2010 Letter No 11

Each month Bill writes a pastor's letter for our monthly church magazine called 'The Messenger'. Here is the letter for November 2010:

The rescue of the 33 Chilean miners captured the imagination of the world. I found myself quite tearful when the first miner emerged safe and sound from the rescue capsule. And in thinking about the rescue I was reminded of our God, who has revealed himself to be a rescuing God – a Saviour.

The miners were trapped in the depths of the ground behind tonnes of rock with no hope of escape unless someone from above came to help them. And after seventeen days a drill broke through into their dark prison and they became aware that they had not been abandoned. They learned that there was a rescue plan and that there was hope. They had to wait. They had to be patient. They had to rely on the work of the rescuers. But there was hope.

When the time came for the rescue, the capsule was lowered through a very long and narrow passage with a rescue engineer inside. And one by one the trapped miners were raised to the surface until all were safe.

Like those miners, all humanity is trapped in a dark prison from which there is no hope of escape unless someone comes to rescue us. The Bible calls that prison ‘Sin’ – our state of rebellion and alienation from God. But Jesus broke through into our darkness and offered a way of escape. It is a narrow way, but it is the only way. And when we accept God’s way of escape, by placing our trust in Jesus as our rescuer and accepting him as the one who is in charge of our lives, then we are brought out of that prison and into the glorious light of God’s presence.

Thanks be to God for the good news of Jesus, who is God’s rescue plan, bringing us out of darkness into his wonderful light! (1 Peter 2:9)