No Alternative! (1 Tim. 4)

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God will stand forever. (Isa. 40:8)

Let us pray: Father, into our kairos, come with Your Spirit and shape our hearts and minds with Your Word, so that we may worship You and fulfill Your calling in our lives in these times. In Jesus’ name, who is the same yesterday, today and forever. Amen.

Introduction to the Sermon

One of my favorite Christmas presents this year came from my wife. After reading a positive review of the book in the Wall Street Journal she bought the book, There Is No Alternative: Why Margaret Thatcher Matters. I believe we need to remember this world figure in the days in which we are living. Indeed, the world needs another Iron Lady, and maybe an Iron Man too! Who can forget the bold Lioness of Britain, who with President Ronald Reagan faced off with the Communist world and won?

Baroness Margaret Thatcher is unveiled in this fresh new biography in her rise from English middle class obscurity to the highest levels of world opinion. The book tells of how she took on Socialism in Great Britain, deregulated industry after industry, and opened up the Free Markets in a way that had not been seen since before WWII. But one of her greatest tests was not with the Labor Party or the Unions. It was with an Argentine dictator who invaded a little community of islands off the South American coast called the Falklands. These sturdy British subjects lived peaceable farming lives. It was often argued that there were more sheep than people. In fact there were 1,820 British subjects and 600,000 sheep! But for Margaret Thatcher an “Argentine invasion had taken place and…the lawful British Government of the islands had been usurped.”

She ordered a fleet of Navy and Royal Marines to retake her Majesty’s property. Voices were heard against this both within the House of Parliament and in America. The thinking was, “It is only a few people. Why bother?” But as Margaret Thatcher said when some asked her to turn back the fleet:

“Unthinkable…I cannot possibly give it up at this point, one simply doesn’t trust burglars who have tried one to steal your property! No…absolutely not, the fleet must steam on!” (page 172)

And the rest is history. The Argentineans were repelled, the Union Jack was re-hoisted, the people protected and the enemy was dealt a decisive and overwhelming defeat. Today the peaceful island community farms and enjoys tourism. And the sheep are even more prosperous.

Through all of this one thing became clear: Britain was back! Because for Margaret Thatcher “there could be NO ALTERNATIVE.”