Conflicts. Feels like everyone in our country is fighting at the moment. As a Northern Irishman, there was plenty of fighting in our country, something which seems to have simmered away all this time. Here in Scotland, the fighting over control continues as our policitians seek a new Independence Referendum, never mind living in the Brexit reality. I'm tired of conflict, and yet people are only getting warmed up here in the UK.
Then there is my community, where historical conflict continues after Miners' strikes. Where neighbours fight, parents fight against our school, our community fights against vandals, and we have a police report giving us the numbers of reported incidents in our community. Will things get any better?
Then I turn to a passage in John chapter 6 which I'm preaching on this Sunday. Here is again another conflict. 2 agendas clashing. The people's agenda to get what they can from Jesus, and force Him to be their King against the Roman occupants of the country; against God's agenda to break into their selfish proud world, get their attention and help them to see that He is at work, and can give them life. The people think life is about their comfort, God knows that this world can never give them the comfort they crave. God wants to give them a life that this world cannot match.
2 agendas, but a very uneven conflict. We will only have peace when we submit to God's agenda. We will only have life when we stop depending on the comforts of this one; politicians, to flags, to economic trade relations. Meaning and hope find their fulfilment in Jesus. There's the only comforting truth.
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