THE AMAZON is the largest river in the world. The mouth is 90 miles wide and there is enough water to exceed the combined flow of the Yangtze, Mississippi and the Nile Rivers combined. So much water comes from the Amazon that they can detect its currents 200 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean. One irony of navigation is that sailors in ancient times died for lack of water . . . caught in windless oceans of the South Atlantic. They were adrift, helpless, dying of thirst. Sometimes other ships from South America who knew the area would come alongside and call out, "What is your problem?" They would exclaim, "Can you spare us some water? Our sailors are dying of thirst." And from the other ship would come the reply, "Just lower your buckets. You are in the mouth of the mighty Amazon River." 

The tragedy around us today is that God, the fountain of living water and the giver of all life, is right here and people don't recognise Him! In fact, if you spend just a little time thinking deeply about life, it doesn't take long before you get to God. Without Him is no real fulfilment in life and, without the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives, we have no other way to the Father in Heaven. (John 14:6). So, you may ask, does God exist and is he alive and well in Bourne?

This is an interesting question and one, which has kept theologians busy for over two thousand years in one way or another. I suppose the starting point for any discussion of God would have to be the existence of God in the first place. As a minister of a Christian church in Bourne, perhaps you will excuse me if I focus solely on our belief that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect - the Creator, Preserver and Governor of all things - and who is the only proper object of religious worship. That there are three persons in the God head - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - who are undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory. And that in the person of Jesus Christ the divine and human natures are united; so that He is truly and properly God, and truly and properly man. Quite a mouthful, I know, but fundamental in all that we believe as Christians.

Now, hundreds of years ago, people generally would not have had a problem with that. Christianity and Church were at the heart of state and society. There is a wonderful picture of the Congregational Church Sunday School taken in the Bourne Town Market Place in 1912 and there are hundreds of children in the picture. Then, over a period of time, something interesting started happening. Mankind, though still interested in Jesus, became less impressed with church and left in droves. In other words Jesus was still attractive but His Church less so. More recently we have seen a new threat emerge; mankind now not only has fallen out with the Church, but also is very pluralistic in it's beliefs and Jesus is only one of many options that fulfil their need for God. But be assured of this, man's search for God has not diminished in the slightest. Only the way God is interpreted. 

I was helping a recovering alcoholic about seven years ago in a homeless centre in the East End of London. He told me that he constantly poured alcohol down his neck because he had a hole in his soul and he was trying to fill it. I spent a lot of time explaining, and more importantly demonstrating, that the hole in his soul was God shaped and that only God could fill it. It was wonderful to see this man give his life to following Jesus and the difference that made to him. He is now married, not drinking and the last I heard, was considering going into the ministry. I am greatly encouraged by this as Jesus Himself told us that, if we seek, we will find (Matthew 7:7 & 8). So, does God exist?

Firstly, if He does not exist, where does the concept of a God come from? This was an argument put forward by Anselm, the Archbishop of Canterbury (1033-1109). If I talked to you about a tank it is because a tank exists. If it didn't, how could I refer to it? And so it is with God. If He did not exist, how could the concept of Him exist?

Secondly, where do we all come from? This is called the 'cosmological argument' well stated by an Italian Monk called Thomas Aquinas (1224-75). Some would say "the big bang" and refer to atoms colliding millions of years ago creating a process. I would say, "Where did the atoms come from?" And if you then gave me the answer I would say, "Where did that come from?" You see everything has to come from something. It can't just happen, and so we always come to a beginning factor, which is God. Aquinas referred to this as the "first mover", which is always given the name God.

Thirdly, there seems to be a plan to the world. It seems far too organised to have just happened by chance. Next time you are gazing into your partners eyes think how complex they are. Can they have just happened by chance?

Fourthly, in a world which seems so full of evil and badness, and in a world where the animal order doesn't show mercy and compassion, how come man does? This is called the moral argument which was associated with the German theologian Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). Man dies for his country, works hard for his family, rushes into a burning house to save his loved ones. Why would man be willing to die for his morals if they only existed inside his head?

Fifthly, yes God does exist because the bible tells me He exists. Generally we have no problem believing any of what we read in history books about Alexander the Great yet, there are more copies of the early manuscripts of the bible than any other history book ever and, not only that, they were mostly written closer to the events themselves than most history books. Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so.

Lastly, yes God exists because I have experienced Him. We have a chorus in the Salvation Army which finishes like this: "You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart." As a soldier serving in HM Forces living a life totally for myself and with no regard to God, drinking my life away, He came to me and changed me in an instant. Can that happen for you? Yes . . . most certainly yes. Ask Him, and you will see.

So, does God exist? I would have to say yes and I'll tell you why apart from all the reasons I have already given. I am seeing Him change people's lives over and over again. People who are one minute living for themselves are coming to live their lives for Him and are being changed. I am seeing this often. Also, men, women, boys and girls are reaching out and wanting to make a difference in this town of Bourne. Speaking only for our church, and I know that the other churches do similar work, I am constantly amazed at the way God is working through our people to touch the lives of others in positive ways. 

Just this week we put out a call for someone to escort a lady who is very poorly to the airport. Within a day, two of our members had volunteered. Just this week the church has been nominated as one of two churches in the whole of the United Kingdom who have a positive attitude to working with people with disabilities and could get an award from Premier Christian Radio in London for this. Every week faithful members serve lunches to the elderly, visit the sick and care for the needy. Every Christmas, a team of people give up their day to serve Christmas dinner to those who would otherwise be on their own. Only two Christmases ago, a homeless man walked in off the streets and spent two weeks in and out of our church. I'll never forget the sight of one of our members kneeling before the man and washing his feet before applying medicine and bandages. Every year, the same congregation sends thousands of pounds to work with needy people in the United Kingdom and thousands of pounds for people in less developed countries around the world. The good people of Bourne give much of that money when we go door to door on our annual appeal each year.

You ask me how I know He lives. I see it in Bourne on a daily basis. The Indian leader, Ghandi, was a great admirer of Jesus Christ. In fact he came over to England to watch Christians and see if he could take the faith back to India. Ghandi watched for a number of months and said something like this: "I admire Jesus Christ but cannot recommend Him to my people because His followers are so unlike Him." Can you imagine how the world would be different today if Ghandi had taken Christianity back to India all those years ago? The challenge to the Christian Church here in Bourne is to be a people who are like the person they follow, Jesus Christ. 

Ghandi went on to say: "The rose never invites people to come and smell it. If it is fragrant people will come and smell it. If it is fragrant people will walk across the garden and endure thorns to smell it." 

God does exist in Bourne and, when we have the fragrance of Him, full of the love and compassion of His Son Jesus Christ, perhaps we will see a repeat of that picture from 1912 where the Sunday school had hundreds of children. Perhaps then, we will see people willing to endure thorns just to come and smell the fragrance of Jesus.