Messy Church

In our house meal times are usually fairly messy and noisy affairs! But what do you expect with three children under five!


Part of growing up is an increasing independence, which when you are almost one means that you are no longer happy to be fed and the only way food is going to enter your mouth is if you put it there yourself. But when you are not quite one that usually results in quite a mess.

I have a book on my shelf called 'Messy Church' - which talks about a style of doing church which involves children and incorporates craft activities. The 'messy' refers to painting and sticking and cutting etc.

But I wonder if there isn't another kind of messy that church is supposed to be. Children will not learn to eat for themselves unless they are allowed to make a mess as a part of the learning process. If all Christians are supposed to contribute to the life of the local church, using the talents and abilities that God has given them, then surely church will be a messy place as people learn and develop their gifts. I wonder whether we would rather continue with the spoon feeding because that's a lot quicker and certainly a lot cleaner - but it doesn't lead to maturity. Maybe as a church leader I need to be prepared for a bit more mess. What's the sign of a growing church? Maybe it is a place where people make a mess - and a place where people are allowed to make a mess.

To be honest...

One of the things that makes the film 'The Invention of Lying' work is that many of us can identify with the number of little 'non' lies that we tell everyday - so much so that we can't imagine a life in which we only told the truth.

Yesterday, as we continued our series on the Sermon on the Mount we came to the section in Matthew 5:33-37 in which Jesus instructs his disciples that they should be the sort of people who are totally honest and trustworthy. The sort of person who doesn't need to say 'I absolutely promise to ...' or 'cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye' (or whatever the words are for that particular playground rhyme). Not even the sort of person who needs to sign a contract. Instead a disciple should be the sort of person who if they say 'yes' means 'yes'. Not 'maybe', not 'if I feel like it on the day'. The sort of person who if they say they will do something - you know they will do it. If they've said they'll be somewhere, they'll be there. The sort of person who does not lie.

Imagine the world of advertising where only the truth could be told!



In the service yesterday we got into groups and considered a list of eight lies - and then ranked them from the most serious to the least serious. You can find this list on our notice sheet for yesterday. One answer to this question is that they are all as serious as each other because a lie is a lie is a lie, and the disciple of Jesus should not have a part in telling lies. But it's interesting to see the mental gymnastics we go through to justify some lies but not others.

It is important not to lie because lies break down trust and relationships are built on trust. We saw in last week's passage just how important healthy relationships are.

Also a number of verses in the Bible tell us that truth comes from God whereas lies are from the devil. For example, John 14:6, John 8:44, and Hebrews 6:18.

But having said all that I still wonder if there are any (extreme) circumstances in which the right thing to do is to lie. And if so what criteria do we use to distinguish between a lie that is right and one which is not.

Answers on a post card please...

To listen to this message click here.

Mobile Phone or Bible?

Here's something I came across the other day...

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our mobile phone?

What if we carried it around in our bags or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we left it at home?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?

What if we gave it to our children as a gift?

What if we used it when we travelled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go…..hmm……. where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our mobile phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected, out of battery, or somewhere where there is no signal because Jesus already paid the bill, and the power and the signal come from the Holy Spirit.

Makes you stop and think ‘where are my priorities?

Trust in the Lord and *ASAP (Always Say A Prayer)

Shaken faith?

As Christians we often talk of hope, peace, joy and thankfulness in the midst of crisis. This evening there was a report on Channel 4 news from Haiti revealing how Christians are still praising God, even in temporary camps, and how this disaster has actually deepened the faith of many, and caused others to turn from alternative religions to Christianity.

Just do it

Given the number of times Christians fall out over all manner of things, and churches end up divided it's a wonder that Jesus never taught anything about the value of relationships. Surely Jesus should have realised how detrimental to the spread of the good news bickering Christians would be. Didn't he see how unattractive it would be to have churches arguing between themselves and amongst themselves. You would have thought that he'd have predicted just how confusing it would be to people to have all kinds of denominations all teaching something slightly different.

This Sunday, in our journey through the Sermon on the Mount, we covered Matthew 5:13-32, which includes, among other things, sections on murder, adultery and divorce. Relationships are key, and anything that damages our relationships with each other needs to be seen for what it is - as serious as murder. And when we are a part of a broken relationship there is little that is more important than putting it right. Even if we are in the middle of church, and a person's name springs to mind - someone we have offended or upset or wronged - what does Jesus say? Sort it out and then come back. Get up, go and make the call, visit them, do whatever it takes on your part to put things right.

There is little that is more important than right relationships. And don't put it off until later - do it now...yes you - do it now - stop reading this blog and make the call. Sort it out. You can come back and listen to the message later!

To listen to this message click here

Don't slip up - walk on a Christian

In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus describes his disciples as salt and light.

Salt provides flavour to food; it was used as a preservative in the days before fridges; it can be used to clean wounds; it melts ice to keep pavements safe. Therefore disciples are those who add flavour to society making it 'taste' better. They stop the rot. They bring healing. They will stop you slipping over if you walk on them in the snow.

It is possible that Jesus had the first three of these images in mind in Matthew 5 - it is unlikely that the final image occurred to any of his listeners, but I might be wrong.

Light allows us to see, so that when we walk we don't bump into things or fall over. It allows us to find things that may otherwise be hidden. It is attractive - when you are lost in the mountains you will walk towards a light. So disciples are those who show the way and are attractive to others.

We can't know for sure whether Jesus had one or more of these images in his mind as he spoke about salt and light. But taken as a whole these are positive images. A disciple should have a positive impact on the society in which she or he lives. A disciple will make a difference.

What difference will we make today?

Do you want peace or persecution? Can you have both?

'Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God' (Matthew 5:9). When we read about peace in the Bible much more is meant than simply the absence of conflict. There can only be peace with wholeness and completeness. When these things are absent there won't be a real peace. Things may sometimes seem ok at times but there is turmoil bubbling away just below the surface.

Over Christmas you may have read/heard the passage from Isaiah 9:6 which gives Jesus the name 'prince of peace' among others. This morning I was reading in Matthew 10:34 in which Jesus says, 'I did not come to bring peace but a sword...' So does Jesus bring peace or not?

Only true peace can be found in Jesus because it is only through Jesus that we can know wholeness. It comes through acknowledging that Jesus is Lord - now I will live his way and not my own. I will put God's priorities first, not my own. But living that kind of life will put us into conflict with those who don't acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. Not that we go out looking for trouble - as far as it is down to us we should seek to live peacefully with all (Hebrews 12:14). But putting Jesus first will mean that inevitably other people/things will have to be at best second, if not third, fourth or fifth priorities.

Living as a disciple of Jesus will bring persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). But whilst we should not go looking for persecution, we should certainly not run from it at all costs, for 'Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven' (verse 10). Even though the life of a disciple is one that makes a positive impact (salt and light) there will be those who will not like what they see. Whether through envy, jealousy, or some other reason they will want to bring the disciple down.

Peace or persecution? On the surface the two may seem mutually exclusive - but the disciple of Jesus can know both at the same time. Experiencing the hardship that comes from persecution and yet knowing the peace of God that is beyond all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7).

More Snow

However inconvenient - fresh snow does make for a beautiful landscape. But if you've been out and about in the UK this last week or so you will know that it doesn't take long for the whiteness to become a dirty grey and then black alongside roads etc. And once it starts to melt it goes to that grey slushy stage.

In our week long reflection on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) we reach 'blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God' (verse 8). The image of being washed whiter than snow is found in Psalm 51:7, a Psalm that David wrote on being confronted after committing murder and adultery. But if you're anything like me it doesn't take long before the whiteness starts to turn a little grey, and then a little bit more...

Psalm 24:3-4 tells us that it is those with clean hands and a pure heart who may ascend the mountain of the Lord. Psalm 119:9 tells us that it is as we live by God's word that we keep our way pure. But a clean heart is only possible through the work of God - when we ask Him (Psalm 51:10). And we need to keep on asking, coming back again and again for forgiveness. When we live this close to God Jesus says we will see him.

Righteousness and Mercy

Next in our list Jesus teaches that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled. Clearly, when taken within the context of the whole gospel, or even within the context of this chapter (Matthew 5), Jesus is not talking about the self-righteousness of the religious establishment. This is not an invitation to try to live out the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount and then wear them as some kind of self-righteous badge of achievement.

Jesus is talking here about people who passionately desire righteousness - in the same way that you are passionate about eating and drinking when you are hungry and thirsty. This will include a desire to see justice done in the world - that individuals, corporations and nations do the right thing, not just the quickest, easiest or cheapest thing.

It will also involve a personal element - the desire for personal ethical righteousness and a separation from sin. This is something that can't be achieved in our own strength. We need God's help through the Holy Spirit working in our lives. We need God's forgiveness for sin and His empowerment to live the kind of life the Jesus is outlining for us here.

The righteousness that Jesus talks of is only possible after God has dealt with my failings. Rather than treat me as my sin deserves I can know forgiveness through Jesus' death - this is the mercy of God - not giving me what I deserve. And having experienced the mercy of God, Jesus commands his disciples to show that kind of mercy to others - blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy (Matthew 5:7)...or does he?

Jesus' teaching here on mercy and elsewhere on forgiveness (e.g. Matthew 6:14-15) is not that because we have experienced mercy/forgiveness we should be merciful/forgiving (although that is true). Rather it is the other way around - if you show mercy/forgiveness then you will experience mercy/forgiveness.

A true disciple will be merciful - that is they will treat people in a way that they don't necessarily deserve. They won't look for revenge. They won't exclude people because of some offence. They won't pay back evil for evil. Instead they will assume the best and not the worst. They will give the benefit of the doubt. They will continue to show love and kindness even when those actions have been stamped on and abused in the past. They won't just give a second chance or even a third chance - instead they won't be counting or keeping a record of wrongs.

Who dares wins

Given the number of verses in the OT that encourage the people of God to be strong (e.g. four times in just Joshua 1) it might come as a surprise to find that Jesus never commanded his disciples to be strong. That is not to say that strength is a bad thing - indeed Luke 2:40 describes the child Jesus as growing and becoming strong, filled with wisdom... (where as John the Baptist grew and became strong in spirit (Luke 1:80). Instead disciples of Jesus are commanded to be meek, to be gentle.

I'm sure that Jesus had nothing against physical strength - as a carpenter in the first century he would have had to be physically strong. Likewise the fishermen would have been strong men. But you can be both physically strong and meek or gentle at the same time. Meekness/gentleness is to do with attitude. It also has nothing to do with weakness. Jesus is described as gentle but he could never be accused of being weak. Facing the cross Jesus refused to argue back, he refused to call armies from heaven - he was God and yet he took it all - that's not weakness.

If Jesus had said that the strong would inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5) - that would be something we could all identify with. We are all too aware from the daily news programmes that we still believe, after all these years, that the way to be successful is to be stronger than your opponent - whether that works out as gun and knife crime on the streets or military campaigns on an international level. The world would want us to believe that you need to be strong in order to get on.

But Jesus tells his disciples that we are to be meek. Not domineering or aggressive, or harsh. Not trying to establish our own little kingdoms/empires at work... Not to assert ourselves over others to get our own way. But that does not mean that we will be weak. It does not mean that we won't confront injustice where we see it. It does not mean that we won't stand up and be counted...

For goodness sake - cheer up

Yesterday, we started a series on the Sermon on the Mount, looking at Matthew 5:1-12 - a passage known as the Beatitudes, although we really only had time to look at v3, 'blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs in the kingdom of God'. Instead of rushing through the other seven 'blessed are the...' yesterday we're going to look at each one over the rest of the week - starting today with 'blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted'.

The kingdom that Jesus is announcing certainly is an upside down kingdom. It is the sort of place where those who mourn are blessed - something that is the very opposite of what we might assume. How can this be?

I wonder if you've ever been in a church where the person leading the service has criticised the congregation for looking too miserable or not singing enthusiastically enough - being told to smile, look like you're blessed by God, clap ...

There are times when those who are mourning and therefore who don't want to sing, or clap, or put on a fake smile may actually be closer to God than all those singing at the tops of their voices with their hands in the air. It is often when we reach our low points that we are able to become aware of the presence of God and be comforted by Him.

There are different reasons why we might be mourning. Sometimes our mourning is as a consequence of being poor in spirit - aware of our sins and failings all we can do is humble ourselves before God and cry out to Him e.g. Psalm 51, James 4:7-10. Often our mourning is a result of some loss, even a death. But even here for the Christian there is hope. So whilst mourning is a right response it is mixed with hope e.g. 1 Thessalonians 4:13.

And God can use all that we go through to shape us into the people He wants us to be. Those who have never experienced any hardship, struggle or loss are not the best people to come alongside those who have - everything is theoretical rather than personal. But when we have been through these struggles and started to come out the other side God is able to use us to bring His comfort and love to others, e.g. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.

Unexpected Blessings

Yesterday we began a series looking at Jesus' teaching on what it means to be his disciple in the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7.

Jesus starts with a list of the kinds of people who will find favour with God. I guess if we were asked to write this kind of list we might agree with many of the Old Testament writers - God blesses those who don't mix with sinners, who trust God, who listen to God, who are obedient to God, who are blameless...who go to church, who pray, who ask, who do the right things and who don't do the wrong things...

But the surprise is that Jesus starts with 'blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven' (Matthew 5:3). People who are poor in spirit are at the end of their own strength, they have questions and doubts and very few if any answers, they've messed up, they feel far from God, they feel worthless, they are the losers of this world.



They are people like the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14 who does not even want to look to heaven, instead he beats his breast and says, 'God, have mercy on me a sinner.'

The problem is that all to often we feel that those who are blessed and those who will be blessed are those who are more like the Pharisee in Luke 18, who can say, 'I thank you that I am not like other people - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get'.

At the beginning of this sermon Jesus reminds us that the invitation to be a part of the kingdom of heaven is for those who have come to the end of their own resources - and who put themselves totally into the hands of God. It is not for those who want to try and earn their way in. And so as Jesus goes on to describe what discipleship looks like we must make sure that we don't turn these commands into a moral badge of honour - as if when we do these things God will owe us anything. Instead, as we accept the love and forgiveness of God who welcomes us in our brokenness, we respond in love by doing the things that please God.

No wonder Jesus' message was good news to the prostitutes, tax collectors and 'sinners' of Jesus' day.

To listen to this message click here.

Another Operation Christmas Child Update

Just to let those of you who are interested know - if you contributed one of the 120 boxes we collected for Operation Christmas Child those boxes (along with another 18,000 +) were sent to a processing warehouse in Borehamwood, from where they were shipped out in early December to needy children in Mozambique.

Culprit Uncovered by Covering of Snow

If you live in the UK you will know that we are experiencing what the media are referring to as the 'big freeze' - but is actually more like the decent winter weather we should get at this time of year, but so often don't! Anyway the covering of snow has solved one mystery...

Just inside the front gate of the church is a wooden side gate that gives entry to the garden. I'm guessing that most people have not even noticed it as it looks quite a lot like the fence when closed. It is just that most mornings when I get to the church it is not closed but open. The problem with the gate is that it does not latch properly, but it seems that everyday someone is using the church car park and garden as a short cut - and leaving the wooden side gate open.

Anyway - the snow gave the opportunity to solve the mystery of who was leaving the gate open once and for all. This morning on arrival at the church, the gate was indeed open, and there were a single clear set of footprints in the snow, leading through the gate, across the car park... easy to follow the prints and find out which house they led to...it was just then a case of ringing the bell and finding out why the person repeatedly left the gate open and trespassed on church property...

But the footprints belonged to a fox. The gate is being left open by a fox.

When I was younger, when we left a door open we would often be challenged, 'were you born in a field?' I guess the answer in this case is probably 'yes'.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

One of my favourite quotes/poems is the beginning of the poem popularly known as 'The Gate of the Year' written by Minnie Louise Haskins in 1908. It was perhaps most famously quoted by King George VI in his 1939 Christmas Address just a few months after Britain had entered World War 2. The words remind us as we stand at the beginning of another year that although we have no idea what lies ahead God knows, and He has promised to be with us.

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.