Welcome

On Monday I went to part of a Hindu wedding. Although I have been to Asian Christian weddings and Muslim weddings before, this is the first Hindu wedding I have attended. In reality it was only a small part of what was apparently a very long day for others, which was one day of three.

The daughter of our next door neighbours was getting married and we were invited to the reception. [As it turned out this meant that you turned up any time between about 6pm and 8pm, went straight away to eat - a served buffet of great tasting food - and then went to greet the bride and groom and their parents - and then leave when you were ready.] But having never been to a Hindu wedding we didn't really know what to expect. But we were warmly welcomed at the entrance to the hall, and after looking aimless and clueless for only a matter of seconds we were instructed that we should first of all go downstairs to eat. Again at the next entrance we were greeted and told which way to go. We were helped with our selection of food, directed to a table and one kind gentlemen even carried my tray for me as I had our 1 year old in the other arm.

Friendly faces greeted us back upstairs and helped us to understand what we were supposed to do and took the time to answer our questions, they offered to take photos for us, spoke with the children...

Going somewhere for the first time or doing something for the first time is always a slightly nervous experience. I think sometimes we forget, in our churches, how nervous coming into the building can be, especially if you've never been in a church before. Which way to do I go? Can I sit anywhere? What should I wear? Will there be chairs? Do I need to take my shoes off? When do I stand up? What happens when the offering comes around? What's communion all about?

Stewards are there to do so much more than simply give out the Bibles. They can make a person feel comfortable and at home within seconds. And all of us have a responsibility to be welcoming and helpful. It is the warmth of welcome and the friendliness of the people that may make more of a lasting impression than the quality of the sermon!

Knock Knock...

I have an office at the church, at the end of a corridor - that doesn't really go anywhere. So most footsteps that make their way along the corridor are almost certainly coming to see me. And sometimes these footsteps make interesting listening. They get less and less confident as they approach the end of the corridor, almost as if there is some internal battle going on in the walker. When they reach the door there is invariably a pause - as if the visitor is first of all trying to establish whether I am in or not; if they think I'm in am I in the middle of an important meeting or phone call; maybe I'm too busy and they should come back later; maybe their 'issue' is not so important after all... The majority will then knock, and wait to be invited in.

But there are three people in the church who refuse to follow this protocol. They simply run down the corridor at full speed and burst into the office without so much as a knock or 'excuse me' (the latch on the door doesn't work so the door can simply be pushed open). They are, of course, my three young daughters. They're not coming to see the pastor, they're coming to see their daddy. And whatever it is they want to show me or tell me, or even if they just want a cuddle, they will interrupt whatever I'm doing.

In our weekly series in Hebrews we have reached chapter 8, which talks (amongst other things) about how the 'new covenant' is about having a relationship with God. It is about knowing God - not just knowing about God. God invites us to be his children, to be in a relationship with him. He offers forgiveness for sins (verse 12). And part of this all means that we can come into God's presence with confidence (4:16).

How do we feel about coming into God's presence? Do we stand at the door and knock cautiously, full of doubt as to whether we should even be there? Or do we run down the corridor and burst in without knocking because we want to see our heavenly daddy, who loves us?

Fed up with Football

I thought I'd share some highlights from last night's 0-0 draw between England and Algeria.





OK - now that that's done, on to something completely different.

If you enjoyed the first two films from the Chronicles of Narnia you will be pleased to know that the next installment - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be coming out at the end of the year.

What's the difference betwee Robert Green and Jesus?

With the football World Cup starting this last weekend I thought I'd start my sermon on Sunday with a football link - and so on Thursday I wrote my opening paragraph about one of the England goalkeepers David James - those of you who follow English football may also know him as Calamity James - because of some of the mistakes he has made. I'd chosen one Youtube clip from among many. All building up to the conclusion of that opening paragraph: 'What's the difference between Jesus and David James?'

But then on Saturday evening in England's World Cup opener against the USA with Robert Green in goal, this happened.



A quick re-write of the opening paragraph was required on Sunday morning, with a new punchline: 'What's the difference between Jesus and Robert Green?' The answer: 'Jesus saves'.

This week, in our series in the book of Hebrews, we were looking at chapter 7. And in that chapter we read that Jesus is able to save completely.

The author of this letter wants her/his readers to know that when it comes to knowing your past forgiven, knowing peace, having a right relationship with God, seeing that your past need no longer define your present or your future - it is only Jesus who can do that. Jesus saves.

An Apple a Day...

At the moment it seems as if I'm getting an email from Apple pretty much every day with news of the new iPad or iPhone4...so far I have resisted clicking on the 'Buy Now' button! But some of you no doubt use an iPhone or iPod Touch or maybe even an iPad - or maybe something similar made by someone else.

We are nearly halfway through the year (this is week 23 - we reach the halfway point at the end of the month), and for those of you who have been memorising the weekly Bible verses printed on our church notice sheet, that means you should now have 23 verses memorised.

But memorising Bible verses takes effort. Those of you who are going through exams at the moment will know that it is possible to memorise something for tomorrow's exam, but you will have forgotten it all in two days time! To memorise Bible verses and keep them memorised is a discipline that requires going over verses again and again and again, and then reviewing the older verses regularly so that they remain accessible and at your finger tips.

In the past, in the days when I used a PDA, (before reverting back to pen and paper - neither of which need a battery or are likely to crash) I had a great program produced by Laridian that helped with memorising Bible verses. Once the verses were entered you could check you knew them by typing the first letter of each word. And if you got totally stuck there was a 'hint' button. Now I simply use little cards with the verses written on them!

But for those of you who sleep with your iPad under your pillow, or who don't go out without your iPhone why not look up an app that will help you memorise the Bible? Do a search on 'Bible Memory Verses' in the apps store. I haven't tried any of these out so can't make a personal recommendation but there are a number to choose from. Some of these apps are free, but you might have to pay a bit for some of the better ones, or to have one that includes a modern translation such as the NIV.

An apple a day might not keep the doctor away, and neither will memorising a verse of the Bible a week - but over the years, it will be time and effort that you will not regret.

Camping Trip

If you've been wondering where I've been - the answer is camping. Here are a few pictures.

Toasting marshmellows.



Worn out after a hard day's camping!