Faithful to the end

John Lanchbury | Mark 6:14-29 

On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.’ And he promised her with an oath, ‘Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.’ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’ ‘The head of John the Baptist,’ she answered.

In this grisly story we discover how the life of John the Baptist came to an end, as Herod's wife, whom he had denounced, took advantage of Herod's vanity and folly. The cost of being a true disciple of Jesus can be high, says John Lanchbury, even to the extent of our physical lives, and indeed we are all called to die to ourselves.

The recording is an edited version of our Sunday service. It is introduced by Bobbie Frere, with prayers from Elsie Lanchbury and a reading by Trevor Whitehouse. The full video version of the service, including music, can be viewed on YouTube.

During the service a video "Chu in Vietnam: No Turning Back" was shown. This can be viewed on the Open Doors Vimeo channel.