Only one post for the whole of January is not very good - so I'll double my tally by squeezing another post in on the last day of the month, and try to do better in February!
At church we have continued following the E100 Bible reading programme, looking at Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, two weeks ago, Joseph last week, and yesterday we looked at the first part of Moses' life - covering Exodus 1-14.
What are you passionate about? What are the issues that really get you going? What stories on the news really make you angry? What is the topic of conversation around the coffee table at work that turns you from being quiet, shy and retiring into a red faced, finger wagging, table banging, jumping up and down orator?
Maybe it is a global issue - such as trade justice; a national issue - such as cuts in local services; a local issue - such as the closing of a local children's centre.
Whatever it is, do you care enough to pray about it?
Moses was passionate about the oppression of his people - so much so that he killed an Egyptian who was beating an Israelite (Exodus 2:12). The people were crying out to God to save them from slavery and cruelty. And eventually God speaks to Moses and says to him, 'I have seen...I have heard...I am concerned...I have come to rescue...'
I wonder if Moses, in the midst of his fear, thought something along the lines of, 'about time...we've been waiting long enough...'?
But then horror of horrors - God reveals his plan to Moses. God says, 'I have seen...I have heard...I am concerned...I have come to rescue...so now, you go. I am sending you...'
What am I passionate about? What are you passionate about? Is God saying, 'Yes, I have heard and seen, yes I do care, and I'm going to send you to do something about it'.
Is God asking you to get involved and be a part of the answer to your own prayers?
Monday, 31 January 2011
Tuesday, 11 January 2011
The beginning - a very good place to start
Last week we started the e100 Bible reading challenge as a church, and last Sunday's message was based on the first five readings, which came from the first 11 chapters of the Bible, Genesis 1-11. (Click here to read a previous post and find out more about e100).
The chapters that we read included the stories about the creation of the world, of how Adam and Eve rebelled against God, the flood and Noah's ark, and the Tower of Babel.
Of course there are lots of questions and discussions that we could have about these chapters, and no doubt there are some who would like to ask the obvious questions relating to science and the Bible / creation and evolution... But if that is our first question then I think we've missed the point of the story. You will only get sensible answers from the Bible if you ask the right questions - and I don't think that these chapters are inviting scientific questions. Rather they invite questions about 'who is God?', 'who am I?', and maybe most significantly, questions about my relationship with God.
And when it comes to 'who am I?' there are some really exciting things to think about, but also some really challenging ones. Being created in the image of a creative God surely has massive implications for how we view ourselves and others, how we expect to be treated, how we treat others...
But these chapters also raise the issue of pride and reveal something of its consequences. Ultimately pride keeps us from acknowledging God and giving God first place in our lives. It is this rebellion against God that the Bible calls 'sin', and it is sin that leads to a broken relationship with God.
Genesis 1-11 sets the scene and introduces the problem of a broken relationship with God. Genesis 12 to the end of the Bible in Revelation 22 is the story of how God set about sorting this out. If you've never read the story it will take a few weeks to reach the ultimate answer to sin - the death of Jesus on a cross...but there are lots of signposts along the way.
Click here to listen to this message
The chapters that we read included the stories about the creation of the world, of how Adam and Eve rebelled against God, the flood and Noah's ark, and the Tower of Babel.
Of course there are lots of questions and discussions that we could have about these chapters, and no doubt there are some who would like to ask the obvious questions relating to science and the Bible / creation and evolution... But if that is our first question then I think we've missed the point of the story. You will only get sensible answers from the Bible if you ask the right questions - and I don't think that these chapters are inviting scientific questions. Rather they invite questions about 'who is God?', 'who am I?', and maybe most significantly, questions about my relationship with God.
And when it comes to 'who am I?' there are some really exciting things to think about, but also some really challenging ones. Being created in the image of a creative God surely has massive implications for how we view ourselves and others, how we expect to be treated, how we treat others...
But these chapters also raise the issue of pride and reveal something of its consequences. Ultimately pride keeps us from acknowledging God and giving God first place in our lives. It is this rebellion against God that the Bible calls 'sin', and it is sin that leads to a broken relationship with God.
Genesis 1-11 sets the scene and introduces the problem of a broken relationship with God. Genesis 12 to the end of the Bible in Revelation 22 is the story of how God set about sorting this out. If you've never read the story it will take a few weeks to reach the ultimate answer to sin - the death of Jesus on a cross...but there are lots of signposts along the way.
Click here to listen to this message
Friday, 31 December 2010
Happy New Year
Happy New Year. With only a few hours of 2010 left, and 2011 about to start, it is good to take time to reflect on the past year - remembering the things that God has done and who he is. As we recall his faithfulness, his love, his provision, his care we are able to face the new year, the future, with peace and confidence. Whatever the new year holds God knows already - he's already there - he's promised to walk with us each step of the way.
Thursday, 23 December 2010
Essential 100
As we come to the end of one year and head into the next it is often a time when people feel it is appropriate to make resolutions and set some goals for the coming year. I expect for a lot of Christians this will involve something along the lines of 'to read the Bible and pray more'.
We know these are good things; activities that we will benefit from; and yet each year we struggle to meet the standards and goals that we set ourselves. And I expect for many of us we feel as if we are in the minority in this - that most of the other people in the church are much more disciplined than we are - and this makes us feel even worse about the whole thing and so we end up being motivated by guilt rather than love.
Of course for the majority of the time that the church has been in existence most of the followers of Jesus have not been able to read a Bible, in their own language, or even have access to one. (And in many parts of the world this continues to be the case today.) Therefore any encounters with the Word of God have been done within the context of a group of local disciples.
Doing anything is always easier when we do it with others. Whatever goals we set for 2011 we are more likely to succeed if we do it with other people. Whether it is a diet, a fitness regime, or a desire to read the Bible, we are more likely to succeed with the encouragement and support of others.
This year as a church we are not going to try and read the whole Bible from start to finish. Instead we are going to follow the Essential 100 reading programme - 100 bite sized readings that cover the key stories in the Bible.
We will read five readings a week and then Sunday's message will be based on the previous week's readings. And there are plenty of ways in which you can follow along with others even if you're not part of a church or no one else in your church is involved.
For all the details click here to visit the E100 website.
As well as a list of all the readings (you'll need to download the free 'E100 readings and planner' from the Resources page of the website) and other resources there are links to Twitter, Facebook, blog sites etc. There is also information on how you can access the readings on your mobile phone - and much more. If you want to get involved find a friend somewhere - local church, cell group, online... - and read together.
We know these are good things; activities that we will benefit from; and yet each year we struggle to meet the standards and goals that we set ourselves. And I expect for many of us we feel as if we are in the minority in this - that most of the other people in the church are much more disciplined than we are - and this makes us feel even worse about the whole thing and so we end up being motivated by guilt rather than love.
Of course for the majority of the time that the church has been in existence most of the followers of Jesus have not been able to read a Bible, in their own language, or even have access to one. (And in many parts of the world this continues to be the case today.) Therefore any encounters with the Word of God have been done within the context of a group of local disciples.
Doing anything is always easier when we do it with others. Whatever goals we set for 2011 we are more likely to succeed if we do it with other people. Whether it is a diet, a fitness regime, or a desire to read the Bible, we are more likely to succeed with the encouragement and support of others.
This year as a church we are not going to try and read the whole Bible from start to finish. Instead we are going to follow the Essential 100 reading programme - 100 bite sized readings that cover the key stories in the Bible.
We will read five readings a week and then Sunday's message will be based on the previous week's readings. And there are plenty of ways in which you can follow along with others even if you're not part of a church or no one else in your church is involved.
For all the details click here to visit the E100 website.
As well as a list of all the readings (you'll need to download the free 'E100 readings and planner' from the Resources page of the website) and other resources there are links to Twitter, Facebook, blog sites etc. There is also information on how you can access the readings on your mobile phone - and much more. If you want to get involved find a friend somewhere - local church, cell group, online... - and read together.
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