It's nearly 2016

As 2015 comes to an end and we look ahead to the new year, one of the things that I'm excited about for 2016 is reading through the whole Bible. This is something that I have done a few times in the past and it has always been a really rewarding experience, especially when it is done with other people. Not only is there the incentive/encouragement to keep on going through Leviticus and Numbers because of accountability to one another, but there is also the benefit of informally sharing with others who have read the same part of the Bible that day.

In 2016 a few of us at CBC are going to be following The Bible Project's 'Read Scripture' daily reading programme. Again, one of the things that I'm looking forward to with this programme is reading/praying through the Psalms 2.5 times in the year. Then there are the short videos on YouTube that introduce every new book of the Bible and several key themes along the way.

If you've not yet had a look at what this programme is all about why not head over to their web page and sign up by clicking here.

You may have visited this page already and thought that it would be really helpful to have a single page print out of the whole year which you could stick in the back of your Bible which listed all the readings and when to watch the videos. Well, they've included one of those too in the last few days. You can download and print it by clicking here.

If you do want to read with others (either at CBC or online) then let me know and I'll add you to the group.

For those of you who are already signed up and can't wait to get started - then here's the first video for Genesis 1-11.

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas.

Handbags at dawn

Here's the video that I showed on Sunday at the Carol Service - the one with the hand bag.

Advent - week 4

Yesterday was the fourth and final Sunday in Advent - it was also our Carol Service here at CBC.

So far in this mini series of Advent posts we have briefly looked at the themes of hope, peace and joy. To complete the set we need to focus on love.

Certainly at Christmas time these are themes that are not exclusively linked to people of faith - they are seen as attainable seasonal ideals within our wider culture. You only need to watch a few Christmas adverts, or watch a few Christmas films to know that our society is looking for hope, joy, peace and love at this time of year.



And it expects to be able to find it. But as the wise men discovered - you won't find what you're looking for unless you're looking in the right place.

Presumably, this advert from John Lewis, is encouraging us to show someone that they are loved this Christmas by sending a gift - but the Man on the Moon is still alone at the end of the advert. He now knows that someone knows he exists - but he is still alone.

Part of the good news of great joy of Christmas is that we are no longer alone. Jesus was given the name Emmanuel - which means 'God with us'. And whilst sin separates us from God - Christmas reminds us that God came to earth to be born as a little baby, in order to make it possible for the divide between us and God to be bridged. 

God didn't just send a gift - he came himself. And he promises to be with us what ever it is that we're going through this Christmas. He doesn't just see it from far off - he walks the road with us. 


God demonstrates his love for us by coming to earth to live with us and ultimately to die for us - not by sending a gift to show us that he's thinking of us.

Reading the Bible in 2016

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about The Bible Project's 'Read Scripture' reading plan and video resources.

Here's another little video that they have released to explain what they're doing and why you might want to be involved.

If you want to find out how to download a printer friendly reading plan and sign up to their email alerts you'll need to click here.




One of our seven core values at CBC is that we are biblical. We will only encounter God in the pages of the Bible if we read it - which is one of the reasons it is so hard at times - the enemy will do anything to make sure that our Bibles stay closed. If you're looking for a Bible reading programme for the coming year, and want to read through the whole Bible, this looks a really good resource, and the videos are going to be a great help to understanding some of the more challenging books in the Bible as well as offering the occasional nudge and encouragement to keep going.

Another of our core values is that we are prayerful. One of the things that excites me most about this programme is the way it wants to develop the daily habit of praying through the Psalms. 

Our vision talks about becoming a ...community... My experience is that when I have taken part in a through the Bible reading programme in the past, I have benefited most when I have done it with other people. If you're a part of CBC and wanting to follow this programme I'd encourage you to sign up to do it with others. If you're not a part of CBC then find someone who lives near you to do it with - or get in touch and we can think about setting up a virtual group.

Which is the odd one out?

Which is the odd one out? That's the question I asked at this morning's school Carol Service.

Predictably most of the children, I reckon about 80%, went for Father Christmas - knowing that the big guy dressed in red probably didn't make an appearance in the Bible story, whereas the other five probably have something to do with the 'real' meaning of Christmas.

But the correct answer is not Father Christmas. The correct answer is the manger.

Of these six images only the manger is mentioned in the Bible account of the Christmas story. 

Surprising?

We then went on to talk about other surprises in the Christmas story.

Mary was a surprising choice for such an important role, a peasant girl in a small village.

The shepherds were a surprising choice as the first to hear about Jesus and the first to tell others. If you wanted a popular and reliable witness you certainly didn't ask a first century shepherd.

The 'wise men' - really they were astrologers and we don't know how many of them there were - were surprised. They turned up in the capital city at the palace looking for this new born king but found the young boy living about 5 miles away in poverty in a little house.

But the biggest surprise in the story? That it happened - that God came as a baby, to be born into poverty, to grow up and about thirty years later, to die - to demonstrate God's love for me. That's the biggest surprise in this story - that God loves us.

Feel free to stop reading at this point - that's a summary of the assembly - but if you're interested in knowing a bit more about the donkey or the stable then you might like to read on.

For some of us it might come as quite a surprise to find out that none of the other five are part of the original story. Father Christmas - obviously isn't. 

Most of us probably know that 25th December isn't Jesus' actual birthday but instead was chosen as the 3rd/4th century church took over a pagan festival. Depending on what you read you get different details about when and which festival but many have links to the winter solstice, to light, marking the shortest day in the year and the 'rebirth' of the sun. Given John's comments about Jesus being the 'light of the world', and 'the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it' this would seem a good choice. We have no idea as to Jesus' actual birthday - but not many peasant boys did back then. [It is also true that no where in the New Testament are we told to celebrate Jesus' birth - whereas we are told to remember and commemorate his death - but that's a whole different post.]

So the donkey - surely there was a donkey. How did Mary get to Bethlehem if not on a 'Little donkey, little donkey'? She may have gone by donkey, she may have had to walk. But walking 70 miles at 9 months pregnant? (I'm guessing 70 miles on the back of a donkey wouldn't be much fun either.) But where does it say that Mary gave birth within hours of arriving in Bethlehem, following a desperate search for somewhere to stay? They could have been there for weeks before Jesus was born. But there is no mention of a donkey.

But the stable and the inn keeper - surely they're a part of the story? Sorry - but not necessarily. 

If you have a modern translation of Luke 2:7 you'll see that there was no 'guest room' available for Mary and Joseph - rather than older translations which talk of there being no place at the 'inn'. The word translated guest room/inn is only used in one other context in the New Testament - to talk about the guest room where Jesus ate the last supper with his disciples. When the good Samaritan takes the injured man to an inn - that's a different word altogether. So Mary and Joseph were probably staying with relatives, but because there was no other available space in the house they were staying in the part of the house where the animals were kept during the night - hence the reason for the manger. The animals would have been kept inside the house at night in order to keep them safe from harm. 

But - there is a lot that we simply don't know about Jesus' birth - we are simply not told. And a lot that we think we do know comes from Christmas cards or Christmas Carols, rather than the New Testament.

But what we do know is that Jesus was born in order to save us from our sins. We know that God so loved the world that he sent Jesus. That's the real surprise of the story.

A re-newed vision

Back in the middle of October we began a period of praying and fasting at CBC specifically focusing on God's vision for his church here in this place. Then on Wednesday 25th November we came together as a church and shared the various thoughts that we had as we looked at three specific questions:

• Who is God calling us to be?
• Who is God calling us to reach?
• How does God want us to do this?

It was great to be able to present a new vision at the Members' Meeting last night - which draws from this time of prayer, conversations with different people, and the discussion and feedback from the 25th. If you weren't able to make the meeting yesterday then here's what you missed.

Our Vision

We are seeking to be an authentic community of disciples, becoming more like Jesus - walking in step with God, alongside each other and seeing lives transformed.

Our Values

Everything that we do and say is shaped by our seven core values:

• Loving
• Welcoming
• Missional
• Servant-hearted
• Biblical
• Spirit-led
• Prayerful

As we introduce this new vision over the next few months we will be explaining how this will impact what we do, and hopefully we will begin to see how we make choices and decisions based on our vision and values.

To help us to understand these statements a bit better I have added some notes below.

Unpacking Our Vision

Authentic - a place where genuine faith, characterised by an on-going relationship with Jesus, meets real life and recognises that often life is messy. We want to be a place where people can be themselves without the need for masks.

Community - a place where we learn together and where we support one another, where everyone feels welcome and has a place and a role, as we share our lives together.

Disciples - as disciples we are followers of Jesus and take discipleship seriously. This is a lifelong calling and requires a commitment to put Jesus first in all areas of our lives. We are called to make disciples and we recognise that genuine fulfilment can only be found in relationship with Jesus.

Becoming more like Jesus - this is our aim, to be more like Jesus.

Walking in step with God - on this journey of discipleship we need to follow where God leads, living in obedience to his calling, sensitive to the work of the Spirit, trusting that God has promised to walk with us.

Alongside each other - We are not called to this journey alone, but we are in community with others. On this journey we will learn from those ahead of us and we will encourage those behind us. We are also called to walk alongside those in our wider community sharing our life with them.

Seeing lives transformed - just as we experience the transforming presence of God’s Spirit in our lives we pray that as we share our lives with others they will be transformed too.



Unpacking our Values

Loving: Jesus commanded us to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind and to love our neighbours as ourselves. On the cross Jesus demonstrated what genuine love looks like. We will be motivated in everything by our love for God and we will care for, listen to, and think the best of each other.

Welcoming: Jesus offered a welcome to everyone - particularly those on the fringes. We will be welcoming to all and will practice hospitality as individuals and as a church.

Missional: Jesus sent his disciples out into the world to make disciples as they shared their experience of Jesus with others. We will ensure our focus is outward and we will reach out to others with the love of God - locally, nationally and internationally.

Servant-hearted: Jesus came to serve and he calls us to be his servants and develop a servant heart. We will commit to discovering and using the gifts that God has given each of us, so that we are all serving where God wants us to be.

Biblical: Jesus knew how to use the Word of God and it is through its pages that we encounter God and discover this big story that we are now a part of. We will spend time reading the Bible and we put ourselves under God’s authority as revealed through the truths of Scripture.

Spirit-led: Jesus promised his disciples would be filled with the Spirit and without his presence we are nothing. We will welcome the work of the Spirit, and want to see his fruit and gifts in our lives.

Prayerful: Jesus was never too busy to spend time alone with God in prayer. Without God we can do nothing of genuine value. We will be committed to spending time in prayer expectantly waiting for God to speak to us.

Why you can't be a baptist and agree with Donald Trump on Muslims

Although I am a baptist minister I have not always been a baptist. And I am fairly sure that within our baptist churches today the majority of people would not see themselves primarily as baptists - by which I mean - if they were to move house they would look for a good local church - whether that be baptist or not. Their choice would probably be based on things like theological stance on certain issues, style of worship, quality of preaching and provision for children - but these things can be found in a whole range of 'type' of church.

By the same score I am fairly sure that there will be many people within our baptist churches who know very little baptist history. When I moved to take up a teaching post in Essex I started attending a baptist church because their notice board said they had a mid week badminton club - my choice had nothing to do four hundred years of history.

But sometimes it is good to remember that history, and to remember those things that were central to the first baptist congregations - those things that marked them out as being different. Because those things - some people might speak of 'our baptist DNA' - should shape the way we think and act today.

You have probably heard or read Donald Trump's recent comments about a ban on Muslims entering the United States. Amongst supporters of this rallying call there are unfortunately those who would claim to be within the baptist fold. 

Here's a great article written by Steven Holmes on why such a stance is un-baptist. 

Advent - week 3

Yesterday was the third Sunday in Advent and so today I want to explore the theme of 'joy'. [In week 1 we looked at hope, and last week we looked at peace.]

When the angels came and spoke to the shepherds they claimed to have good news of great joy for all the people - that a saviour had been born. Next week at our Carol Service we will be singing the traditional version of 'Joy to the world'. But one of my favourite versions of this song is Chris Tomlin's 'Unspeakable Joy' from the album 'Glory in the Highest'.



Last week I took a Carol Service and used a great piece of writing by Bob Hartman entitled 'A Christmas Eve service for those who don't feel like celebrating' in which various participants take offence or question the possibility of the peace or the joy of the shepherds' message and through which we are encouraged to recognise and to pray for those who don't feel like celebrating this Christmas - whilst at the same time acknowledging that hope, peace, joy and love are available because of the baby who was born.

Personally this Christmas is going to be different. Many of you will know that in the summer, my sister, Carol died after a long on-off battle with cancer. And this Christmas will be the first time that we are all together again as a family since Carol's funeral and thanksgiving service. And along with many many families this Christmas as we spend time together we will be acutely aware of those who are no longer here. And so in amongst the joy of the season there will be sadness and no doubt a few tears.

But the joy of Christmas that the angels spoke about isn't dependant on presents, or good food and a celebratory drink. It's not even about time together with family. It's about being right with God, and the promise that Jesus is coming again. It's the joy that comes from knowing new life now and the hope of the resurrection to come.

Want to read the Bible in 2016?

Although many of us are so busy getting ready for Christmas that we've not had a time to pause and think ahead to 2016, it will soon be that time of year when we are encouraged to do so. Are there habits we need to cut out of our lives in the new year? Are their things we want to bring in to our lives in the new year? And whilst we can make these changes at any point often the transition from 31 December to 1 January is an encouragement to change.

I know from my own experience and the experiences of many I talk to that when it comes to spiritual disciplines such as prayer and Bible reading such reflection often generates the response 'could do better' and an added encouragement to start again or start afresh on 1 January.

If you're looking for something new and challenging in 2016 here's a year long Bible reading programme from the people over at The Bible Project. I'll let them tell you all about it - they'll do a much better job at it than me.



As they acknowledge, reading through the whole Bible in a year is quite a challenge, but a worthwhile one. I'm sure their short videos and an understanding of the bigger picture will help and encourage people to keep going. But my experience is that when I have attempted something like this with other people I am most likely to make it through Leviticus and Lamentations and eventually arrive in Revelation.

It is also exciting that they are encouraging us to read the Psalms in the way they are supposed to be read - as the prayer book and the song book of God's people.

So if you are looking for a Bible reading scheme for next year - here's a great one. But can I also encourage you to go on that journey with others.

Watch again and catch up

A couple of weeks ago the young people led the service and showed a video on prayer. In case you missed it or want to catch it again here it is.

 


Here's one of the songs we sang on Sunday that I haven't been able to get out of my head...

Advent - week 2

This morning we will light the second candle on our Advent wreath as we continue this season of preparation, waiting and anticipation which many in the church know as Advent. [See last week's reflection here].

This week I will be taking an Advent assembly in a local Church of England primary school - so I have been swotting up on the various traditional themes for Advent - week 2 (relying on those ever reliable and accurate sources: Google and Wikipedia).

A common theme for the second week in Advent is 'Peace', which, given events over the past weeks seems very appropriate and much in need. As we read the papers, watch the television, browse the internet and listen to the radio, peace is one thing that seems in very short supply in our world. Whether it's civil war, terrorist atrocities, civilians caught up in a refugee crisis, laser guided bombing campaigns, domestic violence, stabbings or shooting on our streets - it seems as though peace is something we could all do with this Christmas.



This week, following on from events in Paris, the news here has been full of the decision taken by MPs to extend air strikes to sites within Syria. Much has been said and broadcast on both sides of the debate this week. But it seems to me that there are many who see the options as either bombing or doing nothing. As if the only response to what we've seen in Paris and in other cities around the world is a military option. And if you don't fight back you're you're accused of doing nothing or even worse - accused of being in sympathy with those who seek to bring fear through violence. It's as if everything we tell our children about their behaviour in the playground no longer applies when it comes to the world stage.

[If you want to think a bit more about how we should be thinking about our response to what's going on in Iraq and Syria here is a very interesting article written by Alan Storkey.] 

Advent reminds us that the good news didn't begin and end with the birth of a special baby. The story goes back much further than that, and it moves forward to involve the life of this baby who became a man. A man who suffered a violent death. But even his death, or resurrection, isn't the end of the story. Even a casual reading of this life, this story, opens up to us the possibility of an alternative to hostility. For Jesus was continually surprising his opponents (and his followers). Repeatedly his opponents engineered situations which they hoped would force Jesus into one of two responses - only for him to take an alternative they had not even thought of.

Whilst we may not personally find ourselves in a situation where we are having to consider and then vote on whether or not to drop bombs, we will certainly find ourselves in situations where we have choices to make which may or may not lead towards peace and reconciliation. Whether it's something we say or something we do - will our actions escalate or defuse? Let's ask God for his wisdom in knowing how to act so that we are peacemakers this week. May God also give us wisdom in knowing how to stand up and protest in ways that are non violent when we see inaction and injustice in our community and in our world.

...to be continued

This coming Sunday will be the final in our current series at CBC - 'From Sinai to the Promised Land'. These last two Sundays have been spent in the final chapters of Deuteronomy, the last book in the Torah.

Here's another great video from the brilliant people at 'The Bible Project'. If you get a chance to look at it before Sunday it will give you a good overview of the story so far, and the layout of Deuteronomy in particular.




As we finish this series we leave the People of Israel at the borders of the Promised Land - a place they had been once before. Moses is dead, Joshua is now leading the people... What will happen next?

We'll pick up the story again on Sunday 4th September - but before then we have an exciting series looking at the Kingdom of God coming up straight after Christmas.

Do not fear

On Sunday the young people did a great job of leading our service based on Deuteronomy 31:1-8, and thinking about God's desire for his people and for Joshua - that they are not afraid of what is to come, but instead put all their trust in God.

We offered our fears to God on pieces of paper and saw them burn up before our eyes - a visual representation of handing over those things that we worry about and then choosing not to have to worry about them any more - instead putting our trust in the God who has promised to be beside us.

And like so much of our new life as Christians this is probably going to be a daily struggle and choice. It is unlikely to be a once and for all choice - it would be great if it was. But for many of us I expect each day will bring its worries and we have to choose to trust God and ask him to graciously take away our fear.

There's a great story in the Old Testament about a man called Elisha. One day Elisha wakes up early and with his servant they look out and see that the city they are in is surrounded by enemy soldiers and chariots. The servant panics but Elisha tells him "don't be afraid - those who are with us are more than those who are with them". Then in response to Elisha's prayer God opens the eyes of Elisha's servant to see what Elisha can see - to catch a glimpse of the spiritual dimension. Then the servant looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around. You'll find the story in 2 Kings 6:8-23.

Advent - week 1

Yesterday morning at CBC we lit the first candle on our 'Advent wreath'.

For those of you who were not there yesterday - this photo looks nothing like our 'wreath'. It's more of a five pronged candle holder. But as I grew up in churches that hardly acknowledged Advent at all - this is clearly progress!

Given that I have no history with Advent it is perhaps ironic that this past week I spoke at a mixed group of Baptists, Anglicans and Catholics on the subject of Advent and will be taking an Advent assembly next week at a local C of E primary school.

So what is Advent?

Advent is traditionally a time of waiting and preparation for Christmas. It is recognising and identifying with God's people of old who waited for the coming of the Messiah - and it is also a recognition of the fact that as God's people today we wait for the Second Coming - and we prepare our hearts in the light of this truth.

Many of these Old Testament prophesies looking forward to the birth of Jesus are providing hope for a better future - things will not always be the way they currently are. God is going to intervene in history. He is going to rescue his people. But there were still hundreds of years of waiting.

In many church traditions the first candle on the Advent wreath is the candle of hope and is linked to the OT prophets. 

For hundreds of years the faithful lived in hope that God was going to intervene - and then he did - in a totally unexpected and surprising way.

And we continue to live in this sense of expectation. For although we have the promise that God is with us now, and that we do experience God working now, and that lives are being transformed now - there is also this longing, this expectation, this hope that things are not always going to be the way they are.

There were many times in Israel's history when they were comfortable and therefore there was no need to look ahead to a better future. These were often the times when the people turned their backs on God and went their own way. During Jesus' life he repeatedly came up against those who wanted to maintain the status quo rather than embrace a new future. 

As we wait for Christmas are we filled with a longing and an expectation and a hope for the future?

Yesterday morning our young people did a great job of taking the service and one of the songs that we sang was new to me a few months ago but is rapidly becoming one of my all time favourites (i.e. songs that are on the list to be sung at my funeral).




I believe in the resurrection - that we will rise again - for I believe in the name of Jesus.

The Joint Service

Last Sunday around 400+ local Christians came together to meet, to pray, to sing, to listen... About 20 churches in the area west of Cambridge closed their doors and joined together at Comberton Leisure for a combined morning service - officially known as the West of Cambridge Ecumenical Service - unofficially knows as the Joint Service.

This is the second of these annual services that I have been to and once again it was a brilliant experience. There is something significant about doing things together with other Christians and other churches. The New Testament has a lot to say on unity and working together. This is particularly relevant in small rural villages where working together enhances our witness of God's love for us.

Planning the service takes a number of meetings throughout the year as representatives from Baptist, Anglican, Catholic, LEP (Baptist, Anglican, Methodist, URC) and independent churches seek to shape a service that will have some points of familiarity for everyone but will also bring something new from other traditions in a way that does not exclude anyone from taking part.

This year our guest speaker was Rowan Williams who had chosen to speak on the topic of 'Engaging with Post Christian Britain'. He was great and here is my summary of what he said.

Engaging with anyone can only properly happen after we have engaged with God. If we're not engaged with God there is no point trying to engage with anyone else.

Rather than thinking about post-Christian Britain we should be thinking about a Britain that half remembers - and this brings with it both positives and negatives. We have a story to tell - the story of Jesus. And as you read the gospels, whatever else this story may or may not be it certainly isn't boring. So how has the church managed, so often, to make this story seem boring? How do we try and communicate with the world?

Bigger or Smaller?
When we talk about our Christian faith does it come across as something that makes the world bigger or smaller? Because our faith should make the world bigger. Our faith enables us to see more, to love more, to rejoice more, to make us more human. It enables us to see the thing in us that needs to be dealt with. 

The tragedy is that so often our presentation of the gospel makes the world smaller. We want a faith that defends us from the real world, that keeps us safe. But Jesus says that reality is grounded in God - and therefore we need to move into a bigger world. Being a Christian gives you more resources to look at and make sense of life.

Beginning or Ending?

Hearing and responding to the gospel is a beginning and not an ending. It is the beginning of a new life, it is not something that now achieved marks a conclusion. But sometimes the church can think of it as an ending - all our effort is focused on getting someone to that point and then there is nothing else. But there is a whole life ahead and so much to be done. The NT talks about new creation and new life. It's about being released into something, from something into something new. Being release into a world where we discover and grow. It's an endless pilgrimage towards God - not an endless loop. Do we present the faith as a beginning or as an end?

Harder or Easier?
The world often thinks that we have a faith because it makes things easier. But the truth is that the gospel makes things harder. If you're after anything for an easier life - then don't start to follow Jesus! The gospel is not about an easier life. Jesus says follow me and take risks. Take up your cross and follow. It's hard and it hurts to let go of the things that we need to let go of if we're going to follow Jesus. Rather than a comfort blanket our faith is a call to take risks.

Jesus gives people a bigger view of the world, he gives them a new beginning, he tells us that it is going to be hard but he promises to work with us and be with us.

In our presentation of the gospel and our engagement with the world do we find the stories and the faces that bring this to life? 

This is what faith looks like...

We all need good stories to tell of our faith. We need to be able to point to lives that show what Christianity looks like. These lives will not be boring they will not be small.

When we know these stories then we have something to talk about. We point to Jesus and the fullness of life that the gospel points to.

When engaging with post Christian Britain it is good to remember what kind of book the Bible is. It's not a book of strategy or theory. We start with the story. The act of God in opening up and transforming life. That's the Bible we've got. The Bible we need to be sharing. The strategy matters in its place etc but the lever that starts a shift in a person's life is the story.


Let us be alert to the lives where this makes a difference - and learn to share these stories.

Vision Evening

Over the last few weeks here at CBC we have been asking God to guide us as we consider what is next for us. This evening, as a part of that process, we're meeting to listen to what we believe God has being saying to us.

I know that a few people are a bit anxious about the idea of a 'Vision Evening'. If you've never been to this sort of thing before you may have questions: 'what is it?', 'what's going to happen?', 'what am I going to have to do?'.

Even if you have been to this kind of thing before I have no idea whether this one will be anything like your previous experience. 

We're going to come together and we want to worship God and to hear him speak to us. No one is going to make you do or say anything you don't want to. We will come together to worship God and to pray, and then we will move into smaller groups to share together about what we believe God has been saying to us over recent weeks. As I said last week – you may have been praying but you’ve not heard God say anything – please can I encourage you to come along. Maybe God will speak to you tomorrow. 

Our conversation will be focused around three main questions:

Who is God calling us to be?

Who is God calling us to reach?

How does God want us to do this?

The focus of the first question is who we are and the focus of the other two questions is what we do.

This evening is not going to be the end of this process. We will take away all the written feedback and read it through and pray about what we find there to discover the common threads and the direction that God is leading us in.

I’m looking forward to a great evening as we wait expectantly for what God is going to do.

Here's one of the songs that we're going to be singing which may be new to a few of you.

To ban or not to ban

Depending on where you get your daily doses of national media you may or may not be aware that the Church of England released a short advert to promote a new website - JustPray.




The plan was that this short ad would play in cinemas before the new Star Wars movie - along with ads for new cars, clothes, hotdogs and popcorn. But although cleared by all the relevant bodies the ad has been banned by the Odeon, Cineworld and Vue chains.

This has promoted a backlash amongst some parts of the media who have taken the opportunity to get on their usual soapboxes and bang their predictable drums. But here is one of the best pieces I have read a response by the Bishop of Sheffield who reminds us of the power of the Lord's Prayer and why we shouldn't be surprised that those involved in the media business should want it banned.

Day of Prayer and Fasting 5

Tomorrow (19th November) will be the last of our days of Prayer and Fasting before the Vision Evening on Wednesday  25th November. So as we continue to ask God for wisdom and guidance concerning his vision for CBC it will be good to reflect on how we hear from God.

In Acts 15 the church leaders in Jerusalem are wrestling with the new phenomena of Gentile Christians and how they fit into the church alongside Christians from a Jewish background. How do the freedoms we read about in the gospels fit with the traditions of the Old Testament faith of Israel? How are these Jewish Christians to make sense of the clear acts that God is performing in and through Gentile Christians? What about circumcision or eating pork? And so a council is called for the church leaders to come together, to pray and to discuss this exciting development in the life of the early church and how best to respond to it.

‘What has this to do with us at CBC?’ I hear you ask. The letter that was sent out from the Jerusalem church uses the phrase (verse 28) “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us …” rather than phrases such as ‘God has said…’ or ‘God has told us that…’

As we look forward to meeting together next Wednesday you may:

• feel certain about what God has been saying to you over these last few weeks,
• have some idea about what God has been saying, but you’re not sure how much of it is God and how much of it is you,
• not feel that you’ve heard from God at all but you’ve got some good ideas about the way ahead.

One of the things that this verse in Acts 15:28 shows us is that all of these responses would be expected within a church, and is valid within a broader context of prayer and a desire to obey God.

Sometimes God does speak clearly leaving us in no doubt as to what it is that he is saying. For example, this might be through a vision, or through an interpreted tongue, or through an audible voice.

Sometimes we think we hear from God but we’re not sure whether it is God or whether it’s just thoughts that we’re having, generated by our own good ideas. For example, a thought comes into our head as we’re praying, or we have a picture - which we then try and interpret. Over time and through experience we might get a better sense of what is God and what is me - so we’re fairly sure it’s God but not 100%.

And sometimes, even though we’ve been praying, we don’t feel we’ve heard anything from God but that doesn’t stop us thinking about things and discussing them together.

One of the things that we should always do as individuals and as a church is to test and to weigh what we believe God is saying. And that is what we’ll be doing next week as we come together. We will spend some time praising and worshipping God and praying together and then we will split into smaller groups to listen to what we believe God has been saying over recent weeks concerning who we are and what we should be doing.

Hopefully each of us will feel able to feed into this conversation and that by the end of this whole process (which is not the Vision Evening) we can say ‘it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…’

Pieces of pottery

Last week my two youngest daughters went on a school trip to a church where they learnt about the parables of Jesus - I think. It was a little difficult to work out exactly what they had done as the excitedly tried to tell me on the way home.

The plant pot in a plastic bag that had been thrust into my hand in the playground apparently contained a mustard seed. And there had been other stories too - there was one about a wedding, another one about a pearl, another one about hidden treasure.

They both brought home a small bag with a few items in that they had collected to remind them of the different stories. And they both had a piece of broken pottery. I never did learn what the piece of pottery was for, because it was at this point in the trip home that they descended into a full scale argument over whose piece of pottery was the biggest.

Want something to talk about this Christmas?

Some of you may have come across the Ugly Duckling Company - but if you haven't they exist to stimulate conversations around the big and the not so big questions of life - at least that's what their website says. One of the ways they do this is through Table Talk - for the iPad or as a pack of cards.

They have just released their Table Talk for Christmas advert - which you can watch now, and then pop over to the relevant app store and download for free. Click on a card and answer the questions. A few of the Christmas eve questions include: if you could change one thing about Christmas, what would it be? What would you like help with in the next hour? Can you name any of Santa's reindeer?

Day of Prayer and Fasting 4

Matthew 28:19-20 - Teaching

As we continue to pray and fast today (12th November) regarding God’s vision for His church here at CBC let’s spend one more week thinking about Jesus’ words at the end of Matthew’s gospel.

We’re asking God to guide us and show us who He wants us to be and what He wants us to be doing. The call in The Great Commission is to go and make disciples - and a part of this involves ‘teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you’.

Teaching in the first century certainly involved the discipline and structure associated with the learning of Old Testament scriptures off by heart, but when it came to disciples and their rabbi / teacher it was very much a case of learning by example. The disciple followed the rabbi as closely as possible and learned through watching and listening. The disciple would learn by watching their teacher in action, listening to what they taught and how they answered questions… Whether it’s an urban myth or has any basis in fact there is the reported saying amongst disciples about ‘being covered in the dust of your rabbi’s feet’ - where within a first century context, the closer you follow your rabbi the dustier you are going to get. 

Discipleship will mean learning a new way of life - particularly for those who have had little or no previous church contact. Some of this comes through traditional learning contexts - we might think of sermons or Bible studies or reading books - but much will also come through sharing life together with those who are already on this journey. 

As we pray and think about the kind of people God wants us to be and what God wants us to be doing, how and where are we being those who teach and learn what it means to be a follower of Jesus?

Standing in the gap

On Sunday we were looking at Numbers 16. It's a passage where Moses and Aaron repeatedly faced human opposition and three times they fell on their faces before God to intercede for the people - so that the whole of the nation would not be wiped out by God's judgement.

At the end of the chapter a plague breaks out in the camp and Aaron runs into the middle of the camp and stands in the gap between the living and the dead and makes atonement for the people. The plague stops but not until 14,700 people have died.

One of the roles of the High Priest was to stand in the gap between God and the people. To offer the sacrifices and to make atonement for the people. Atonement means restoring a broken relationship - in this case the gap between God and the people - the consequence of their sin.

In yesterday's post I mentioned that this is the sort of passage that we find hard because God's actions seem so out of proportion with what has come before. And yet this is only the case when we don't recognise the seriousness of sin, and we downplay certain characteristics and truths about God - e.g. God's holiness and judgement.

If you're anything like me you read these stories in the Old Testament and come to the conclusion that we wouldn't last three weeks before being wiped out by God's judgement. But we're not - instead we can know forgiveness, grace and atonement because Jesus stands in the gap for us. Jesus is the one who stepped in between God's judgement and the people.

In Aaron the High Priest we have a picture of Jesus - standing in the gap to save us from the consequences of God's judgement.

Rebellion

On Sunday we looked at one of those Old Testament passages which we find very difficult  because we find it hard to justify or defend God's actions. Of course God doesn't ask us to do this, and God doesn't need us to do this either. But still we feel we have to.

We were looking at Numbers 16 - a story in which about 250 of the community leaders within Israel stand in opposition to Moses and Aaron. As a result - some get swallowed whole (along with their families) as the ground opens up beneath them, some are consumed in a ball of fire, and then 14,700 of the people die of plague because they grumble about Moses and Aaron.

We're going to think a bit more about this during the week - but I want to start with this video.



One of the reasons the people rebelled was that they were not secure in who they were. They had been given an important role within the life of the community but still they wanted what had been given to someone else.

When we a confident and comfortable with who we are because of Jesus then we will truly be able to serve.

Day of Prayer and Fasting 3

Matthew 28:19-20 - Making and Baptising

Today is the third of our days of prayer and fasting - focusing on God's vision for CBC and reflecting on Jesus' words at the end of Matthew's gospel we see that Jesus calls us to go and make disciples.

In Matthew 28 - we see that being a disciple involves making disciples.

Last week we were thinking about being sent out into the world, about existing for the benefit of those who are not a part of the church. Jesus calls us to be people who are characterised by love -people who see a need and who will want to respond, to help - in practical ways.

One of the biggest mistakes we can make in our lives as disciples of Jesus is to separate out the ‘spiritual’ from the ‘practical’ - because this distinction leads us down lots of roads that ultimately prove to be dead-ends. We don’t meet a homeless person’s need for a warm drink in order to earn the right to try and convert them. We love them and therefore meet their need - needs which go deeper than what we can see on the outside.

Human beings are complex - the physical, the spiritual, the mental, the emotional…it’s all tied up together. And our needs are often complex too.

I wonder how often we see a need - let’s keep with the homeless person - and thought “if only I had £100, a £1,000 … if I won the lottery and had £1,000,000 - just think how much I could do”. But what do we have?

We can introduce people to Jesus. Surely one of the things that we believe is that until a person encounters and follows Jesus their ultimate needs are never going to be met. Therefore whatever else we may be able to offer - nothing comes close to a relationship with Jesus.

And that means bringing a person to a place of decision. In terms of the Discipleship Scale it’s about moving from B to C.

And so whatever else we may be doing as a church - where and how are we providing people with that challenge and opportunity to make this step?

Numbers - first Leviticus and now this...

This coming Sunday (as with the past two and next week) we're going to be in the Old Testament book of Numbers. This term we're going on a journey with the people of Israel 'From Sinai to the Promised Land'. A journey that should have taken a few weeks ends up taking 40 years...

If you've never read Numbers, or would struggle to provide a summary of what the book is about - then you're in good company. But here's another helpful video from The Bible Project that gives a short overview of the whole Book and where it fits in the Bible.

Day of Prayer and Fasting 2

Today is the second of our days of Prayer and Fasting at CBC - as we seek God’s guidance on our vision as a church. We are going to pray and think about who it is that God calls us to be and what it is that he wants us to do. And over the next three weeks we’re going to reflect on Jesus’ final words to his disciples - which we know today as The Great Commission - which we find in Matthew 28:19-20.

The risen Lord Jesus began by telling his disciples, “all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me … therefore you go”. The baton was being passed. And the call was to go into all the world, with the promise "and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age".

Our God is a sending God and He has called us to go into the world. When the New Testament talks about the church it is always talking about a group of people and not a building. But often when we think about ‘the church’ those thoughts are accompanied by an image of a building. And there is nothing wrong with a building - unless we start to see it as somewhere safe to retreat to; a place where we are protected from the world.

As we think and pray about God’s vision for CBC, as we think about who we are and what we should be doing, we need to remember that we are called to engage with our community, to be a part of our community, to be looking out rather than looking in. The church is not a place where you go to escape from the world, it is the place you go to to be encouraged and equipped through an encounter with God, and are then sent back out into the world. As William Temple, the Archbishop of Canterbury (1942-1944) famously said, "The Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members."

A walk through: the Day of Atonement

If you've been reading recent posts about the Day of Atonement and are still struggling to make sense of exactly what happened in Leviticus 16 here's a walk through. It helps to know that verses 1-2 are an introduction, and then verses 3-10 give an overview of the whole ritual and then verses 11-28 return to the beginning of the whole ritual with more detail.

[For details on sin and burnt offerings see this post.]


The Day of Atonement - Leviticus 16

Definition of atonement: Atonement means ‘a making at one’ and points to a process of bringing those who are estranged into a unity. In theology it is used to describe the work of Jesus on the cross, dealing with the problem of sin and bringing sinners into a right relationship with God.

When: 10th day of 7th month

Where: The Tabernacle. You can find a diagram of the Tabernacle here.

Who: Most of the instructions for the High Priest (Aaron), but he is supported by a couple of other individuals who deal with the action outside of the camp.

The supporting cast involves a young bull, 2 male goats, and a couple of rams. Most of these characters don’t make it to the end of the story.

What:

Scene 1 - Preparation

Aaron prepares himself by washing and putting on his sacred white robes and turban. On this day Aaron would not wear his blue robes etc that he would normally wear whilst serving in the Tabernacle.

Scene 2 - Atonement for the Priest

Aaron now sacrifices the bull in order to make atonement for his sin and the sin of his family. He does this alongside the Altar of Burnt Offerings which is located in the courtyard of the Tabernacle. He takes some of the bull’s blood into the Holy Place where he takes a censer of burning coals and incense from the Altar of Incense there and then enters the Most Holy Place. He puts the incense on the coals filling the Most Holy Place with smoke, obscuring the Ark of the Covenant. He then sprinkles some of the blood on the front of the atonement cover and then seven times before the atonement cover. [The Atonement Cover is the lid of the Ark of the Covenant.]

Scene 3 - Atonement for the Tabernacle

Aaron then goes back out into the courtyard and takes the two goats, casts lots - one is sacrificed as a sin offering, the other becomes the scapegoat. He then sacrifices the first goat - a sin offering for the people. He then does with the goat’s blood as he did with the bull’s blood, hence making atonement for the Most Holy Place - which is made unclean by its presence in the camp surrounded by the people. He repeats this in the Holy Place, making atonement for it. He then comes out into the courtyard and makes atonement for the Altar of Burnt Offerings by putting some of the bull’s and goat’s blood on the horns of the altar, and then sprinkling it seven times to cleanse and consecrate it.

Scene 4 - The scapegoat carries sin into the wilderness

He brings forward the live goat (the scapegoat). He places his hand on the head of the live goat and confesses over it all the sins of the people. This goat is then sent away into the wilderness, led by someone appointed for the task. This goat carries the sins to a remote place away from the camp.

Scene 5 - Atonement made for the priest and all the people

Aaron goes into the Holy Place, takes off his robes, washes and then puts on his ordinary garments. He then goes into the courtyard and sacrifices the two burnt offerings - two rams - one for himself and one for the people - making atonement for himself and the people. He also takes the fat of the sin offering (bull and goat) and burns that.

Scene 6 - Clearing up afterwards

The man who has released the scapegoat returns, washes his clothes, bathes himself - he is then able to come into the camp.


Someone else takes the hide, flesh, intestines of the sin offerings are burns them outside the camp. After that he must wash his clothes, bathe himself - he is then able to come into the camp.