Reflections

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

6 June 2010
13 June 2010
20 June 2010
27 June 2010

4 July 2010
11 July 2010
18 July 2010
25 July 2010

1 August 2010
29 August 2010

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

29 August 2010

As I’ve been listening to or reading the set Gospel readings over the last number of weeks, I’ve been struck time and time again by the way in which Jesus constantly turned the etiquette and perceived wisdom of the human world on its head!

To a world that places value on importance, power & prestige, Jesus says: ‘whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave’ (Matthew 20.26-27), ‘For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted’ (Luke 14.11).To a world that places such value in personal wealth and possessions, Jesus says: ‘Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions’ (Luke 12.15), and ‘Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.’ (Luke 12.33-34). To a world that says ‘put number one first’, look after yourself; and a world that struggles with tensions on racial / national / religious grounds, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan, a man hated by Jews on racial grounds, helping the beaten up Jew by tending his wounds and taking him to a place where he could recover and then paying for his keep and care (Luke 10.25-37). To a world that promotes ‘busy-ness’ and the need to be constantly ‘doing’, Jesus gently rebukes Martha when she wants Jesus to tell Mary to help her with the various tasks that are distracting her, saying that Mary, by sitting at his feet and listening to him, has chosen the better path (Luke 10.38-42). To a world that emphasises rules and regulations and the importance of doing things in the ‘right’ way and so on. Jesus emphasises the importance, above any, of that of compassion, mercy and responding to people in desperate need, through his healing of a crippled woman on the Sabbath day when any ‘work’ was against the rules (Luke 13.10-17).

I could go on! Jesus was not scared to stand out, to act and speak according to his own Godly values and nature, even when it went against the grain of culture, even when it wasn’t the ‘right’ thing to say or to do. What is our response to Jesus and his message today? Are we truly seeking to live out his teaching and follow his example even when it means taking a stand for something different? Where is our ‘treasure’? In what do we place value? Where are our hearts?

Simon Elliott

1 August 2010

At the very end of the film Schindler’s List, Oskar Schindler walks over the train tracks to his car surrounded by 1100 Jewish immigrants, waiting to thank him for saving their lives. However, the only thing that he’s thinking about, are the people he couldn’t save. Oskar looks at his clothes, car, and jewellery with new eyes. He now understands that if he’d sold these things in order to save more lives, ultimately they would have been worth so much more than they can ever be worth in his possession. Unlike the rich man in our gospel story today who stored up riches for himself and wanted to build bigger and bigger barns to hold all his wealth, so he could eat, drink and be merry.

God called the rich man a “fool” because instead of sharing what he had with others, he hoarded it, and before he had time to spend anything he would die. He would need to leave everything behind and leave with nothing. Unfortunately people who do put their trust in wealth and possessions thinking that it will make them happier usually end up disappointed.

Jesus warned about that. He said, "Beware! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."

God didn’t say that we shouldn’t have wealth or possessions, just to be careful how we use them. He has promised to supply all of our needs, but he has not promised to fulfill every desire.

Lord Jesus, help us to be content with the blessings which you so generously give us and help us to be on guard against selfishness and greed. Amen.

Barbara Chambers

25 July 2010

The teaching of Jesus about how we should pray is simple yet very profound. In the Lord’s prayer we are taught to first of all acknowledge our dependence on God. He is our Father in heaven. We are to recognise his holiness and authority as we say “hallowed be your name” We are assured that when we sincerely approach him and depend on him, he will give us the guidance and assurance of his Holy Spirit, in other words he is not distant from us but near to us and with us.

How can God be everywhere, hear all our prayers at once and be the Father of all who believe in him? As a communications technician I had to try to understand how thousands of messages could travel along a glass fibre, then be separated out and used to make the air moving my eardrum vibrate in exactly the same way as it moved upon leaving somebody’s vocal chords hundreds of miles away. Today we have many ways to receive messages on screen, iPhone, on tape, iPod, CD, HD. Every week it becomes more amazing. I don’t know how God hears us but maybe the answer lies in the fact that he is Spirit. In John 4.24 we read ‘God is Spirit and only by the power of his Spirit can people worship him as he really is’. God’s universal WEB does not need physical connections or signals of various forms . He hears us through a system of which we have very little knowledge, which is beyond our present understanding and yet he is still as close as any earthly Father and able to supply our very needs. WOW!

Alan Lewney

18 July 2010

Revelation 3.20 is one of the most familiar of bible verses - ‘Here I am, I stand at the door, and knock: if anyone hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will eat with him, and he with me.’

Great words – but what do they actually mean? I think they are about welcome and hospitality. Eating in the bible is a big deal – and why not?? You never read of them going into Maccies for a quick burger. Oh no – it was normally a bit of an occasion, where the host would entertain honoured guests – a sort of biblical Come Dine With Me without the witty voice-overs. So we read that King David said of Mephibosheth – ‘…he will always eat at my table…’ and David said to Solomon about the sons of Bazillai – ‘…let them be always those who eat at your table.’ It was a great privilege to eat with the King.

Jesus was criticized for eating with all the wrong types – including Zaccheus (Zac the Rat) the tax collector. I always think of that episode of Keeping Up appearances where Hyacinth Bucket goes on a cruise. She has no interest in the ship or the exotic locations – her only concern is to eat at the captain’s table!

So when Jesus uses these words he is saying to us – ‘you are significant to me, you are important, I will dine with you…’ And the only condition is that we accept his invite. There is nothing to suggest that anyone is unacceptable. It gives us a great sense of worth to know that we are important.

Do we understand that? And do we treat others in the same way? Jesus said in Luke 14 – ‘…when you give a banquet invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.’ We live in a world full of people crying out for value and significant. I think that we should be saying to anyone in need – ‘ Here I am – I stand at the door … I will eat with you … and you with me.’ In other words we are saying that they are important and significant to us – with no sense of judgment, preferential treatment or discrimination.

Right I’m hungry after all that – anyone for a Big Mac?

Steve Cornforth

11 July 2010

Our reading this morning is the familiar story of the Good Samaritan. At the beginning of the story Jesus is asked the question “What do we have to do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied “What does scripture say?”, he is given the right answer -“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbour as yourself.”

We have been studying Paul’s letter to the Philippians in Cell Group, a letter quite different from his others, not concentrating on problems or crises but on relationships. It helps us to get to know Paul as a person and friend rather than a preacher or missionary. Paul mentions learning secrets, for example he has learned to be content whatever the circumstances. He knows what it is to be in need and to have plenty. He has learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want, for he can do everything through him who gives him strength. He knows what he is talking about, he writes this letter from his prison cell in Rome, facing a lonely future and a trial which could lead to death. In spite of Paul’s situation, the letter is filled with rejoicing, with words like ‘joy’, ‘rejoice’ and ‘thanksgiving’. He and his companions turned the cell where they were placed into a worship service! And as if in response to this God sent an earthquake bringing the cell walls down and throwing open the whole prison whereupon the jailer asked Paul the same question Jesus was asked - “What must I do to be saved”. I believe the source of Paul’s joy was that he loved his Lord with all his heart, soul, strength and mind, and that we too can know that joy, not happiness depending on what is ‘happening’ but a deep contentment and feeling of wellbeing when we put Jesus before everyone and everything, falling in love with Jesus, as opposed to just coming to church on a Sunday. He talks about living for Christ, to die is gain! Being eager to go, but willing to stay, don’t we tend to have it the other way round to be eager to stay but willing to go? We talk about having Christ in us but Paul talks about being in Christ, Christ always being the greater one. It is clear that he is utterly content in spite of his circumstances. The answer to the question? Eternal life starts, not when we die, but the moment we receive Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.

Shirley Wallin

4 July 2010

There is a popular saying: 'you can do anything if you put your mind to it.' However it's simply not true! Roger Federer, Venus Williams and the England football team are testament to that. No-one can say that they didn't set their minds to win Wimbledon or the World Cup!

The truth is that no matter how much we might want something and no matter how much effort we put into achieving it, we sometimes fall short. This saying is useful for inspiring ambition and effort but doesn't recognise that we are human with limitations.

God has created each one of us as unique individuals with different skills and personalities. Setting our minds to try different things and to take on new challenges to discover what we can achieve is part of our humanity. God doesn't say that we have to be good at everything to be of significance or to be objects of his unconditional love.

We might never be as good at tennis as Roger Federer or Venus Williams or at football as the England football team (!) but that's OK! Accepting our limitations does not mean that we must be bound by them.

St Paul shared his experience of God with the Christians in Philippi and he is far more realistic: I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Philippians 4.13)

Pete Spiers

27 June 2010

So, love it or hate it, the fact is sport is dominating our TV screens, internet sites, newspapers and much conversation at the moment. The World Cup, Wimbledon, it’s hard to avoid it! I must say I love it, but it is so frustrating sometimes! Which type of England performance are we going to get in the second round against Germany - play well and lose, play poorly and sneak through, or face a nail-biting penalty shootout? At Wimbledon – can Murray win it? The fact is, that following England in the football, Murray in the tennis, or any other sporting team or individual is more often than not a bit of a rollercoaster ride isn’t it? Ups and downs, high points and low points, exciting times and more flat times.

Life generally is like that as well isn’t it? A rollercoaster ride on a journey which takes us through good times, hard times, busy times, calmer times, exciting times, and so on. The exciting thing is that no matter who we are, Jesus longs for us to take that journey through our lives with him. He longs to lead and guide us, to be there for us, to support and encourage us, to give us the strength to keep going, to help us when we have difficult choices and decisions to make. This isn’t an easy option; following Jesus does not mean we get off lightly and avoid the difficulties that life brings; following Jesus does sometimes involve having to make tough decisions about following him and what he would have us do, rather than just thinking about what we want to do all the time. Not easy, but so worthwhile! Jesus longs for us to choose, to follow his way because that is the best way for us. He longs for us to respond to him, and live our lives knowing his love, no matter where we are on that rollercoaster ride of life. Jesus is calling each one of us today, whether it is to think about him and turn to him for the first time, or simply as a reminder to those, who have turned to him already, that he is still with us. How are we going to respond to that call today?

Simon Elliott

20 June 2010

Jesus likens the kingdom of God to a landowner wanting to hire workers for his vineyard (Matthew 20.1-16). We looked at it in our Shared Ministry Team (SMT) meeting last week. Those who worked for one hour were paid the same as those who worked all day. When he was accused of injustice, the landowner declared that each worker knew before they began their work, what their reward would be and so where was the injustice?

We concluded that establishing the kingdom of God requires work and effort. It will not just happen and it will not happen if people are not prepared to put themselves out. We also concluded that God can use anyone in his service. In fact he is looking for people to hire and to answer ‘the call of the kingdom’ and that as an SMT we need to continually remind people of this.

Since my letter of last week, I hope you’ve been praying and I would like to know what you believe God has been saying to you.

Let us remember our verse for 2010, another saying of Jesus:
‘You did not choose me but I chose you. I appointed you to go and bear much fruit, fruit that will last…’ (John 15.16).

Pete Spiers

13 June 2010

Invitations – these can be a source of great delight; being invited to a birthday party, a wedding or other social occasion. They are an opportunity for us to gather together to enjoy a celebration. During the course of our lifetime we may receive many different invitations, but perhaps the best is that offered by Jesus to ‘come and see’ (John 1.39), what a marvellous opportunity! Originally these words were spoken to the first disciples but are still being said to us today.

What is remarkable about Jesus’s invitation is that it is not just for a ‘one off’ occasion; it is an invitation for life; he invites us to walk with him each day, to share our lives with him.

How can we encourage others to take up the invitation? What is Jesus’s challenge for people in the UK today?

Each of us has our own experience of Jesus and what he means to us, and we would be describing ‘our’ Jesus. We don’t know what he looked like, there are no descriptions of him in the Bible, but there are many other aspects we could describe. So, would we tell others that Jesus the son of God, was sent to demonstrate God’s love, compassion and mercy for people through teaching and action; a saviour who died so that we may live? Would we tell others about what he did and said as recorded in the Bible? Perhaps we would recall some of the parables, or tell of his championing of social and economic justice for oppressed people, and how he demonstrated the ‘good news’ through his ministry.

Jesus’s invitation is for all: class, ethnicity, race, gender and culture are no obstacles; to those who are victims of poverty, disease, hunger and oppression; to everyone he shows his love for justice and peace. When we accept his invitation our lives are changed, we are invited to see situations and others differently, and to do what he taught.

Invitations are usually from people we know; Jesus knows us all, he is just waiting for us to ‘come and see’.

Gillian Beardwood

6 June 2010

We are studying Joshua in the evening services, and coincidentally tonight in the Café service the theme is ‘freedom’. The book of Joshua can be seen as an analogy of moving into personal freedom in Christ. Canaan was the goal to which God was leading his people. He promised not only to deliver the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt but to bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey. “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you.” God said. The whole land was given to the people, but they could possess only the portion which they claimed. Isn’t that the same for us? If we think about freedom, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing but we possess only that which we press in to receive. And just like them, we have an enemy to conquer and giants to face in our lives. These could be the defences we use, the walls we build around ourselves to stop us becoming vulnerable or hurt again, the expectations put upon us by others, becoming what we think is acceptable to others for fear of rejection, but in reality our freedom is measured by our defencelessness. We need to be true to ourselves and get back to the person God created us to be, our confidence and identity being in him. But Joshua was only a shadow; Jesus is the reality and he has already defeated the enemy and equips us with all that we need to move forward and take ground, and when we have taken ground to stand, and when we have stood to move forward again. We have the power of the cross, the empty tomb, an ascended Lord and Pentecost, the giving of the Holy Spirit. We have all of Jesus at the moment of conversion but only posses as much of him as by faith we claim.

God had done wonderful things for the Israelites when he had delivered them from Egyptian bondage and brought them safely to the border of the Promised Land, but they were afraid to move into the land and even wanted to go back to the familiarity of Egypt.

Our freedom is gained through the blood of Jesus and our acceptance of his work on the cross but very few of us live in the full benefit of it. We are often like the elephant, chained by its leg and held captive, not because it doesn’t have the strength to pull out the stake that holds the chain, but because it is all that it has known. Chained when it was younger and weaker, it learned then that it couldn’t break free, so now as an adult it believes nothing has changed.

Let’s press in together against all the assaults of the enemy and take hold of that which is our inheritance in Jesus Christ.

Shirley Wallin

this page was last modified on 28 August 2010.