It is always amazing how quickly New Horizon week goes by. Strange to be saying that when it is only getting started, but already this evening will be the third of seven evenings! However it is only this morning that the full programme of events really gets underway, with the age-specific events, the morning Bible readings and the seminars getting started.
So far there have been big crowds at the meetings: last night went beyond capacity – some people were restricted to listening from the adjacent coffee tent.
We have had both of the main speakers for the week. On Saturday evening Ray Ortlund opened the series that he will be developing during the morning. He talked about the concept of enjoying God, showing that it is a properly Christian idea. He used Psalm 42 and 43 to encourage us that it is God himself who can lead us to enjoy him.
Then last night Don Carson got underway. His evening messages will aim to expound a series of New Testament passages that speak of joy. The first was the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. Don wooed us away from most of our usual talent-centred ideas about the parable by using the term “bags of gold” instead of talents – the Greek word means a weight. He gave the story a proper God-centred application: it is a story about the servants of the Master who use the waiting time (before his return) to passionately seek the improvement of their Master’s assets.
Music has been great. The Gettys and their band are working straight off the back of a week at Keswick (the English one) but it’s with their usual skill and passion. Brilliant singing The Power of the Cross last night.
