to trust, something to live for, something to belong to, and in the service of Christ and His Church, in the community of those pledged to be strong with His strength, tender with His tenderness, patient with His patience, those needs can be most adequately met.

The choices of youth are fraught with far-reaching consequences. Frank Bullen told how he joined the Cachalot as one of her crew. "Sailors," he said, "are naturally and usually careless about the nature of the articles they sign, their chief anxiety being to get to sea and under somebody's charge. But had I been ever so anxious to know what I was going to sign this time I could not for the language might as well have been Chinese for all I understood of it. However, I signed and passed on, engaged to go I knew not where, in some ship I did not even know the name of, in which I was to receive I did not know how much, or how little, for my labour, nor how long I was going to be away."

Adventure
Such madness is not a monopoly of mariners. Some are so greedy for life, so avid for experience, that they blunder into a grievous bondage. Indiscretions have to be clearly paid for in a mortgaged future. False steps bring a not easily remedied misery.

Would you embark upon adventures? You can commit yourself to Christ with confidence. His service is perfect freedom. Discipleship has enduring delight. Round that high venture the regrets of life will never gather.

Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long

Orange Standard Article 3 ~ July 2009

" I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jews first, and also to the Greek.
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them." Romans 1:16.

St Paul describes his conversion to Christ; the effect it had on him and how as an apostle, witnessing for and writing about Him his whole life had been dedicated to His service. Described as Man in Christ Paul's commitment was the reason for, and the cause of, what happened to him in a life of incredible experiences. He speaks of a few of them - jailed at Phillipi; chased for his life at Thessalonica; smuggled out of Berea; facing the verbal onslaughts of scholars at Athens; refused hearings by Jews and Gentiles in Corinth. In all that happened to him he never doubted his vocation to "preach Christ", to declare the good news that God was in Christ personally reconciling the world unto Himself. To Paul Christ is the answer to the needs of everyone. God in human form He is the saviour and lord of mankind.

Paul lived in another time of religious and political uncertainty. Many people lived fearfully, their uncertainties made worse by their leaders who often spoke in contrary terms to cause bewilderment among them. Paul knew that their problems caused them to echo the words of Seneca who said: "We need a hand let down to lift us up."

Paul told them that Jesus was that hand, the one who would rescue them from their distresses, personal and collective. The good news is that He came to free them from the chains that bound them, preventing them for enjoying the quality of life available to everyone who has faith in God. Salvation is release from the bondage of sin which is defined in the Shorter Catechism of the Presbyterian Church:

"Sin is any want of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God."

Paul spoke of the sin that separates people from God and the faith in the person and work of Christ that would end that estrangement. He lived and died for them so that by His atonement for sin an at-one-ness with God is theirs.

Paul saw the primary characteristics of the Christian as loyalty to Christ and honesty in their dealings with other people. And these were to be real and recognisable qualities in all acquainted with them. The statement of faith must be shown in the character and conduct of the believer.

"Faith is the act of trust by which one being, a sinner, commits himself to another being a saviour". Horace Bushell. But Paul also speaks of the consequences to those who refuse Christ. He uses "Wrath of God" in describing his thinking on how God reacts to those who will not have Him in their lives (cp Romans 1: 16-23)

"Sin is rebellion against God. Arising from their corruption of the human heart, it is the cause of our separation from God, and the reason for us deserving of God's wrath." William Barclay.

To emphasis the love of God is to do what is right and proper for God is love but as one preacher put it:

"The notion of judgement is falling more and more into disuse. It plays hardly any role in the public discussion on the nature of Christianity."

And that elicits the response:

"A Christianity in which judgement has no place is not the religion of Jesus. He showed that sin if persisted in, has consequences for the sinner."

God's wrath is itself an expression of His love. He hates sin for it deprives people of the fullness of life for which they are created.

St Augustine prayed:
"Oh God, you have made us for yourself and we cannot rest until we rest in you".


Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long

Endeavouring To Please God

Orange Standard Article 3 ~ June 2009

'What shall we do to satisfy God?' (John 6:28)

Jesus made people realise the presence and power of God. Whatever the situation or circumstance in which they met up with Him, He told them about God.

All His stories, wise sayings and advice were an encouragement to people to trust in God, to have such a lively faith in God that everything they say, think and do will be governed by their relationship with God.

He called on men to live God-centred lives. He made them so conscious of God that He was called on to answer this kind of question. "How shall we please God?"

"What must we do to satisfy God?" Jesus answered the question, not only in words, but in the way of His life. He showed people how they should live in order to please God. He explained to them what it meant to believe in God.

But first He described God to them in simple terms so that they could know Him and trust Him.

He was speaking to people who believed in God. They had been taught, as all their people had been over many generations, that God is, and life dependent on Him.

But while some of them may have seen God much as Jesus described Him, many of them thought of God as the One who had an interest in them as a nation and who would give them victory over their enemies, success for failure, freedom from the yoke of the conqueror.

Their God knew about war and justice and judgement.

While sometimes they thought of Him as the provider of the manna in the wilderness, and the One in whom their forefathers found comfort in their captivity by the rivers of Babylon, they thought of relationships.

It was Jesus who showed them to God in the tenderest terms. He used a metaphor even more telling than the fine description of Him thought up by the Psalmist when he sang, "The Lord is my shepherd."

To Jesus God is the Father, and closer to people than even the best father can be.

The child who becomes a man may outlive his relationship with his father. Not distaste but distance, intellectual and geographical, can separate one from the other until only relationship remains, without content that means anything to either of them.

A man never outlives his need of God or his dependence on God. The God of Jesus is everything that is good. He wants for man only what is good.

The virtues which elevate man and make him a creature capable of the most admirable qualities - generous, honest, self-sacrificing and self-effacing - are God-given and God-like attributes.

God, as Jesus demonstrated Him, is concerned about man in his needs, aspirations, responsibilities and potentialities. God cares for us!

Jesus had a particularly memorable thing to say about the responsibility and privilege of man. It is to love God and to love his fellow man. The demands of faith in God are never less than these.

The God of Jesus wants only man's good. He is a very different God from the God of many who call themselves religious men and women.

The God of some Christians is a God of judgement who is short on charity and strong on condemnation; short on grace and strong on dogma; more concerned with the rightness of a man's belief than how he acts with his fellow men.

He is very different from the God to whom Jesus introduced men. He was not small like that or vengeful or divisive.

God is like Jesus! Jesus has shown men what are the real values of life and what they should do with their lives.

His example in self-sacrifice, self-giving, is the pattern for all who call themselves Christians, and mean it - all who are really committed to Jesus Christ.

Faith in God is a serious business - not hurtfully serious - just serious demanding all that is worthwhile in the believer. Faith in God is a big thing, not pretty, acrimonious or spiteful, but joy and peace and fellowship with all believers.

The Gospel is good news. We make it good news to others when we live by the standards of Christ, and try to make the kind of world He wants for men to enjoy.


Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long

Joy In The Lord

Orange Standard Article 3 ~ April 2009

“The Lord is my strength who makes my feet nimble as a hind’s and sets me to range
the heights” Habakkuk 3:19

Religion has always suffered from wrong impressions of its true value and usefulness. The most common of these is that it is dreary, dull, and negative m its attitudes to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” Robert Louis Stevenson was surprised, when persuaded to go to a church service, he said:
“I have been to Church and am not depressed”.

Many see religion as a rope, a halter, an impediment and impoverishment of life. They feel sorry for those who ‘’get religion’. But still among them are those, who for their own reasons, allow religion a place in their lives, however fleeting, for they prefer a church wedding; to have their children “christened”; and, the church to be there in their suffering and bereavement.

They manage, in their everyday lives, though, to separate these from what is really essential and purposeful in their lives. But those who are connected and conscientious Christians find in their faith the means to an entirely satisfying, happy and contented, life. They contend that everyone who has had a real Christian experience, a meeting of heart and mind with Christ, will not find life dull, on the contrary they will find, discontentmentand joylessness, a contradiction of the Christian faith a travesty of the truth.

One writer explained:
“When you watch religion at work you find a morality, when you converse with it in thoughtful mood you find a philosophy; but when you touch the heart of religion you find a song.”

The Bible provides an illustration with its psalms and spiritual songs, Christianity has its teaching and preaching to explain itself, and its singing’s, The songs have often been the most effective “Gospel Messengers” in encouraging people to believe what they say and to trust Him of whom they say so much, informatively and memorably.

It has been claimed that the great times of the church were its “singing days” with those who wrote or used songs in their revivalist campaigns, the Wesleys, Moodys, and Booths and the evangelists whose meetings were enhanced by their singers and the singings of the congregations.

Habakkuk, the Old Testament prophet, said what Christians would echo and apply:
“I will be joyful to God because the Lord is my saviour. The Lord gives me strength. He makes me as surefooted as a deer and keeps me safe in the mountains”. (GNB)

Habakkuk was the one prophet-philosopher, a thinker and writer, who described the murmurings and questionings of his own soul. He told of the effects of his knowledge and experiences and communions with God and what the Spirit said to him, in the quiet, for his own sake and for those for whom he felt responsible.

Habakkuk had been pessimistic about life and the society in which he lived and then a religious experience had changed his whole outlook on life to give him hope for the future. He described that life changing experience in the language of his people:
“God has made my feet like the feet of the deer”.

Isiaah described the experience of those whose trust is in God in the often quoted:
“They that wait upon the lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint” (40: 31)

Jesus is the obvious example of that with His inexhaustible vitality; ability to deal with any emergency; undeterred and undefeated in every circumstance. He faced life and its problems clear in mind and buoyant in spirit.

He taught His disciples to treat life that way, and they lived as someone described it:
“ringing, winging and soaring lives.” It was to be said of them by their teaching, preaching,
and living they “turned the world upside down”, To be in fellowship with God is to have that most desirable likeness of spirit and the conviction that where there is faith and hope everything is possible. It was a good wise man who said: “When you think failure you are out of the reach of success”.

God can give us that which is most precious in life. Faith. Hope. Love.

The Christian has the best of things. His hope in God; his love for God and his faith in God. It was Paul who claimed:
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.

Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long

Music Is An Extension Of Our Praise

Orange Standard Article 3 ~ March 2009

Have you bought your copy of Canon Long's collected Orange Standard pieces "Think on these things"? This month's article is an extract from the book, which is available at £4.00 plus postage from Schomberg House.

"Express your joy in singing among yourselves psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making music in your hearts for the ears of God."
Ephesians 5:19.

Integral to the services of the Christian church is the worship of God, and the ministry of the Word and the Sacraments. Whether the services are formal, liturgical, or spontaneous, extemporary, these are essential to them. Integral, too, to the services of the church are its psalms, hymns, spiritual songs and instrumental music. Varied in form, style, quality and quantity they play a large part in the public worship of Christians. In many churches their role is becoming more and more apparent and significant. There is the recognition that most people have an inbuilt love of music and song that in them their feelings and emotions are most adequately expressed. It is much easier to be with others in music and song than to join them in prayers, sermons and ceremonies in church. This because people often "speak with the head and sing with the heart."

Even those with a minimal interest in religion find it easy to use the church's music and song in the crises of their lives.

They are the natural expression of feelings and emotions; joy and sorrow; hope and expectation; devotion and commitment.

Christian enthusiasm is most readily expressed in music and song; music beyond words and words singable and meaningful. "A song will outlive all sermons in the memory."

There is always need for balance in the services of the church, the parts are dependent on one another, enhancing one another. The blend of prayer and praise, scripture and sermon is necessary when there is devotion to God in worship and a receptive sharing in the learning process by scripture and sermon by the people of God.

Charles Kingsley has a warning for anyone who elevates singing over everything else: "Do not fancy, as too many do, that thou canst praise God by singing hymns to Him in church once a week and disobeying Him all the week long. He asks of thee works as well as words; and more, He asks of works first and words after."

The warning noted there is reason to pay compliment to those whose music and song contributes so much to the deepening of the spiritual lives of believers and for bringing others to faith in Christ. There is reward for the composers and authors whose works receive the highest commendation by constant use. Some of them are well known names whose lives have inspired us for the depth of their commitment to Christ and the variety of their experiences before and after the faith caught hold of them.

They were men and women inspired to say in music and song what was necessary to speak for God to people and people to God. "Glorious the song, when God is the theme."

As we think of the use of music and song we may show preferences, for the quality and quantity is variable in the extreme. Describe it as you will the choices are numerous and yet there is much music and song which have universal approval and frequent use.

The editors and compilers of the 2003 published Church of Ireland hymnbook knew that and while they managed to include many favourites there were omissions which displeased some. They had to make room for new composers and authors whose work merited inclusion. Time will tell as to its durability. What is important is the acceptance that the music and song of the church must reflect the thinking of people in a world of rapid change, the effects of new experiences and discoveries in the many fields of human endeavour, while retaining the fundamentals of the Christian faith described in the music and song of other ages.

It is also the reminder that no age has a monopoly of talent and new people are emerging all the time with words and music applicable to where and how people live.

We have preferences in our choices of what we hear and sing in church. Most of us are likely to agree on the need for clarity, articulation, in sound and voice. We want to easily recognise what is being played or sung. We have sympathy for someone who hoped that God knew what a soloist was singing for he did not.

It must be of the essence of good music and song that there is no need for anyone to complain about its audibility clarity and intelligibility. Having said this we have to add that everyone should be encouraged to sing in the congregation. Most people can sing. Few things are more impressive about church than Christians singing together in response to the psalmist, "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord".

Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long

"When Success Is Failure"

Orange Standard Article 3 ~ February 2009

Jesus told a parable:
"...a rich man's farmland produced heavy crops ... he said, Soul you have plenty of goods ... Eat, drink and have a good time. But God said to him. You fool this very night you will be asked for your soul. Then who is going to possess all that you have prepared. This is what happens to the man who hoards things for himself and is not rich where God is concerned" (Luke 12: 13-20)

The success story is always interesting! Local boy makes good has its appeal for it excites, stimulates, as it gives hope to the aspirant whose dream of emulating a star in sport, music, art and business is fired up with what they have achieved.

This story of Jesus was of success without a happy ending. The man had his priorities wrong. It is an unusual story for Jesus who was always slow to condemn. He often found reason to treat gently those likely to be treated harshly. He was quick to aid the ill regarded and devalued. He loved children and their distinctive actions and reactions were used to teach necessary lessons to adults.

A man of the people he chose working men to be his disciples and close companions in His ministry. He recognised qualities in them needed to make people aware of the plan and purpose of God for mankind. He set standards for them and valued their successes as His representatives in their work and witness for Him.

Success to them and the man of the parable was very different. He had a bumper harvest and thought of building bigger barns in expectancy of continuing good fortune. He must have impressed others by his hard work and the gain from it. But to God he was a fool and his folly was that he had a wrong view of life and its purpose. He valued it by possessions, and regardless of what he had been taught about God and the much greater benefits that come by faith in Him. He was broadly minded and Soul absent-minded.

His thinking is so much that of the great number of people today that this story has permanence, or continuous relevance.

It is the reason why the Gospel must be preached so that people hear of the provision God has made for them in Jesus Christ, His person and work, and what His life, death and resurrection means for humanity.

There is the thought in a little prayer of St Augustine, "Thou, O God, hast made us for thyself and we cannot rest until we rest in Thee."

Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long

Retired rector’s 40th clerical union paper

Canon Ernest Long read his 40th paper to the Lurgan Clerical Union (LCU) on 4th December, in Donaghcloney church hall, Diocese of Dromore. The LCU is the clerical society for Dromore Diocese. Canon Long’s papers over many years have been on a multiplicity of subjects and many were published in magazines, newspapers, pamphlets and books.

The Legend Of The Wisemen

Orange Standard Article 3 ~ December 2008

"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh." Matthew 2: 1 and 11.



The most mysterious figures in the Christmas story are the Magi who came, guided by a star, to the stable of the Bethlehem inn just after Jesus was born to see Him in the straw of his crude cradle.

The New Testament writers do not tell us who they were or even how many there were of them. Tradition says that there were three wise men, so called because they were among the most learned of their day. A time when there was an expectancy of the coming of a great king who would bring peace and prosperity to a troubled world. And Judaea was to be the place of his appearing.

Wisemen or kings? According to "The Lost Chronicles of Sufi Abbas", the astrologer of Carmena, the three were kings. Marco Polo found the papers and lost them but he talked of their contents to his daughters Fantina, Bellela and Moreta, and named the kings and described their appearances:

Gaspar of Tarshish, young, tall, straight and black.

Balthazar of Chaldea, middle-aged, medium height and brown.

Melchior of Nubia, old, short, bent and white.

The girls each had her own remembrance and valuation on the Chronicles. Fantina explained that shortly after the kings began their journey led by the star they were in trouble for Gaspar's camel had trod on a viper and died. Young and strong he urged the other two to go on and he would catch up with them. Traveling a short distance the two lost sight of the star. They turned back to link up with Gaspar again and to tell him that the star was gone. He listened and pointed, "But look there it is."

The moral of Fantina's story is that those who follow the star must share with each other their joys and sorrows, privileges and responsibilities. The selfish always lose the heavenly vision.

Bellela told that when the kings rested on their journey they wondered about the one to whom the star was leading them. They agreed that he would be kingly, grand and wise. They disagreed on his appearance; each favoured his own colour for him. They quarrelled and lost sight of the star when they separated to go their own way. Disappointed they came together and the star was there again.

The moral of Bellela's story is that nothing should be allowed to separate people from one another. They need one another, for no one lives by himself alone.

Moreta said that as the kings were different they differed in their expectation of the one they would see at journey's end.

Gaspar looked for a great king and he took with him his tribute of gold, the proper gift for a king.

Balthazar hoped for a god and he brought incense for his worship. Melchior longed for a Saviour who would save him from his sins and his gift was myrrh for him who would sacrifice himself even to death for him.

Myrrh for embalming.

A king! Jesus, the King of Kings, came to reign in the hearts and minds and by the wills and actions of those who committed themselves to Him.

A god! Incense was used by the priest in the worship of the Temple. The Latin word for priest is pontifex, bridge builder. His task was to help people to turn to God. Jesus is the great high priest who brought God and people into a relationship when by their faith in Him they were called the people of God.

A Saviour! Myrrh was used to embalm the bodies of the dead. Holman Hunt's famous painting shows Jesus at the door of the carpenter's shop at Nazareth. He stands arms outstretched and the sunlight casts a shadow on the wall behind him. It is of a cross. Jesus died on the Cross. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin, and live to righteousness: By his wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24.

The moral of Moreta's story of the wisemen is that everyone can get what he needs by his faith in Jesus Christ.

The insights from the three accounts are that people should be unselfish, kind to one another, not self indulgent; they should not let disagreements separate them, for divisions are weakening and defeating; and they can have their every need met in Christ.


Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long

"Christianity Is Christ"

Orange Standard Article 3 ~ November 2008

"He who is not with me is against me" (Matthew 12:30)

The text is the reminder that the Christian faith is centralised and finalised in the Person of Jesus Christ, who He is and what He said and did is the Good News - "The Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." It is also the unequivocal claim that faith in Christ makes demands on the Christian.

Is is never easy to be a believer and to live by the standards of belief and behaviour that entails. And Jesus stated His terms of reference in the Sermon on the Mount, where he spells out what is required of those who would be His disciples. The first step in response to his call on people was taken by the men confronted by Him at their work and that affected them totally and permanently, Peter, Andrew, James and John, fishermen, and Matthew the inspector of taxes. The others who were to turn to Him had that first step to take. It was always a personal decision. The attractiveness of Jesus is exemplified in these positive responses to Him but the very large number who heard Him speak and were amazed by His healings and the magnetism He emitted through His personality and humanity did not attach themselves to Him.

They liked and admired Him, even saw Him as a potential political leader but they refused to do so as these others did. How he was seen and the way He was treated has been that familiar in all the ages since "the days of His flesh." The reasons for this could be, the same negativity, unwillingness to meet and accept the demands of the Christian faith on those who embrace it and what that entails for character and conduct.

But life is decisions - this or that, here or there, right or wrong. We have to decide on how we live and how we value life. This is the reality clearly enunciated and confronted by religion.

There is no neutrality when it comes to the claims of Jesus Christ on the allegiance of people. The ultimate question to be faced is "what think ye of Christ?" To go his way will be seen in the character and conduct of the committed person.

Nothing should be more apparent than the levels set in the life of the Christian. On the matter, the decision for Christ, there is the quotation:

"Conversion is the natural response of an internal impulse to an external appeal."

Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long

Be Thankful: Response To Kindness

Orange Standard ~ Article 3 ~ October 2008

"Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine." (Luke 17:1-19)

One of the least pleasing features in human relations is the reluctance of people to be grateful for a kindness done them. They find it hard to say thanks even when they know the word should be said and at once. A feature writer has a question in a press interview "Are you a giver or a taker?" The answers are often inconclusive but always there is the sense that to be a giver is the preferable and proper response.


We know some who are generous in their treatment of others and those who take generosity for granted.

The incident we have here, the curing of the ten lepers and the and the ingratitude of nine is an apt illustration of an ingratitude ingrained in such behaviour. And the one who came back to speak his gratitude was a despised Samaritan. While the men of the story are described, ingratitude is not a characteristic more marked in race, sex, age, friendship or relationship. It is a trait of our humanity.

Jews cited Joseph and Absolam as good and bad examples of how children should treat their parents. The one respected Jacob his father; the other broke his father's David's heart. They would show them where Absolam dishonoured his father, spat their contempt at the spot, and then tell them of Joseph.

We have Jesus as our example, for He respected his parents and when his mother was widowed he took the care of mother and family. His brothers were among Jesus' most faithful followers and one of them, came to be called James the Just. He was chairman of the first even Christian Council as head of the Church at Jerusalem. Tradition has it that he was killed by the Scribes and Pharisees and that he was the author of the General Epistle of James.

His closeness to Jesus is evident in the epistle for its basic teaching is similar to that of the sermon on the Mount, and its emphasis on behaviour with the premise, the test of a real faith in God is that it shows in an appropriate way of life.

A kindness has no expectations of a response when it is often a spontaneous act to help someone. To be kind is to recognise the value of human relationships, that living is sharing. But to live is to know that there are always the opposites - good and bad, kindness and unkindness. In our media enlightened age we are well acquainted with both, though the imbalance, bad news is news, means that we are horrified by much of what we see and hear of the depravity of humanity. And then piercing the gloom of depression and despair is the evidence that the good are everywhere bringing succour to the suffering, food to the hungry, clothing to the naked, shelter to the homeless and hope to the hopeless.

The Christian ethic with its concentration on the virtues of decency, honesty, generosity and sympathy remains for many the basis for a good society. It is necessary then for all who respect such values to set an example in a society which for many has levels far below what is needed to ensure that its citizens treat each other with the respect which is essential if people are to live safely together in an environment, peaceful, prosperous and pleasurable for all its people.

A Utopian dream, may be a critics response to this scenario, but it is the philosophy for living which is a solid foundation on which to build and it involves everyone in contributing to the well being of their country from the beginning to the end of their stay in it.

We have reason to be thankful that, we live where, whatever our problems, they could be minimal to those in so many other places. Most of us have the capacity to be givers to those whose circumstances compel them to be takers. That is the way for us to change their lot to a happier one.

We have to learn to turn all good gifts to good purposes; to use goods and benefits to enable us to be givers; to do good and to distribute, for with such sacrifice God is well pleased.

Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long

We Will Weather The Storm

Orange Standard ~ Article 4 ~ October 2008

We may have more than a little sympathy with those who complain, as we did, about the awful summer of 2008. Our situations were not equal though, for some suffered the horrors of flooding. They elicit from the fortunate to have avoided that calamity, the ravages of nature, and too often the inadequacies of planners to foresee recurring problems, relief and pity.
But if the weather was fearsome for some, and frustrating for most of us, the political scene remains in a like state of complaint and uncertainty. The government, with Gordon Brown, the target for an economy so ineffective in the struggle against the rising costs of even the bare necessities of life, is under attack by workers in the staple industries, with strikes threatened by Trade Unions and their members.

The imbalances with wages, salaries and rewards, employees and employers, with their extravagantly rewarded chiefs make an administration look ridiculous for its parsimony where the people are concerned with their claimant needs, and its liberality in what to most of us is totally unjustified, so that angry protests are to be expected and in wrap available to protesters. The anomalies, so numerous, produce multiple questions, and a few like, how is it possible to produce ten billion for a useless computer system and not enough to provide the means to help to combat the criminality that frightens and victimises so many law-abiding citizens? And half a billion on preparations for the Olympics when such money could be well used in life improving objectives for needy and suffering people. The complaints are endless, and the effects of wrong thinking disastrous, with the most vulnerable receiving least attention. Priorities are wrong and until they are righted there can be no even limited satisfaction, with government and country in its present state. We must hope and expect better ways and days ahead of us.

The unrest of today makes us compare like restlessness of other days which brought about a change of leadership and government. The trade unions appear to have no desire for that result, for Cameron and the Tories are not wanted by them; Labour is a philosophy they share and support.

What we hope for expeditiously is a more satisfying and less worrying life, for we need the stability absent presently from the U.K. What pertains in the Union is ever applicable to us, for whole devolved government allows us to make decisions for ourselves. We are governed largely, sometimes totally, by what goes at Westminster.

That requires us to evaluate the present state of our Stormont administration. Whatever the work done, the impression is of an Assembly which is confrontational because the D.U.P. and S.F. find their dissimilar philosophies make coexistence in power very awkward. How to have the ruling parties work together is the question, and while there are instances of consent and approval of cross party decisions, though they are not unimportant to those affected by them, big issues remain unresolved.

In spite of the gloom of such a summer, weather wise we are happy that the public demonstrations and appearance of the Institution and the Loyal Orders were pleasurable occasions with very little adverse comment from any quarter. We wanted it that way, for we know the value of the earned approval of the people at large. Our usual citizens, of course, will not pay compliment in a society shot through with irrational stances, dogmatic and liberal attitudes vying for attention, and where reactions are always predictable.
It means that the Order must constantly be making positive claims that show how good is its actual and potential contribution to this society.

We believe our most worthwhile one is by our concentration on the Christian faith and the ethical and political values founded on it. They are essentials in a usually secularly orientated environment, where the faith is undervalued, and society is weakened by the loss of what sustained and strengthened it in other and better days. When the good influence of the faith is absent the loss is filled with bad influences that we must fight against if we are to think and act consonant with our beliefs.

Our hope for the future of the country must be in the recognition, and adoption, of Christian values for they only will serve us well.

Dare To Be A Daniel

Orange Standard ~ Article 3 ~ September 2008

One of the better known Old Testament books is "Daniel" with its stories of the burning fiery furnace, lion's den and the mysterious writing on the wall.

Daniel tells of the experiences of four men - Daniel, of noble birth, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego - Jewish captives in the reigns of four kings or regents of Babylon; Nebuchadnezzer, Darius, Cyrus and Balshazzar.

There are dreams and their answers, the kings and Daniel, and miraculous escapes from the near death of the four of them. The characters and events make for a thrilling tale which is told skilfully and dramatically. Jesus valued the book highly.

The story of Daniel and the three, told in the book of his name had a particular purpose - to steady the hearts and minds of those patriotic Jews who were at the time of writing, suffering fearsome persecution for their faith. It describes the courage, loyalty and devotion of the men to a cause, faith in God, which meant to them more than life itself.

Daniel came out of the crucible of suffering to encourage the Jews to stand firm in the defence of their faith. It is not only a tale of brave men, their incredible experiences and rescues from death by divine intervention but of men whose faith in God meant everything to them.

It is the reminder too, that where there is faith in God there is also the alternative way of life in which people find satisfaction only in what they can see, feel and taste. Their concentration is on the everyday things of life, its joys and sorrows, pleasures and pains, gains and losses, so that they have no time for "deeper things".

We are faced, constantly, with the questions - am I responsive to the inward voices of the soul, to take them as the whispers of God to me? Or shall I value more the tangible things around me?

The choice is between the spiritual and the material and for some the middle way when effort is made to be both and it is a matter of priority. For the Christian that should be God first.

When Christians are faced with decisions they have inspiration and encouragement from their faith in Christ.

St Paul described it, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".

Daniel and his friends stood firm for their faith and they came through horrific experiences by the help of God. There are times when people must take a stand for principles important to them, when to question emotions and motives can be difficult for someone who wants to think and do what is right. There has to be the listening to the voice of conscience. It is the guarding of truth. Daniel and the others chose the way they should go, deliberately and determinedly. They had no doubt about what they had to do and they did it. Their dependence was on God, and they were willing to accept what that meant for them. They were in His hands whatever happened, confident that He would be with them.

When Martin Luther was taking his stand for the Reformation of the Church an official came from Rome to ask him to say or do nothing that would hurt the church. The messenger spoke of the strength of those who would be against him and the dire consequences of his disobedience if he refused to do as he was asked. The question to Luther was, "where will you be then, in the face of all these?"

There as now, replied Luther, "in the hands of God".

We are reminded of the words of Minnie Louise Haskins:-And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year."Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown".And he replied:"Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way".

The secret for successful living for the Christian is to have the certainty of the divine presence all the time.

J.B. Phillips had that conviction:-
God is the great reality.His resources are available and endless,His promises are real and glorious beyond our wildest dreams.

He added:-
In Christ …death can be safely ignored and Heaven confidently welcomed.

Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long

The Potential Of Preaching - Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long

The Potential Of Preaching

Orange Standard, Article 3 ~ August 2008

"Jesus … came preaching." He said, "To this end was I born, and for this I came into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth." Mark 1:14, John 18:37

Jesus the preacher convinced men, who were to be His disciples, of God's plan for the world and Him in it and they became preachers too.

Preaching was the means used to make the Christian faith known.


"With preaching Christianity stands or falls because it is the declaration of a Gospel …. It is the Gospel prolonging and declaring itself". P.T. Forsyth


It has been defined as "The preaching of a person to a person about a Person."

The underlying theme of the preacher is the Person and presence of Jesus Christ. While that is constant and invariable much depends on how the preacher applies it and its relevance to people today.

"His material is the everlasting Gospel, his tools are his full powers of thought and imagination. His object to convey to other minds and imaginations the glory and beauty of that which he is seeking to portray." F.W. Dillistone

The preaching should be in words and thought forms that make clear what is meant and nothing else, plain and direct, clear and unambiguous. It was a plaintive cry to the preacher,

"Save us from the meaningless pious phrase: avoid the unessential and unnecessary."

The preacher must believe in the truth of what he says, and with total conviction if he is to persuade others to believe.

Jesus the preacher used words, incidents and illustrations familiar to the people. He could never resist the appeal of need, and had such a power, a magnetism that the people heard them gladly.

Paul the preacher "was completely absorbed in preaching the message, showing the Jews as clearly as he could, that Jesus is the Christ" (Acts 18:5). This was at Corinth. He told the elders at Ephesus, "I have never shrunk from declaring to you, the complete will of God" (Acts 20:27). Writing to Timothy he said: "I urge you … preach the word of God. Never lose your sense of urgency. Prove, correct and encourage using the utmost patience in your teaching."

The admonition on Timothy remains one to be taken to heart by preachers and the advice is apt and necessary still.

J.S. Stewart, an accredited authority on preaching, had this to say to preachers: "Preach the resurrection as the one fact above all others which vitally concerns, not only the life of the individual Christian, but the entire human scene and the destiny of the race."

The individual was the constant concern of Jesus. His way of reaching and teaching people has been described as "the one with the few, Jesus and His disciples; the one with the many, Jesus and the crowds who gathered to hear Him; and the one with the other, Jesus and His conversations with those He met one by one." There is a particular attraction in these meetings and they emphasise the value of person to person contact in Christian work and witness.

Bishop MacNeice wrote in Belfast's "Hungry Thirties" "It is the business of the Church to bear witness to the sacredness of human personality, and to say with plainness that any system which can produce a great wealth, but which cannot use it so as to prevent great destitution stands condemned by conscience and by reason."

The Christian faith is at its best when it is most personal and practical. This is to contend that the preacher and the church, representing the caring Christ, has something to say on everything that matters to people.

We are told of great preachers of the past often with the regret that their like are not around now. That contention is contested, and reasons given for questioning comparisons, past and present. One of them is the difference in attitudes to preaching from when it was an attraction and the preacher, the educated man whose words were worthy of attention, reflection and action. Now there are many educated men and women anxious to voice their views on religion and to show their superior knowledge in every other subject that is of interest to people.
The church and its preachers are not influential in the way they were, for in this increasingly secular society many are so affected by its many attractions that the church has no place in their thinking.

The preacher needs a congregation but church attendance is no longer the practice of many whose parents and grandparents were regular churchgoers. Churches that have retained their strength are reducing in numbers so that attendances are smaller with the effects they have on the church and its purpose in the community.

In spite of their losses the churches continue to represent the beliefs, attitudes and responses of most of our people, and some who are neither believers nor committed to their philosophical and ethical stances on the meaning and purpose of life.

The preacher is still being heard as one who makes a useful contribution to our thinking and living. There were always preachers whose concentration and commitment was on the Person and place of Christ, and they preached with such certainty in the truth of what they said that people heard them turned to Christ and pledged their lives to Him . There are preachers whose ministries have that purpose and effect. They see it as their calling to persuade people to make that response to their preaching for they believe it is not preaching which is not preaching for a verdict.

There remains that effectiveness of preaching even if it is less obvious than formerly so that its future is not in dispute though it necessitates continuous evaluation.

The tasks of the preacher is to bring people to faith in Christ; to build up believers in their faith and to encourage them to so present its values and benefits to others that they, too, feel the necessity to turn to Christ.

Rev. Canon Dr. S.E. Long