H0LLOWNESS - LIVING CHARADE

A RARE FAMILY GROUP

clockwise from Daryl on the left

Miriam Mbithi, Esther, Me, and Joshua Mbithi

BUT we were not alone, for we had been taken out for luncheon by two dear friends who had been unable to be with us as planned.     Martin and Margaret Speed were our absent hosts, themselves having had to leave us earlier than expected in order to travel to Uganda.       It left the five of us together - probably for the first time, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.      NOT that we were truly disappointed not to be with our friends, and to have the joy of fellowship TOGETHER with them.     Our hearts could not help but constantly include them in our thoughts, and conversation as we ate and fellowshipped.      BUT it also blessed us to find ourselves together as close members of a family, away - just for a moment - from the hurly burley of our larger and  constant commitment to our labours in our respective fields of service for children.      It was a 'refreshment' and moment of 'togetherness' rarely enjoyed.         We hope there will yet be an opportunity for us to find Martin and Margaret included in the picture, and in the enjoyment of such fellowship.    Thank you both, always.

This was once worn by Christian Kings - just an empty circlet of bejewelled crosses; nothing in the middle to fill up the space.    A HOLLOW crown.     It so happened that as I came across this image  I Had begun to watch Shakespeare's play 'Richard 11' produced for British TV in 2012 as part of a series under the Title The Hollow Crown'.      And I had once more remembered the words put into Richard's mouth by Shakespeare at a time when Richard had arrived back from Ireland to find himself being rebelled against. 

'...For within the hollow crown

That rounds the mortal temples of a king

Keeps Death His court, and there the antic sits,

Scoffing his state and grinning at his pomp,

Allowing him a breath, a little scene,

To monarchize, be feared, and kill with looks,

Infusing him with self and vain conceit,

As if this flesh  which walls about our life,

Were brass impregnable; and humoured thus

Comes at the last and with a little pin

Bores through his castle wall, and farewell king!

Cover your heads, and mock not flesh and blood,

With solemn reverence;  throw away respect,

Tradition, form, and ceremonious duty,

For you have but mistook me all this while,

.I live with bread like you, feel want,

Taste grief, need friends;  subjected thus,

How can you say to me I am a King? '

HERE IT IS AS IF King Richard is saying that there is no real point in wearing a crown and being seen as a KING  -  The WEARER of a Crown, called King, is not truly more powerful, protected from need, or kept from DEATH than any other.

We could say the same about the holder of ANY official office in life, enjoying a special Title or Name declaring his Office and putting him or her on a higher plain than others without such dignity.       Of course Position can give us 'airs and graces' and we can 'use' it to demonstrate our transient 'powers' any way we like - BUT King Richard speaks of such Place and Position infusing the holder with 'self and vain conceit'.       Swollen toad like to  pompous, swollen pride, it only needs  the smallest pin prick to leave us empty and deflated - totally unable to naturally back up with substance the symbol of the Position we ascribe to - a hollow crown indeed.

All my awakened life I have felt somehow sad and disappointed that for all the POMP and Ceremony of our United Kingdom, the actual CROWN is indeed HOLLOW.   It is empty of any REAL power or authority.    It is, in itself, quite ineffectual, for it gives no power or authority to GOVERN to the one who WEARS it.      NO, that power has devolved almost 99.9% upon the Parliament.         For twelve hundred years of our history the united Kingdom has been ruled by the Monarch, and people did as they were told.     THEN the people were given the power to tell the Monarch what to do, and the Monarch HAS to obey.    At least this is the general principal - and the Parliament speaks for the People, and Rules in the Name of the Queen. BUT the CROWN is HOLLOW - it is now subservient to the will of the people -   MY question to day is WHO wears the CROWN -  the Queen,  Parliament, or the People.    AND then  Who wields the Substance, the Power and Authority of it in actually GOVERNING the State?           It is NOT in reality the Queen who is clearly merely a Cypher.       
It is suggested that Abraham Lincoln may have said words to the effect that Government of the People should be BY the people and For the People.     This is held up as THE democracy to aim for.     BUT is it working?   Has it ever really worked?   And will it ever work?
Looking at it from the Bible point of view it seems unlikely that Mankind, left to himself, can every successfully govern himself, and therefore cannot be able either to govern others.         God's ideal is for Man to by Guided and Ruled by Himself alone.    The people (and they never do change) rebelled and cried out for a KING of their own choice.    God let them have one,  and HE made a mess of it all.     Then God gave them a King  -  DAVID.           The first king of a united England was Alfred the Great, a man of moral and spiritual qualities often spoken of as equal to those of King David.    Alfred,was a very remarkable man.
Many kings and queens were to come after him - they were all human, and none were perfect - some were truly bad rulers.      BUT they all wore the CROWN and ruled directly from under it.  Then at least the People knew what to expect from their King, and he WIELDED the power and authority, directly of himself - His Crown was Not a Hollow one.    In this sense niether was King Richards.

JESUS will come back to RULE.     He will not be ruled by a Parliament or by the people.   HE will Rule with a Rod of Iron according to His Word.       No hint of democracy.     Have you ever thought of this.       NOW we have a world full of howling screaming people raging in opposition and criticism of their governments.     All OVER the world it is erupting.     The people want control and they want to be heard  -  because they question their Rulers - their honesty, their unselfishness, and their ability to know what they are doing.     SOME people say this is Democracy - everyone has the right to give their opinion, demonstrate and even overthrow law and order.       It is increasing.
AND it is bringing confusion and fear upon the whole planet.        Look at LUKE 21v25-28
In these verses Jesus predicted that in the Last Days (these days) there would be signs in the sun, moon and stars - and never in recorded history has their been much being seen to occur in these three areas.     In the midst of this, 'DISTRESS Of NATIONS  with perplexity (bewilderment and anxiety);
the sea and waves roaring (some are saying this alludes to the increase in severe disturbances of the sea by increased wind, inducing high waves and tsunamis  -   BUT I have always felt these words refer to the progressive increase of civil disobedience and mass public demonstrations worldwide.)
THEN the Powers of the heavens will be shaken - and JESUS will come in a cloud with Power and Glory....!          All this is happening, and is a sure sign that Jesus WILL come, is on the way in fact, to save what and who can yet be saved from the final END.

DO I WEARY YOU?      I am no learned or gifted seer.    I can find no reason for you to give time or place to my words - but I commend them to you as being heavily upon my heart -  I believe God is speaking these things because this IS the time to wake up to them, and to take precaution in our lives and for the lives of our loved ones.    I close humbly  pleading that you read on in Luke giving special attention to our Lord's exhortation in verses34-36.

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RIGHT NOW we are having exceptional RAINS - it is very out of season, and puts our crops in danger of being destroyed and a national famine augmented.     BUT we are all in good health and spirits.    Next week the School will break up for the 'summer' holiday, and we shall hope  to enjoy the children home again to occupy our days.    We look forward to it.    We do Thank God for His continual providence and for all the dear ones who, hearing his voice. have sent help and aid to us during these last few months.    We have been in need, but through so many, God has answered our cry to Him.     May He continue to Bless you all, and may he also wake up in us all  the knowledge of His soon coming.

In His everlasting Love and mercy

John, Esther and Daryl Green

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