Strawberry Fields Forever
Hello again
They say if you invent a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door. James Dyson designed a superior vacuum cleaner and the world beat, swept and cleaned a path to his.
And he hasn’t been resting on his laurels since then. This week I was inspired to watch on television how Sir James has been applying his considerable talent and not inconsiderable fortune to another problem: food production. His new 26 acre glasshouse is a marvel of modern science. It can produce 750 tonnes of strawberries every year, whatever the weather, without pesticides, using renewable energy and clever technology.
While strawberries and domestic appliances are important in their way, wouldn’t it be wonderful if the brightest minds could be applied to solve the more vexing problems of the world? Imagine a planet with no famine, drought, poverty, disease or war? The human race has the ability to fix all of these issues, yet somehow not the will. For that, we need Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing” (John 14:12). In other words, in order to become followers of Jesus, we must first believe in him, then do the things he does. As the German theologian Jürgen Moltmann puts it, “To follow Jesus isn’t just to watch him do things like heal the sick and deliver the oppressed; it is to train under him to do those kinds of things too.”
Another James said the same thing but with fewer words. “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26b).
While we wait for the return of the One we believe in and follow, let’s be about our Father’s business. Let’s get to work.
Peter
About the Writer:
Peter Mill is a Minister and Regional Co-Pastor for Scotland, Ireland and the North of England.