Wherever you go in life there is a pecking order - those up there and those down here, those who are superior and those who are inferior. Many of us remember the old comedy sketch, "I look down on him, he looks down on me." Historically, Christians are not exempt from the pecking order mentality. The church, however, was forced to sit up and listen when Martin Luther (1483-1546) attacked what he saw as a spiritual pecking order - on October 31, 1517 he nailed his 95 theses onto the door of Castle Church at Wittenberg in Germany. Luther attacked bishops and clergy selling bits of paper called Indulgences in order to raise money for the building of St. Peter's in Rome. If you bought an Indulgence you were released from the temporal penalties for sin in this world. A superior Christian (clergy) sells a pardon to an inferior (the sinner). A cynic might say it was a 'get out of jail free card'. St. Paul sets out his vision of spiritual equality for all people when in his marvellous letter to the Galatians (3:27-28) he says: 'For as many of you as were baptised into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus'. God looks not upon the outside appearance, but into the heart of each person. On that basis, many who are first will be last and many who are last, first. NBF welcome all, 6.30pm Sundays - call us on 01834 861391 for directions.
