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Reflections - Archive - 2008
These reflections are published most Sundays on the front page of our parish newsletter.
Current reflections may be found here.
I’ve got a confession to make.
I am addicted to watching The Apprentice. It is essential Wednesday night viewing and a major topic of discussion in the office on a Thursday. A group of young wannabees are split into two teams where they compete against other in various tasks. This week they were selling tissues.
The winners get a treat. The losers are summonsed into the boardroom – this is the bit we all want to watch. They are grilled by Sir Alan Sugar who tells them exactly what he thinks of them before coming out with the words we have all been waiting for – ‘You’re Fired.’
The losing side look visibly terrified as they enter the room.
I wonder how many of us feel the same; about coming into God’s presence. Do we expect to be reminded of all of our failings before being sent away with those words ringing in our ears – ‘You’re a shambles - You’re fired – Get Out.’
We might sometimes feel like a shambles but the truth is; it doesn’t happen.
It doesn’t matter how much we get things wrong. We are always accepted and forgiven. It says in Hebrews chapter 4 that we can approach God – not with fear but with ‘confidence’. We are not summonsed before the scary boss to be shouted at. We are welcomed just like the father who welcomed back the prodigal son.
Do we understand this? Because this realisation can revolutionise how we feel about God and ourselves.
Steve Cornforth
Trinity
Trinity, the word not mentioned in the Bible but the truth of which is substantiated throughout. One helpful picture is to imagine the sun shining in space, the sun itself unapproachable in its fiery majesty, is the Father. The light that flows from it and which illuminates all our lives, is the Son. The heat that flows from it and which gives us all the energy to move and grow is the Holy Spirit. You cannot have the sun without its light and its heat. The light and the heat are from the sun, are of the sun, and yet are also distinct in themselves, with their own roles to play.
In the beginning was the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, at one, together in perfect harmony. In heaven God rejoiced and the angels worshipped. But the earth was formless and void, and covered in darkness. Father and Son beheld the emptiness and the Holy Spirit hovered over the face of the waters. God considered deeply - this harmony, joy and glory must be shared.
Deep within God a desire stirred, he knew what he would do, he would put his creativity into that darkness. He would shower it with light, life, colour, mountains, flowers, creatures and … people. He would have many, many children made in his image living together in love and harmony, with personality and thought, just as he has personality and thought, with the ability to love and be loved. But God knew that people who could love would also be able to choose not to love. He foresaw everything and he knew that the choice not to love had huge implications, with the poison of sin spreading throughout the whole of creation. But there was still a way. It would cost God everything, but restore his dream. Love and peace would be perfected in worship. It would be worth it. The cost had been counted. God would provide the Lamb as a sacrifice to pay for the sin that was to come. So now God started the clock ticking when he said “Let there be light” and there was light!
Many years later in Judea a young man tells a crowd “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will you not first sit down and estimate the cost…?” He knows what he is talking about. He has calculated the cost of sacrifice in eternity and will not withdraw from the immense commitment facing him of a cross. God the Son, given up for us by God the Father, never leaving us alone but sending to us God the Holy Spirit. Trinity the word not mentioned in the Bible but the truth of which is substantiated throughout.
Shirley Wallin
Over 25 years ago, the late David Watson wrote: “Christians in the West, have largely neglected what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. The vast majority of Western Christians are church-members, pew-fillers, hymn-singers, sermon-tasters, Bible-readers, even born-again believers or Spirit-filled Charismatics – but aren’t true disciples of Jesus Christ. If we were willing to learn the meaning of real discipleship and actually to become disciples, the Church in the West would be transformed, and the resultant impact on society would be staggering.”
When John Sentamu became Archbishop of York he used this quote as a challenge to us all. But how do we change from what we are to what we could be? We can't do it by ourselves. Pentecost is the clue. It was on this day that the Holy Spirit 'came upon' the church in a new way as Jesus had predicted. Jesus' final instructions before he ascended into heaven were simply to wait for this gift. The promise of the Father (Acts 1:4) brought power so that they could be his witnesses (Acts 1:8). St Paul says that God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us (Romans 5:5).
I believe that the greatest gift we can receive is knowing how God sees us: that we are unique, precious and loved unconditionally. When once we understand this (it can take years!), we realise that God has a plan and a purpose for each of us and we begin the path of discipleship and so the possibility of society being transformed begins. Come Holy Spirit!
Pete Spiers
“Father the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify
you.”
John 17:3
Some people find this verse very puzzling. Why would Jesus, who throughout his ministry had always given glory to God, suddenly want God to glorify him? Jesus was about to be nailed to a cross and crucified, something that was usually reserved for criminals and murderers and he was doing that for humankind that we might have a new life with God and life in all its fullness.
Stephen Gaukroger in his book The Crucified King explains it as follows: “Jesus in effect was saying to God, Glorify me, Father, and clearly demonstrate to the world that the sham and degradation I am going to suffer are in fact the way to eternal life; I pray that as I suffer this terrible death you will glorify me so that the world will see that you sent me and that they can have eternal life in me. Make out of this dreadful death something special and powerful and wonderful. Jesus’ ultimate humiliation, his death on the cross, was actually going to be his glorification.”
The disciples thought Jesus’ mission had failed but his death and resurrection were at the very centre of God’s plan for human beings. If Jesus hadn’t died then no sin would have been forgiven, no eternal life offered, no Holy Spirit given.
But we know that Jesus died for us and when we face problems and ‘hiccups’ in our own lives we know that he is always there for us; ready and willing to listen to our prayers and then through the power of the Holy Spirit to help us sort things out and use the situation for his glory.
Barbara Chambers
In our cell groups we are going to be looking again at “the Lord’s Prayer” and from it try to learn something deeper about the nature and characteristics of God. In the world today many people have many different ideas about God and often people seem to think that they can decide for themselves what kind of god they would like to worship.
We as Christians know God as Father and this can be a great source of comfort to us. “But all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become the children of God.” (John chapter 1 verse 12.). Note the importance attached to the name of God.
When we say “Hallowed be your name” we are praying that the world will recognise who God really is and turn to worship him. In other words it is important that we understand his nature. He is not someone powerless who we can imagine to be whatever we want him to be. He is the creator of the universe, he is all powerful and all knowing and completely without sin. Amazingly he still longs for us to be part of his family. But God cannot be what he is not. He is sinless, holy and if he did not deal with sin and injustice he would not be God. If we are to know him as father we need to recognise his holiness and our sinfulness and turn to him for forgiveness. Then we will truly be able to say “Our Father in Heaven”.
Alan Lewney
How many are your works, Lord,
In wisdom you made then all.
Psalm 104.24
My theme for this week has been our responsibility to care for God’s creation. This has not often been seen as a major issue for the church. Indeed there have been times when any concern for nature was seen as something which occupied hippies and new-agers, but were ‘not for us’.
And yet it is clear from the bible that we see God revealed in his creative work. Just go and read Psalm 104 and Psalm 8 or how about Job 38 – ‘Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?’ These are magnificent statements of the greatness of God rooted in a reflection on his creation. Paul tells us in the book of Colossians that Jesus is the image of God and in him all things were created. So potential damage to or destruction of that creation must be a major concern to all followers of Jesus.
This is now becoming an important issue. Our own Bishop, James Jones has been one of the leading voices.
So what is the problem? According to one study global warming could result in the extinction of 37% of all species by 2050. Rising sea levels could see the destruction of entire low lying communities such as Bangladesh, which is already one of the world’s poorest nations. Recent years have seen some of the most destructive hurricanes ever; notably the catastrophic Katrina which devastated New Orleans. And so it goes on… A quick Google search on ‘Climate Change’ is a scary but informative exercise.
So what do we need to do? Firstly we must prayerfully see this as a priority issue. Christians have tended to be more concerned about arguing with established science about ‘how’ God created the world. Surely its potential destruction is a more pressing concern! Secondly we should then look at our own lifestyles. You can do a quiz at www.myfootprint.org. Apparently we would need three earths if everyone lived the same lifestyle as me!! And I thought I was so good… Thirdly we need to look at practical steps that we can take. Composting, re-cycling, energy saving, ethical shopping, choosing the next car – these are all spiritual issues. Look at the Green Tips which appear in our own newsletter. Get involved in environmental activities. The list is endless…
Steve Cornforth
The Gospel today tells us that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah. We know that, so why do so many of our friends dismiss him? Most will not concede that the resurrection ever happened. One belief too many they say.
It is what all Christians believe but it is a belief that is either true or false. If it’s false then we are all fools as Paul says in one of his letters. But it is true - did you know there is more evidence that proves it really happened than that Alexander of Macedonia ever lived. We know from the gospels about the many, many times he was seen by individual disciples, groups of people and on one occasion by as many as five hundred people. At the time no one doubted he had died or had been buried. The Romans knew how to crucify people and there was no doubt he was dead. No one at the time ever found his body. If it had been there to be found it would have been found. It wasn’t found because Jesus had come back to life as he said he would.
The news was passed round by word of mouth and within thirty years the first gospel was being written. I believe the first drafts of the gospel will have been read and tested for accuracy by the early church which by then will have been spread throughout the known world. There would have been witnesses still alive who would have validated the truth of the resurrection.
The followers of Jesus were so convinced of the truth of the resurrection that they went to the ends of the world to tell everyone the good news. This is what we should be doing. Hallelujah! He is risen indeed. Hallelujah.
Richie Brown
How do we as Christians decide what is right and wrong? Morality for us is living God's way but how do we know what God's way is in relation to controversial issues like embryonic stem cell research. Boundaries are continually being pushed as research develops and the gulf between our Christian values and the ever changing society in which we live becomes bigger and bigger. If we go to the word of God and read it daily we can come to know God's perspective, we come to realise the sanctity of life, that every human being is special to God, the only part of his creation described as being made in his image, we have something of God's nature in us or at least the capacity to show his nature. Psalm 139 describes a very caring God intimately creating us in our mother's womb: 'You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knot me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex. Your workmanship is marvellous—and how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb…Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.' God is the giver of life, he destined for each of us to be born. He and he alone decides when life begins and ends. But when does life begin? Genesis tells us that the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul. When man dies the body returns unto the earth from whence it came and the spirit returns to the God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7) The union of the two is conception and the separation of the two is death.
Research on adult stem cells have been ongoing for decades and has had therapeutic effects in treating cancer, autoimmune diseases, leukaemia, and heart disease. Adult stem cells are obtained from living bone marrow, blood, brain tissue, skin and body fat. Other sources are umbilical-cord blood and the placenta. Embryonic stem cells, are taken from human embryos and in order to harvest them, an embryo must be destroyed. Embryologists agree with scripture in that life begins at fertilization. At the moment of conception, the embryo is 100% human, with all 46 chromosomes and a fully functioning, unique genetic code. Many have argued that the end justifies the means, but no matter how appealing the argument, is it not death masquerading as life? Both old and new testaments clearly show that life is God's creation, his gift and ultimately our hope. Paul reminds us not to conform to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds, that we may prove what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God.
Shirley Wallin
In our reading today from John 20, soon after the resurrection, “Doubting Thomas” has gone down in history as a man who lacked faith. It’s true that his attitude showed a lack of faith in God and Jesus. He would not believe that Jesus had risen from death, even though Jesus himself had on a number of occasions promised that this would happen.
Thomas’s attitude also expressed a lack of faith in the reliability of the other disciples as witnesses. He doubted ten honest friends, his fellow disciples, who were telling him that they had seen Jesus alive and that he had risen from death. But a week later Jesus appeared once more to the disciples and this time Thomas was with them. Jesus said to Thomas: “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe”. This is a very moving story. Thomas had an unbelieving attitude but Jesus lovingly appeared to the disciples once more so that Thomas’s doubt could be dispelled. Thomas was suitably humbled and convinced by this, and could say nothing to Jesus but: “My Lord and my God!” Thomas, despite all the wonderful things he had heard Jesus say and despite all the miracles he had seen him do, had needed Jesus to make a special post resurrection appearance just to convince him that he had really risen from death.
Jesus now praised all those people throughout the future history of the church who would never see the Lord in the flesh and yet would believe in him more readily than Thomas did. “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe. Can we hear echoes of the story of Thomas in our own lives? Maybe there is a little of the doubting Thomas in many of us.
Thomas was one of the eleven apostles to hear Jesus’ command to evangelise the world. (Matt 28:16-20, Acts 1:6-13). When Thomas finally trusted Jesus completely he travelled further than anyone to proclaim the Gospel. The church in South India today carries the name of its founder, Thomas, the Marthoma Church.
Barbara Chambers
Easter Sunday
Have you been watching the Passion on BBC1? Some people I have talked to, have found it hard to follow. Some have found it too violent. Some thought the way Judas was portrayed was not how they had imagined him to be.
We need to remember that the Gospel writers have given us the essential details of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and not tried to tell us everything. There are many things about Jesus we don’t know. Any writer is interpreting what they know. So with the Passion, if there are things that shock us or surprise us, then we must go back to the New Testament and read it again for ourselves. Who knows, we might see the events surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection in a new light and our previous understanding is deepened and enriched.
I always find that when I am talking to others about Jesus, their questions about him challenge me to interpret his life in a way that they will understand. If Jesus is the ‘man for all seasons’ and if he is ‘the way, the truth and the life’, which is what Christians believe, then we need to be able to communicate him clearly to everyone.
The Passion has been a great talking point and we are all asking each other, ‘what did you think?’ Whilst people may have different viewpoints on the characters concerned, the gospel writers all agreed that what happened on Easter Day was not open to differing interpretations.
The apostle Peter, speaking of the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection: ‘God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ’ (Acts 2:36). Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Pete Spiers
Palm Sunday
Because the hymns sung at Palm Sunday services are usually more lively than traditional Lenten hymns, it is easy to forget that Palm Sunday does not begin a week of jollification and singing, but a week which, in contrast, leads us to contemplate the pain and suffering of the cross, willingly borne for our sakes. Today’s gospel reading describes how the crowds welcomed Jesus with joy and adulation—seeing him as the one who would free them from oppression and rule as King David had done. But the epistle reminds us that Christ’s true claim to rule our lives comes not from the hero worship of humans but from his willingness to give up his equality with God and come amongst us in humility and vulnerability.
Four days after we celebrate the adulation of the crowds of Palm Sunday, we recall Jesus’ lonely vigil in the garden of Gethsemane, when even his closest friends left him. And five days after the crowds shouted their praises to Jesus they shouted their mocking abuse at him as he was led to the cross. And yet it was that journey which led to the salvation of the world. By refusing to use his power to break free, or to act in revenge on his captors, and by going willingly to the cross, Christ cancelled out the sin of Adam which ruined our relationship with God. Now because of his humility and obedience, each one of us have been given the opportunity to be reconciled to God in the loving relationship he planned for us at creation, and to live in the abundant life of freedom which Jesus came to bring.
Margaret Quayle
Have you every considered the significance of the animals in the Bible? Jesus seemed to choose the weak and lowly, the lamb, sheep, dove and donkey, maybe to identify with the poor rather than the rich, the humble against the proud, with those who love against those who hate, with peace against war.
In Deuteronomy 32:11 God is pictured as a mother eagle, “Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them…”. The eagle makes a wonderful mother, building her nest in tall trees away from danger, taking utmost care to make it comfortable. When the eggs hatch, she gives her eaglets undivided attention. After several weeks of tender loving care her behaviour changes, she rips out the feathers and twigs and overturns their nice comfortable home. The eaglets are terrified as gently she nudges one at a time out towards the edge of the overturned nest and out into the air. As the little bird falls to the ground, squawking with fright, the mother eagle swoops beneath it, catches it on her wings and carries it safely up into the sky. As she tilts her wings the bird falls again until it flaps and discovers it can fly.
This scriptural principle is exactly the same as the way God deals with us, he overturns our nest of calm experiences and tips us out into fiery trials. Our discomforts, sorrows, and disappointments are places of growth and maturity. God permits trouble to come our way not to destroy but to develop.
Isaiah 40:31 says: “But those who wait upon the Lord…will mount up with wings like eagles.” The eagle is well able to use his wings to fly but typically it soars, higher than any other bird. It understands the air currents, it will wait, testing the winds, when it feels the right wind blowing it expands its broad wings and is lifted by the breeze to great heights.
When the storm strikes the eagle, if its wings are in a downward tilt, will be dashed to pieces on the ground, but if tilted upwards, it will rise making the storm work for it to bear it up. And so we too have a choice to make when calamity strikes, to go up or down. If we wait and look to God and then yield to his Holy Spirit, then he will lift us higher than our circumstances. I am glad an eagle (Charlie the second) was chosen for our community garden. Let us remember that the Divine Eagle never disturbs our nest but for a good purpose and he never takes away the good without giving something much better.
Shirley Wallin
Fair Trade
A boy is on a beach throwing starfish one by one back into the sea as they will die in the hot sun before the tide comes back in. A passer-by sees him and criticises him for wasting his time as there are too many starfish for him to possibly make a difference. As the boy continues to pick-up the starfish, he says: 'I can make a difference to this one'. When we do nothing, we can never make a difference. Doing something is always better, however small. Jesus said that whoever gives a cup of cold water in his name will not 'lose their reward' (Mark 9:41).
We are right in the middle of Fair Trade Fortnight (25 February to 9 March with its theme Change Today Choose Fairtrade. St Luke's is a Fair Trade church and Crossroads is a Fair Trade café.
Fair Trade is a way of doing business with a heart for justice for the world's poor. The principles are to build a long term trading relationships with producers in the developing world, guaranteeing suppliers a fair price for their products and enabling them to run sustainable businesses that support their families and their communities.
The fact that Fair Trade is now so visible is largely because of the patient and persistent support of churches who connected the biblical call for justice for the poor and the practical response of buying Fair Trade.
The church is meant to be an audio-visual demonstration of God's heart and his kingdom's values. We need to take responsibility for the money we spend and think about the people behind the products we buy rather than simply buying the cheapest or most convenient.
This can be difficult, uncomfortable and certainly more demanding but next time you drink a cup of Fair Trade tea or coffee just think about the family you have helped and supported through your deliberate choice.
Pete Spiers
Ten Commandments!
Do we really need them now? Some years ago a local authority removed direction and warning signs from its city centre. Overnight there were no signs at crossroads, T-junctions and roundabouts. What do you think happened? Chaos? Multiple accidents? No! Accidents reduced markedly. Drivers began driving more carefully.
Two thousand years ago Jesus replaced the Ten Commandments with two of his own. He combined the first three when he said we should love the Lord our God with all our being. The other seven which, by any standard, were restrictions or limitations on our freedoms, he replaced with an encompassing command to love our neighbours as ourselves.
Do you think the local authority was wrong? After all you might say that the determined law breaker will still offend and put us all at risk, but others might say Jesus was a fool. How can you trust everyone to look after their neighbour? It'll never happen, I hear you say.
The truth is that the determined law breaker will still continue to offend and those who want to ignore the commandment of Jesus will do so as well. So was Jesus wrong? Surely not! Jesus was telling everyone who would listen that the responsibility for our neighbour's welfare is squarely with you and me and our neighbours.
The more of us who choose to drive carefully will reduce the need for road signs. The more of us who take a serious look at how we care for our neighbour will be telling our neighbour that Jesus was right in saying we should love our neighbour as ourselves.
Jesus is giving us back responsibility for looking after each other. If we take up the challenge it will require a serious look at who our neighbour is and what his or her needs are.
Richie Brown
Our readings today are two passages, (John 3 and Romans 4), that are possibly the most well known in scripture. The teaching of Jesus, about being born again, is simple and plain, but our basic human thinking seems to cry out against it. We want to live by rules, and people throughout the ages have devised laws, rules and regulations. It is fair to say that without law we would live in chaos and the events of the last week have demonstrated that most people want to live under one set of laws equally applied to everybody.
We all fall short of our own standards let alone God’s and we all ask the question “what do I need to do”. Just like Nicodemus we want to do something to justify ourselves. The bad news is we can never do enough; we can never make it right on our own. This should make us more willing to tolerate others, and to be humble about ourselves. We do not like to be helpless before God so what do we do? The good news is that Jesus has provided the answer. He did not come to condemn us but to save us. Trust whole heartedly in me and you will be forgiven, saved and born again. It seems to me that for many people the difficulty is not believing in, but surrendering to the cross of Jesus. To look to him is to submit to change, and to seeing the world through his eyes of love.
Alan Lewney
For me Lent is a time for doing three things, reflecting on the past, looking at my calling which leads to renewing my commitment to follow Jesus.
Lent is about stepping back and reflecting, for thinking about and putting right the mistakes in our lives and to show God that we are truly sorry for those sins. Remembering also God is “faithful and just and will forgive us our sins” and then receiving that forgiveness by his grace and mercy. Lent is also a time for pausing and reflecting upon what God wants from us, taking time to listen to his voice and seeking his will, usually within the quiet and stillness of our hearts. God doesn’t call us to rush into faith or anything else, but when the time is right he does expect a response from us. Lent provides the opportunity to see what God might be calling us to do. Does he want us to stop and take stock of where we are and what we are already doing? Is he calling us to a new area of service or responsibilities for him? Is he challenging us to think about giving our time, talents and money?
To follow Jesus will sometimes mean letting go, of denying our own needs and wishes so that others may have more. Lent also reminds us that we need to respond to the love of God shown in Jesus, which ultimately led him to death on the cross, a love which we can never repay. But if we are serious about following Jesus, there is a cost involved.
“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for the sake of the gospel, will save it. (Mark 8.34-35) What is the cost of following Jesus? In a sense the answer is nothing, for the love of God is free to all offered by grace alone. But if we truly love Jesus and are serious about following him, then we will want to repay his love through offering our service. There is a price to discipleship, but it is a price worth paying, for it leads to lasting happiness and life in all its fullness.
Barbara Chambers
Today marks two important days in the church calendar. Our readings remind us of the time when Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the Temple to dedicate him to God; and it is also the last Sunday before Lent, when we recall Jesus’ time in the wilderness as he dedicated himself for his life ministry. These two events happened some thirty years apart, but they share common elements which set a pattern for our lives as Christians. In both we see a reliance on the authority of Scripture as a point of reference, a guide and a means of refuting the corrupting attacks of the evil one; and the power of the Holy Spirit, informing and guiding those whose lives are based on dedicated prayer and worship.
Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple “according to the Law of the Lord”. Simeon took the child in his arms and greeted him with words from Isaiah. Jesus answered each of Satan’s temptations with words of Scripture—culminating in the command “Away with you Satan for it is written ‘worship the Lord your God and serve only him’.”
We are told that both Simeon and Anna were devout, prayerful people, and both were gifted by the Holy Spirit—Simeon was in the Temple because the Spirit had guided him there. Anna never ceased in prayer or left the Temple, she had the gift of prophesy which enabled her to recognise and speak about the true identity of the child she saw.
At his baptism, Christ’s identity had been revealed by the Holy Spirit and by affirming words of his Father. The same Holy Spirit then led him into the wilderness for an extended time of prayer and challenge in preparation for his life task.
Reliance on the authority of Scripture, dedication in prayer, listening and obedience to the guidance of the Holy Spirit are three foundational elements of the Christian life.
In Lent we remember Christ’s time of preparation in the wilderness. Rather than follow the idea of ‘giving up’ something, can we actively seek to ‘take up’ a way of life that gives time and space to incorporate these three elements in our lives.
In this way Lent will become not simply 40 days when we make small changes in our behaviour but the foundation of a closer relationship with God, a discipline of returning daily to spend time in his presence, and by our obedience, to be a means of releasing more of the power of the Holy Spirit into today’s broken world.
Margaret Quayle
But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:33.
In the Lord’s prayer Jesus taught us how to pray, making our first consideration to focus on God’s character but the next to be the establishment of the Kingdom of God.
The different aspects of the Kingdom of God are as many as the grains of sand on a beach and we will be learning about some of them in the evening services. The kingdoms of this world are shakeable and will eventually fall. Paul speaks about the rulers of this age—who are coming to nothing. Secular powers who do not acknowledge God’s kingdom are dethroned, suddenly collapse or are in a process of gradual decay. Followers of communism believed the system would last for ever but now it has largely been discredited but God’s Kingdom is unshakeable. On conversion to followers of Jesus, we become citizens of the kingdom of God and whether we realise it or not become participators in God’s plan to bring about Satan’s defeat and to bring the universe once again under the control of God and his kingdom.
At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in a face-off between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light we might expect to see some pretty spectacular miracles and legions of battle-ready angels but instead Jesus enters the fray armed with only prayer, fasting and the scriptures, and calls us to do the same. Although we are totally reliant upon God bringing in his kingdom, amazingly he has given us the privilege of sharing in his work. He could reveal himself to non-believers in dreams and visions, but he usually speaks to them through one of us. He could transform society with a word of command, but historically he has always chosen to call individuals and place a passion in their hearts for what he wants done. He longs to bring in his kingdom and demonstrate his goodness, but he has chosen to work through his people. We may not feel adequate, but remember that he equips everyone that he calls. What God wants from us is not dependent on our ability but on our availability.
Shirley Wallin
Education Sunday
Education Sunday (20 January 2008) is a national day of prayer and celebration for everyone involved in education and has been established for over 100 years and is celebrated by many Christian denominations. Churches Together in Great Crosby have written to all local headteachers thanking them for all that they and their staff do in our schools and assuring them of our prayers.
In our own congregation here at St Luke's, we have primary and secondary school teachers, a primary school headteacher, primary school support staff, college lecturers, adult learners and students from 5 to 21, governors, parents, grandparents and great grandparents!!
The theme this year is Come and See! When two of John the Baptist's disciples recognise Jesus as Teacher, they want to know more about him. Jesus invites them to 'come and see'. This was the beginning of their commitment to following Jesus and learning from his teaching and personal example.
So for us too, being a disciple of Christ means that first of all we need to recognise that his teaching and example are good but then we also need to put it into practice!! Not only do we 'come and see' but we also 'go and tell'.
Jesus commended children as signs of the Kingdom for a variety of reasons. One of those was their ability to learn and to be excited about new discoveries. Let us never think that we cannot learn anything new! When we are involved in education in whatever way, we are seeking the Kingdom of God and helping to change the world into the likeness of the Kingdom that Jesus taught about.
Pete Spiers
A Life less Ordinary
I got a fascinating new book for Christmas. It is called 1001 Albums to Hear before You Die. Now I have been an obsessive collector of music all my life and read through the contents page to see how many I already owned—184 out of 1001. So my proud collection, which I thought was substantial, is really rather modest. There is so much more out there. Which is the theme for this reflection.
Do you remember Willy Russell’s Shirley Valentine? The most moving scene is where Shirley fulfils her dream of sitting alone at a table on a beach drinking a glass of wine. As she looks out at the sunset she says “I have allowed myself to live such a little life”. Haven’t we all?
All of this is in contrast to the words of Jesus in John 10 where he says: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” This is nothing to do with going to heaven when you die. It is to do with having life to the full ‘now’. So here is the question as we look ahead to 2008. Have we become so comfortable with what we have, that we no longer feel the need to move on—to widen our horizons?
I can’t believe that ‘fullness of life’ means going through our daily routines and then church on Sunday. I think it means fulfilling our potential. To learn to play music, to read CS Lewis, to understand the Bible (!), to understand how poverty comes about, to discover who are the lonely and become their friend, to visit a place where the culture is different from ours—the list is endless really.
So how about us all committing ourselves, and praying, to doing at least one new think this year? That could change the world.
Steve Cornforth
Today we celebrate the Christian Festival of Epiphany. It was only after I joined the Anglican Church that I had any idea what it was about. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary tells us that any sudden and important manifestation or realisation can be described as an epiphany. People sometimes say they have had an epiphany moment when things suddenly become clear to them, or are made manifest to them in a new way.
Epiphany is about things being shown or revealed to us, so that we can see, know and worship. Today God wants us to see that he has a love for all people, to know that we have a part in his plan, and to learn to worship his Son, Jesus.
The wise men were searching and God was revealed to them even though they were from another country. Herod, although outwardly a follower of the Jewish faith, had to seek advice about even the basic prophecies pointing to the Messiah. God is longing to reveal himself to us today whatever our background, whatever our problems, because he loved us enough to reveal himself to us through the life and death of his Jesus. Today let us see the Christ child through fresh eyes and realise who he really is. Let us pray that we will know him more and more and worship him from our hearts.
Alan Lewney