Recently while coming towards the end of a preaching series in Revelation, (which was a challenge), I came across the song 'How great is our God' by Chris Tomlin, which brings out some of the images of God that we find in Revelation and elsewhere in the Bible. It is becoming one of my favourites - enjoy.
Friday 19 December 2008
Wednesday 10 December 2008
Make your Choice
Every day we face a multitude of decisions and choices. Most are mundane and we simply fall into patterns of habit and routine. I could choose to have Cornflakes or Rice Crispies for breakfast. But I have Rice Crispies because that's what I always do, and before the caffeine kicks in the fewer choices I need to make the better. But it wouldn't make any significant difference which cereal I was to choose, or whether I just had toast. Then every now and again a decision or choice comes along that comes into the 'life changing' category. I would include things like where to live, where to work, whether or not to marry and to whom as choices that fall into this category.
The people of Israel were faced with the most important of all decisions - were they going to choose to serve God or not (Joshua 24). And this was a decision that would impact the rest of their lives. A Christian is a person who is following Jesus, and has decided to serve God. But that is not a one off decision - it means that every decision and choice we face from that point on needs to be made in the light of the choice to serve God. That's why this might seem to some as an undesirable choice (verse 15) - because we all want the freedom to do what we want.
That is not to say that we need to pray about every decision. Certainly when making those life changing decisions we need to pray and be asking mature Christian friends and leaders for advice and help. At the other extreme I can still simply choose Rice Crispies for breakfast. But what about when someone cuts me up while driving home from doing the Christmas shopping - I have a split second to make my choice - do I angrily sound the horn, and shout at them (even though they can't hear) and allow my blood pressure to rise still further, or do I let it go (and maybe even pray that God will allow them to get home safely). When I hear that juicy piece of gossip at work do I quickly pass it on, or do I make the choice, 'this is going no further'.
Sometimes we will get it wrong but contrary to verse 19 we have a God who has promised to forgive us and give us a new start, when we confess our mistakes (1 John 1:9).
The people of Israel were faced with the most important of all decisions - were they going to choose to serve God or not (Joshua 24). And this was a decision that would impact the rest of their lives. A Christian is a person who is following Jesus, and has decided to serve God. But that is not a one off decision - it means that every decision and choice we face from that point on needs to be made in the light of the choice to serve God. That's why this might seem to some as an undesirable choice (verse 15) - because we all want the freedom to do what we want.
That is not to say that we need to pray about every decision. Certainly when making those life changing decisions we need to pray and be asking mature Christian friends and leaders for advice and help. At the other extreme I can still simply choose Rice Crispies for breakfast. But what about when someone cuts me up while driving home from doing the Christmas shopping - I have a split second to make my choice - do I angrily sound the horn, and shout at them (even though they can't hear) and allow my blood pressure to rise still further, or do I let it go (and maybe even pray that God will allow them to get home safely). When I hear that juicy piece of gossip at work do I quickly pass it on, or do I make the choice, 'this is going no further'.
Sometimes we will get it wrong but contrary to verse 19 we have a God who has promised to forgive us and give us a new start, when we confess our mistakes (1 John 1:9).
Tuesday 2 December 2008
What to do when ethnic cleansing is not an option
As a Christian there are parts of the Old Testament that I find really hard to get my head round. Over the last few months we have been looking at the book of Joshua at church on Sunday mornings - the story of how the people of God, under God's leadership, moved through the 'Promised Land' killing those who lived there and driving them from their homes. I know some of the arguments - it was God's judgement, or it was to ensure that these people did not lead Israel away from God - but they don't make it easier to understand.
This week we reached chapter 23 - Joshua warning the people to have nothing to do with these foreigners in case they entice them to follow their false gods. How are we to apply this passage to life in London in 2008? Most of my neighbours are Hindu. Most of the children at my daughter's school are not from a Christian background. What are we to do? Have nothing to do with them? Of course not.
As Christians the challenge is to live in the world, so that we are able to contribute positively to it, bringing the kingdom of God as hope replaces hopelessness, peace replaces anxiety, love replaces hate, light replaces darkness - and yet to remember that we are not of the world, so we don't buy into the world's values.
I think all to often the church has felt that its position in society has been to issue a list of 'dos' and 'don'ts' and to call on the legislators to penalise anyone who steps out of line. But aren't we called to live in the world, to be distinctive, to show the world that there is a better way, that they may say, 'I want some of that'.
This week we reached chapter 23 - Joshua warning the people to have nothing to do with these foreigners in case they entice them to follow their false gods. How are we to apply this passage to life in London in 2008? Most of my neighbours are Hindu. Most of the children at my daughter's school are not from a Christian background. What are we to do? Have nothing to do with them? Of course not.
As Christians the challenge is to live in the world, so that we are able to contribute positively to it, bringing the kingdom of God as hope replaces hopelessness, peace replaces anxiety, love replaces hate, light replaces darkness - and yet to remember that we are not of the world, so we don't buy into the world's values.
I think all to often the church has felt that its position in society has been to issue a list of 'dos' and 'don'ts' and to call on the legislators to penalise anyone who steps out of line. But aren't we called to live in the world, to be distinctive, to show the world that there is a better way, that they may say, 'I want some of that'.
Tuesday 25 November 2008
Jumping to Conclusions
Can you remember an occasion when someone jumped to conclusions about you? They didn't give you the benefit of the doubt...they thought the worst or you - rather than the best. How did it make you feel? Angry, sad, let down, frustrated, worthless, disappointed, wanting to give up...
Another question - can you remember an occasion when you've jumped to conclusions...about someone else? How do you think it made them feel?
In Joshua 22 we read a story of how some of the tribes in Israel jumped to a wrong conclusion about some of their brothers and almost went to war over what was essentially a misunderstanding arising from a lack of proper communication. And because they weren't talking they assumed the worst, they didn't give the benefit of the doubt, they jumped to conclusions.
But fortunately they started talking before they started fighting, and everything was sorted out.
Our world is full of tribes. We like to belong and in a tribe we have that belonging. We are 'in' and the rest are 'out'. We put boundaries around the tribe, things that mark the difference between 'us' and 'them'. And these tribes exist in the church too. Tribes like young/old, male/female, black/white, traditional/modern, old timers/new comers, doers/talkers ... And when we are with those from a different tribe in the church it can be very easy to jump to conclusions, think the worst, and not give the benefit of the doubt - because proper communication is not happening. Both sides may be talking but is anyone listening?
Whether it is in church, at home, in the office, family relationships, husband/wife ... we need to make sure that we are talking face to face (and listening). When you next have an 'issue' with someone go and talk to them face to face before things get out of hand. And don't jump to conclusions, do give them the benefit of the doubt and do think the best rather than the worst of them.
Another question - can you remember an occasion when you've jumped to conclusions...about someone else? How do you think it made them feel?
In Joshua 22 we read a story of how some of the tribes in Israel jumped to a wrong conclusion about some of their brothers and almost went to war over what was essentially a misunderstanding arising from a lack of proper communication. And because they weren't talking they assumed the worst, they didn't give the benefit of the doubt, they jumped to conclusions.
But fortunately they started talking before they started fighting, and everything was sorted out.
Our world is full of tribes. We like to belong and in a tribe we have that belonging. We are 'in' and the rest are 'out'. We put boundaries around the tribe, things that mark the difference between 'us' and 'them'. And these tribes exist in the church too. Tribes like young/old, male/female, black/white, traditional/modern, old timers/new comers, doers/talkers ... And when we are with those from a different tribe in the church it can be very easy to jump to conclusions, think the worst, and not give the benefit of the doubt - because proper communication is not happening. Both sides may be talking but is anyone listening?
Whether it is in church, at home, in the office, family relationships, husband/wife ... we need to make sure that we are talking face to face (and listening). When you next have an 'issue' with someone go and talk to them face to face before things get out of hand. And don't jump to conclusions, do give them the benefit of the doubt and do think the best rather than the worst of them.
Thursday 20 November 2008
Have the Courage of you Convictions
When you make a decision or a choice, when you are asked for an opinion or what you think, do you respond with the courage of your convictions or are you swayed by other factors? Do you go by what you think is right or do you answer with the response that you think others want to hear. Are you influenced by peer pressure? Do you make choices at work based on getting promotion rather than what might be the right thing to do? Do you find it easier to simply go along with everyone else rather than stand out in the crowd?
Caleb had the courage of his convictions. And when he was asked his opinion he gave it even if that meant he was in the minority (Joshua 14:7). But even though he was in the minority he was right. And he was rewarded by God for the stand he took.
But do you even have any convictions? How are your convictions formed? The Christian should have their convictions based on the word of God, convictions which are shaped and formed over a life time of reading the Bible, spending time in prayer, and meeting with other Christians. But often we find that it is other influences in our lives that shape our convictions: our family background and upbringing, our culture, our friends, the programmes we watch on television... Pray that God will be shaping your convictions and that you will have the courage to act even if it means standing out from the crowd.
Caleb had the courage of his convictions. And when he was asked his opinion he gave it even if that meant he was in the minority (Joshua 14:7). But even though he was in the minority he was right. And he was rewarded by God for the stand he took.
But do you even have any convictions? How are your convictions formed? The Christian should have their convictions based on the word of God, convictions which are shaped and formed over a life time of reading the Bible, spending time in prayer, and meeting with other Christians. But often we find that it is other influences in our lives that shape our convictions: our family background and upbringing, our culture, our friends, the programmes we watch on television... Pray that God will be shaping your convictions and that you will have the courage to act even if it means standing out from the crowd.
Sunday 9 November 2008
What difference can a shoe box make?
This morning at church we are collecting shoe boxes as a part of Samaritan's Purse 'Operation Christmas Child'. Shoe boxes that have been filled with suitable gifts for either a boy or a girl in one of three age groups (2-4, 5-9, 10-14). These boxes will then be taken and distributed to children in parts of the world where the children will experience hunger, poverty, fear, war ... this Christmas rather than peace and joy.
You may wonder what difference a simple box, filled with a few gifts can make. But if you watch the short story below you will see how God is able to take a simple box and use it to transform a life.
Depending on when you're reading this it may not be too late to get involved this year. Visit the Samaritan's Purse website to find information of a local drop off point. If you were too late this year put a note in your 2009 diary around September to find out how you can be involved.
Click here to visit the Operation Christmas Child website
You may wonder what difference a simple box, filled with a few gifts can make. But if you watch the short story below you will see how God is able to take a simple box and use it to transform a life.
Depending on when you're reading this it may not be too late to get involved this year. Visit the Samaritan's Purse website to find information of a local drop off point. If you were too late this year put a note in your 2009 diary around September to find out how you can be involved.
Click here to visit the Operation Christmas Child website
Thursday 6 November 2008
What's it feel like to be a Messiah?
There are certainly many who would see Barack Obama as a messiah figure - the 'anointed one' who is the answer to all their problems. I'm sure Obama is only too aware of this fact and realises the dangers of trying to live up to totally unrealistic expectations. But there has certainly been a sense of hope that the election of Obama has generated.Hope that things can change, and that they don't always have to be the way they are.
Hope that comes from having a line drawn under a painful past.
Hope that comes from the prospect of a new start.
Hope that comes from knowing that the president can identify with you and therefore understands where you're coming from, and therefore may do something about it.
These were the hopes of many about two thousand years ago, when another Messiah figure emerged on the scene.
A man who healed the sick and raised the dead, a man who came back from the dead and so a man who says things don't have to be the way they always have. Even death can be turned back. A man who says that no matter how bleak things may seem there is always hope.
A man who allows us to draw a line under a painful past because his death on a cross means that we can know forgiveness for our past, and although we can't undo our past we no longer need to be held back by our past.
A man who gives the promise of a new start, a life with a purpose, a life which the New Testament describes as essentially a new life. A future that is not defined by the past.
A God who became a human being, who knows what it is like to be hungry, tired, sad, tempted ... A God who can identify with us, and meet us at our point of need.
There is a heavy weight of expectation on Obama's shoulders. And whatever hopes we may have in him and for him and for the next four years of American politics, ultimately we must put our hope in Jesus.
Sunday 2 November 2008
God has a Dream
Holidays are usually a time for me to catch up on some reading or finish some of the books that I have been working through for a while. My Facebook virtual bookshelf currently only has 8 books listed as 'I want to read' so things seem currently to be under control.This past week I have finished a great little book, 'God has a dream: A vision of hope for our time' by Desmond Tutu.
With just over 100 pages making up the main text of the book, there are some who could read this through in one sitting. And the language is certainly accessible enough for most people to be able to make sense of what Desmond Tutu is saying . You won't need a dictionary and a theology degree to access this work.
Others may take many days or weeks to read this book, as there is much, almost on every page to merit further reflection. Whether it is digging around a point you don't agree with, or meditating on topics like the love of God for you, or your part in God's dream you certainly benefit from not reading it through in one sitting.
Last year the best book I read was Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. This year I think this book by Desmond Tutu takes the title of my book of the year. Get a copy and dig in.
Sunday 26 October 2008
What really happened at Jericho
Not many military commanders would come up with the campaign strategy that we read of in Joshua 6. The approach to taking the city of Jericho was: 1) circumcise the whole army, 2) march around the city blowing trumpets and 3) after doing this for a week everyone was to shout. We are told that parts of the city wall were 20 feet thick and 25 feet high. Trumpets and shouting don't sound the best approach.
We thought we'd try it at church this morning on a smaller scale.
As you can see - nothing happened. Maybe we didn't march long enough or shout loud enough. Or maybe that was the whole point. God told Joshua in verse 2 that He was going to give them the city - they just had to be obedient to all of God's instructions. For this battle belonged to God.
What battles are you in at the moment? Are these battles that you should be in? 5:13-15 reminds us that God is not the sort of god who can be summoned on demand to give us success. Instead we should be getting involved in the struggles He is already involved in. And then we need to check that we're fighting our battles with God's weapons rather than the world's weapons. Ephesians 6:12 and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 remind us that we are in a spiritual battle. And as disciples of Jesus we use the weapons of love rather than hatred and revenge, we look to be last rather than first, we seek first His kingdom rather than our own agenda... It might seem crazy at the time, but no more crazy than shouting at a wall and expecting it to fall down.
We thought we'd try it at church this morning on a smaller scale.
As you can see - nothing happened. Maybe we didn't march long enough or shout loud enough. Or maybe that was the whole point. God told Joshua in verse 2 that He was going to give them the city - they just had to be obedient to all of God's instructions. For this battle belonged to God.
What battles are you in at the moment? Are these battles that you should be in? 5:13-15 reminds us that God is not the sort of god who can be summoned on demand to give us success. Instead we should be getting involved in the struggles He is already involved in. And then we need to check that we're fighting our battles with God's weapons rather than the world's weapons. Ephesians 6:12 and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 remind us that we are in a spiritual battle. And as disciples of Jesus we use the weapons of love rather than hatred and revenge, we look to be last rather than first, we seek first His kingdom rather than our own agenda... It might seem crazy at the time, but no more crazy than shouting at a wall and expecting it to fall down.
Monday 20 October 2008
Past, Present and Future
One of the reasons people flocked to hear Jesus speak was because he gave them the hope and the dream that their future did not have to be defined by their past. Even the present need not define the future. Things don't need to go on being the way they are now.
In Joshua 5 God is preparing the people of Israel to go in and take the Promised Land. And in doing so He deals with their past, 'Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you'. It wasn't that they were to forget their past - for they were about to go on and celebrate the Passover, the annual reminder that they were slaves in Egypt and that God has rescued them. But because of what God had done they were no longer to allow themselves to be held back by the past. God had dealt with that past, and now they were on the brink of moving into something new.
God can deal with our past so that it no longer defines our future. Sometimes we get into destructive cycles of behaviour that are driven by past experiences and it seems that we are just unable to escape. We keep on making the same bad choices. We get into patterns of repeated failure. But it doesn't need to be that way.
How were the people of Israel about to leave their past behind and embrace a new future?
1. They re-dedicated themselves to God, so that He was reflected in their lives.
2. They remembered what God had done for them in the past, without allowing their past to hold them back.
3. They got on board with what God was doing rather than imagining that God was at their beck and call.
In Joshua 5 God is preparing the people of Israel to go in and take the Promised Land. And in doing so He deals with their past, 'Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you'. It wasn't that they were to forget their past - for they were about to go on and celebrate the Passover, the annual reminder that they were slaves in Egypt and that God has rescued them. But because of what God had done they were no longer to allow themselves to be held back by the past. God had dealt with that past, and now they were on the brink of moving into something new.
God can deal with our past so that it no longer defines our future. Sometimes we get into destructive cycles of behaviour that are driven by past experiences and it seems that we are just unable to escape. We keep on making the same bad choices. We get into patterns of repeated failure. But it doesn't need to be that way.
How were the people of Israel about to leave their past behind and embrace a new future?
1. They re-dedicated themselves to God, so that He was reflected in their lives.
2. They remembered what God had done for them in the past, without allowing their past to hold them back.
3. They got on board with what God was doing rather than imagining that God was at their beck and call.
Tuesday 14 October 2008
Remember, Remember
Have you ever forgotten anything important - like a birthday or other anniversary, or an important meeting or appointment? If I don't write things down in my diary as soon as they are fixed there is always the chance that I will forget. Then a few weeks down the road I will have the vague feeling that I should probably be somewhere - but no idea where I should be or what I should be doing. Thankfully with modern technology, between my PDA, my computer and my mobile phone along with a wall calendar most things get remembered - even if sometimes it isn't until the last minute.
So if we need to write things down in order to remember why is it that we often assume we will remember God's deeds in our lives with no written or other form of physical and visible reminder? In Joshua 4 the people were instructed by God to build a stone memorial which would act as a permanent reminder to them and their children, and to all other people, that God had dried up the Jordan allowing them to cross over on dry ground. So the stones would either act as a reminder to those who had forgotten the story, or would be a prompt for a quick history lesson for those who had never heard it in the first place.
As Christians we have the communion service (eucharist, mass, breaking of bread...) which acts as a physical and visible and regular reminder of Jesus' death on the cross for us and of his love for us. But are there things we could be doing to help us remember God's goodness in our lives?
We could keep a prayer diary - where we record our prayers and God's answers. As we look back through the pages, the weeks, and months we will see how God has answered our prayers.
We could keep photographs and combine them with verses of Scripture that remind us of significant events in our lives, where God has done something for us.
I have a small cross next to my bed, made out of a spent bullet cartridge, a reminder that the sacrificial love of Jesus conquers all, that love is greater than hate.
Maybe you have other creative, physical and visible reminders of God's love for you that you would like to share with us here.
So if we need to write things down in order to remember why is it that we often assume we will remember God's deeds in our lives with no written or other form of physical and visible reminder? In Joshua 4 the people were instructed by God to build a stone memorial which would act as a permanent reminder to them and their children, and to all other people, that God had dried up the Jordan allowing them to cross over on dry ground. So the stones would either act as a reminder to those who had forgotten the story, or would be a prompt for a quick history lesson for those who had never heard it in the first place.
As Christians we have the communion service (eucharist, mass, breaking of bread...) which acts as a physical and visible and regular reminder of Jesus' death on the cross for us and of his love for us. But are there things we could be doing to help us remember God's goodness in our lives?
We could keep a prayer diary - where we record our prayers and God's answers. As we look back through the pages, the weeks, and months we will see how God has answered our prayers.
We could keep photographs and combine them with verses of Scripture that remind us of significant events in our lives, where God has done something for us.
I have a small cross next to my bed, made out of a spent bullet cartridge, a reminder that the sacrificial love of Jesus conquers all, that love is greater than hate.
Maybe you have other creative, physical and visible reminders of God's love for you that you would like to share with us here.
Sunday 5 October 2008
Harvest 2008
Even if you're not responsible for paying for the food you eat then I'm sure you're aware that food prices are going up, along with energy bills, petrol ... all making the cost of living more expensive than it was a year ago. But even with the effects of the credit crunch and the downward turn in the housing market, if you are reading this (i.e. you have access to a computer and electricity) it is unlikely that you are doing so with an empty stomach. For many of us in 'the west' increased food bills probably means little more than less luxury items it the weekly shop - and maybe we look out for the odd bargain more than we did before.
But for many people living in countries like Bangladesh failed harvests simply mean that there is no food. In a good year a farmer might sell a proportion of his rice to the government and keep some back for his family, therefore providing valuable income with which to buy essentials, such as medicines, and also having enough to eat, and seed to plant the following year. But when turmoil in the earth's weather systems causes disastrous flooding which wipes out your crop then you have nothing. And when you have nothing - you die.
Today is our harvest service, in which we thank God for His provision, but also recognise that we who have much have a responsibility to those who don't. Once again this year we are supporting the ongoing work of BMS World Mission. If you were not at one of our services you can download the video, filmed in Bangladesh, and the meditation (based on Matthew 25:31:46) at www.bmsworldmission.org/harvest2008.
But for many people living in countries like Bangladesh failed harvests simply mean that there is no food. In a good year a farmer might sell a proportion of his rice to the government and keep some back for his family, therefore providing valuable income with which to buy essentials, such as medicines, and also having enough to eat, and seed to plant the following year. But when turmoil in the earth's weather systems causes disastrous flooding which wipes out your crop then you have nothing. And when you have nothing - you die.
Today is our harvest service, in which we thank God for His provision, but also recognise that we who have much have a responsibility to those who don't. Once again this year we are supporting the ongoing work of BMS World Mission. If you were not at one of our services you can download the video, filmed in Bangladesh, and the meditation (based on Matthew 25:31:46) at www.bmsworldmission.org/harvest2008.
Thursday 25 September 2008
Theme tune to your life
If there was a theme tune to your life, what would it be? How many of us could choose 'My Way' as sung here by Robbie Williams?
The people of Israel had tried to do things their way before - and they'd learnt the hard way that it is better to do things God's way. And as they stand on the banks of the Jordan river, which is in full flood, as they look across into the Promised Land, they are not going to make the mistakes of the past. This time they are going to do it God's way (Joshua 3).
God, in this story, not just shows the people the way (because they have not been this way before), but God makes the way by stopping the river so that the people can cross on dry ground (as their parents and grandparents had experienced in crossing the Red Sea). Joshua's eyes are not on the barrier, the river, but they remain firmly on God. He doesn't focus on the barrier to the promise, he focuses on the one who made the promise.
I wonder what the first guy at the river thought as he put his foot into the water. I wonder what he thought a moment later as the water stopped and he started to walk through on dry ground (not sticky mud). There are times when God wants us to step out in faith. God will do amazing things but not until we put our foot into the water.
Joshua told the people that tomorrow God would do amazing thing among them. They had been waiting for this moment for hundreds of years. But the wait was almost over. When you hear talk of the promises of God does your experience say to you - "yes, that's OK for you, but for me tomorrow never comes". There are no easy answers. There were no easy answers for all those who lived as slaves in Egypt throughout the previous 400 years and more. But God is about to fulfil His promise. Tomorrow does come.
Monday 22 September 2008
Great Expectations
I wonder how often we allow the past to limit our expectations for the future. We look at our past and even our present and we imagine that things will always be like they have always been. There seems no escape from the rut we are in. And maybe if we don't do that for ourselves maybe we subconsciously do it to those around us. Because (in our opinion) someone has made nothing of their life so far - we assume that their whole life is going to be wasted; that nothing positive will ever come of it.
This week we have looked at the story of Rahab (Joshua 2). When we first meet Rahab she is an enemy of the people of God, she is a prostitute, she is living in a city that will soon be totally destroyed. As Rahab demonstrated her faith in Israel's God by hiding the spies and risked her life by lying to her own king, I wonder what her hopes were for the future. I expect they were short-term - not to be killed along with all the other inhabitants of Jericho.
She could not have imagined that we would know of her life and her story all these years later. (And I'm sure that no one else imagined it either, for she was a foreigner, a woman, a prostitute...). Who dared to dream that she would in time be one of only four women listed in the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 1:5). That she would be mentioned among those commended for their faith, alongside people like Abraham, Moses, Noah... (Hebrews 11:31). That she would be used by James as an example of someone whose faith led to actions (for that is the only kind of faith there is) (James 2:25).
God is not limited by our past or our present. When we put our lives in God's hands amazing things can happen that are totally beyond our greatest expectations.
This week we have looked at the story of Rahab (Joshua 2). When we first meet Rahab she is an enemy of the people of God, she is a prostitute, she is living in a city that will soon be totally destroyed. As Rahab demonstrated her faith in Israel's God by hiding the spies and risked her life by lying to her own king, I wonder what her hopes were for the future. I expect they were short-term - not to be killed along with all the other inhabitants of Jericho.
She could not have imagined that we would know of her life and her story all these years later. (And I'm sure that no one else imagined it either, for she was a foreigner, a woman, a prostitute...). Who dared to dream that she would in time be one of only four women listed in the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 1:5). That she would be mentioned among those commended for their faith, alongside people like Abraham, Moses, Noah... (Hebrews 11:31). That she would be used by James as an example of someone whose faith led to actions (for that is the only kind of faith there is) (James 2:25).
God is not limited by our past or our present. When we put our lives in God's hands amazing things can happen that are totally beyond our greatest expectations.
Monday 8 September 2008
Here we go again!
The summer holidays are over, the new term is in full swing, so here we go again! This session, from September to December we are doing a series at church looking at Joshua. And for Joshua, as he approached the River Jordan, and looked out over the land that God had promised to His people, he may well have had thoughts of 'here we go again'. The people had been here before - 40 years before. 12 spies had spied out the land. Although the report of the land was that it was a good land, 10 of the spies concluded that the people there were too big and strong and there was no way that this land could be theirs. But 2 of the spies (Joshua and Caleb) recognised that it was God who was going to give them the land therefore they need not fear the size of its inhabitants (Numbers 13-14). But the people rebelled against God and therefore they spent the next 40 years wandering in the desert. Moses has died and now Joshua leads the people to the borders of the land. How will the people respond this time? Will they believe that God will indeed go before them? Will they be strong and courageous in the Lord, or will they see the size of their enemies, take their eyes off their God and shake with fear?
Wednesday 23 July 2008
Spiritual Warfare
How do you respond to the words 'spiritual warfare'? Some may have never heard the term before and therefore respond 'you what?' Others may think that the term has something to do with the devil and with evil spirits, but their worldview, or their culture, have no room for such things - the whole spiritual dimension has been done away with in the face of science and technology. Others may see that evil spirits have a very real part in day to day life, and as a consequence live in fear. Or maybe their understanding of these things is more cultural than biblical.
In Ephesians 6:10-20 Paul writes his famous passage about the Armour of God. These verses alert us to the fact that there is a spiritual dimension (Paul uses the term, 'in the heavenly realms' throughout Ephesians) and what takes place in the heavenly realms impacts our physical, material lives and vice versa. Although I have explained it like that we should try and get away from this idea of the physical and the spiritual - as if they are two separate things - instead see that they cannot be separated out and should all be viewed together as the present reality.
For some people these are verses that come into their own when Christians find themselves in obvious 'spiritual conflict' situations - for example, going to visit a person who is heavily involved in the occult. But for the rest of the time they are not really that significant.
But it is important to recognise that these verses have a context - the rest of Ephesians. And there is nothing new here. Instead we should see this as a summing up of all that has gone before. Paul has been describing what it means to live a life that is consistent with the amazing calling that we have as Christians. And that's a tall order - one we certainly need God's help with if we are to stand firm. So what are the spiritual battles in our lives? Whenever we know what God wants us to do - we are faced with a choice - to do it or not. At that moment of choice we are in the heat of the battle.
Someone has said something about me at work - do I counter with more gossip, do I seek to defend my reputation, am I humble and gentle and keep silent, and consciously choose to forgive them? Do I consistently work overtime at the office, or do I make sure I am regularly at home to see my children before they go to bed? Am I the best employee I can be or do I go along with everyone else when they slack off when the boss is out of the office?
There are of course times when spiritual attack will be obvious but much of the time it is much more subtle - all those times we have a decision to make. I know what God expects - am I going to be obedient?
To listen to this message click here.
In Ephesians 6:10-20 Paul writes his famous passage about the Armour of God. These verses alert us to the fact that there is a spiritual dimension (Paul uses the term, 'in the heavenly realms' throughout Ephesians) and what takes place in the heavenly realms impacts our physical, material lives and vice versa. Although I have explained it like that we should try and get away from this idea of the physical and the spiritual - as if they are two separate things - instead see that they cannot be separated out and should all be viewed together as the present reality.
For some people these are verses that come into their own when Christians find themselves in obvious 'spiritual conflict' situations - for example, going to visit a person who is heavily involved in the occult. But for the rest of the time they are not really that significant.
But it is important to recognise that these verses have a context - the rest of Ephesians. And there is nothing new here. Instead we should see this as a summing up of all that has gone before. Paul has been describing what it means to live a life that is consistent with the amazing calling that we have as Christians. And that's a tall order - one we certainly need God's help with if we are to stand firm. So what are the spiritual battles in our lives? Whenever we know what God wants us to do - we are faced with a choice - to do it or not. At that moment of choice we are in the heat of the battle.
Someone has said something about me at work - do I counter with more gossip, do I seek to defend my reputation, am I humble and gentle and keep silent, and consciously choose to forgive them? Do I consistently work overtime at the office, or do I make sure I am regularly at home to see my children before they go to bed? Am I the best employee I can be or do I go along with everyone else when they slack off when the boss is out of the office?
There are of course times when spiritual attack will be obvious but much of the time it is much more subtle - all those times we have a decision to make. I know what God expects - am I going to be obedient?
To listen to this message click here.
Thursday 17 July 2008
Take your faith to work day
Those who think that faith is something that is private and should be kept within the home have clearly never actually read the Bible. In this last part of Ephesians which we have been looking at over the last few weeks Paul has been teaching how our faith should make a difference to our relationships - first in the home, between husband and wife, and parents and children, but then in the workplace.
In 6:1-4 Paul is writing to children and parents. He goes back to the Ten Commandments and points out the link between proper relationships between children and parents and the communities well being in the land that God was going to give them. Somewhere along the lines our society has got things wrong when it comes to bringing up children. He is also highlighting the vital role fathers play in bringing up their children. As a society I believe we are reaping the consequences of social breakdown; of parents who are either unable or unavailable to discipline their children; of a government whose policy seems to be - at the very time when fathers are noticeable by their absence - to send mothers back to work rather than encourage one parent to stay home and raise their own children... It does not go well with us in the land.
How do fathers 'exasperate their children' and how might we address this? Just a couple of thoughts:
Lack of clear boundaries - or boundaries not consistently enforced. So children don't know where the limits are, and don't know from one day to the next what reaction any action will receive.
No time. Our society pushes us to work harder to achieve more - getting home later at night, and working weekends. When we're home we're constantly in touch with others through the mobile phone or email - and our children can quite quickly come to the conclusion that they are less important than the phone or the computer. Instead how about not answering the phone but letting the answer machine pick up - and only dealing with the messages after the children are asleep - assuming that you've not set aside that time to spend with your husband or wife!
Instead we are to nurture our children in the ways of God - primarily by example, and through praying with them, reading with them, helping them take part at church ...
Then Paul comes on to talk about slaves and masters (5-9) - which we can, I think, update to employee and employer without missing the point Paul is making.
As an employee I must be the best that I can be. Totally trustworthy. If I'm allowed a 15 minute break in the afternoon I don't take 20. I don't help myself to office stationary. My boss should have total confidence that whether she or he is watching me or not the job will get done as well as I can do it.
And as an employer I should have people queueing to work for me, because I value them, I respect them, I recognise that they have families to get home to, so I don't ask them to work Saturday mornings. Those who work for me are created in the image of God. I don't look to abuse power, to manipulate situations. Instead I look to encourage and build people up so that they can achieve their full potential. Because I am secure of who I am in Christ I don't feel threatened by others and therefore feel the need to crush them to keep them down.
In 6:1-4 Paul is writing to children and parents. He goes back to the Ten Commandments and points out the link between proper relationships between children and parents and the communities well being in the land that God was going to give them. Somewhere along the lines our society has got things wrong when it comes to bringing up children. He is also highlighting the vital role fathers play in bringing up their children. As a society I believe we are reaping the consequences of social breakdown; of parents who are either unable or unavailable to discipline their children; of a government whose policy seems to be - at the very time when fathers are noticeable by their absence - to send mothers back to work rather than encourage one parent to stay home and raise their own children... It does not go well with us in the land.
How do fathers 'exasperate their children' and how might we address this? Just a couple of thoughts:
Lack of clear boundaries - or boundaries not consistently enforced. So children don't know where the limits are, and don't know from one day to the next what reaction any action will receive.
No time. Our society pushes us to work harder to achieve more - getting home later at night, and working weekends. When we're home we're constantly in touch with others through the mobile phone or email - and our children can quite quickly come to the conclusion that they are less important than the phone or the computer. Instead how about not answering the phone but letting the answer machine pick up - and only dealing with the messages after the children are asleep - assuming that you've not set aside that time to spend with your husband or wife!
Instead we are to nurture our children in the ways of God - primarily by example, and through praying with them, reading with them, helping them take part at church ...
Then Paul comes on to talk about slaves and masters (5-9) - which we can, I think, update to employee and employer without missing the point Paul is making.
As an employee I must be the best that I can be. Totally trustworthy. If I'm allowed a 15 minute break in the afternoon I don't take 20. I don't help myself to office stationary. My boss should have total confidence that whether she or he is watching me or not the job will get done as well as I can do it.
And as an employer I should have people queueing to work for me, because I value them, I respect them, I recognise that they have families to get home to, so I don't ask them to work Saturday mornings. Those who work for me are created in the image of God. I don't look to abuse power, to manipulate situations. Instead I look to encourage and build people up so that they can achieve their full potential. Because I am secure of who I am in Christ I don't feel threatened by others and therefore feel the need to crush them to keep them down.
Tuesday 8 July 2008
International Service
Why do we have an International Meal and International Service on the first weekend of July? As a church we have members from many different parts of the world, probably somewhere in the region of 50 different nationalities represented. As we have seen from recent studies in Ephesians - we are one in Christ. But we're also all different - and we want to make a conscious effort to celebrate our diversity and to thank God for it.
Genesis 1:27 tells us that we're all made in the image of God. Therefore we are all special. One group of people are not more special than another - we're all created in the image of God.
John 3:16 drives this point home - in case you're struggling to believe that it is true. Here John tells us that God so loved the people of the world that He sent Jesus to die for us. We're all so special and God loves us so much.
Revelation 7:9 is a picture of what heaven is going to be like - multicultural - made up of people from every nation, tribe, people and language. If you struggle with the concept of living with people from different parts of the world as your neighbours - I suggest you start getting used to the idea quickly. Otherwise eternity is going to seem an awfully long time!
Acts 13:1 shows a multi-cultural (and multi-class) leadership of a multi-cultural church. The Jew from Cyprus, the black African, the north African, the well connected Jew and the Jew from Tarsus. Wherever we come from we have an important place within the life of the local church. There are things that we bring from our culture that reflect God and others will benefit from us sharing those things. There are of course things in every culture that need to be rejected when we become a Christian.
Think of one thing in your culture that reflects God and needs to be celebrated and endorsed. Also think of one thing in your culture that needs to be rejected once a person becomes a Christian.
To listen to this message click here.
Genesis 1:27 tells us that we're all made in the image of God. Therefore we are all special. One group of people are not more special than another - we're all created in the image of God.
John 3:16 drives this point home - in case you're struggling to believe that it is true. Here John tells us that God so loved the people of the world that He sent Jesus to die for us. We're all so special and God loves us so much.
Revelation 7:9 is a picture of what heaven is going to be like - multicultural - made up of people from every nation, tribe, people and language. If you struggle with the concept of living with people from different parts of the world as your neighbours - I suggest you start getting used to the idea quickly. Otherwise eternity is going to seem an awfully long time!
Acts 13:1 shows a multi-cultural (and multi-class) leadership of a multi-cultural church. The Jew from Cyprus, the black African, the north African, the well connected Jew and the Jew from Tarsus. Wherever we come from we have an important place within the life of the local church. There are things that we bring from our culture that reflect God and others will benefit from us sharing those things. There are of course things in every culture that need to be rejected when we become a Christian.
Think of one thing in your culture that reflects God and needs to be celebrated and endorsed. Also think of one thing in your culture that needs to be rejected once a person becomes a Christian.
To listen to this message click here.
Wednesday 2 July 2008
For Better, or Worse
As we continue our journey through Ephesians we come to a passage that has been misunderstood, misused and abused over the years. It can be very easy to make the Bible say what you want it to say - sometimes this is deliberate, other times it is unintentional. [This is why we have been working through our 'Using the Bible' course - to help us understand and apply the Bible better].
Ephesians 5:22-24 have been used to justify various kinds of abuse against women: physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological... At other times they have been used to encourage an attitude of silence towards such abuses - whereas the verses we read last week could have been used to encourage the exposing of such sin. Instead the prevailing attitude was that what goes on in the home should stay in the home.
But a reading of these verses that allows any room for any kind of abuse against anyone is quite wrong. Although these verses talk about a woman submitting to her husband in everything because he is the head of the wife we must read the immediate and wider context.
The immediate context (building again on the 'theory' of chapters 1-3) is that we are to submit to one another. This is mutual submission. Everyone to everyone else - whether male or female, Jew or Gentile, black or white, slave or free, rich or poor, in work or out of work...
And the command to the husband is to love his wife with the love that Jesus had for the church - that is the love that took Jesus to the cross even while we were still enemies of God. This is a totally self-sacrificial love that will put the interests of a wife ahead of its own.
So what does it mean for the husband to be the head of the wife? I believe that we are submit to each other. We are commanded to love each other. But God has given the husband the responsibility for his family - and he will be accountable to God for this. Decisions generally will be made through discussion and agreement - but when a stalemate is reached the husband makes the final decision - having lovingly put the interests of his wife before his own. When there has been an argument and bed time is approaching it is the husband's responsibility to make the first move to put things right (as instructed in 4:26).
A final word to overbearing parents. Verse 31 reminds us that when your children get married they enter into a new relationship and a new chapter in their lives. It is not your place to interfere. Some parents just can't help themselves and without trying they come between their son/daughter and their new wife/husband. They expect that they'll be around every Sunday for lunch and every year on Christmas day - just as before. They expect to be consulted about every decision. When your children get married, you have to let go. This doesn't mean you don't love them or they don't love you or that you won't be there when they need you. It just means that things are different now - because they are.
Ephesians 5:22-24 have been used to justify various kinds of abuse against women: physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological... At other times they have been used to encourage an attitude of silence towards such abuses - whereas the verses we read last week could have been used to encourage the exposing of such sin. Instead the prevailing attitude was that what goes on in the home should stay in the home.
But a reading of these verses that allows any room for any kind of abuse against anyone is quite wrong. Although these verses talk about a woman submitting to her husband in everything because he is the head of the wife we must read the immediate and wider context.
The immediate context (building again on the 'theory' of chapters 1-3) is that we are to submit to one another. This is mutual submission. Everyone to everyone else - whether male or female, Jew or Gentile, black or white, slave or free, rich or poor, in work or out of work...
And the command to the husband is to love his wife with the love that Jesus had for the church - that is the love that took Jesus to the cross even while we were still enemies of God. This is a totally self-sacrificial love that will put the interests of a wife ahead of its own.
So what does it mean for the husband to be the head of the wife? I believe that we are submit to each other. We are commanded to love each other. But God has given the husband the responsibility for his family - and he will be accountable to God for this. Decisions generally will be made through discussion and agreement - but when a stalemate is reached the husband makes the final decision - having lovingly put the interests of his wife before his own. When there has been an argument and bed time is approaching it is the husband's responsibility to make the first move to put things right (as instructed in 4:26).
A final word to overbearing parents. Verse 31 reminds us that when your children get married they enter into a new relationship and a new chapter in their lives. It is not your place to interfere. Some parents just can't help themselves and without trying they come between their son/daughter and their new wife/husband. They expect that they'll be around every Sunday for lunch and every year on Christmas day - just as before. They expect to be consulted about every decision. When your children get married, you have to let go. This doesn't mean you don't love them or they don't love you or that you won't be there when they need you. It just means that things are different now - because they are.
Wednesday 25 June 2008
Copy Cat
Children learn by copying. My youngest daughter copies her older sister and I often catch the older one, who's three, deliberately copying me - whether it be the way I'm standing, maybe I'm tapping my foot, or something that I say. When we're growing up we learn by immitating what those around us do.
This week we've looked at Ephesians 5:1-20. Paul is in the middle of giving instructions on how to live as a follower of Jesus. And into the middle he commands that we should follow God's example. The immediate context is forgiveness and love. The underlying principle of Christian behaviour is love. We immitate a God who is not just loving (although He is) - rather God is love. It is not possible to properly understand or define love without reference to God. 1 John 3:16 says, 'This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another.'
When God is talking about love it is something that gives, something that puts others first, something that is self-sacrificial. Children learn by copying those they spend time with. As a follower of Jesus, I should be learning what it means to live a life characterised by love - by immitating the character of Jesus, which I read about in the Bible, and as I spend time with other disciples who are also walking this path.
This week we've looked at Ephesians 5:1-20. Paul is in the middle of giving instructions on how to live as a follower of Jesus. And into the middle he commands that we should follow God's example. The immediate context is forgiveness and love. The underlying principle of Christian behaviour is love. We immitate a God who is not just loving (although He is) - rather God is love. It is not possible to properly understand or define love without reference to God. 1 John 3:16 says, 'This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another.'
When God is talking about love it is something that gives, something that puts others first, something that is self-sacrificial. Children learn by copying those they spend time with. As a follower of Jesus, I should be learning what it means to live a life characterised by love - by immitating the character of Jesus, which I read about in the Bible, and as I spend time with other disciples who are also walking this path.
Monday 16 June 2008
Why your CV will end up in the bin!
If you're a fan of The Apprentice then you will know that the ultimate winner of the series was exposed a week earlier for having lied on his CV. In an interview on Radio 5 Live this last week, Alan Sugar defended his final decision and stated that he could assure the listener that every CV he receives contains something that is not quite the truth. He also stated that it was OK to lie in order to get a job because we live in a commercial world and that is what everyone does. (To listen to an extract from the interview listen to this message - see below).
That's evidently the way that one of the top bosses in this country thinks - and obviously a lot of other people do too. But as a Christian I am called to think differently. In this week's passage from Ephesians - 4:17-32 - we read that one of the implications of becoming a Christian is that you have to think differently; you have a new attitude of your mind. Some people think that you have to remove your brain and stop thinking for yourself when you become a Christian - you just accept whatever you hear or read in church or on the God Channel. But as Christians we are called to use our brains to think - to think from a different perspective, as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us. And different thinking leads to different behaviour.
In this passage Paul gives some practical steps to living as a Christian.
1) Don't lie but tell the truth.
2) When you get angry don't sin - don't punch someone, or swear, or kick the cat or say something that you will later regret - instead sort things out quickly in a loving way so that hurts don't fester and become poisonous.
3) Don't steal, or fiddle your tax returns anymore - instead work so that you can provide something for those in need.
4) Watch what you say - only say things that will encourage and build others up, rather than pull them down.
5) Live a life that is consistent with the fact that you are a Christian.
6) Get rid of things like bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander and malice.
7) Instead be kind and compassionate and forgiving.
To listen to this message click here.
That's evidently the way that one of the top bosses in this country thinks - and obviously a lot of other people do too. But as a Christian I am called to think differently. In this week's passage from Ephesians - 4:17-32 - we read that one of the implications of becoming a Christian is that you have to think differently; you have a new attitude of your mind. Some people think that you have to remove your brain and stop thinking for yourself when you become a Christian - you just accept whatever you hear or read in church or on the God Channel. But as Christians we are called to use our brains to think - to think from a different perspective, as we allow the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us. And different thinking leads to different behaviour.
In this passage Paul gives some practical steps to living as a Christian.
1) Don't lie but tell the truth.
2) When you get angry don't sin - don't punch someone, or swear, or kick the cat or say something that you will later regret - instead sort things out quickly in a loving way so that hurts don't fester and become poisonous.
3) Don't steal, or fiddle your tax returns anymore - instead work so that you can provide something for those in need.
4) Watch what you say - only say things that will encourage and build others up, rather than pull them down.
5) Live a life that is consistent with the fact that you are a Christian.
6) Get rid of things like bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander and malice.
7) Instead be kind and compassionate and forgiving.
To listen to this message click here.
Sunday 8 June 2008
We're one but we're not the same
The words of the U2 song 'One' say, '...We're one but we're not the same, We carry each other, We carry each other...'
This week our series in Ephesians reaches 4:1-16, the message of which is really, 'we're one but we're not the same'. Paul has been revealing to his readers that as Christians they are 'one in Christ' with all other followers of Jesus. For the readers in first century Ephesus the issue was Jew / Gentile - that is how do Jewish Christians and non-Jewish Christians relate to each other. So far in Ephesians there have only been two instructions - 2:11 and 3:13. Now the instructions start to come thick and fast, but the thrust of verses 1-6 is essentially that as Christians we must do everything to ensure unity. Because there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, Lord, faith, baptism and God (4-5) division in the church is inconsistent with the life we have been called to live (1).
The second part of Paul's argument here follows on - although we're one, we're not all the same. Instead we are all interdependent on each other. In his book God has a Dream: A Vision of Hope in our Time, Desmond Tutu speaks of the African concept of 'ubuntu': the idea that I am because I belong; that my well being is somehow inextricably wound up in your well being (p25-27). God has designed the church so that we will be interdependent on each other. No one has all the gifts and abilities and talents. Instead these gifts, abilities and talents are shared out among everyone. This means that everyone in the church has a role to play and it also means that if one person is not playing their part the rest will suffer. The message that Paul preaches is that we are saved to serve - not saved to sit. What has God called you to do?
To listen to this message click here.
This week our series in Ephesians reaches 4:1-16, the message of which is really, 'we're one but we're not the same'. Paul has been revealing to his readers that as Christians they are 'one in Christ' with all other followers of Jesus. For the readers in first century Ephesus the issue was Jew / Gentile - that is how do Jewish Christians and non-Jewish Christians relate to each other. So far in Ephesians there have only been two instructions - 2:11 and 3:13. Now the instructions start to come thick and fast, but the thrust of verses 1-6 is essentially that as Christians we must do everything to ensure unity. Because there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, Lord, faith, baptism and God (4-5) division in the church is inconsistent with the life we have been called to live (1).
The second part of Paul's argument here follows on - although we're one, we're not all the same. Instead we are all interdependent on each other. In his book God has a Dream: A Vision of Hope in our Time, Desmond Tutu speaks of the African concept of 'ubuntu': the idea that I am because I belong; that my well being is somehow inextricably wound up in your well being (p25-27). God has designed the church so that we will be interdependent on each other. No one has all the gifts and abilities and talents. Instead these gifts, abilities and talents are shared out among everyone. This means that everyone in the church has a role to play and it also means that if one person is not playing their part the rest will suffer. The message that Paul preaches is that we are saved to serve - not saved to sit. What has God called you to do?
To listen to this message click here.
Monday 2 June 2008
Why Worry?
We worry about all kinds of different things - finances, exams, death, relationships, work, health, the future... And worry has all kinds of effects on us - lack of sleep, don't eat, eat the wrong things, get more worried, make poor choices, suffer from poor health... One thing that we can say is that worrying doesn't help the situation improve. Bobby McFerrin sings,
In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus tells us that there is no point worrying because it won't make any difference - 'who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?' But unlike Bobby McFerrin, who offers a negative reason as why not to worry - it won't make things better - Jesus offers us positive reasons as why we should not worry.
First there is the truth that God loves us and knows what we need. We are valuable to God - he loved us so much that Jesus died on the cross. And so if we believe that God is in control, that He loves us, that He knows what we need - why worry? Then Jesus tells us that when we put God's priorities first the other stuff will also be taken care of. This means doing the things that God wants. It means that we listen to God's voice rather than the voice of the world. God tells us that He created us, that He loves us, that we're special and valuable...and yet we worry because we're too tall, or too short, or too large, our nose is wrong, we want this bit smaller and those bits bigger...God says that it's what's on the inside that matters...and yet we worry because we don't have the right shoes, and labels and the latest phone...We worry we don't have enough to buy that latest car, we strive for a better job in order to buy more stuff, and yet half the world lives on less that $2 a day.
So what do we do when there are things we're worried about? Philippians 4:6-7 gives us a strategy. First we pray - we talk to God about it. And when we pray we make a conscious effort to remind ourselves and give thanks for all the stuff that God has done for us before - this puts things in perspective. The same God who helped us before can do it again. And then we allow God to give us a peace that you can't explain - but it is an amazing thing to experience.
I know it's tough, and it's something we all struggle with, and don't worry that you worry, but let's try, with God's help, to be a little less worried this week.
Click here to listen to this message.
...Don't worry, be happy, In every life we have some trouble, When you worry you
make it double, Don't worry, be happy...
In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus tells us that there is no point worrying because it won't make any difference - 'who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?' But unlike Bobby McFerrin, who offers a negative reason as why not to worry - it won't make things better - Jesus offers us positive reasons as why we should not worry.
First there is the truth that God loves us and knows what we need. We are valuable to God - he loved us so much that Jesus died on the cross. And so if we believe that God is in control, that He loves us, that He knows what we need - why worry? Then Jesus tells us that when we put God's priorities first the other stuff will also be taken care of. This means doing the things that God wants. It means that we listen to God's voice rather than the voice of the world. God tells us that He created us, that He loves us, that we're special and valuable...and yet we worry because we're too tall, or too short, or too large, our nose is wrong, we want this bit smaller and those bits bigger...God says that it's what's on the inside that matters...and yet we worry because we don't have the right shoes, and labels and the latest phone...We worry we don't have enough to buy that latest car, we strive for a better job in order to buy more stuff, and yet half the world lives on less that $2 a day.
So what do we do when there are things we're worried about? Philippians 4:6-7 gives us a strategy. First we pray - we talk to God about it. And when we pray we make a conscious effort to remind ourselves and give thanks for all the stuff that God has done for us before - this puts things in perspective. The same God who helped us before can do it again. And then we allow God to give us a peace that you can't explain - but it is an amazing thing to experience.
I know it's tough, and it's something we all struggle with, and don't worry that you worry, but let's try, with God's help, to be a little less worried this week.
Click here to listen to this message.
Monday 19 May 2008
Football Fans and the Kingdom of God
'The kingdom of God is like...' This is a phrase that Jesus used several times to try and help his disciples understand different aspects of the kingdom of God. Would Jesus ever say, 'The kingdom of God is like a football fan'?
For the genuine football fan I think there are similarities. You might immediately think of things like loyalty, worship, community, sense of belonging. But for the true football fan there is always hope. The football season, depending on which division you are interested in, has come or is coming to a close. And no matter how things turned out this season there is always the hope of something better next year. And even mid season - unless you are one of those who support Man. Utd. or Chelsea only because they win things - you keep hoping, you keep supporting because today could be the day your season turns around.
Five years ago Exeter City were relegated from the football league into the then GM Vauxhall Conference. Even if they'd been relegated again I would still support them because they are my team - and there is that 'eternal' hope that they will do better. Last season Exeter reached the playoff final at Wembley which they lost - meaning they stayed in the Conference - and as we left the stadium the sentiment was very much - 'well there's always next season'. And indeed there was - for yesterday saw Exeter back at Wembley, this time to win, and gain promotion back into the football league. Now we're only four seasons away from winning the Premiership.
As those who follow Jesus, Christians should bring hope into the world. When we trust in God - the God who created the universe out of nothing and the God who raised Jesus from the dead - we believe that things don't have to be and won't always be as they are now, because God can bring change, God can breath new life into hopeless situations. And God wants to do that through us, here and now.
For the genuine football fan I think there are similarities. You might immediately think of things like loyalty, worship, community, sense of belonging. But for the true football fan there is always hope. The football season, depending on which division you are interested in, has come or is coming to a close. And no matter how things turned out this season there is always the hope of something better next year. And even mid season - unless you are one of those who support Man. Utd. or Chelsea only because they win things - you keep hoping, you keep supporting because today could be the day your season turns around.
Five years ago Exeter City were relegated from the football league into the then GM Vauxhall Conference. Even if they'd been relegated again I would still support them because they are my team - and there is that 'eternal' hope that they will do better. Last season Exeter reached the playoff final at Wembley which they lost - meaning they stayed in the Conference - and as we left the stadium the sentiment was very much - 'well there's always next season'. And indeed there was - for yesterday saw Exeter back at Wembley, this time to win, and gain promotion back into the football league. Now we're only four seasons away from winning the Premiership.As those who follow Jesus, Christians should bring hope into the world. When we trust in God - the God who created the universe out of nothing and the God who raised Jesus from the dead - we believe that things don't have to be and won't always be as they are now, because God can bring change, God can breath new life into hopeless situations. And God wants to do that through us, here and now.
The Mystery is Revealed
Do you like a good mystery? Whether it is an Agatha Christie, CSI or an old fashioned jigsaw puzzle - many people like solving puzzles. Our trip through Ephesians brings us this week to 3:1-13, in which Paul talks about a mystery. In the New Testament a mystery is not something we struggle to work out or find out or solve. A mystery is something that is only known because it has been revealed by God.
If we were left to our own devices to come up with our own religion, without any previous knowledge of the Bible, how many people would come up with the concept of grace? I would hazard a guess at none. The idea that there is nothing we can do to make God love us more and there is nothing we can do to make God love us less... The idea that God would give all He had because of His love for us - even when we were His enemies... And here in Ephesians one of the consequences of that grace is that previous enemies - Jew and Gentile - are now heirs together, members together and sharers together - they are 'one in Christ'. In Galatians Paul tells us that existing hierarchies no longer apply: Jew/Gentile, male/female, slave/free.
But this is an understanding that we come to through the revelation of God. God's Word is the Bible, and therefore if we are seeking to live as a disciple of Jesus we need to be reading the Bible because God's ways are so different to the world's ways. You won't pick up God's values on Eastenders or in The Sun. You'll find them in the Bible.
If we were left to our own devices to come up with our own religion, without any previous knowledge of the Bible, how many people would come up with the concept of grace? I would hazard a guess at none. The idea that there is nothing we can do to make God love us more and there is nothing we can do to make God love us less... The idea that God would give all He had because of His love for us - even when we were His enemies... And here in Ephesians one of the consequences of that grace is that previous enemies - Jew and Gentile - are now heirs together, members together and sharers together - they are 'one in Christ'. In Galatians Paul tells us that existing hierarchies no longer apply: Jew/Gentile, male/female, slave/free.
But this is an understanding that we come to through the revelation of God. God's Word is the Bible, and therefore if we are seeking to live as a disciple of Jesus we need to be reading the Bible because God's ways are so different to the world's ways. You won't pick up God's values on Eastenders or in The Sun. You'll find them in the Bible.
Thursday 1 May 2008
Why do teenage girls spend forever on the phone?
Have you ever wondered why teenage girls spend so long on the phone—even to friends that they last saw at school only 5 minutes ago? Or why when they get in from school they need to get on to Facebook or MSN in order to ‘chat’ to the friends that they’re talking to on their mobiles, even though they last saw them 5 minutes ago at school.? Have you ever watched an episode of Big Brother and wondered why on earth any sensible person would watch a bunch of people living in a house, night after night after night?
The answer, I think, is the Trinity.
God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is love. And by understanding God as three in one we can understand that within God there is relationship. We have been created in the image of God and therefore we are created for relationship. There is a sense in which we crave relationships—because we have been made that way. But the society in which we live, here in London in 2008, seems to be pulling us away from meaningful relationships.
Families spend less and less time together as parents are forced into a situation where both parents work shifts in order to pay the bills as the cost of living continues to rise. Others choose to work long hours in pursuit of the ideal job, car, house... We live next to people who we don't know. We don't get involved with them and they don't get involved with us - and they'll have moved on within a few months anyway. It is a sad reflection on our society that we have to teach our children not to talk to strangers. We have created a society in which people are too afraid to care: last week a young child was seen crawling out of a Mothercare store and towards their car park - this was seen by a passerby whose response was not to pick up the child but to alert a member of staff - to pick up the child could have led to all kinds of repercussions - we conclude that it's best just not to get involved.
And yet we are created to be in relationships, to have friends, to be part of a community. What is our culture's answer? Not to reflect critically on itself but to create virtual friends and communities. To give us reality TV so each summer we can spend weeks 'getting to know' and sharing a house with a bunch of Big Brother hopefuls.
But are virtual relationships and communities a bad thing? Does it matter whether I talk to someone face to face or over the Internet? What do you think?
The answer, I think, is the Trinity.
God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is love. And by understanding God as three in one we can understand that within God there is relationship. We have been created in the image of God and therefore we are created for relationship. There is a sense in which we crave relationships—because we have been made that way. But the society in which we live, here in London in 2008, seems to be pulling us away from meaningful relationships.
Families spend less and less time together as parents are forced into a situation where both parents work shifts in order to pay the bills as the cost of living continues to rise. Others choose to work long hours in pursuit of the ideal job, car, house... We live next to people who we don't know. We don't get involved with them and they don't get involved with us - and they'll have moved on within a few months anyway. It is a sad reflection on our society that we have to teach our children not to talk to strangers. We have created a society in which people are too afraid to care: last week a young child was seen crawling out of a Mothercare store and towards their car park - this was seen by a passerby whose response was not to pick up the child but to alert a member of staff - to pick up the child could have led to all kinds of repercussions - we conclude that it's best just not to get involved.
And yet we are created to be in relationships, to have friends, to be part of a community. What is our culture's answer? Not to reflect critically on itself but to create virtual friends and communities. To give us reality TV so each summer we can spend weeks 'getting to know' and sharing a house with a bunch of Big Brother hopefuls.
But are virtual relationships and communities a bad thing? Does it matter whether I talk to someone face to face or over the Internet? What do you think?
Monday 28 April 2008
Do you want the Good News or Bad News First?
Given the option of good news or bad news I would always go for the bad news first - get that over and done with, and then end up with the good news. In Ephesians 2:1-10 Paul starts with the bad news and then moves on to the good news. Paul is writing to encourage Christians who were living at a time when declaring allegiance to Jesus was considered treason against Caesar (who at the time was Nero). Being a Christian was enough to potentially bring all the power of the Empire against you and lead to your death, maybe even by crucifixion.
The contrast between the bad news and the good news is dramatic. The bad news is a description of where they were spiritually before the became followers of Jesus. The good news is a description of where they are now spiritually, now that they are following Jesus. Before they became followers of Jesus they followed the ways of this world - they fitted in with how things were, they kept their heads down, they did what they wanted - they certainly did little that would have resulted in execution or prison at the hands of the Roman authorities (remember that Paul is writing from prison in Rome in about AD 60). I imagine that life was certainly less of a struggle before. So why on earth would people decide to follow Jesus in that particular context?
It is because of the reality of what Paul refers to in Ephesians as the 'heavenly realms'. The spiritual dimension that exists. The fact that this life is not just about what you can see, touch, measure, buy, sell... And so whilst what goes on in this world is important we must not lose sight of what goes on in the spiritual dimension. And so from prison, Paul is able to encourage these people who believe in Jesus. And he encourages them that the God they are following is love. That this God won't treat them like they deserve to be treated, but rather has made them spiritually alive, where once they were spiritually dead.
And this amazing contrast is only possible because of God. There is nothing we can do that will make God love us more and there is nothing we can do that will make God love us less. This transformation from death to life is a gift from God, paid for by Jesus' death on the cross. Whatever we are facing this week let us be encouraged by this wonderful truth.
To listen to this message click here.
The contrast between the bad news and the good news is dramatic. The bad news is a description of where they were spiritually before the became followers of Jesus. The good news is a description of where they are now spiritually, now that they are following Jesus. Before they became followers of Jesus they followed the ways of this world - they fitted in with how things were, they kept their heads down, they did what they wanted - they certainly did little that would have resulted in execution or prison at the hands of the Roman authorities (remember that Paul is writing from prison in Rome in about AD 60). I imagine that life was certainly less of a struggle before. So why on earth would people decide to follow Jesus in that particular context?
It is because of the reality of what Paul refers to in Ephesians as the 'heavenly realms'. The spiritual dimension that exists. The fact that this life is not just about what you can see, touch, measure, buy, sell... And so whilst what goes on in this world is important we must not lose sight of what goes on in the spiritual dimension. And so from prison, Paul is able to encourage these people who believe in Jesus. And he encourages them that the God they are following is love. That this God won't treat them like they deserve to be treated, but rather has made them spiritually alive, where once they were spiritually dead.
And this amazing contrast is only possible because of God. There is nothing we can do that will make God love us more and there is nothing we can do that will make God love us less. This transformation from death to life is a gift from God, paid for by Jesus' death on the cross. Whatever we are facing this week let us be encouraged by this wonderful truth.
To listen to this message click here.
Tuesday 22 April 2008
Have Your Say
One of the ways to wind me up - and some of you are coming to realise that there are actually a number of ways you can do that - is to tell me that Christians shouldn't be involved in politics. In the first century claiming 'Jesus is Lord' was a political statement because you were simultaneously stating that 'Caesar is not Lord'. And such a political statement could very easily get you executed.
On Thursday, 1 May, those of us who live in London have the chance to make our Christian voice heard as we vote for a Mayor and the 25 member Greater London Assembly.
But listening to the media you may not be aware that there are more people standing than Ken and Boris. In fact there are a number of candidates and parties who are standing. One of these parties is specifically Christian and looking to see gospel values implemented across our city.
Because of the system of proportional representation being used there is a very real chance that whilst Alan Craig may not be successful in his bid to become Mayor, he could well be elected to the 25 member Greater London Assembly.
So don’t stay at home—make your voice heard.
To find out more about the ballot papers you will receive, the different candidates and parties visit http://www.ibfchurch.org.uk/londonelections.htm
On Thursday, 1 May, those of us who live in London have the chance to make our Christian voice heard as we vote for a Mayor and the 25 member Greater London Assembly.
But listening to the media you may not be aware that there are more people standing than Ken and Boris. In fact there are a number of candidates and parties who are standing. One of these parties is specifically Christian and looking to see gospel values implemented across our city.
Because of the system of proportional representation being used there is a very real chance that whilst Alan Craig may not be successful in his bid to become Mayor, he could well be elected to the 25 member Greater London Assembly.
So don’t stay at home—make your voice heard.
To find out more about the ballot papers you will receive, the different candidates and parties visit http://www.ibfchurch.org.uk/londonelections.htm
Monday 21 April 2008
Aladdin's Three Wishes
According to the popular Christmas pantomime when Aladdin rubbed his magic lamp out popped a genie who could grant him three wishes. For many who claim to be Christians this is the way they view God and prayer - summoning God when it is convienient (i.e. when they're in a crisis) with a wish list - success in a job interview, healing, that there will be a free parking space ... God is interested in all these things but prayer is much more than a wish list, and God so much more than a pantomime genie. And whist these things are important - they are not the most important things.
When Paul prays for the Christians in Ephesus (Ephesians 1:15-23) he prays 4 things for them. 1) That they would know God better. 2) That they would know the hope to which God has called them. 3) That they would know that they are a part of God's inheritance. 4) And that they would know God's great power at work in them.
If God were to grant you three wishes what would you ask for? I wonder how many people would 'waste' one of their wishes on 'knowing God better'! Yet for Paul there was nothing more important (e.g. Philippians 3:10). But as a Christian I should be doing all I can to know God better.
Many might ask for the power of God - wouldn't it be great to go round healing people with just a touch, turn water into wine, raise the dead... But I wonder whether my ego could cope with that kind of power. Would I use it or abuse it? Yet this power is available to us. But why don't we see it more? Maybe God protects us from ourselves. Maybe there is a reason that this is at the end of the list. Maybe other things need to come first: faith in Jesus and love for all God's people (v15); a deeper knowledge of God (17); a life that brings hope to those around through acts of kindness which point to the possiblity of new creation; and the joy and inner confidence in knowing who we are in Christ, that comes from seeing yourself as a part of God's inheritance (18).
When Paul prays for the Christians in Ephesus (Ephesians 1:15-23) he prays 4 things for them. 1) That they would know God better. 2) That they would know the hope to which God has called them. 3) That they would know that they are a part of God's inheritance. 4) And that they would know God's great power at work in them.
If God were to grant you three wishes what would you ask for? I wonder how many people would 'waste' one of their wishes on 'knowing God better'! Yet for Paul there was nothing more important (e.g. Philippians 3:10). But as a Christian I should be doing all I can to know God better.
Many might ask for the power of God - wouldn't it be great to go round healing people with just a touch, turn water into wine, raise the dead... But I wonder whether my ego could cope with that kind of power. Would I use it or abuse it? Yet this power is available to us. But why don't we see it more? Maybe God protects us from ourselves. Maybe there is a reason that this is at the end of the list. Maybe other things need to come first: faith in Jesus and love for all God's people (v15); a deeper knowledge of God (17); a life that brings hope to those around through acts of kindness which point to the possiblity of new creation; and the joy and inner confidence in knowing who we are in Christ, that comes from seeing yourself as a part of God's inheritance (18).
Monday 14 April 2008
One, Two, Three
Have you ever got on a bus and thought how miserable most people look? And then wondered whether you look just as miserable as everyone else? But it’s the beginning of the working week, the weather is wet and cold, there are worries about bills, health, house prices and the bad news that fills the papers - no wonder we look miserable!
The apostle Paul was in prison when he wrote the letter of Ephesians. He was an enemy of the state. He had refused to acknowledge that Caesar was Lord – and has gone around preaching that Jesus is Lord. If he didn’t know, he must have suspected, that the death penalty probably awaited at some point in the future. And there in prison, what is it that Paul writes? That as Christians we are blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
The blessings that Paul is talking about have nothing to do with our material, physical, financial situations. Remember he was writing from prison. The blessings that Paul is talking about are blessings like what it means to know that we have been chosen by God, knowing forgiveness and a fresh start, the gift of the Holy Spirit. Read through the first 14 verses of Ephesians and count your blessings.
The apostle Paul was in prison when he wrote the letter of Ephesians. He was an enemy of the state. He had refused to acknowledge that Caesar was Lord – and has gone around preaching that Jesus is Lord. If he didn’t know, he must have suspected, that the death penalty probably awaited at some point in the future. And there in prison, what is it that Paul writes? That as Christians we are blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
The blessings that Paul is talking about have nothing to do with our material, physical, financial situations. Remember he was writing from prison. The blessings that Paul is talking about are blessings like what it means to know that we have been chosen by God, knowing forgiveness and a fresh start, the gift of the Holy Spirit. Read through the first 14 verses of Ephesians and count your blessings.
Monday 7 April 2008
Sat-Nav will turn your brain to mush
There was a story in last week's papers about a taxi-driver who picked up a customer near Northampton to take her 75 miles south to Stamford Bridge (the home of Chelsea football club) so that she could watch a football match between Chelsea and Arsenal. Unfortunately when they arrived at Stamford Bridge, courtesy of the taxi's Sat-Nav, they had travelled 146 miles north to the village of Stamford Bridge in Yorkshire. To be fair to the driver he apparently asked confirmation from his controller when he was told to head north - and he was told by the controller that the electronic voice was right.
This is not the first time such stories involving sat-nav systems have made the news. Some people rely on them to such an extent that even their common sense is silenced. But surely on a 146 mile journey north the passenger in the taxi would have noticed from the road signs on the motorway that they were not headed towards London. If there had been an element of doubt in the taxi driver's mind a simple question to his passenger about their destination would have saved a wasted journey and the match would not have been missed.
But sometimes on our journey through life we just carry on regardless and never stop to ask ourselves where we're going and why. We may have nagging questions and doubts but for whatever reason we just allow ourselves to carry on going - even though we may be going in totally the wrong direction.
When I was a student I used to have a holiday job making bee hives. One of the things that the boss said to me right at the beginning was that if you're not totally sure about what you're supposed to be doing, stop and ask. It's better to waste a few minutes checking than it is to carry on and then find out at the end of the day that you've made a mistake that could cost the company thousands of pounds.
But how often in our churches do we stop and ask, 'what are we doing?' and 'why do we do it that way?' We live in a rapidly changing world, filled with people whose fundamental needs are the same as they've always been. And therefore as we seek to be the people of God in a changing world we need to make sure that stops are built into our journey so that we continue to meet people where they are rather than try to meet them where their parents or grandparents were.
This is not the first time such stories involving sat-nav systems have made the news. Some people rely on them to such an extent that even their common sense is silenced. But surely on a 146 mile journey north the passenger in the taxi would have noticed from the road signs on the motorway that they were not headed towards London. If there had been an element of doubt in the taxi driver's mind a simple question to his passenger about their destination would have saved a wasted journey and the match would not have been missed.
But sometimes on our journey through life we just carry on regardless and never stop to ask ourselves where we're going and why. We may have nagging questions and doubts but for whatever reason we just allow ourselves to carry on going - even though we may be going in totally the wrong direction.
When I was a student I used to have a holiday job making bee hives. One of the things that the boss said to me right at the beginning was that if you're not totally sure about what you're supposed to be doing, stop and ask. It's better to waste a few minutes checking than it is to carry on and then find out at the end of the day that you've made a mistake that could cost the company thousands of pounds.
But how often in our churches do we stop and ask, 'what are we doing?' and 'why do we do it that way?' We live in a rapidly changing world, filled with people whose fundamental needs are the same as they've always been. And therefore as we seek to be the people of God in a changing world we need to make sure that stops are built into our journey so that we continue to meet people where they are rather than try to meet them where their parents or grandparents were.
Monday 31 March 2008
Seeing is Believing
A lot can happen in a week. Last week we were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. A week on and Thomas still doesn't believe what the other disciples have been telling him (John 20:24-29). We're not told why Thomas wasn't with the other disciples on that Resurrection Sunday - maybe he wanted time on his own following the death of Jesus; maybe he had gone back to the day job; maybe he was simply out buying bread - all we know is that he wasn't there to see the risen Jesus. And even though the other disciples try and persuade him he says that he won't believe unless he sees for himself. And so he unfairly gets the title of 'Doubting Thomas'. Unfair because the others doubted too. None of them believed and understood what Jesus had said. The women only believed when Jesus appeared to them - and the disciples didn't believe them when they told what they had seen. None of them believed until they had seen with their own eyes.
Many people today still want to see before they believe. Seeing is believing. Unless something can be seen, held, measured... we are suspicious and disbelieving. But how will people believe Jesus if they can't see him? For although he is alive, he ascended back into heaven. Although he will come back, he isn't here now. When Jesus left he gave his Spirit - and as the Spirit works in us he is changing us into people who are more like Jesus. And so people will hopefully see Jesus in us. People will believe when they see Jesus working in us.
But people also want to belong before they'll believe - and yet all to often churches today insist that people believe (what we believe) and behave (as we behave) before we'll allow them to belong. Thomas in his dis-belief felt he could still meet with the other ten disciples. Thomas with his dis-belief was welcomed by the other ten disciples. And in spite of their differences, or may be because they were meeting together even though they were at different places on their journey, Jesus comes and meets with them.
How welcoming are we to those who don't yet believe? Not just welcoming in the sense of a warm handshake at the door and a cup of tea afterwards - but welcoming in the sense that those who don't believe can actually feel a part of what we do. How much of what we do is geared up for those who believe? Do we do anything with those who don't believe in mind?
Even those who have believed for a long time have doubts and questions. And sometimes church is the last place we feel we can express those doubts and questions - because everyone else seems so sure, and "how will they deal with me in my unbelief?" But if that's how we feel then isn't there something wrong with 'church'? Thomas was still accepted in spite of his unbelief. We're all on a journey of faith. Some are further on than others. Some are currently moving quicker than others. But we're on this journey together. And so when we have doubts and questions we need to be honest about that, knowing that those I'm travelling with will love me just the same as we wrestle with the questions together, waiting for Jesus to come alongside and say, 'Peace be with you'.
Click here to listen to this message
Many people today still want to see before they believe. Seeing is believing. Unless something can be seen, held, measured... we are suspicious and disbelieving. But how will people believe Jesus if they can't see him? For although he is alive, he ascended back into heaven. Although he will come back, he isn't here now. When Jesus left he gave his Spirit - and as the Spirit works in us he is changing us into people who are more like Jesus. And so people will hopefully see Jesus in us. People will believe when they see Jesus working in us.
But people also want to belong before they'll believe - and yet all to often churches today insist that people believe (what we believe) and behave (as we behave) before we'll allow them to belong. Thomas in his dis-belief felt he could still meet with the other ten disciples. Thomas with his dis-belief was welcomed by the other ten disciples. And in spite of their differences, or may be because they were meeting together even though they were at different places on their journey, Jesus comes and meets with them.
How welcoming are we to those who don't yet believe? Not just welcoming in the sense of a warm handshake at the door and a cup of tea afterwards - but welcoming in the sense that those who don't believe can actually feel a part of what we do. How much of what we do is geared up for those who believe? Do we do anything with those who don't believe in mind?
Even those who have believed for a long time have doubts and questions. And sometimes church is the last place we feel we can express those doubts and questions - because everyone else seems so sure, and "how will they deal with me in my unbelief?" But if that's how we feel then isn't there something wrong with 'church'? Thomas was still accepted in spite of his unbelief. We're all on a journey of faith. Some are further on than others. Some are currently moving quicker than others. But we're on this journey together. And so when we have doubts and questions we need to be honest about that, knowing that those I'm travelling with will love me just the same as we wrestle with the questions together, waiting for Jesus to come alongside and say, 'Peace be with you'.
Click here to listen to this message
Thursday 13 March 2008
Part of the Crowd
Last summer Exeter City Football Club made it to the Conference playoff final at the new Wembley stadium - and I was there. A part of the thirty thousand plus Exeter fans that filled one end of the stadium. It is great being a part of a crowd. Unfortunately things didn't work out last year - but we're pushing hard for another Wembley playoff final again this year (and there could be the chance of beating Torquay on the way!)
But there are dangers in being a part of a crowd. People do things in a crowd that they wouldn't do if they were on their own. Encouraged by those around them, submitting to peer pressure, unthinkingly absorbing the mentality of the crowd...
On the first Palm Sunday Jesus was victoriously welcomed into Jerusalem by the crowd. But within a few days those same people were in another crowd that was calling for Jesus to be killed and an enemy of the people to be set free.
I guess if you could ask those people what they were thinking, many might say that they weren't thinking - they were just going along with everyone else. And that's a danger of a crowd. It is all too easy to get swept along with everyone else without thinking for yourself - or without making a courageous stand against what everyone else is doing, thinking, saying ...
I wonder how many people in church this weekend will simply be a part of the crowd. They don't really know what they believe, or why they believe it. Outside of the church context if they are asked probing questions about their faith they don't really have any convincing responses. They sing the songs without thinking about the words. If everyone else sings 'Hallelujah' they sing 'Hallelujah'. If everyone else starts singing 'Crucify' how many would stop and think?
Being a part of the crowd can be a dangerous place to be unless we know what we believe and why we believe it. Unless we have the courage to swim against the tide or to stand up and be counted when the time comes.
But there are dangers in being a part of a crowd. People do things in a crowd that they wouldn't do if they were on their own. Encouraged by those around them, submitting to peer pressure, unthinkingly absorbing the mentality of the crowd...
On the first Palm Sunday Jesus was victoriously welcomed into Jerusalem by the crowd. But within a few days those same people were in another crowd that was calling for Jesus to be killed and an enemy of the people to be set free.
I guess if you could ask those people what they were thinking, many might say that they weren't thinking - they were just going along with everyone else. And that's a danger of a crowd. It is all too easy to get swept along with everyone else without thinking for yourself - or without making a courageous stand against what everyone else is doing, thinking, saying ...
I wonder how many people in church this weekend will simply be a part of the crowd. They don't really know what they believe, or why they believe it. Outside of the church context if they are asked probing questions about their faith they don't really have any convincing responses. They sing the songs without thinking about the words. If everyone else sings 'Hallelujah' they sing 'Hallelujah'. If everyone else starts singing 'Crucify' how many would stop and think?
Being a part of the crowd can be a dangerous place to be unless we know what we believe and why we believe it. Unless we have the courage to swim against the tide or to stand up and be counted when the time comes.
Monday 10 March 2008
What will you do tomorrow?
What are your plans for the next 24 hours? Take a minute to think about what you plan on doing between now and this time tomorrow. Now imagine that these would be your last 24 hours. How would that affect your priorities? Would you still do the things you planned or would there be other things that were suddenly more important? Would there be things that you would want to put right? Relationships that need to be repaired? Put things right with God? Put things right with others?
In Matthew 25 Jesus tells some parables that warn us of the importance of being ready for the end of world as we know it. Whilst we are not told many of the details about the 'end times', we are told that it will happen and therefore we need to be ready. And because we don't know the when, we should seek to live as if we really believed it could be tomorrow - or sooner.
In Matthew 25 Jesus tells some parables that warn us of the importance of being ready for the end of world as we know it. Whilst we are not told many of the details about the 'end times', we are told that it will happen and therefore we need to be ready. And because we don't know the when, we should seek to live as if we really believed it could be tomorrow - or sooner.
Monday 3 March 2008
Does God mind where I shop?
Does God mind where I shop? With so many shops and supermarkets to choose from does it make a difference which one I choose? Does the Bible have anything to say on the matter? If you're looking for a verse that says 'Thou shalt not shop at ?????' you're going to be disappointed. (And I would recommend a version that says 'You shall not ...' rather than 'Thou shalt not...' but that's a whole different topic. If interested visit www.usingthebible.blogspot.com).
But our faith should impact every area of our lives and that includes where we shop and what we buy when we're there.
This week is the second week of Fairtrade Fortnight (25 Feb - 9 Mar). Two weeks in which we are encouraged, if we haven't already done so, to make the switch to buying Fairtrade goods, where possible. Buying goods which carry the Fairtrade Mark guarantees a better and fairer deal for farmers and producers in the developing world. God is passionate about the poor and the needy - if you don't believe that then go and read your Bible again. Start with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and see what Jesus has to say. Then move into Acts and see how for the early Christians care for the poor and needy was a natural expression of their faith. Then if you still need convincing have a go at some of the Old Testament prophets (e.g. Amos 8).
God is also passionate about justice (e.g. Micah 6:8) and therefore we should be too. One of the things that the Fairtrade Foundation highlights for us, whether we like it or not, is that not all dealings in the commercial world are fair. That means that there are small scale producers who are being exploited in order to keep costs down and profits high - and there is nothing they can do about it. But it means that they can't send their children to school, they have to make choices between things like food OR medicine, they can't invest in their communities... But when we buy goods which carry the Fairtrade Mark we are making a difference. It might not seem like a big difference on a global scale. But for a family who are now sending their children to school; for a community that has been able to sink a well to access clean and safe drinking water...it makes the world of difference.
To find out more visit www.fairtrade.org.uk
Does God mind where I shop? What do you think?
But our faith should impact every area of our lives and that includes where we shop and what we buy when we're there.
This week is the second week of Fairtrade Fortnight (25 Feb - 9 Mar). Two weeks in which we are encouraged, if we haven't already done so, to make the switch to buying Fairtrade goods, where possible. Buying goods which carry the Fairtrade Mark guarantees a better and fairer deal for farmers and producers in the developing world. God is passionate about the poor and the needy - if you don't believe that then go and read your Bible again. Start with Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and see what Jesus has to say. Then move into Acts and see how for the early Christians care for the poor and needy was a natural expression of their faith. Then if you still need convincing have a go at some of the Old Testament prophets (e.g. Amos 8).
God is also passionate about justice (e.g. Micah 6:8) and therefore we should be too. One of the things that the Fairtrade Foundation highlights for us, whether we like it or not, is that not all dealings in the commercial world are fair. That means that there are small scale producers who are being exploited in order to keep costs down and profits high - and there is nothing they can do about it. But it means that they can't send their children to school, they have to make choices between things like food OR medicine, they can't invest in their communities... But when we buy goods which carry the Fairtrade Mark we are making a difference. It might not seem like a big difference on a global scale. But for a family who are now sending their children to school; for a community that has been able to sink a well to access clean and safe drinking water...it makes the world of difference.
To find out more visit www.fairtrade.org.uk
Does God mind where I shop? What do you think?
Saturday 23 February 2008
Guess who's coming to dinner
In Luke 15 Jesus tells three parables - the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son - in response to the mutterings of the religious leaders, 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them'. These are the men who were supposed to be leading the people to God, and yet it is the tax collectors and sinners who are behaving like good disciples - by gathering and listening to Jesus. And so Jesus tells them three parables to try and communicate God's love for those who are 'lost' - those who are on the outside of the kingdom.
God loves those who are on the outside and wants nothing more than for them to be drawn to the inside. And so Jesus spent time with and welcomed those who were traditionally thought to be so far out that there was no hope of them ever getting in! He even went as far as to openly eat with them - threatening ritual impurity and even jeopardising his own position as one of those understood to be 'in'. Jesus came to seek and to save those who were lost (Luke 19:10).
But for those who see themselves on the inside it can be hard to accept that outsiders have become insiders. The free gift of God's love, His mercy (not treating us as we deserve to be treated) and His grace (treating us as we don't deserve to be treated) are available to all who repent - but sometimes we add all kinds of other requirements. Whilst there may be a party in heaven when one sinner repents, that 'sinner' can be met with suspicion and a cold shoulder. Acceptance can be slow in coming and even then it is only after all kinds of other things have had to change first - so that the outsider now looks and sounds and behaves like an insider!
The younger son had done some bad stuff and let his whole family down in a big way. Yet his father still loved him and was ready to forgive and welcome him back as a true son. When we 'come to our senses' we recognise just how much God loves us and how much He has forgiven us. And part of our response, part of our worship, should be an overflow of the loving welcome God gave us. And so we become those who welcome others and eat with them.
The older brother was also his father's son. And yet he never really lived that way. Did he ever ask his father for a goat? For surely the father that said 'yes' to the younger boys request would not have denied his older boy a goat roast. Sometimes we lose sight of the love of God and the joy goes out of our relationship with Him. We do what we do out of a sense of duty, somehow earning God's favour, trying to repay our debt... Yet God wants us to love Him. We obey Him because we love Him, not because we're scared of Him. And because we love God, and know that God loves us, we're able to love and welcome and eat with others - both those on the inside and those on the outside.
The tragedy for the self-appointed insiders in this story is that by the end they find themselves with the elder brother on the outside, while the party goes on inside.
How would the church be different if we made seeking the lost a priority and were serious about welcoming the outsider?
Click here to listen to this message from Pastor Keith. 24 February 2008. Camrose Baptist Church.
God loves those who are on the outside and wants nothing more than for them to be drawn to the inside. And so Jesus spent time with and welcomed those who were traditionally thought to be so far out that there was no hope of them ever getting in! He even went as far as to openly eat with them - threatening ritual impurity and even jeopardising his own position as one of those understood to be 'in'. Jesus came to seek and to save those who were lost (Luke 19:10).
But for those who see themselves on the inside it can be hard to accept that outsiders have become insiders. The free gift of God's love, His mercy (not treating us as we deserve to be treated) and His grace (treating us as we don't deserve to be treated) are available to all who repent - but sometimes we add all kinds of other requirements. Whilst there may be a party in heaven when one sinner repents, that 'sinner' can be met with suspicion and a cold shoulder. Acceptance can be slow in coming and even then it is only after all kinds of other things have had to change first - so that the outsider now looks and sounds and behaves like an insider!
The younger son had done some bad stuff and let his whole family down in a big way. Yet his father still loved him and was ready to forgive and welcome him back as a true son. When we 'come to our senses' we recognise just how much God loves us and how much He has forgiven us. And part of our response, part of our worship, should be an overflow of the loving welcome God gave us. And so we become those who welcome others and eat with them.
The older brother was also his father's son. And yet he never really lived that way. Did he ever ask his father for a goat? For surely the father that said 'yes' to the younger boys request would not have denied his older boy a goat roast. Sometimes we lose sight of the love of God and the joy goes out of our relationship with Him. We do what we do out of a sense of duty, somehow earning God's favour, trying to repay our debt... Yet God wants us to love Him. We obey Him because we love Him, not because we're scared of Him. And because we love God, and know that God loves us, we're able to love and welcome and eat with others - both those on the inside and those on the outside.
The tragedy for the self-appointed insiders in this story is that by the end they find themselves with the elder brother on the outside, while the party goes on inside.
How would the church be different if we made seeking the lost a priority and were serious about welcoming the outsider?
Click here to listen to this message from Pastor Keith. 24 February 2008. Camrose Baptist Church.
Tuesday 19 February 2008
How many times should I forgive?
Forgiveness is not always easy. The greater the hurt and sense of injustice, the larger the crime, the more difficult it is to forgive. The more we are required to forgive the same person, who then does the same thing again and again and again... it becomes harder to forgive.
Jesus tells a parable in Matthew 18:21-35 about two men. The first man owed a debt to the king of about £1.5 billion. How he managed to get in this situation is not important. What is important is that he could not repay the debt and yet the slate was wiped clean - he was forgiven.
The second man owed the first man a few thousand pounds (quite a lot if you have nothing, but not much in the context of 1.5 billion). Having just had his debt cancelled the first man came across the second man and demanded his money, and even though the second man pleaded for time, no mercy was shown, and the second man was thrown in prison.
When the king heard about this he was furious and had the first man thrown into prison until his debt could be paid.
A parable is a story with a point. So what's the point? We have been forgiven so much by God. And in the light of the way we have been treated by God we should show forgiveness to others. In Matthew 6:14-15 we see that Jesus teaches that our forgiveness from God is dependent on our having forgiven others.
It is important to note that this is not the same thing as letting someone get away with things over and over again. For within the context of Matthew 18 it is clear that sin needs to be dealt with (18:15-20).
Jesus tells a parable in Matthew 18:21-35 about two men. The first man owed a debt to the king of about £1.5 billion. How he managed to get in this situation is not important. What is important is that he could not repay the debt and yet the slate was wiped clean - he was forgiven.
The second man owed the first man a few thousand pounds (quite a lot if you have nothing, but not much in the context of 1.5 billion). Having just had his debt cancelled the first man came across the second man and demanded his money, and even though the second man pleaded for time, no mercy was shown, and the second man was thrown in prison.
When the king heard about this he was furious and had the first man thrown into prison until his debt could be paid.
A parable is a story with a point. So what's the point? We have been forgiven so much by God. And in the light of the way we have been treated by God we should show forgiveness to others. In Matthew 6:14-15 we see that Jesus teaches that our forgiveness from God is dependent on our having forgiven others.
It is important to note that this is not the same thing as letting someone get away with things over and over again. For within the context of Matthew 18 it is clear that sin needs to be dealt with (18:15-20).
Monday 4 February 2008
What are you giving up for Lent?
Lent is the time in the Christian calendar when Christians prepare for Easter. Traditionally it has been a time of fasting as Christians contemplate again the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, and as we remember his love for us. Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Day - is the last opportunity before this period to use up all those goodies in the kitchen. Ash Wednesday then marks the beginning of the 40 day Lent period (Sundays are not included in the 40 days - as these are days of celebration).
For many Lent is still a time to give something up - usually chocolate, alcohol or television. But how about this year doing something a little different? Christian Aid's Lent resource encourages us to count our blessings and do something to help the world's poor. Each day in their Lent programme has an activity. For example:
More than a billion children will not go to school this year. Give 20p for every year you have spent in full time education.
Other activities provide prayer points to pray for the world's poorest communities.
This resource can be downloaded at http://www.christianaid.org.uk/Images/countyourblessings.pdf
Why not download a copy and count your blessings as you prepare yourself to remember again the death and resurrection of Jesus.
For many Lent is still a time to give something up - usually chocolate, alcohol or television. But how about this year doing something a little different? Christian Aid's Lent resource encourages us to count our blessings and do something to help the world's poor. Each day in their Lent programme has an activity. For example:
More than a billion children will not go to school this year. Give 20p for every year you have spent in full time education.
Other activities provide prayer points to pray for the world's poorest communities.
This resource can be downloaded at http://www.christianaid.org.uk/Images/countyourblessings.pdf
Why not download a copy and count your blessings as you prepare yourself to remember again the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Saturday 26 January 2008
Remember the Vegetable Patch
Have you ever wondered why God allows certain things to happen? Or maybe instead of the 'why' question you wonder how people can believe in God when there is so much suffering in the world. Good things happen to bad people - bad things happen to good people.
This week we're looking at the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. A man sows good seed, but an enemy comes along and sows weeds, so that when the wheat starts to grow the man's servants notice the weeds. Realising that this is the work of an enemy the man does not get his servants to pull out the weeds - that runs the risk of damaging the wheat. Instead the field is left until the harvest. Then the weeds are pulled out and burned, leaving the wheat to be harvested.
In my front garden I grow a few flowers - marigolds and roses. Flowers are there to look nice. In my back garden I have vegetables (see earlier blogs). Vegetables are not there to look nice - they're there for the harvest, when they will be eaten. As Christians sometimes we think of our life as a flower garden - it should look nice now. But in reality our life is a vegetable patch. Our goal is the harvest.
Life is messy. We live in a world influenced by sin. People have free will, and some do whatever they want no matter who gets hurt in the process. But we have to believe in the bigger picture. The eternal picture. Maybe you're really struggling with something at the moment, wondering why and how God can allow this to be happening to you... There are no easy answers, no answers that make it any less painful ... but remember the vegetable patch! Ask God for the faith to keep on keeping on, to keep on believing, to keep on trusting, to persevere so that when the harvest comes you will 'shine like the sun'.
To listen to this message click here.
This week we're looking at the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. A man sows good seed, but an enemy comes along and sows weeds, so that when the wheat starts to grow the man's servants notice the weeds. Realising that this is the work of an enemy the man does not get his servants to pull out the weeds - that runs the risk of damaging the wheat. Instead the field is left until the harvest. Then the weeds are pulled out and burned, leaving the wheat to be harvested.
In my front garden I grow a few flowers - marigolds and roses. Flowers are there to look nice. In my back garden I have vegetables (see earlier blogs). Vegetables are not there to look nice - they're there for the harvest, when they will be eaten. As Christians sometimes we think of our life as a flower garden - it should look nice now. But in reality our life is a vegetable patch. Our goal is the harvest.
Life is messy. We live in a world influenced by sin. People have free will, and some do whatever they want no matter who gets hurt in the process. But we have to believe in the bigger picture. The eternal picture. Maybe you're really struggling with something at the moment, wondering why and how God can allow this to be happening to you... There are no easy answers, no answers that make it any less painful ... but remember the vegetable patch! Ask God for the faith to keep on keeping on, to keep on believing, to keep on trusting, to persevere so that when the harvest comes you will 'shine like the sun'.
To listen to this message click here.
Saturday 19 January 2008
The Good Samaritan - an Oxymoron
For most of the people listening to Jesus (Luke 10:25-37) there was no such thing as a Good Samaritan. There were plenty of Samaritans, but 'good' was not a suitable adjective to describe any of them.
Jesus has been involved in a discussion about eternal life, loving God, loving your neighbour, and 'just who is my neighbour?' And to help us get it he tells that well known story of the Good Samaritan. The man who helps a fellow human being who is in need, simply because he is in need and he can help - irrespective of what it will cost him, irrespective of the inconvenience, irrespective of the cultural or religious barriers that potentially could get in the way. Jesus is showing us, by painting this picture, that our love for God is demonstrated in the way we love others - even those who we may consider to be our enemies. The two (loving God - loving others) can't be separated from each other.
There are (at least) four levels of response we can make to any parable. 1) Nice story. 2) Nice story - but I wonder what the point is? 3) If that's the point - what does it mean for me? 4) Actually making a life-style change in the light of the point of the parable.
One of the dangers with a parable like this is that we easily answer levels 1-3, but when it comes to level 4 we generalise - so we talk about terrorists, rapists, murderers... But I don't believe that is the point Jesus is making. Jesus is saying that your neighbour is that person in need who you are going to come across tomorrow. They might be your best friend. They might be that person who really winds you up. They might be the atheist who is always having a go at your faith. They may even be a Man. Utd. fan. Who they are is irrelevant. What is important is that you demonstrate your love for God by the way you meet their need. Or do you cross over the road and leave it to someone else?
What difference would it make to the point of the story if the Samaritan got robbed and was helped by an ordinary Jew? The main point, I believe, would be the same. But, with the story as Jesus told it, we are alerted to the danger of painting whole groups of people with the same brush. We live, here in London, in a very multicultural, multi faith environment. And it can be very easy to adopt stereotypes. But that's wrong. Within every community there are individuals who will demonstrate compassion and love toward those who are in need. Young people, for example, generally get a really bad press - whenever they're in the news it's to do with drugs, drink, knives, guns, stealing, threatening behaviour, antisocial behaviour... But that is only a small fraction of the whole picture.
To listen to this message from Keith click here. This message included the Nooma DVD 009 Bullhorn by Rob Bell. For copyright reasons this has been removed from the audio. To see an extract from this short video click here.
Jesus has been involved in a discussion about eternal life, loving God, loving your neighbour, and 'just who is my neighbour?' And to help us get it he tells that well known story of the Good Samaritan. The man who helps a fellow human being who is in need, simply because he is in need and he can help - irrespective of what it will cost him, irrespective of the inconvenience, irrespective of the cultural or religious barriers that potentially could get in the way. Jesus is showing us, by painting this picture, that our love for God is demonstrated in the way we love others - even those who we may consider to be our enemies. The two (loving God - loving others) can't be separated from each other.
There are (at least) four levels of response we can make to any parable. 1) Nice story. 2) Nice story - but I wonder what the point is? 3) If that's the point - what does it mean for me? 4) Actually making a life-style change in the light of the point of the parable.
One of the dangers with a parable like this is that we easily answer levels 1-3, but when it comes to level 4 we generalise - so we talk about terrorists, rapists, murderers... But I don't believe that is the point Jesus is making. Jesus is saying that your neighbour is that person in need who you are going to come across tomorrow. They might be your best friend. They might be that person who really winds you up. They might be the atheist who is always having a go at your faith. They may even be a Man. Utd. fan. Who they are is irrelevant. What is important is that you demonstrate your love for God by the way you meet their need. Or do you cross over the road and leave it to someone else?
What difference would it make to the point of the story if the Samaritan got robbed and was helped by an ordinary Jew? The main point, I believe, would be the same. But, with the story as Jesus told it, we are alerted to the danger of painting whole groups of people with the same brush. We live, here in London, in a very multicultural, multi faith environment. And it can be very easy to adopt stereotypes. But that's wrong. Within every community there are individuals who will demonstrate compassion and love toward those who are in need. Young people, for example, generally get a really bad press - whenever they're in the news it's to do with drugs, drink, knives, guns, stealing, threatening behaviour, antisocial behaviour... But that is only a small fraction of the whole picture.
To listen to this message from Keith click here. This message included the Nooma DVD 009 Bullhorn by Rob Bell. For copyright reasons this has been removed from the audio. To see an extract from this short video click here.
Saturday 12 January 2008
What's the Point?
This week we begin a new preaching series that will go through to Easter, looking at some of the parables found in the gospels. I like to think of a parable as 'a story with a point'. To be specific it is a story with a spiritual point.
We're starting this week with the Parable of the Four Soils in Matthew 13:1-23. It is more widely known as the Parable of the Sower, but the parable isn't really about the sower or the seed - it is about the soil. The seed is thrown onto the field. Whether or not the seed grows and produces a harvest depends on the kind of soil that it lands on.
Just before this story Jesus has been receiving a mixed response from the crowd to his teaching and miracles. Some think he's the best thing since sliced bread. Some think he's the Messiah. Some think he's from the devil. Some couldn't care less and can't wait to get home for their dinner and an afternoon in front of the footie (it doesn't say this in the passage - but they're always there somewhere in the crowd/congregation). How are we to make sense of these different reactions? Isn't it obvious that Jesus is the Messiah and what he's saying is true?
Sometimes we think that the occasional miracle would bring people flooding into church - but Jesus' experience and his teaching here warns us against thinking this way.
Some people will never be touched by anything that God might do - they're like the pathway - the seed never gets in, it bounces off the hard exterior and is eaten by the birds.
Other people will respond immediately because the gospel has a lot to offer - but when it comes to the question of commitment and suffering and sacrifice they don't want to know. They're like the rocky soil where there are no roots, and so the plants just whither.
Others will respond well, and really start to grow, but soon the trappings of this life go to their heads and rather than focusing on Jesus they start to think about money, and influence and power; and they start to worry about this, that and the other. A bit like the plant that is choked by the thorns and the brambles.
But others will start to produce fruit, they will begin to change, they will start to be more and more like Jesus. The kinds of things that we see in their lives are characteristics like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
The question for us is, what kind of soil am I?
We're starting this week with the Parable of the Four Soils in Matthew 13:1-23. It is more widely known as the Parable of the Sower, but the parable isn't really about the sower or the seed - it is about the soil. The seed is thrown onto the field. Whether or not the seed grows and produces a harvest depends on the kind of soil that it lands on.
Just before this story Jesus has been receiving a mixed response from the crowd to his teaching and miracles. Some think he's the best thing since sliced bread. Some think he's the Messiah. Some think he's from the devil. Some couldn't care less and can't wait to get home for their dinner and an afternoon in front of the footie (it doesn't say this in the passage - but they're always there somewhere in the crowd/congregation). How are we to make sense of these different reactions? Isn't it obvious that Jesus is the Messiah and what he's saying is true?
Sometimes we think that the occasional miracle would bring people flooding into church - but Jesus' experience and his teaching here warns us against thinking this way.
Some people will never be touched by anything that God might do - they're like the pathway - the seed never gets in, it bounces off the hard exterior and is eaten by the birds.
Other people will respond immediately because the gospel has a lot to offer - but when it comes to the question of commitment and suffering and sacrifice they don't want to know. They're like the rocky soil where there are no roots, and so the plants just whither.
Others will respond well, and really start to grow, but soon the trappings of this life go to their heads and rather than focusing on Jesus they start to think about money, and influence and power; and they start to worry about this, that and the other. A bit like the plant that is choked by the thorns and the brambles.
But others will start to produce fruit, they will begin to change, they will start to be more and more like Jesus. The kinds of things that we see in their lives are characteristics like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
The question for us is, what kind of soil am I?
Saturday 5 January 2008
New Year's Resolutions
Approaching the end of the first week of 2008 and there is a one in four chance that if you made a New Year’s resolution, it has already been broken! On a more encouraging note – only one in eight ‘resolvers’ make it through to the end of the year unscathed. But why do so many of us make New Year’s resolutions year after year? The end of another year provides a point in the calendar where we are encouraged to look back and look forward. Back at the year that has gone, with all its ups and downs; and forward with the hope that comes with a new year and a new beginning. Among favourite resolutions we find things like: lose weight and get fitter; spend more time with friends and family; learn something new; stop smoking…I wonder if anyone has ever compiled a list of Christian New Year’s resolutions? Not that they would be radically different from any other list, but they might include things like: pray more; read my Bible more; give more…
Whilst these are all good things they reveal, as do all resolutions, that we’re not particularly happy with who we are now, and we’re conscious that we don’t match the ideal that we have set for ourselves, whether consciously or unconsciously. Ultimately our resolution, as Christians, should be ‘to be more like Jesus’, but vague resolutions are the most likely to fail. ‘I’m going to get fitter’ is not a good resolution, whereas ‘I’m going to run for 15 mins on a Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm’ is specific and is more likely to lead to the goal – ‘I’m going to get fitter’.
Of course, we don’t need to wait until 1 January to look to make a clean start. Jesus continually offers us that promise – when we confess our sin we experience forgiveness and a new start (1 John 1:9). There is no time like the present.
I think another mistake people make in their resolutions is being too ambitious, too soon. If the attempt to get fit requires 4 10 mile runs a week, and 3 90 minute sessions is the gym then we're probably destined to failure. Start small and work up. This equally applies with our spiritual disciplines. We know that praying and reading the Bible are important for the Christian. But if, on Jan. 1, you set yourself the target of 1 hour of Bible reading followed by an hour of praying each morning before work, the chances are that your resolution has already come unstuck. But if you build up gradually, you will save yourself the discouragement that comes from being over-ambitious.
The Christian is a part of a worldwide family – with a local expression, called the church. Those with resolutions to give up smoking or drinking, or to lose weight, know the importance of being involved with others. And this is true for the Christian too. You are much more likely to succeed in your resolutions if others are involved with you. This might be a house group or it might simply be a friend who texts/emails you each day. Agreeing to pray with a friend at work each day is more likely to see results than going it alone. We live very individualistic lives yet we are called to be a part of a community.
As far as what our resolutions should be I’ll leave that to you…
Whilst these are all good things they reveal, as do all resolutions, that we’re not particularly happy with who we are now, and we’re conscious that we don’t match the ideal that we have set for ourselves, whether consciously or unconsciously. Ultimately our resolution, as Christians, should be ‘to be more like Jesus’, but vague resolutions are the most likely to fail. ‘I’m going to get fitter’ is not a good resolution, whereas ‘I’m going to run for 15 mins on a Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm’ is specific and is more likely to lead to the goal – ‘I’m going to get fitter’.
Of course, we don’t need to wait until 1 January to look to make a clean start. Jesus continually offers us that promise – when we confess our sin we experience forgiveness and a new start (1 John 1:9). There is no time like the present.
I think another mistake people make in their resolutions is being too ambitious, too soon. If the attempt to get fit requires 4 10 mile runs a week, and 3 90 minute sessions is the gym then we're probably destined to failure. Start small and work up. This equally applies with our spiritual disciplines. We know that praying and reading the Bible are important for the Christian. But if, on Jan. 1, you set yourself the target of 1 hour of Bible reading followed by an hour of praying each morning before work, the chances are that your resolution has already come unstuck. But if you build up gradually, you will save yourself the discouragement that comes from being over-ambitious.
The Christian is a part of a worldwide family – with a local expression, called the church. Those with resolutions to give up smoking or drinking, or to lose weight, know the importance of being involved with others. And this is true for the Christian too. You are much more likely to succeed in your resolutions if others are involved with you. This might be a house group or it might simply be a friend who texts/emails you each day. Agreeing to pray with a friend at work each day is more likely to see results than going it alone. We live very individualistic lives yet we are called to be a part of a community.
As far as what our resolutions should be I’ll leave that to you…
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