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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 always think that Christmas brings out the best in people. It’s a time of sharing and of joy. But sometimes it’s so easy for us to get so caught up in all the practical preparations that we forget the real meaning of Christmas.
We often sing words from the chorus “Lord the light of your love is shining in the midst of the darkness shining, Jesus light of the world shine upon us set us free by the truth you now bring us, shine on me, shine on me”. At this time of year we celebrate the coming of the One True Light. Jesus is the reason for the season.
Our Bible reading today tells us that there was a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came to tell about the light so that everyone would believe. John wasn't the light, he only came to tell others about the light. And John continually pointed people towards Jesus. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)
Fr John Seddon will be sharing the story of the Bethlehem Peace Light with us today. This light is taken from the grotto manger in Bethlehem, where Christians believe Jesus was born and continues to Vienna where it then travels throughout 23 European countries and onto America. Unlike the Olympic torch, the light is not passed from one place to another in a set order. Instead it is shared, allowing the flame to spread and burn simultaneously wherever it is taken.
We have been called to tell others about Jesus — the light of the world — that they might be saved, that they might have new life and life in all its fullness, that they might find their way in the darkest night.
Father, help us to be ready for the coming of Jesus. May he be light in each of our lives. Amen.
Barbara Chambers
Preparation is an important part of many of the things we do in life. In many ways our parents prepare us to face the things in life that we will face that are difficult and demanding. Wise parents train their children by encouraging them to experience different situations in a safe and encouraging way. In our readings today we read about making paths straight, making uneven ground level, hills and valleys turning into a plain. The picture I get is one of everything possible being done to prepare for the coming King. As we see the massive work taking place for the Olympic Games we again see enormous preparation and we can begin to understand the size of God’s task in preparing our hearts for the day of his coming.
Where do we start? What is it that we can do to prepare the way? Well it seems to me that we have to start with our own hearts and minds. Righteousness, repentance, and perhaps most of all Peace. He is the Prince of Peace and we need to be peacemakers. Peace has to be worked for but if we have found peace in Christ he will give us his peace and we can share his peace with those around us day by day. But peace and justice go hand in hand and we will only bring peace if we are prepared to stand up and be counted when injustice is around. A massive task but if we are ready when he returns our joy will be complete.
Alan Lewney
The last Saturday in November has become known as Buy Nothing Day. As their website states: 'it's a day to challenge yourself and switch off from shopping and tune into life. The rules are simple, for 24 hours you will detox from consumerism and live without shopping. Anyone can take part provided they spend a day without spending! Nothing Day is the biggest 24-hour moratorium against consumerism. People around the world will make a pact to take a break from shopping as a personal experiment or public statement and the best thing is - IT'S FREE!!!'
The organisers hope that people will host swap shops, for instance, put on free concerts, provide credit-card cut-up tables and shopping free zones with carpet and chairs … so it’s about consuming less and recycling more.
This year Buy Nothing Day was celebrated yesterday on 29 November so you might have missed it. But it's not too late to observe for your own good! The church celebrates Advent. For many, our thoughts will already have turned to buying gifts, writing cards and making preparations for Christmas. Why don't you rest your legs for the day, 'fast' from consumerism and do something else instead?
The Bishop of Reading, Stephen Cottrell, has written a book entitled Do Nothing: Christmas is coming. It is a series of reflections and thoughts for Advent that will enable us to prepare ourselves to welcome the Christ-child. The Church of England has also set up a website with a very thought-provoking message from the Archbishop of Canterbury: www.whywearewaiting.com. If you're on the internet I would recommend a visit. You can sign up to receive e-mails each day during Advent.
'Advent a pregnant pause, a slow walk of faith towards Bethlehem on the journey that prepares us to enter afresh into the mystery of the Incarnation. Imagine, for a moment, how Mary felt as she sat on the donkey and set out, feeling the child who became God, and the God who became child, turn inside her, stretch, kick and prepare himself for the narrow road ahead'.
Pete Spiers
Today we have the parable of the sheep and goats, a story with a much deeper meaning every time we read it. The shepherd, Jesus, will one day separate the chosen and unchosen, wheat and tares, sheep and goats, those of Christ and those not of Christ. In the story the shepherd is Jesus and all people are sheep and goats. Jesus died for both the sheep and the goats; for the goats as a scapegoat (Leviticus 4:24, 16:18)) and for the sheep as the sacrificial lamb. Even though the goats are the ones who did not choose him, the price for their sin has been paid, for he is the redeemer of both. But we all have a choice to live life in one way or another. The sheep will live and be blessed, they will ‘enter into the narrow gate for my sheep know my voice’ and they will inherit the kingdom prepared for them. If you live as a goat you will die as a scapegoat and be sent off.
To those who are not followers of Christ, this story says that Jesus is coming back, and when he does, it will be a time of judgment. This judgment will lead to a separation between those who are his people and those who are not. The outcome will either be joy or sorrow. If that's you, please do something about it. Please think about it, and talk to someone today. It will be the most important thing you ever do.
The challenge to those who are followers of Christ is, are we showing our faith by how we live? Particularly, are we showing it by how we treat other Christians? Jesus says, 'whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Jesus identifies himself with his followers so closely that he takes what we do for them as something we've done for him. And he says that our destiny will be measured out by how we respond to his family. The good things we do for them show where we stand in relation to him.
We will all one day stand before Jesus, his verdict on us will depend on how we have treated him and responded to him, and the evidence on which he will base his verdict on us is how we have treated our Christian brothers and sisters, particularly the least important, least significant members of his family.
Someone once said “If you were put on trial for being a follower of Christ, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Jesus says that one day, we will be.
Shirley Wallin
Jack said he would take them if they were ready when he called later. Paula ran upstairs, applied mascara, eye liner and ironed her favourite blouse. Jean made a mental note of where her new clothes were and went to help her mother in the kitchen. Susan ran to her friend’s house and finished her homework and almost forgot about Jack. Back at home again she did her best to avoid helping her mother who needed help. Paula developed a sudden hearing loss when her mother screamed for help. She looked desperately for her i-pod. It was with immense reluctance that Paula and Susan carried out their chores.
Jack turned up half way through the chores, said he couldn’t delay because the table was booked, and didn’t want to be late. Jean said she’d be ready in five minutes but when Jack heard her he left with Jean’s two sisters. He said, ‘I told you to be ready and you’re not, so you can’t go.’ Was Jack unfair? What do you think?
The parable of ‘The Ten Virgins’ has a similar theme. Jesus, like Jack, made a promise but it had a condition. Be ready when I return. The virgins had to have enough oil to light their lamps but some had forgotten to keep a sufficient supply. The sensible ones were not going to miss the opportunity of being with their lord by delaying to help their friends. Their lord might not wait. This is a parable about the Lord’s return.
Are you and I ready for Jesus’ return? Some of the virgins were ready and some weren’t. Look back at the girls. Susan and Paula had their faults but they were ready when Jack called. Jean was a good and helpful girl as were all the virgins but Jean and five of the virgins weren’t ready. They had all taken their foot off the gas.
Have you and I taken our feet off the spiritual gas? If we have what are we going to do about it?
Jesus says, ‘Keep watch! You do not know the day or the hour of my return.’
Richie Brown
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a special day because it gives us the opportunity to pay tribute to those who have suffered and who gave and give their lives so that we may have peace and freedom today.
The signing of the Armistice, to signal the end of World War One, took place at 5am on 11 November 1918. The Great War to end all wars, as it was called, ceased fire at 11am on that day. Since that time a two minute silence has been observed. Ninety years later, the nearest Sunday to 11 November is the anniversary used to remember all the people who have died in wars during and since World War 1. This includes World War 2, the Falklands War, the Gulf War, and conflicts in Bosnia, Rwanda and Kosovo and more recently Iraq and Afghanistan.
Jesus tells us that “greater love has no one than this, that they lay down their life for their friends.”
The greatest freedom that we have is in Christ Jesus. The Bible teaches that the punishment for sin is death, but you and I know that Jesus died to set us free from the penalty of sin. Instead of death, we have been given eternal life. For us this was free because Jesus willingly paid the price with his own life.
Today, it is vital that we don't forget the massive sacrifices made so that people can live in peace so we give thanks for the lives of those who have fought and continue to fight for our freedom, let us remember to stop and thank God for them. Let us also remember to thank God for Jesus, who has set us free from the penalty for sin, because he was willing to pay the price.
Barbara Chambers
We often hear of people who feel that God has called them to a particular ministry or vocation and we admire their dedication and commitment. The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3.12: "I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." (NIV) He wanted to make his heavenly calling a reality in this life as well as the world to come.
It is very tempting for us as Christians to settle for second best and not to strive to be all that we can be in Christ Jesus. There are many reasons for this, not least of which is the desire to enjoy the things of this world and putting them above the things that God wants us to do. Maybe without really thinking about it we can get into the way of not responding to the call of God on our lives. We can see God's calling as being for those who are specially gifted or chosen. We can believe that God only calls people to certain more important positions or vocations.
The Bible teaches us that all of us are called to God's service and even if we resist his promptings he continues to want the best for us and longs for us to respond to the promptings of his Holy Spirit in our lives. We need to make sure that we do not allow our own desires to be guide by self interest. We often sing "May my will forever be ever more Your own." Let us sincerely seek to follow God then we will be able to truly sing: "Abba Father, let me be Yours and Yours alone."
Alan Lewney
The other day I was sorting through a drawer when I came across an old card from my Mum and Dad which made me smile. When I first received it, I must have kept it because I didn't want to just throw it away. I wanted to treasure it.
The theme for this year's Bible Sunday which we are celebrating today is Buried Treasure? It reminds us that the Bible is extremely valuable, as in it we can hear God speaking to us directly, and it enables us to know God better and to live his way. For too many Christians it is treasure that is buried because they rarely get it out to examine it! Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Bible and when we read it, we can feel the excitement of the psalmist as he writes about God's Word and what it means to him.
There are many places in the world where when they receive a Bible in their own language for the very first time they express great joy. In Jamaica, for example, the Bible Society is bringing hope to young people affected by guns, gangs, violent crime and drugs. In the Bible they discover that they are somebody rather than a nobody, that they have worth and value, and that there is hope when they put their hand into the hand of the God who made them and loves them.
After all our services today, we have organised a Bible bookstall where you can browse the many different aids to reading the Bible that are available and see what's best for you. I would be thrilled to think that lots of people at St Luke's would be willing to invest a small amount of their money to unearth the riches of the Bible for themselves. After all if you don't speculate, you will never accumulate!
Pete Spiers
At the end of John’s gospel are the words, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." So when Luke includes six or seven sentences about the sisters Mary and Martha, (Luke 10:38-42) we wonder what point Luke trying to pass on to his readers? This is just a short glimpse, a couple of minutes in Jesus' entire lifetime. Why was it so important that it was preserved for us to read? Maybe Martha and Mary are a lot like us individually and also corporately. We could wear our busyness as a badge of pride. To be busy is to feel needed and to feel needed is to feel important, but where is our focus in that? Jesus’ challenge to Martha is not that she is too busy, but that in her busyness she has become distracted away from focusing on him. Mary, however, understands what it means to be truly in Jesus’ presence and chooses a position of devoted attention at the feet of her Lord, not at his side, a place of honour, but at his feet, a place of humility, the position of a disciple, hungry for Jesus to speak into her life. And that choice is affirmed by Jesus, it is the better thing, the ‘one thing’ that is needed, nothing is more important.
We all have an opportunity to do just this tomorrow evening as we meet together to listen as God speaks to us and through us. Sometimes he speaks directly through dreams and visions but also speaks indirectly, showing something to one person to pass on to another. This might seem a bit odd, why risk messing up the revelation by taking a detour through another imperfect human’s brain? This is how God, confirms to us that it is him speaking. It is amazing how God comforts, challenges and guides in this way when we need it most. He might give us a picture that helps people to understand an abstract concept in a concrete way or call us to describe a particular attribute of his character that someone needs to remember in their current situation.
The church also needs to hear clearly God’s point of view . We are called to show our world what God is really like, not what church has been like up to now. God’s way of doing things continually surprises. God brings hope where there is no hope and makes a way where there is no way.
So come to church tomorrow evening, many of us have never done this kind of thing before and it might feel a bit scary but Acts 2:17,18 assures us that the Holy Spirit is available for all to hear God in this way.
Shirley Wallin
Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth.
[Psalm 100:1]
Have you ever heard the earth shout for joy, or do you think it is crying out in pain?
At this time of year we celebrate Harvest. What does Harvest mean to us? Some definitions include ‘it is the process of gathering in crops, the season during which this takes place; it is the thanksgiving festival which we hold in churches, and it can also mean to experience the consequences of previous actions. In order for us to enjoy a good harvest we need to sow or plant earlier in the season.
How can we ensure that we continue to be good stewards of this earth, and continue with our Eco-congregation project at St Luke’s especially when there is much talk in the press of the current economic climate and the credit crunch, prices of fuel, and food rising, not just in this country but worldwide? Countries such as the Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and Indonesia experiencing food-related riots, whilst in some African countries, the all too frequent drought is becoming more difficult to cope with through increasing economic pressures and climate change, therefore resulting in poorer harvests. We still however have many things to be thankful to God for: farmers to cultivate land, fresh water, but we must also remember those who suffer from lack of food and fresh water. We need to remind ourselves that we share this earth with many others; when we share with others what we have, do we then have a good harvest?
Today we have brought our own harvest gifts, for distribution to our local community. Through sharing what we have brought today, in giving thanks to God and in our attitudes to His creation and each other we can continue to show others that as Christians we are not jumping on the band wagon of ‘going green’ or whatever the latest catchphrase is, but that we are following the Lord and his teachings. To enable us to experience some positive consequences of previous actions, let our sowing be that of showing others that we care about them and our environment and that God cares for us and what we do with His creation. Let us hear the earth shout to the Lord with joy!
Gillian Beardwood
In this day and age light bulbs are really cheap. If you use the energy saver ones, many community groups are giving them away to encourage us to use less electricity.
Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb and the story goes that when Edison’s team had taken a day to finish the first ever light bulb, he gave it to a young boy to carry upstairs. He carried it very carefully but unfortunately he dropped the light bulb. It took the team of men another day to make another bulb. Finally, tired and ready for a break, Edison was ready to have this bulb carried upstairs. He gave it to the same young boy who dropped the first one. That’s true forgiveness. Mr Edison gave the boy another chance! And God offers us that same kind of forgiveness over and over again.
If you read the Gospel set for today (Matthew 21.33-46), Jesus tells the story about a man who owned a vineyard and planted some grapes. He employed some men to take care of it for him while he went away. When the harvest was ready the landowner sent some of his servants to collect his share of the harvest. The men who had leased the land beat the man’s servants and even killed one of them. Finally, he sent his own son and they killed him too.
God is the landowner, who sent Noah, Moses, David, Isaiah, and many, many others to tell people of his love for them and to call them to turn from the wrong things that they were doing, but many people wouldn’t listen. Finally, he sent Jesus and they crucified him.
God has no hands, or feet or voice but ours. He has entrusted us with telling other people about him and his love and forgiveness and in return he gives us the love, joy and peace of his Holy Spirit to be with us always.
Barbara Chambers
Welcome! Today marks a really special day in the calendar of many churches all over the UK. Back to Church Sunday started in just one Church of England diocese in 2004 as 160 churches invited people back to church and over 1000 people responded. Since then the idea has gradually spread to more and more dioceses across the country and beyond - 38 different dioceses of the Church of England as well as churches as far away as Canada and New Zealand are taking part this year, and for the first time churches of varying other denominations are joining in as well. So all over the country and beyond, thousands are being invited and responding to invites to come back to church today. This is so exciting, and we really want to welcome any here at St Luke's who have come back to this church today.
It's exciting, not because you're going to sit there in a pew and say certain prayers, not because you're going to stand and sing hymns and songs, not even because you're going to hear a talk from the vicar or one of the readers! It's exciting because it gives us an opportunity to tell you just how much God loves you. God loves you more than you can ever imagine, no matter where you feel you are at today and how you feel about yourself. That is what is so exciting.
In the Gospels, Jesus tells a story about a son, who asks his father for his inheritance early. The son then left home, went off to foreign lands, and squandered all his money. Things got so bad for him that he ended up feeding pigs and feeding himself from the scraps that were left. He came to his senses eventually and decided to return home and ask for his father's forgiveness. He had his little speech all prepared - but he never really got a chance to say it. His father was looking out, longing for him to return home, and ran out to meet him, hugged him and welcomed him home with much delight. He forgave his son everything and even laid on a banquet in his honour.
That is a picture of how our God feels about each one of us. He is longing for us to realise just how much he loves us. He longs to, and will, forgive and embrace us, and we don't have to earn that in anyway - it's unconditional, we simply need to turn to him and ask. It's my prayer that you will hear of that loving God here today, and on an ongoing basis, come to know his great and amazing love for yourself.
Simon Elliott
The gospel today tells what those around Jesus were thinking when he joined Matthew and asked him to join his gang. What it doesn’t say is what Peter and his pals said and thought when Matthew did just that. Do you think it possible they questioned Matthew’s right to be there. He was after all not like them. He collected taxes for the Romans. Not only that! Matthew sat with ‘sinners’. The Bible doesn’t tell us what kind of sinners but we have fertile minds. We can conjure up a few ourselves.
I have turned the well known story on its head for a purpose. Back to Church Sunday is close. We are praying for many new members but how are we going to react if Matthew in his 21st century disguise sits next to you or me?
I believe we are good at forgiveness and will accept the reformed ‘sinner’ however grave the crime. I’ve seen it too often to doubt that whoever walks through the door will be welcomed and treated graciously. The nagging concern I have is more to do with the newcomer’s ignorance of how we do church. Will they understand why we do things the way we do. ‘Please stand.’ ‘Please sit.’ Then there’s the ‘peace’. If our guests feel uncomfortable – I once heard someone being asked if he could sit somewhere else because ** sits there - the chances of him returning are reduced. Are we ready for all those, ‘But why?’ questions?
I would ask us all to think about the way we do things and, instead of saying the ‘But it’s always been that way’, let’s try and put ourselves in the shoes of someone who has never been in a church but is interested in following Jesus. Does the love and grace of Jesus have to be conveyed in the same way as last year or can we face the challenge of being given the opportunity to show the love of Jesus in a different way, in a way that might just mean something to a newcomer?
Richie Brown
We find in Psalm 103 a wonderful response to God’s goodness. The writer pens the words “bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits - who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases”.
The marvellous thing about being a Christian is that we have a relationship with God through Jesus that touches our lives at the very deepest levels.
I was at a science lecture this week when a leading doctor explained that disease is any abnormality that causes distress or despair. The Bible tells us that our sinfulness causes us to be separated from our heavenly father and from the benefits of living in relationship with him. We are therefore in need of healing and restoration. Forgiveness is what God offers us through his Son. Healing and life in all its fullness is the outcome, when we truly repent and turn to him.
If the Christian message is true it cannot be irrelevant, in fact it is a message that can change our lives forever. If you would like to explore further, why not come to the Alpha Course beginning in October. Along with people from various backgrounds or churches you will be able to explore many of the “Questions of Life” that the Bible poses.
Alan Lewney
“My Precious! I wants it, I needs it, it’s mine…”
Other Lord of the Rings fans out there will know that these words come from Gollum, the sad little creature whose life had been dominated and destroyed by a ring. This ring had a strange, unnatural and powerful hold over the characters that had possession of it, it led to murder, and it caused much bitterness, argument and jealousy among those who didn’t have it but wanted it. Frodo especially knew just how dangerous the ring was, especially if it was put on, but he still found himself putting it on at times. The ring was a burden, it dragged people down, it felt heavy, and yet the characters were still drawn to it, and became obsessed with it.
As I read through the Romans 13 passage set for this Sunday, with its instructions to fulfil the law by loving one another, to lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light, to ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ’ and make no provision for the flesh, I found myself thinking about the ‘ring’. So much can get in the way of us following that instruction to love each other: actions, thoughts, desires, ambitions, jealousy of others for who they are or what they have, and so on. All things that like the ‘ring’ can get in the way of our relationships with others and ultimately with God. Things that we can develop an unhealthy obsession with, that we know can drag us down, but we can’t quite bring ourselves to let go of. Sometimes things that aren’t necessarily bad in themselves but lead us into patterns of behaviour, ways of treating others that aren’t good; or they become so much of a focus that they detract from the time we give to our families and friends and to God. God loves us so much and he wants the best for us, he wants to help us cast aside/deal with our ‘rings’ and put on his armour of light, to be the people we’re meant to be, to know his love in a way that it radiates off us for all around to see. He wants us to ‘put on Christ’, to look to the example that Christ himself set us and seek with the help of the Holy Spirit to follow that example and become more and more Christ-like, as if we’re ‘wearing him’! As we look to Back to Church Sunday, our ‘wearing Christ’ and showing his love to all is crucial in drawing people back to their loving God. But what are your ‘rings’? What do you need to think about laying aside with God’s help in order to put on Christ and show him and his love to others at home, at school, at work, wherever you find yourself day by day?
Simon Elliott
A few months ago our Cell Group felt it would be good to study the Letter to the Hebrews. In our evening services over the last couple of months we have had some excellent teaching on the Letter to the Hebrews and over the last two or three weeks my daily notes have been… you’ve guessed it – Hebrews. So I thought maybe God was trying to say something. We have learnt that viewed from the perspective of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Old Testament sanctuary and sacrifice were not God’s ultimate plan for salvation but a prophetic foreshadowing of what Jesus himself would accomplish. We have gained a deeper understanding of how, through the layout of the tabernacle, the Holy Spirit shows us that entrance into God's intimate presence, highly restricted under the old covenant, has been made accessible to us, with the freedom, joy and privilege of unrestricted intimacy with God through the once for all sacrifice of Jesus.
The writer of Hebrews is writing to people from a Jewish background, who had become Christians some time ago but were now thinking of returning to their former beliefs. These early Christians had not been under great persecution but were experiencing confusion, disappointment and disillusionment.
We too know, when things get tough, that pull back to the familiar security of our previous way of life. Peter feels the need to go fishing in the days after the crucifixion, to go back to the familiar life Jesus had called him from. Where do we go back to when following Christ seems too demanding or confusing? What sort of experiences have made us feel like that? Hebrews talks about perseverance, endurance, faith and encouraging each other. The Christian life is like climbing a mountain, sometimes tough and uphill, one in which we must hold on firmly, with Christ as our guide. We can plateau any time we like and stay where we feel comfortable or we can respond to God’s challenge to carry on. Only we can decide what we want to invest in our relationship with God.
As we start a new term, a new beginning, let’s discover together the intimacy with God that comes from living under the new covenant. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to implant in our hearts a desire to live for God’s glory.
There’s no way we can repay God for what he has done for us in Jesus, but our choices can show our gratitude to him.
Shirley Wallin
Matthew 15:21-28
When Jesus started his ministry his first priority was to preach, teach and to bring God's chosen ones, the people of Israel, to repentance. But when people saw Jesus healing the sick, the lame and performing miracles, they followed him wherever he went.
One day there was a woman from Canaan who came out and started shouting after Jesus, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David, my daughter is tormented by a demon.” At first he didn’t answer her, but she persisted and eventually the disciples went to him and said “do something, she keeps following us and shouting”. It was out of character for Jesus not to respond to people and when he eventually does it’s quite a harsh response. “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” His words however bring out the best in the woman who is to be numbered among the many feisty women of the Bible. Her answer: "Lord, that's true, but even dogs get the crumbs that fall from their owner's table."
This hides a profound understanding of God and an even deeper faith, which Jesus recognizes. Jesus was so touched by the faith of the woman that he told her that because of her faith, her daughter would be healed. Even though Jesus came first to the Jewish people, he loved us so much that he shared that love with all of us, when he died on the cross and rose again. This love is freely available to us when we are prepared to repent and say we are sorry for the things that we have done wrong and turn away from them.
In Matthew’s account of the meeting with the Canaanite woman, Jesus shows us what to do – engage with people, accept them as they are and where they are at, and then bless them.
Our mission, should we choose to accept it, whether we are two or 152 is to allow the light and love of God to show in us so that people we meet feel welcomed and accepted.
Dear Father, thank you for loving us so much that you shared your son with the whole world, so that through him we could be saved. Amen.
Barbara Chambers
Very few governments survive any sort of economic down turn. Bill Clinton famously said “It’s the economy stupid”, when discussing his election strategy. As a nation we seem to see the government’s job as mainly being to make our lot better in every way. Paradoxically when we prosper we often feel that it is because of our hard work and foresight in making good investments and following the best route in education and employment and we deserve all we have.
The Bible seems to take a different view and although God promises to bless those who follow him, we cannot assume that his blessing will mean that we gain in material things. The teaching of Jesus often challenges us to be aware that our true treasure should be in Heaven. To Jesus true happiness is to be found through poverty of spirit and gratitude to God.
Jesus has the poor of this world very close to his heart. Whist he was here on earth he was often moved to compassion for them. When he fed the 5000 they had come to hear his message but he was not unmoved by the physical needs, and he wonderfully fed the crowd. We are blessed by so much so let us thank God for his provision day by day. Let us look with compassion on those in need. Let us support all efforts to bring justice, peace, food and water, shelter and comfort to the needy of this world, and let us not think that all this can be achieved without cost to ourselves.
Alan Lewney
Solomon’s father, David, went down in history as Israel’s greatest king. As Solomon considered his own reign with the weight of the nation’s expectations bearing down on his youthful shoulders he might have heard one of his court officials saying, ‘See if you can follow that one Sol.’ On the eve of his coronation Solomon was asked by God what he would like as a gift. Solomon did not choose wealth, long life or, indeed, anything selfish. He chose an understanding mind and we can read how he put that good gift to use to the benefit of the nation in the Bible.
We do not rule nations. But the way in which we relate to each other is as important in the eyes of God. Whether we are talking to our child, our parent, friend or colleague we would all benefit from the same understanding mind. But how do we put this understanding mind into action when we are confronted by the arrogant ‘We know best’ of our teenage offspring, or the overbearing attitude of those in authority, or the ‘I’m older than you so what do you know?’ response of others?
I am reminded of an oft quoted refrain that you will have heard before. It goes something like this. You have two eyes, two ears and only one mouth. So use them in that proportion. So much can be gleaned from the wise use of our eyes and ears: a person’s demeanour, his anger, her frustration, his fear, her need for reassurance. If I could add another good idea then it would be to sit down: far less confrontational.
If you and I do all this then when we do decide the time is right to open our mouths what we say has a far better chance of being heard and understood. And if we have committed the moment to God in prayer before the interaction has a chance to escalate out of hand our words might even approach the wisdom of Solomon and wouldn’t that please the Lord.
Richie Brown
The joys of moving house! Trying to be ruthless in clearing out stuff so that junk doesn’t just move from one place to the next, saying bye to good friends, watching strange people chuck all our belongings on to a truck… Then the added complications of the truck breaking down at one end, and not being able to fit down the road at the other end! (Fortunately both situations sorted without too much hassle for us – more so for the poor delivery guys!) Underneath it all both excitement about what God is calling us to, new opportunities and so on; but also a little apprehension: the niggling questions, the slight doubts and worries. Have we really got this right Lord? Can we really be of use to you in this place? Will we settle in and build relationships? etc. etc.
Compared to many of our friends leaving Ridley, Lisa and I were in a good position in that we were moving back to the area we think of as home, albeit a new part of it. We did feel very strongly God’s call to this place, an excitement about coming and that we would be made to feel really welcomed here, as we have been – thank you! But the whole process is still, to an extent, tiring and unsettling as we get used to a new home, a new area, a new way of life.
As I was thinking about all this I turned to the Psalm set for this Sunday: 139, and read of our God who knows us deeply, discerns our thoughts, searches out our path, is acquainted with all our ways, hems us in, lays his hand upon us, never lets us escape from his presence… Wow! God is in all of our situations, he is with us, and he can be trusted! When you get a couple of minutes read through these words slowly and just allow the enormity, the amazingness of what they say to sink in – and know that God made you, knows you inside out, knows exactly what you’re going through whether good or bad, and is with you no matter what.
Simon Elliott
The Church has had some bad press recently, which can make us feel confused and unsettled. At times like this it’s always good to go to back to scripture and try to see God’s perspective.
How do we all live our lives worthy of our calling? Paul tells us to “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” [Ephesians 4:2-3] He tells us such lives are characterized by humility, gentleness, patience, mutual forbearance and love. Jesus came into our world demonstrating humility by washing his disciples' feet. None was more gentle than Jesus, gentleness denoting a strength that is under control. Patience is longsuffering, the willingness to put up indefinitely with difficult circumstances or irritating people. Mutual forbearance, the kind of tolerance that God shows towards us and without which no group of people can live together in harmony. And love, thinking more of others than ourselves. When these five foundation stones are in place then we can enjoy spiritual unity. The unity of Christ’s body has already been secured through the Holy Spirit, we are called simply to keep it, as the verse above says.
Paul describes the basis of this God-given unity by the use of the word “one”. One Body – the one Church of Jesus Christ. Not only the people who go to church, not just our denomination but all those who belong to God through faith in his Son. One Spirit – The unity of Christ’s church is realized through the one Spirit who lives within us. One Hope – All Christians have the same hope of our heavenly inheritance. What can unite us more than the knowledge that we will all share in Christ’s glory? One Lord – No other person has the right to claim to be the head of the Church. In him alone is salvation to be found. One Faith – Because there is only one Lord there can only be one faith, one way of salvation. One Baptism – Our one faith is visibly confessed in one baptism. One God and Father of all – The Church can no more be multiplied than our one God and Father can be multiplied. The unity of the Church is as indestructible as God himself. We may be concerned about factions or disagreements but the bigger picture is that there is just one church of Christ. We already possess unity in the Spirit and we work towards unity in the faith.
Yes of course our leaders have to discuss and debate doctrinal truths but we can be assured that nothing, not even the gates of Hades will overcome the Church of Christ. If Satan and his fallen angels thought that God’s purposes had been foiled in the Garden of Eden or the Garden of Gethsemane, or anywhere else, then they fail to understand divine wisdom which has taken humanity far beyond the purposes of the first creation. We can celebrate and look forward to the day when we the church, the bride of Christ, in our fine linen, bright and clean, will be presented to our Lord Jesus Christ and I can’t wait!
Shirley Wallin
Over this weekend the General Synod of the Church of England will be meeting at York University. I was elected by the clergy of Liverpool Diocese to be one of their representatives for 5 years in 2005. We stay in the halls of residence and eat our meals together: bishops, clergy and lay people alike. It is a very friendly atmosphere and there are plenty of opportunities to talk over issues in-between sessions (9.30-1pm, 2.30-6.15pm, 8.30-10pm).
Although we will be talking about many issues it is very likely that the most people will get to hear about Synod is about our debates on women bishops and the divisions within the Anglican communion of churches. This is sad but perhaps not too surprising as the media enjoy reporting conflict, disagreement and controversy. The people they will ask for their opinions are usually the ones from opposite ends of the spectrum! By their very nature debates encourage people to speak either 'for' or 'against'.
I often find myself listening and wondering what Jesus makes of it all. You may have seen Christians sporting wristbands with the letters WWJD? They stand for What Would Jesus Do? It is a daily reminder to them of Paul's words about Jesus: 'who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant' (Philippians 2:6-7).
So please pray that somehow this weekend General Synod will be a reflection
of the character of Christ who was 'full of grace and truth' (John 1:14), an exhibition of the fruit of the Spirit: 'love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control' (Galatians 5:22) and a fulfilment of the command:
'make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace' (Ephesians 4:3).
Pray also that we will all get used to asking that important question on a daily basis: What Would Jesus Do?
Pete Spiers
Matthew 10: 40-42
A couple of months ago I had to deal with a situation which I felt would overwhelm me. It just seemed to be a big black cloud, which I couldn't get through, and then I remembered something that different people had told me in the past, that you just take one step at a time. Break the situation down into smaller pieces and deal with what you can first and then it becomes easier because the problem becomes smaller.
I no longer have a problem.
Our gospel reading today comes just after Jesus has told us to take up our cross and follow him. When we read about all the wonderful things that Jesus did and the miracles he performed and the death he died, it can be quite scary to think that we may be called to do the same things and I wonder if I can.
So, this week do something for someone else who needs a helping hand and remember to tell them how much Jesus loves them.
Lord, thank you for your example. Help us to remember that you are with us and can help us show in small ways your love and kindness every day.
Amen.
Barbara Chambers
Showing our allegiance to our favourite team or wearing club badges, can be a way of expressing our enjoyment of our sport or hobby and encouraging others to join in. The wonderful Dutch football supporters have turned our screens orange and some commentators have said that they seem to get as much enjoyment out of dressing up as they do from watching the football. The same can be said of the fashion conscious racegoers at Aintree or Ascot.
Showing our allegiance to Jesus on the other hand can sometimes be difficult and the symbol of the cross conveys a message about Jesus that is both challenging and life-changing. When we openly witness to the saving power of Jesus and his death and resurrection, we can expect to be challenged or ignored. The wonderful thing is that in demonstrating our allegiance to Jesus we too are showing that we are willing to take up our cross. Jesus said in Matthew 10:24 “whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me”.
Will you speak out and show your true allegiance to the Lord Jesus. If we do he has made us a promise that we know we can be sure of. “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my father in heaven.”
Alan Lewney
“It was the famous conductor Sir Henry Wood who initiated the Promenade
Concerts (“Proms”) in order to bring good music within reach of ordinary folk young and old. It was Bishop Michael Baughen’s
bright idea to develop a Christian equivalent (“Prom Praise”). Since then it has gone from strength to strength under the
brilliant leadership of Noel Tredinnick and had its 30th Anniversary Concert in 2007. It gives Christian musicians a unique opportunity
to express through voice or instrument their devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.”
John Stott
Rector Emeritus of All Souls, Langham Place.
“Prom Praise is a unique opportunity to enjoy praising God through
classical music and also to be able to bring people who maybe have no connections with Christianity, to a concert, which they will
enjoy as well as being introduced in a non-threatening way to the Christian world”
Fiona Castle
“Fabulous music, wonderfully performed!”
Sir Cliff Richard
Next Saturday (21 June) Prom Praise returns to the Philharmonic Hall. Many from St Luke’s are planning to experience Prom Praise. Tickets are still available (contact Eric Linford). The concert will be a combination of orchestra, soloist, choir (with about 20 St Luke’s members in it) with plenty of audience participation.
Thank you to those who are offering overnight accommodation to those members of the orchestra who will be joining some of our own musicians for an extravaganza of Praise and Worship at our 11 o’clock service next Sunday (22 June). The weekend will be finished off with a Parish BBQ before our visitors have to travel back to London.
An opportunity of good fun, good fellowship and good food! You are invited. Do come and be uplifted.
Eric Linford
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all
your mind and Love your neighbour as yourself.
[Matthew Chapter 22 verses 37- 39]
At the beginning of Lent we launched the idea of Eco-congregation and encouraged the congregation to participate in ‘Carbon-Fast’ as part of our focus on the sacrifice made for us by Jesus and showing our care for each other and the environment, by taking up something that may mean a sacrifice to our daily routine or living. In actively living a life that cares for others we can see how the gospel can have an impact on our lives and those around us – not just those in our locality, our ‘next door neighbours’ but those living hundreds or thousands of miles away in different circumstances.
Recently I have taken the opportunity to spend some time in further reading and learning about Matthew’s Gospel, as Matthew seeks to show us that Jesus is Immanuel. Whilst Jesus did not preach on ‘saving the planet’ he did preach in his sermon on the mount that there are those who will find the narrow road and those who will not. There are divisions amongst society and we are challenged to renew our commitment to sharing the good news with others in many ways, not least through our actions and attitudes to each other.
God’s creation places on us all a great responsibility; we are stewards of this earth; called to care for his creation and therefore each other in a loving way.
Through the project of Eco-congregation we are asked to examine our own personal lifestyles and look at different areas of church life; do we praise God and thank him for his creation regularly? How green is our management of financial, catering and purchasing matters? Do we look at the Bible studies in our cell groups?
Our lifestyles continue to consume more and more energy so we need to reflect on ways in which we can love our poorer neighbours – what will you do? Are our decisions based on what will benefit us or do they demonstrate that our lives are committed to Christ?
Gillian Beardwood
Water under pressure is dangerous. If you want proof tape up the spout of an old fashioned kettle and let the water boil. Know what I mean? Did you know our bodies are 70% water? Course you did!
I like stretching analogies and mixing metaphors. Here goes. Just like the kettle we need to have an escape valve for those times when our anger, our frustration and any of our other emotions get the better of us. By the way, aren’t people irritating? I do wish he would try to understand what I mean. Why does she leave it all to me? She does, he really does. On such occasions we let off steam but how do we? Go for a run, have another cake, go and do some of the Lord’s work with Jim or Jean, they understand me. Could be that we are ducking the issue here. We should be facing the problem that has caused us to fume.
Before we take communion we’re required to repair broken relationships. Jesus would like us to do this straight away, as quickly as possible. Wouldn’t it be good if we called round and saw Ann or Jack, better than phoning don’t you think, and talk to each other, pray with one another and then we can share those cream cakes you brought to share. I would have brought egg custards myself. They don’t get the appreciation they deserve. They really don’t.
We fall out with people so easily and need to get into a habit of recognizing the gulf and repair it as quickly as possible before either we or our friend or colleague discover the steps to reconciliation are steeper than we expected.
Richie Brown
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