Reflections

These reflections are published most Sundays on the front page of our parish newsletter.

4 March 2012
11 March 2012
18 March 2012
25 March 2012

1 April 2012
8 April 2012
15 April 2012
22 April 2012
29 April 2012

6 May 2012
13 May 2012
20 May 2012

Earlier reflections may be found here (2012) here (2011) here (2010) here (2009) here (2008) here (2007) here (2006), here (2005), here (2004), here (2003) and here (2002).

20 May 2012

Imagine two mountains facing each other: both aware of their grandeur. Neither needs the other, so certain are they that they are complete in themselves. Standing in their splendid isolation they can never meet. I think some political leaders are like this. Think North Korea, the USSR as it was, and East Germany where the politicians, driven by particular ideologies, constructed barriers to defend themselves from other opinions.

Religions are no different. The hostilities between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland showed this. What of the barriers we each put up to stay safe from those with whom we do not get on or have irreconcilable differences.

As I meditated on these thoughts I imagined Jesus telling me to try the other man’s shoes and walk a little way with him. I imagined the politicians, the fired up religious bigots and myself beginning to come away from the mountain’s peak and start to walk down towards the valley.

As we do this we find that our beliefs are challenged. We become vulnerable but in the process we show ourselves willing to change. As we journey down to the valley, Jesus is there with us. He’s never far away if our journey is about trying to understand those people who think and act differently to us.

Change is possible. East Germany is no more, the differences between the Catholics and Protestants are disappearing, but what about the differences we still have with others? Perhaps we have not walked in another’s shoes long enough. The valleys call us. We do not need to remain in lofty isolation on the mountain top. Think about those valley streams, the rolling hills and the wonderful pastures.

There’s more room in the valley than up on the mountain.

Richie Brown

13 May 2012

Love is a word we hear and say a lot, but don't often spend time thinking about it. There again love shouldn’t be something we just say, it's something we should show. But what does love look like anyway? Is it a special kind of caring and kindness towards each other, or is it looking out for one another, or is it being there in good or bad times or when we’re in trouble? All of these are terrific ways to show love and I’m sure you can think of some of your own.

This week's gospel reading from John 15:9-17 is about love. Jesus tells us that "loving one another as I have loved you" is the most important commandment. When we think of the people we love, we probably think of our families and special friends. But Jesus reminds us of something important. He doesn't just say "pick a few impressive, influential or well connected people to love." He wants us to show our love to everyone - and treat everyone the same.

Jesus calls us not only to love one another - but to love one another in the same way that he showed his love to us. That, if necessary, we should be prepared to lay down our lives for others and because of his death and resurrection he has given us a mission to the whole world to tell them about him and his love and forgiveness. In the Bible one of the greatest passages on how we should behave when loving one another is from 1 Corinthians 13.

Love is patient and kind. It doesn’t envy or boast, it’s not proud or rude or self-seeking. It’s not easily angered and it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always, always perseveres. Love never fails.

This week, let’s think carefully about ways that we might show our love for one another and tell others about Jesus.

Barbara Chambers

6 May 2012

When you log off on your computer or leave your school or hand over to the next shift or put the meal on the table do you ever think about blessing the people you work with? When God finished his work of creation in Genesis 1-2, he blessed them!

In the Bible, Rebekah's family blessed her as she set off to meet Isaac, Jacob schemed to get Isaac's blessing, the elders at the gate blessed Ruth and Boaz, King David's servants blessed him, Jesus himself blessed children but also told us to bless those who persecute us. So you see it’s not just priests who can bless, we all can.

When we bless others we are asking God to look with favour on all that is in keeping with his will and purpose and all that gives life. Blessing invokes the idea of Shalom - peace and well-being and wholeness. These are positive aspects in a world where there can be so much negativity especially in our workplace. Christians should be positive people and to blossom where they are planted!

Who will you bless today?

Pete Spiers

29 April 2012

‘We know love by this, that the Son of God laid down his life for us – and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.’ So writes John in one of the passages set for this Sunday.

We’ve all heard, and probably at times used, that famous childhood mantra ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me’, and actually we know that it’s not true! Words can be extremely powerful and can cause immense pain and damage. But it seems as if John is almost going along with this logic – ‘let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.’ Is he saying that words don’t matter, that our words don’t need to be loving as long as we somehow act in a loving way?

I don’t believe that is what he is saying. For one thing it would be odd for words and actions to be so opposed – I believe the true nature of who we are, our attitudes and so on come out in words as well as actions. What I do believe he’s doing is laying down a challenge – basically that we need to not fall into the trap of speaking empty words. Actions do speak louder than words he’s saying! There’s no point speaking about love if we don’t practice it! Walk the talk!

And as John has made clear in these verses, true love is costly. We can know what true love is by the example of Jesus laying down his life – self-giving, self-sacrificing love. Being willing to lay down our lives for one another just as Jesus did, being willing to do anything at all with whatever we have to help others in need. As Rob Bell puts it ‘God hates it … when we put on a religious show and then we ignore the poor and the broken and the marginalized and the oppressed’ and ‘we’re called to have hearts that beat like God’s.’ We’re called to love one another, to love as God loves us, shown ultimately in the self-giving of Jesus on the cross – to have hearts that beat like God’s in our concern for each other and especially for those who don’t have the physical, emotional or spiritual resources that we have, the poor, the grieving, the lonely, the downtrodden. ‘Let us love … in truth and action.’ Amen.

Simon Elliot

22 April 2012

‘He leads me beside quiet waters.’ Psalm 23.

If I walk along a river bank on a warm summer’s day I will see numerous birds, butterflies and occasional movements in the water suggesting fish beneath. As God said ‘It is good.’ But anglers will tell you there’s so much more to see. I might think my walk along the river bank is quiet but it’s noisy enough to ensure much of the river’s life stays hidden.

I need to find somewhere to sit, be still and allow my body and mind to relax. I need to become part of the river’s life. Then those skittish birds and frightened mammals will either be unaware of me or see me as safe. Either way I’ll be able to enjoy far more of God’s creation. How wonderful!

I’ve found much of my prayer life is like my walk along the river bank. God has responded to my prayers. I’ve seen answers but I’ve also had doubts about their usefulness. But I’ve now changed my approach. I prepare for my quiet time differently. I sit down comfortably, relax, let the noises in the house and outside to become distant. I invite Jesus to take control of my prayer time. I ask Jesus to help me reach a depth of silence that allows God to speak to me with his ‘still small voice.’ I won’t pretend there are times I sense nothing, but I now see these occasions as similar to those when the angler is still proving to the river life that he means to stay.

As I persist I do receive clear promptings that relate to previous or new prayer topics. These are the words of God for my spiritual ear. I’ve been given deeper insights to such as the above scripture. This happens regularly. I encourage you all to find time in your busy day to do the equivalent of sitting beside quiet waters and listen for the ‘still small voice of God.’

Richie Brown

15 April 2012

It was Thomas’s words “I will not believe it” that have caused him to be remembered throughout history as ‘doubting Thomas’. This is a bit unfair as, to be honest there was a lot of “unbelief” going on that day. After Jesus had risen, Mary Magdalene wasn’t thinking ‘resurrection’ when she thought someone had taken his body somewhere and was weeping at the empty tomb. When she ran to tell the disciples, “they did not believe it” either. [Mark 16.11] Peter and John ran to tomb to check it out and saw that it was indeed empty, but the next verse says that they “still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead”. [John 20.9]

Jesus appeared to a couple of them while they were walking in the country, yet when they reported it to the others, they “did not believe them”. [Mark 16.13]

When Jesus appeared to the eleven, he rebuked them for their lack of faith and “their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.” [Mark 16.14]

So Thomas wasn’t alone, there was a lot of disbelief going around on Resurrection day and worse to come – when Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary and the other women told the apostles about seeing an angel who told them Jesus had risen from the grave, “they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense”. [Luke 24.11] And all this doubt even though there were a load of resurrected people running round giving witness to all of this! [Matthew 27.51-53]

There are many today who have the same reaction to this news, they think it’s nonsense just like Jesus’ close friends, or rather that is until they saw him, talked with him, touched him, and ate with him. He appeared to them for 40 days with ‘many proofs’ as Luke records, he appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time. [1 Cor 15.6] There is abundant evidence for the resurrection of Christ. Of the twelve disciples and excluding Judas all but one, it seems, met violent deaths of one kind or another, mostly for refusing to deny that Jesus had risen from the dead. That in itself is the strongest possible argument for its truth, they had seen the Lord and nothing and no one would ever shake that conviction.

Yes, Jesus really was everything that he said he was and did exactly what he said he was going to do and so the ‘nonsense’ becomes not only sensible, but life changing.

This morning flowers will be placed on a grave in our graveyard in memory of Bertie Wilson who lost his life on the ill-fated Titanic. Good though it is to remember the lives of loved ones, Christians have no need to be grave watchers. Because of the risen Christ we too, as believers, can share in resurrection life in the here and now and eternal life in the future -“He is not here, he has risen” Wouldn’t it be nice, or rather why don’t we put on our headstones ‘Not here – risen!!’

Shirley Wallin

8 April 2012
Easter Day

In Mark’s account of the resurrection we find the same women who witnessed the crucifixion now approaching the sepulchre very early in the morning. At the cross they had stood at a distance, although they must have moved closer at a later point, according to John. Mark also tells us that these women had followed Jesus and cared for his needs. They loved him and had already purchased the special spices needed to properly anoint his body.

They were obviously frightened, having seen where he had been laid with their own eyes. Humanly speaking they knew that they would not be able to roll the stone away, but their love for Jesus had led them to remain vigilant and determined. Their faith had led them to the point where they would discover the most amazing miracle ever recorded.

Our commitment to the risen Lord will not go unrewarded because he has promised us that we too will know his risen power if we continue to follow him faithfully. Like the faithful women on the first Easter morning we will sometimes be frightened, unsure how things will work out, and yes! rather alone and weak. It is at just these times the Lord has promised to be with us too.

Alan Lewney

1 April 2012

I can't recall the last time we had a parade through the village. As a youngster I can remember one for the Queen's Coronation and others for May Day processions. Most people love parades, but they would have been nothing like the one that took place in the city of Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago. A king was visiting the city. People lined the streets hoping to get to see him. They expected their king to be a warrior kitted out in armour, riding on a stallion, because they hoped he would save them from the Roman invasion of their country.

I wonder if they were surprised when this king came riding on the back of a small donkey. They certainly didn't show it as he rode through the streets of the city. The people waved their palm branches and shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

Today we move into our re-ordered Church building and we have the opportunity of re-dedicating our building and ourselves to God. I think the building is beautiful, but the Church is not the building, the Church is its people. God thinks we are all beautiful and we all have potential. He wanted to save his relationship with us and sent Jesus. Jesus died a most excruciating death on a cross, but that was not the end of the story. He rose again so that we could be reconciled with God.

Barbara Chambers

25 March 2012

This is our last week of Sunday worship in the Church hall. Next week we will be back in our ‘new’ Church. However, we will gather one final time next Sunday at 10.30 am as a whole Church and together we will walk into it.

It was on Palm Sunday that Jesus entered Jerusalem and was greeted by cheering crowds proclaiming him as Messiah and King. It was an extraordinary day of celebration. A few days later, however, the crowds were calling for him to be crucified. How could they change their opinions so quickly? One of the reasons was that Jesus did not live up to their expectations in the things he did and said.

There is a sense that Jesus always fails to live up to our expectations. He is never quite the One we would like him to be. Our prayers are not always answered in the way we expect. Our life doesn’t quite go in the way we had planned. Other people let us down or make our life more difficult. Our reading of the bible is a chore and not always easy to understand.

There is another sense in which Jesus exceeds all our expectations in that just as we think we have understood him and grasped his teaching then we learn something new. Just as we give up on our prayers, we see their answer, and when our life takes a particular turn, we recognise his hand. The famous poem Footprints speaks of this reality.

So as we prepare to move back into church, what are your expectations? None of us knows how we will feel perhaps. One thing I know is that this is the end of the beginning. Not that we will do any further re-ordering of our building but we need to think about re-ordering our own lives and that of our corporate life to follow his agenda … just over these last few years. I look forward to seeing you all next week!!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine … to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 3.20-21)

Revd Pete Spiers

18 March 2012
Mothering Sunday/Mothers' Day

WHY GOD MADE MUMS
(Answers given by 7/8 year olds to the following questions)

Why did God make mothers?

• She’s the only one who knows where the sticky tape is.
• Mostly to clean the house.
• To help us out of there when we are born.

How did God make mothers?

• He used dirt, like the rest of us.
• Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
• God made my Mum just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?

• God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
• They had to get their start from men’s bones. Then they mostly use string.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mum?

• We’re related.
• God knew she likes me a lot more than other people’s mums like me.

Who’s the boss in your house?

• Mum doesn’t want to be the boss, but she has to because Dad’s such a clot.
• Mum. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
• I guess Mum is, but only because she has a lot more to do then dad.

What’s the difference between your mum and dad?

• Mums work at work and at home, dads just go out to work at work.
• Mums know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
• Dads are taller and stronger, but mums have all the real power ‘cause that’s who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.
• Mums have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mum do in her spare time?

• Mothers don’t have spare time.
• To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mum perfect?

• On the inside she is already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic.
• Diet. You know her hair, I’d diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mum, what would it be?

• She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I’d get rid of that.
• I’d make my mum smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.
• I would like her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

11 March 2012

I find it interesting that the set gospel reading for today, the middle Sunday of fairtrade fortnight, just happens to be John’s account of Jesus driving the traders out of the temple and overturning the tables of the money changers (John 2.13-22). ‘Stop making my Father’s House a market-place!’ was Jesus’ cry. What was this all about and importantly what does it say to us today? Does it mean we’re wrong to have the stalls selling things on Sundays here as we do from time to time?

I don’t believe that to be the case! If we look at Jesus in the temple, I think the issues he had were the confusion of trade and worship, and the outright unfairness of what was going on. People were being charged over the odds to buy animals for their temple sacrifices – the animals had to be these ones that were being sold in the temple, supposedly without blemish. Also, they had to be paid for in the special temple currency hence the money changers who would charge extortionate interest to change people’s normal currency into ‘temple money’! People were profiteering and taking advantage of others in unfair ways linked to the worship of God, and Jesus was angry! He cared that people, many of whom would have been extremely poor were being treated this way in relation to ‘worship’ of his Father.

And I believe that Jesus still cares today about exploitation of the poor and issues of justice. So I would argue that what we do in selling fairtrade goods, cards and other things where the money is put to good causes isn’t comparable to what Jesus so abhorred in the temple. Jesus came to bring good news to the poor Luke tells us, and we see time and time again his care and compassion for those who have little. The challenge to us today, in this fairtrade fortnight and beyond is to recognise that he calls us, as his followers, his hands and feet on earth today, to have that same care and compassion. Fairtrade is one key part of that, and one I believe we can all, at least in some way, respond to. So to follow on from the video clip we showed in our services last Sunday morning: what ‘step’ can you take for fairtrade, as we seek to stand for justice in God’s world and to show care and compassion for those who do not have what we have? Please consider going to www.fairtrade.org.uk/step to get involved.

Simon Elliott

4 March 2012
Mark 8.27-33

Jesus and his disciples have just left the Pharisees who had been very crafty and devious in their questioning of him. As they continue on their journey to Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples “… who do men say I am?” (Mark 8.29). They respond “John the Baptist”, “Elijah, one of the prophets”. “But who do you say I am?” said Jesus. Peter answered him "You are the Messiah." (verse 29).

For the first time Jesus now predicts that the Messiah ("the Son of Man", verse 31) must suffer, be rejected, killed, and rise again. This is part of God's plan which is why Jesus uses the word "must". This was against all the Jewish teaching about the Messiah. Their expectations were of a “knight in shining armour” someone who was strong and powerful, who would fight and defeat their Roman oppressors.

Impetuous Peter, who knew that Jesus was the Messiah, now rejects his teaching, and Jesus tells him in verse 33: "Get behind me, Satan!", and then in no uncertain terms tells him that he is being influenced by the devil: he’s relying on human values, not godly ones. Jesus recognizes that Satan continues to tempt him and deflect him from the way to the cross.

HG Wells wrote,"'Christ is the most unique person in history. No man can write the history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher of Nazareth." What is your picture of Jesus? If someone asked you, how would you describe him? If Jesus was asking you “Who do you say that I am?” What would be your answer?

Lent gives us the opportunity of taking time and finding this out.

Barbara Chambers

this page was last modified on 20 May 2012.