I am part of that ever-increasing gang of people that have to renew their driving licence every three years, not because of my age, but because of my health. I am at that point when I have had to send my perfectly good licence off to the DVLA and grant them permission to check my medical files, and answer a load of questions to see if I am allowed to keep on driving. The period while this process is taking place is always a bit stressful, firstly because I depend heavily on my car for my work and secondly, I am driving around for a few weeks with no driving licence in my wallet. Thankfully my new licence has just arrived this morning in the post, I am licenced for another three years. Alleluia!The driving licence is more than just a permit to drive, it is a proof of identification, it says something about who I am, it is a UK driving licence, confirming that I am British, which says something about me, it gives my date of birth and where I live, the basic details of what makes me, me. My licence isn’t the only proof of who I am, I hold a British passport, not because I am constantly galivanting around the world, but I need to be a passport holder, so that I can sign off other people’s passports. Who we are really matters, when we meet people, one of the first things we do is announce our names, we will then often ask one another questions like, what do you do for a job? Where do you live? Where does your accent come from? All this builds up a picture of the person.
Pontius Pilate on the day we now call “Good Friday” asked Jesus who he was “people say that you are the King of the Jews” he explained, but Jesus didn’t answer. It is understandable that Pilate wanted to know who this man was, Jesus had built up quite a reputation, he had been teaching and healing people, but perhaps more importantly he had been causing trouble by turning the tables in the temple and getting up the noses of the Jewish leaders, to the degree that crowds were now baying for his blood and demanding that Pilate condemn the man to death in the most horrible way imaginable. “Who are you?” Pilate asks, wanting some good reason maybe to let the man off.
That single question is perhaps the most important question we can ask. TV Journalist Jeremy Bowen Presented the BBC television series “Son of God” in 2001, which (in my opinion) was fascinating. Angela Tilby published a book to accompany the programme and in the introduction to the book, Jeremy Bowen says “there is compelling historical evidence that a man called Jesus lived in Palestine around two thousand years ago. He formulated a series of ideas that were developed by his followers and which still resonate around the world. All that is certain. and was he really the Son of God? Well, that is not something that can be proved. You either believe it or you don’t…”
Next Sunday is Advent Sunday and we begin the journey through the Christian year once again, through Advent and Christmas, along to Easter, the ascension and Pentecost and we relive the story again. That means that today is the climax of the Christian story, the last page, the epilogue and we need to ask what conclusion have we drawn? Is Jesus just an interesting bloke from history, who had a load of good ideas that shaped the world for two thousand years to come? Or is he the Son of God, Christ the King? Only you can decide that and your decision will shape how you react to the new year.
A prayer for this week: Find a few moments to stop, be quiet and think for a moment or two.