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| Building Jerusalem |
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On 7th November 2008, Mike Ovey spoke to a group of Friends of Oak Hill at Holy Trinity, Platt, Manchester, about the future direction of the college. Click here to download the MP3 of his presentation, and click here to see the handout.
Mike began his talk by saying:
I've called this presentation Building Jerusalem. "Because the Jerusalem that is above is free and she is our mother." Paul's words to the Galatians, in chapter 4:26 of that letter.
Building Jerusalem. That's got quite a ring to it, don't you think? Because the idea of building Jerusalem puts this huge vision before us. Jerusalem is the city of our King, the Lord Jesus Christ. Building Jerusalem is one of those phrases too that resonates with what others, who wouldn't call themselves Christian, nevertheless want to do. It echoes those lines from William Blake's poem:
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic Mills?
People might have, they do have, very different ideas of what counts as Jerusalem. But when we speak of building Jerusalem, anybody who uses that phrase is speaking about building big, building to last, dreaming dreams that become reality.
Now all that might sound like a pretty arrogant title for a talk where I want to outline to you something about Oak Hill College, and what we want to achieve. I'm not saying that our college alone will build Jerusalem, or anything like that. We need a little help. In fact, we need a lot of help. But then I don't think any of us builds Jerusalem on our own.
And I don't mean that we will labour in vain unless the Lord builds, although that is fundamental and true. The Lord who does build Jerusalem chooses to use human hands and tongues and hearts and brains. And he has chosen that these tongues and hearts and brains work together in building his Jerusalem.
To hear the full talk in an MP3, click here. |
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