Christmas Midnight Mass 2019

I was listening to a programme host on the radio recently talking about the meaning of Christmas. The real meaning of Christmas, he said, is ‘Goodwill to all men.’ And then he added - because he quickly realised that this sounded very sexist and politically incorrect - ‘and of course women and children and animals too.’

Well, I think the turkeys might have something to say about that; but then he added this. ‘For a week or so before Christmas we come over all fuzzy and altruistic; we come out of our mainly selfish shells and try to be nice to each other. But by Boxing Day the peace is at an end and war has once more broken out.’

Now I think there are three very important things to say about what he said on a programme heard by possibly tens of thousands of people or more.

The first is this. I don’t agree with him that all people are largely selfish for 51 weeks of the year, thinking only of themselves and no other: l know for a fact, as I am sure you do too, that very many people make not only small but often very great sacrifices for other people - and not just their immediate families - for many if not most days of the year. I can only assume that he has a very unfortunate circle of friends and acquaintances, and that life with the BBC has made him rather cynical.

Secondly – and I am afraid that he is quite wrong here - is his understanding of the phrase ‘Good will to all men’, which is a wishful thinking misunderstanding of the Gospel Reading we have just heard. What he has done - as many have before him and still do today - is to take the offer God made in Jesus to you and to me, and sentimentalise it into something we offer to each other - if only, as he claims, for a few days over Christmas.

You see, this is yet another instance of reading into the bible meanings that simply aren’t there but which suit agendas in which people can happily rule out God - because of course leaving him in leads to some very awkward and embarrassing questions – mainly about ourselves!

But Christmas is all about God; that in one of his forms of being God he chose, because he loves us, to come to us in human form so that we could understand him and believe in him.

Now if you look at what it actually says in the reading, at verse 14, you will see that not we but God is the author, the giver, of the offer; and that that offer is not just a wishful thinking ‘let’s all try to be nice to each other through our own efforts for a few days over Christmas’, but I, God, in the person of this vulnerable little baby, am offering all ‘on whom my favour rests’ to know real peace; a peace the world can never give. And my favour will rest on those who believe in this baby, in who he is, in why he came, and who then change their lives where necessary to accord with what he taught about humanity, and about our hopelessness without him.

The peace he offers, as he will explain to you when he is a full grown man and starts teaching you my ways, is the peace you will have when you know for sure the answers to your deepest questions about this life: it’s meaning, it’s purpose, and what will happen to you when this life ends for you. But above all it is the peace which comes from knowing for sure that you and I have been reconciled, that I have forgiven you for every unloving thing you have ever done, that because of him I have wiped your slate is clean - however dirty it may be or you may think it is, and that we are once more able to be in relationship. And it’s not because of you or anything that you are or that you’ve achieved, but because of everything he, Jesus, is and has achieved for you.

The mistake the radio host made was to make us the givers rather than the receivers: it is God’s offer and it is to be found in Jesus. And the fact is that when we truly believe that Jesus is exactly whom he claimed to be and put our faith in him as the unique and universal Saviour of the world, God’s chosen instrument of forgiveness and reconciliation, then we will find that he is in us helping us to bring the Good News of him, all that he is and all that he offers, to those who do not know him and who do not know what they are missing; in short, his personal ambassadors of his ‘good news’ for all – if only they will receive it.

No wonder the radio host – even with his ridiculously large BBC salary – sounded so cynical: he had misunderstood the ‘Good will’ offer entirely. Let’s not make the same mistake; but with humble and joyful hearts welcome his wonderful message, his unique and universal offer, welcome him personally as Saviour, Friend, and King. Accept and unwrap this present and you will never know a better one because you will have received the very best present anyone could ever receive.

Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols 2019

A man was walking along a cliff path one day when he tripped and fell over the edge. Reaching out he grabbed a tree root on the side and clung to it for dear life. He looked down but could not see the bottom. The tree root began to loosen. He looked up to the sky above and in desperation shouted, ‘Is anybody there? Save me!’ Almost immediately a voice from the heavens replied, ‘Have faith; let go.’ The man looked down, and then back up, and said, ‘Is anybody else there?’

Now you may be asking yourselves what on earth that little story has to do with Christmas. Well, unlike my joke at this service last year about the three-legged turkey, this little story has far more to do with the real message of Christmas than at first sight. Why? Well because it illustrates two very important truths.

The first truth is this. The coming of Jesus into the world that very first Christmas in order to reveal to us in human form - that is to say, in a way that we could understand – God Himself who created us, and also not only to teach us how He wants us to live and to love but also, he said, to ‘save’ us, prompts us to ask if we will ‘have faith’ in him; to have faith that he, Jesus, and he alone, provides the answers to life’s deepest and most pressing questions - Who created us? Why are we here? How are we supposed to live? What will happen to us when this life ends?

Now to the person who has not studied closely and with an open mind the person of Jesus - his wonderful life, his amazing claims about himself, and the most compelling evidence for his resurrection three days after he had been killed, asking that person to ‘have faith’ in Jesus to ‘save’ him or her – from avoidable ignorance and unavoidable death - is very much like the situation of the man clinging on to the tree root on the side of the cliff. He or she has no firm grounds on which to trust Jesus’ offer; his offer not only to ‘save’ him or her but also to give them a new life, a fresh start, a new way of living. To such a person there will seem no reason whatsoever to ‘have faith’ in him and ‘let go’.

Or again, if a person believes in the foundation of so much of modern and popular scientific faith (because faith is exactly what is needed to believe it), a miracle far greater, far more improbable – or so Nobel Prize-winning mathematicians tell us - than the miracle of Jesus’s resurrection with all the hugely compelling evidence attesting to its historical fact – and what I am referring to here of course is the theory of the miraculous so-called ‘Big Bang’ with its creating of something (our universe) out of nothing (yes, nothing); a belief system in which, so scientists admit, we are asked to believe that human life, your life and mine, has absolutely no meaning; that we humans are simply the outcomes of blind evolutionary processes with no goal, no purpose, no hope – then, again, that person will want to pay no attention to Jesus’ call to ‘have faith’ in him and ‘let go’.

Or if a person is so absorbed by the pursuit of power, wealth, success – or even just personal happiness and the enjoyment of this life, then he or she too will see no reason, no benefit, to ‘have faith’ and ‘let go’.

But here is the second truth that story illustrates, and it is this: the truth that we are more afraid of ‘letting go’ of the many ideas and things that not only blind us to the truth of Jesus but also let us down time and time and time again: we prefer to put our faith in these rather than take him at his word - that he came to ‘save’ us and to offer us ‘life; life, he said, in all its fulness’.

He came that first Christmas because he loves us more than we could ever conceive of or imagine; he came because our heavenly Father does not want us to make choices that will only separate us from him; he came because each one of us, flawed and fickle as we all of us are, are very precious in his sight, made in his image, created to live in love with him and with each other.

But to the person who has genuinely considered the evidence for Jesus and is willing to let go of all those things – personal, material, philosophical, political – which blind or prevent us from trusting him, such letting go and putting their faith in Jesus is quite simply the most reasonable, rational, and realistic thing they could ever do. Or, as the Christmas carol so aptly puts it, ‘Where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.’



The true message of Christmas, the original one that is, not only reminds us of God’s saving love in coming to the earth he created for you, for me, for everyone, it also challenges those who either have not heard it or have previously rejected it to consider and examine it very carefully indeed. What greater gift could we accept than his offer of forgiveness for the past, new life for the present, and a sure hope for the future – whatever that future holds. Will you welcome him, or perhaps welcome him back this Christmas into your life as Saviour, Friend, and King? All you have to do is humbly ask him: he has promised that he will do so.

x

Luke 1; 26 to 38

So once again we’re in the season of Advent and another Christmas approaches. And this can leave us in a reflective mood, especially as we get older and we see the years passing by and we see our families also getting older and starting to raise the next generation.

Maybe that’s partly why you’ve come to church this morning. But whatever your reason for coming, I hope that you will find something to help and encourage you in today’s gospel reading about Mary.

You see I think that much of what is true for Mary is also true for us and that actually Mary isn’t as unlike us as we may think. And this is what I’d like to talk about this morning.

The first thing about Mary is that God knows her intimately. He knows everything about her. He knows all her thoughts and all her actions. He knows how many hairs she has on her head. He knows her hopes and fears and dreams.

And He has watched over her from the moment of her conception all through her childhood years and he loves her.

And the same is true of us. God sees you now and knows what you’re thinking. Perhaps its – ‘oh goodness I hope he doesn’t go on for too long cos I’ve got to get to the supermarket.’ Don’t worry, I won’t.

He knows what is going on in your life – your problems and anxieties. He knows all about your relationships. He has watched over you all your life since you were born, and he knew you’d come to church this morning. And most importantly He loves you and wants the very best for you.

The second thing about Mary that is also true of us is that God has been preparing her for the role in life he has chosen for her. In her case it’s as the mother of his son Jesus – the Messiah, God made flesh.

And this preparation is two-fold. Initially when God created Mary, he created her expressly for this purpose. He gave her the character, the abilities and talents to be the very best mother for Jesus. He fashioned her expressly to be the mother of his son.

And secondly as she grew up, he enabled her to experience and learn things that would be useful for her in later life. We’re not told in the gospels – but I suspect Mary had experienced older women around her who taught her about motherhood and childcare – and I suspect it was something she loved because God had built it into her DNA.  

Our roles will of course be different to Mary’s – but God has also created each one of us for a purpose and role in life.

He has fashioned us just as carefully as he fashioned Mary. He has imbued us with gifts and talents and has given us innate likings for doing various things – things we’re good at and enjoy doing.

And he has given us these gifts and talents and likings expressly for the role he has for us.

However old we are, he has a plan for each of our lives – something he wants us to be doing for him. We’re not a random assortment of abilities but tailor-made individuals with a God-given purpose ahead of us.

God says in the book of Jeremiah – “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

And like Mary, our life experiences will be part of our preparation for God’s plan for us.

We may have gone through difficult times – but these can give us an empathy and understanding for others. Often the best people to help those struggling with life are those who themselves have experienced similar struggles, whether that be an addiction or illness or depression or a bereavement or financial problems.

I don’t know what you’ve experienced in life but maybe you can use your life experience to help others in some way.

The most important part of Mary’s story however, is where she says yes to God. “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

All God ‘s preparation – all his watching over her – all his love for her – would have come to nothing if she’d said “no, sorry Lord, I’m not ready for this whole child thing yet. I mean, think how embarrassing it will be. Come back next year and I’ll think about it.”

And the same is true for us. Everything God has prepared us for; everything he has invested in us and taught us in life will come to nothing if we say “no” to his plan and purpose for our lives.

You see God has given us free will and he will never force us to do anything. He works in us and through us as we co-operate with him.

Jesus has given all Christians the great Co-Mission. It’s a mission in partnership with God – as we say yes to him.

Now of course it can take us a while to reach the stage where we believe that God exists and that he has a purpose for our lives – but at some point – like Mary - we all need to make a decision.

And that decision is whether we want God’s plan and purpose for our lives or we want our own. Whether we say yes to God – “let it be with me according to your word” or no – sorry God I want to go my own way in life.

And this is a decision we can make when we’re eight or eighty. Its never too late to say yes to God’s plan.

And this is really what repentance means. It’s reaching a stage or point in our lives where we realise our desperate need for God and are prepared to say yes to his plan for our life.

Repentance is a bit like changing the points on a railway line and deciding that from now on we want to follow God’s track rather than our own.

We’ve tried living life independently of God but it hasn’t brought us fulfilment and despite what we may have achieved, we sense an emptiness within ourselves; a realisation of the pointlessness of life without God; perhaps our need for forgiveness; perhaps a yearning for meaning and purpose and genuine hope beyond this life.

So’ we take a step of faith and make the decision to say yes to God. 

Maybe for some of you here this morning - this is how you feel and although perhaps you weren’t aware of it there is a prayer that is bubbling up from deep within you.

“Lord I’ve tried living my life my own way but deep within I feel empty and I want your plan and purpose for my life. I want to know why you created me.

If you’re there God, please make yourself known to me. Come into my life. Be real to me. Show me that you’re alive and that you love me.”

Saying yes to God is the most important decision any of us will ever have to make because our eternal destinies hinge on the answer we give. 

God will always respect the decision we make. As I’ve said he won’t force himself upon us.

He’ll keep loving us and knocking on the door of our lives, hoping that we may change our mind but if we keep pushing God away and saying no to him – there’s very little he can do about it.

The next thing about Mary is that as she says ‘yes’ to God – the Holy Spirit comes upon her and Jesus is birthed within her. In Mary’s case of course it’s a physical pregnancy.

However, it is similar for us. As we say ‘yes’ to God’s plan for our life, Jesus is birthed in us.

The Holy Spirit – the spirit of Jesus comes to live within us and we become spiritually alive. God becomes real to us and we know for sure that Jesus is risen from the dead because we can sense and feel his presence with us.

One of my favourite Christmas Carols, ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ puts it like this: “No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.”

And he comes to live within us so that we – like Mary - can start to fulfil the plan he has for us. So that we can enjoy a relationship with him.

He comes to guide us in life and to empower us to serve him. He comes to help us reach out to others, to prompt us and encourage us to show those around us his love.

He comes to help us to use our talents and abilities to extend his kingdom and to make himself known.

We’ve been running the Talking Jesus course in church recently to help and encourage us to share our faith with those around us because it’s not always easy to talk about our faith.

But it is critical that we do because Jesus loves each one of us; because he died to save each one of us by taking our sin - which is what separates us from God - upon himself, and because has a plan for each one of us. 

Mary’s purpose was absolutely central and vital to God’s plan to come into the world in the person of Jesus to make salvation possible for all people; but our purpose is also extremely important to God.

You see every person is of immense value to God; and like Mary he has placed us in a unique position in the centre of the circle of our family and friends and work colleagues - the people we meet each day – and it is through us that he wants to try and reach out to these people. 

We also each have unique positions and roles to play within our local churches – using our talents and abilities to help create a healthy local body of Christ - whether that’s a role in catering and hospitality; or a caring role; or a role in helping with children and young people’s work; or an administrative or technical role or an upfront role.

God’s church here at Brenchley will only be truly healthy and function as he desires as we each play our part in supporting and serving it.

So, to tie up what I want to say this morning – I think in many ways we are not so unlike Mary.

God knows us and loves us. He has created us for a specific role and purpose.

He has a plan for each of us and if like May we will only say yes to Him – He will also be birthed in us. Jesus will come by his spirit to live in our hearts and lives.

And then we can each start with God’s help to fulfil the plan he has for us, to play our part in his overall plan to bring salvation to everyone in the world who will accept him.

I’m going to close in a moment with a time of quiet prayer and reflection where we can each share what is on our hearts with God.

Perhaps you’re already a Christian but you’re unsure of what God wants you to do; how he wants you to use your gifts and talents and what role he wants you to play. Why not offer yourself to him now in service – like Mary did - and ask him to guide you as you seek to serve him.

Or perhaps you’d like to say to God’s plan for your life and to know him. If that’s you, in your own words share whatever is on your heart with God. Tell him you want to fulfil the plan he has for you and invite Jesus to come into your heart and life and to make himself known to you.

Jesus is present among us now by his spirit and looking at each of us with love in his yes. So, let’s all pray quietly for a few moments and share the cry of our hearts with him.

x

John 10: 9 to 18

In today’s gospel reading from John we have two of Jesus’ famous “I am” statements and also a very well-known bible verse – “I came so that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

And this morning I’d like to look at these statements and their significance and then try and show why a life lived in relationship with Jesus – with him as our good shepherd – we can experience abundant life.

So, firstly, John wrote his gospel to show that Jesus is God. As he says at the end of his gospel; “these (things) are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

And in order to show that Jesus is God, John includes seven “I am” statements in his gospel.

We find the significance of these “I am” statements in Exodus chapter 3 when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and told him to go to Egypt to lead the Israelites out of slavery.

Moses says to God; “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

And God says to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.”

So, God describes himself as “I am” – and I think it’s a great description – because as well as describing God as always just being and existing, ‘I am’ can also be used to describe many aspects of who God is.

For instance - I am the source of life. I am the one behind everything that exists. I am your creator. I am love. I am perfect. I am just. I am all seeing. I am all knowing.

I could go on – but hopefully you get the picture.

And Jesus then continues in this vein with seven “I am” statements that throw light on his identity and purpose.

So, firstly, in verse 9, he says “I am the gate” or if you go back a couple of verses, “I am the gate for the sheep.” Jesus is saying that the only way to know God and to be part of God’s people is through him.

Before I became a Christian, I used to think that there were many ways to come to know God, but I realise now that this is untrue. You can meditate till the cows come home, but it won’t get you to God.

You can try in your own strength, to live a worthy or holy life but it won’t get you to God. You can chant a lot and grow your hair or fingernails to great lengths but it won’t get you to God.

There are not many doors to God. There is a single gate or door to God, and that gate is Jesus himself.

And that is because Jesus is the only one who has dealt with the problem of our sin – which is humanity’s major problem and is what separates us from God.

Jesus is the only person in history to have led a perfect life – and was therefore qualified to offer his perfect life as a sacrifice for us.

He is the only one to have borne our sins in his body on the cross; he is the only one to have overcome death and to have been resurrected and to have opened up the way to God.

It is only through the blood of Jesus that we can be forgiven and made clean.

He is the gate and as we invite him into our lives, we invite salvation into our lives and the way to God is open for us.

And this of course leads us onto Jesus’ second “I am” statement in today’s gospel reading – “I am the good shepherd.”

The idea of God as the good shepherd is again rooted in the Old Testament. For instance, in the 23rd Psalm – the Lord is my shepherd.

But also, in the book of Ezekiel, where God rebukes the leaders of Israel who haven’t shepherded his people well.

He says; “I will appoint for them a single shepherd, and he will feed them. My servant David will feed them. He will be their shepherd. I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be their prince.”

So, by saying “I am the good shepherd,” Jesus was both asserting His deity and also claiming to be the fulfilment of a Messianic prophecy. He was saying to the Jewish people, I am the Messiah – the good shepherd who was promised to you in scripture.

But as Jesus explains in verse 16 – he hasn’t come just for the Jewish people but for Gentiles as well – ‘other sheep that do not belong to this fold.’ He has come to be a good shepherd for all people everywhere who will accept him.

And as I’ve already explained the most important thing that the good shepherd does for his sheep is to lay down his life for them. The sheep cannot save themselves. They need their shepherd to lay down his life for them to save them from sin and death.

And because his sheep are so valuable to him, Jesus is prepared to die for them. Each sheep is precious to the good shepherd. None are unimportant.

Jesus is totally committed to each of his sheep for its whole life, and each sheep is eternally safe in his hands.

Good shepherds don’t lose their sheep and Jesus won’t lose you. He said; “I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

“For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

So, as the good shepherd, Jesus lays down his life for us to save us – but he also acts in many other ways in our lives.

He communicates with us and as he says in verse 16, as his sheep we can hear his voice. It takes time to learn to recognise God’s voice in our lives but Jesus speaks to us – to guide us and encourage us; to explain scripture to us and to give us words of encouragement for others.

Sometimes he speaks very clearly – especially when he is calling us to a particular role or guiding us onto a path in life.

I’ve heard several Christians describe how God has called them to particular roles.

I remember when I first felt that God was calling me to preach. I felt a bit uncomfortable about the idea. I didn’t really want an upfront role. I was quite happy sitting at the back and listening to other people.

However, God spoke to me very clearly one evening when I wasn’t expecting him to and so I was obedient to what I felt he was asking me to do.

The good shepherd leads us into green pastures. Green pastures can be churches where we can flourish and grow strong or the teaching and example of Christian leaders that will help us to grow and mature.

I have been helped hugely in my understanding of the bible and my walk with God initially by a great bible teacher called Roger Price, but also by Christian leaders like Colin Urquhart and Nicky Gumbel.

Green pastures can also be areas of service where we will flourish and grow strong in our faith. Where we can use our gifts and be a real blessing to other people.

The good shepherd watches over us and protects us. I know that my life is safe in God’s hands and that he will watch over me till my dying day.

I know that he has drawn a line in the sand and said to Satan concerning me – ‘thus far but no further.’

As Psalm 121 puts it; “The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

The good shepherd tends for us when we are hurt or injured or ill. These can be physical or emotional or spiritual wounds or sicknesses.

All of us need healing to a greater or lesser degree. We all get hurt by people and by life. Often things that have happened to us in childhood – which weren’t necessarily our fault - can affect us as adults.

As the good shepherd Jesus can free us from the effects of these experiences and restore our souls. As we walk through life under his guidance, he helps us to become more whole and complete; to become happier more patient and loving people. He gives us hope and a purpose in life and takes away our fear of death.

Although he works through conventional medicine, he also sometimes intervenes in our lives to heal us himself and make us well.

And when we are depressed or in despair – when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death - he helps us through the difficult times and helps us to come out on the other side with renewed hope and vigour.

Sometimes he gives us promises from his word to help and encourage us. For instance, when I got very depressed several years ago, he spoke to me through Psalm 40.

And although it has been a gradual work in my life, which he is still continuing, as he promised he would; “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

“And He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.”

There are all sots of ways in which Jesus as our good shepherd guides and helps and encourages us through life which I don’t have time to go in to.

But Psalm 103 summarises what Jesus does for us quite well. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds; He who forgives all your iniquities, and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion, who satisfies you with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

And through Jesus being our good shepherd we come to experience abundant life.

We can experience his presence with us and his love. We can experience the joy of being filled with his spirit and know his great compassion for those around us who are lost and struggling with life.

As we come to understand the truth of his word and his promises to us, it helps to set us free from fear and anxiety.

We come to realise that with him in our lives, we are saved and eternally safe and that whatever life throws at us – he will see us through it. And when death comes, we have nothing to fear.

So, to conclude what I want to say this morning, have you entered through the gate and have you invited Jesus to be your good shepherd?

If you haven’t, it’s a simple thing to do. What you need to do is to make the decision that from now on you – rather than just going your own way in life -you want to live under his direction and guidance.

And then simply invite Jesus into your heart and life. Just say ‘Jesus I want to live under your direction and guidance. Please come into my life. Be my good shepherd and help me to experience the abundant life you promise.’

I’m going to close now with a time of quiet prayer and reflection when you can talk to Jesus and share whatever is on your heart with him.

So, let’s pray.

Lord Jesus thank you that you are present with us now and that you look at us with love and compassion. Lord come to us and helps us; hear the cry of our hearts as we pray to you silently now.

my shepherd.I desperately need a good shepherd to

And more than anything else, I need a shepherd who will sacrifice his life to save me from sins. A shepherd who will lay down his life for me in order to purchase me for his own.

Jesus is all of those things, and so much more.

Healing and wholeness

The topic for my talk this morning is healing and wholeness and I’d like to try and give you an outline of my own limited understanding of what is a large and sometimes perplexing subject area.

So, to try and set healing in some sort of context the first thing we need to understand is that God is good and that his kingdom is good and his purposes are good.

God’s kingdom is a kingdom of love and joy and peace and forgiveness and also of health and wholeness. And his kingdom reflects his character and the sort of king he is.

And God, in the person of Jesus, came to usher in his kingdom. This is why Jesus says at the start of his ministry – quoting from our Old Testament reading; "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”

You see Jesus came to put right everything that has gone wrong in our fallen world.

The reason we live in a fallen world is explained in the early chapters of Genesis where we see Satan coming and deceiving Adam and Eve into disobeying God, and the perfect world God had initially created being spoiled and then everything going pear shaped.

Man’s relationship with God is spoiled. Evil and hatred and darkness and sickness and disease come into the world and people start fighting and murdering each other.

So, in the world around us although we still see remnants of God’s perfect creation - beauty and goodness and kindness and health and happiness we also see evil and darkness.

But Jesus came as the light of the world to dispel this darkness. John tells us in his first letter; “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

So, Jesus came to start undoing and putting right everything that spoils and hurts our lives. At the centre of this of course is our relationship with God.

First and foremost, he came to restore our relationship with God which I’ll say more about in a minute.

But Jesus also came to heal and liberate and set people free from the powers of darkness, to give them a foretaste of his kingdom – to show people that he is God and that he is good and that he loves them.

So, in today’s gospel reading from Mark – we see a lady being healed as she touches Jesus with faith and then we see a little girl who’s life has been prematurely cut short, being raised back to life by Jesus - the Lord of life.

He is pushing back the forces of darkness – including death - which have spoiled people’s lives and bringing his kingdom to earth.

This is why he told people to repent because the kingdom of heaven was close at hand.

Wherever Jesus went he demonstrated and established his kingdom – it was near the people he was with. And the same is true today. Wherever the spirit of Jesus is present and at work – his kingdom is still being established in people’s lives and this includes healing.

So, in Jesus, we can see clearly that God’s desire is to heal and set people free and if his kingdom really was established on earth as it is in heaven - everyone would be whole in body, soul and spirit.

However, because we live in a fallen and imperfect world, not everything is as God desires, so unfortunately, we do experience sickness and ill health - but this doesn’t mean that God wants us to be ill.

Far from it. God allows us to be sick – as for instance he did with Job - but as a loving Father he rejoices when we are well and healthy. As Psalm 35 puts it; “God delights in the well-being of his servant.”

Its also true that although sickness and ill health is not what God ideally wants for us – going through difficult times can strengthen our faith, develop our characters, help us to be more sympathetic and understanding people, and bring us closer to God.

So, what are some of the causes of sickness?

Sometimes sickness can be caused by sin. For instance, if we eat or drink too much – we can damage our bodies and cause them to be sick.

If we are promiscuous, we can pick up sexually transmitted diseases. If we take drugs we may become mentally and physically ill.

God's wants us to live upright lives because it is good for us. The laws he gives us are for our own good and the good of others.

And as we stray from his commandments, we may sometimes become sick as a result.

Sometimes the cause of sickness is hereditary or genetic and certain propensities for illness can be passed down family lines.

Sometimes the cause of sickness is demonic. I met a Christian guy who had a healing ministry and he told me about a Christian woman who he’d come across in Africa who had been bed-ridden with a bad back for 3 years.

Her local church had prayed for her healing without success.

He went to see her and sensed there was something she was not telling them. When he pressed her, she confessed that she’d been to see a witch doctor three times, and that each time she’d seen him her back had got worse.

The lady confessed her sin to God and this guy assured her of God’s forgiveness and then prayed for the power of any remaining demonic spiritual influences over her life to be broken in Jesus name. The lady got up out of bed and was well again.

The occult is very dangerous and visiting mediums or spiritualists is an extremely bad idea as we can open our lives to the powers of darkness.

Sometimes the cause of illness is due to stress and anxiety. Again, ideally God doesn’t want us to be anxious and stressed. He wants us to know his love and to trust him.

As we go through sickness or difficult times, he wants us to realise that he is in control of the situation that he loves us and that he is and working for our good.

Perhaps most often, sickness and ill health is the result of living in a fallen and imperfect world where there are germs and viruses and diseases and where accidents happen.

So, it’s all very well to read about how Jesus healed people when he walked the earth or to hear about how other people have been healed, but how can we be healed today?

Well there are 3 things that I think are important for us to receive healing.

Firstly, as I alluded to earlier, the greatest healing in our lives occurs when we become Christians – when we are born again and the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Jesus comes to live in us.

At this point – when we cease rebellion against God and decide that we do after all want to live under his direction and guidance – then his divine purpose for our lives can start to be established.

This step of faith can have a tremendous healing effect on our lives – as we start to live as God intended - in a relationship with Him.

I like the analogy of a garden with a fence round it and a gate. The garden is our life and what we need to do is to open the gate and invite Jesus in to pull out the brambles and weeds that have grown, and over time to help us transform our gardens into something beautiful and fruitful –something that resembles the life of Jesus himself.

Of course, God wants to transform us into faith filled, kind, loving and generous people who reflect his character to others.

But an essential part of this transformation will involve healing – not just physical, but mental and spiritual healing; the restoration of relationships and being set free from fears and destructive behaviours.

And God is much better able to do this as He lives within us and as we seek to co-operate with His plans and purpose for our lives.

When Jesus first came into my life, I was insecure, with a tendency to be quick tempered. But over the years he’s put my feet on rock and I’m now a much more secure, kinder and more patient person.

Secondly, although we certainly don’t have to be Christians to receive healing, we do need to come to Jesus with a degree of faith. Time and again when Jesus was healing people, he was looking for their faith to receive it.

For instance, in our gospel reading from Mark, Jesus says to Jairus; “Do not fear, only believe.”

And Mark tells us later in his gospel that Jesus was unable to heal people in his home town of Nazareth because of their lack of faith.

We don’t need a huge amount of faith; faith the size of a grain of mustard is sufficient - but if we doubt that God exists or that He is able to heal us obviously it makes it harder to receive from him.

In order for an electrical appliance to work a plug needs to be properly inserted into a socket. If the plug isn’t sufficiently pushed in, the appliance won’t work.

Faith is like a plug that accesses the healing power of God. If faith is in place – even just a little bit - the healing power of God can flow into our lives – and that of course is what we see happening in today’s gospel reading – when the lady touches Jesus’ clothes with faith - and his healing power flows into her life.

Thirdly, in order to be healed we may need to give Jesus both the time and the opportunity to heal us.

Sometimes this may involve putting aside a few days to go to a Christian camp or retreat or to a place where we know God’s spirit is at work.

We’re used nowadays to instant fixes – but God can do more for us and work more deeply in our lives if we will put aside the time and be still in his presence for a while. This is particularly true where we need emotional healing from past hurts and wounds in our lives.

Of course, we can never guarantee what God will do. He is able to heal every disease and sickness, but sometimes people are healed and sometimes they aren’t.

When God heals us – He always wants to deal with the root cause of our sickness whereas sometimes we are more concerned with the symptoms. As all you gardeners will know it is important to pull out weeds by the roots or they will re-grow.

We humans are complex beings made up of body soul and spirit – and only God can really see where we most need healing and if we have the faith to receive it.

And sometimes his priorities may be different to ours. Sometimes if we need to forgive someone or our relationships are in disrepair – this may be God’s priority.

In fact, unforgiveness and bitterness can block us from receiving healing.

Of course, for Christians - our ultimate healing will be in heaven where one day we will be clothed with immortality and a new body that will not get sick or wear out.

It’s important to say also that we are very fortunate in this country to have access to excellent medical care – so some of our healing can be accomplished through conventional treatment. Doctors nurses and health care professionals are all agents of the healing that God wants to bring.

So, to tie up what I want to say this morning – as we see in today’s reading from Mark and in numerous other gospel passages - Jesus ushered in his kingdom and healed people when he walked the earth and he most definitely heals people today.

He is the same yesterday, today and forever and his heart of love still overflows with the desire to help and to heal and set free those who are hurting and in need.

And although we can never dictate what he will do – we can be sure that He understands us perfectly and that he loves us and that his touch upon our lives will always be for our good.

So today, if you want prayer for healing, as you come and kneel at the communion rail, come to Jesus in faith and receive whatever healing he wants to impart to you.

I’m going to close with a time of quiet prayer and reflection where we can lift our own healing needs or the need of others to God and invite him to touch our lives with his healing power.

Perhaps for some of you, my analogy of a garden resonated with you and you’d like to open the gate of your life and invite Jesus in. If that’s you just talk to Jesus now and ask him to come in to your heart and life.

So, let’s pray quietly for a few moments and share what is on our hearts with God.

‘Grace, Mercy, and Peace’

The Third Sunday Service – September 15th 2019

Our ‘Third Sunday Service’ offers an opportunity to consider some of the main and essential elements of the Christian faith and to do so in a little more depth than perhaps our other services of worship allow. For this reason, this service is a good one to which to bring friends and enquirers, those who have no experience or understanding of what it is Christians believe and seek to put into practice; and, yes, also those who have misunderstood, or been misled, or who have some reason or other to oppose Christianity.

In a world where increasingly, sadly, reasoned and reasonable debate is conspicuous by its absence, and where an unwillingness to listen to other people’s points of view and simply no-platform what they don’t want to hear has become popular practice, it surely has to be a very valuable thing to have the opportunity both to consider and to question in an atmosphere of openness and love - or what I would prefer to call ‘Grace’; for grace is love of a very special sort because it is the particular way in which the Christian God loves those whom he created and then commands those who say they love him to love others.

The Christian belief is in the Good News or ‘Gospel’ of God’s grace as revealed by and in Jesus Christ of Nazareth; and, as I am going to be saying a little later on this morning, is characterised by ‘mercy’ and ‘peace’, both of which, like God’s grace, have very special and particular meanings which are intended not only to inform or teach about God but also about the world, about existence, about us. So, the theme for this morning’s service is ‘Grace, Mercy, and Peace’: it is the greeting with which we normally begin our main gatherings here.

If we want to know what characterises Christianity – Christianity at its best, that is - and here it is important for me to say to you that Christianity is not about rules and regulations but about RELATIONSHIPS, though I realise many people do not see it that way! – what characterises Christianity at its best and distinguishes it from other religions is this wonderful thing called ‘grace’.

I said that it is a very special kind of love. And as John says in his gospel (v 14) and Paul in his letter to Timothy (v 2) (on your Notice Sheets), it’s source is God himself. We need to note (v 14) as elsewhere in the bible that this grace is intimately connected with truth: they go hand in hand; and they are to be seen and understood supremely in the person, life, and teaching of Jesus, who claimed to be God. That claim alone raises many questions: but I would simply ask you to take the time to examine that person, his life, and teaching, and then give me your well-argued reasons and evidence for not believing him! But not this morning! Let’s just consider these three: Grace, Mercy, and Peace.

I have just returned from a pilgrimage in Portugal where I met many people on the way searching for meaning and answers to life and to their questions. Very few were Christians: but they sensed both a loss and a need to fill that void in themselves and in their lives which the world, with all its amazing material benefits and offers of fulfilment and happiness they had found unsatisfying. Particularly interesting were the many approaches I encountered to truth and to belief: ‘Truth is whatever you make it’; ‘truth is what makes me feel good’; I like to believe that….’; ‘there is no right or wrong; the world just is’; etc, etc. But all were searching, and most felt deeply that there had to more to life, more meaning, more purpose, more truth than they had so far encountered.

And it is to such deep needs and loss and hopes and fears that the Christian Gospel of God’s grace speaks, offering not only answers but relief, fulfilment, and even assurance.

The Christian faith is not the same thing as the Christian Church. The Christian Church ought to be the same as the Christian faith in what she believes and practices but the truth is that the latter, the Church, is a very human institution. And so it contains failings and failures, people who make mistakes, people who are very aware of the gap between what they are and what they ought to be, but also people who realise that they are or ought to be wholly dependent upon God’s grace, mercy, and peace.

But what are these three, and why are they so essential in the Christian faith?

We cannot understand the message of the bible if we do not understand the meaning of grace. But in understanding it we need to be humble in our approach. Why? Because whilst this message has some wonderful things to say about God and his love for us, it also strongly implies some truths about human beings and human nature that are not music to every ear!

God’s grace is his message of love and forgiveness to those who do not deserve it – which means everyone, because none of us is perfect. To claim that we do not need to be forgiven or do not need God’s grace is to cling our pride.

The first hurdle then is to realise that we need God’s grace, and that without it we cannot know God and be reconciled to him. Yes, he loves us more than we could ever imagine, but because he is perfect and we are not, there is a barrier of sin and pride between us. The very purpose of Jesus’ mission was to remove that barrier and make it possible for anyone to be reconciled to God and to know and live with God for ever. All the while we think that we are good enough for God as we are, or that we can earn his favour, , or that my morality, my philosophy, my respectability, my success will get me to Heaven, or even that God owes me in some way, we delude ourselves. To our pride in ourselves God’s grace says you are all guilty. But to the humble who recognise their need of his grace, he is always willing to forgive. Everyone then needs to say sorry genuinely and to accept God’s offer of forgiveness: He can make no exception.

And he does this by asking us to believe in Jesus; to believe that he, Jesus, is God’s chosen way of reconciling the world to himself; to believe that his sacrificial death was the price he was prepared to pay for our reconciliation because he loves us so much that he was prepared to lay down his life for the whole world and for me; to believe not only that we needed to be reconciled but that he has indeed reconciled us; to believe that his resurrection from death proves that all that Jesus claimed and did and taught could be believed; to believe that however terrible or however wonderful our personal track records, we are all in the same boat of need of God’s grace.

God’s mercy is what we receive when we personally accept that grace: we are forgiven and need no longer fear either about God’s love for us or about this life or the next. And therefore we have the promise, and the knowledge, and the comfort of God’s peace, the knowledge and assurance that in this life we can ourselves be at peace because we now have peace with God. We have been forgiven and accepted because we have admitted our need of God’s grace; and our faith in what Jesus has done for us, his most amazing act of self-sacrificial love, has set us free: free to live without emptiness and fear because not only has he answered our deepest questions about the meaning and purpose of life and what will happen to us when we die, but also because he has come by his spirit to live in us (V 14) so that together we can live life abundantly…’to ALL who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God’.

Grace – God’s free gift of reconciling love to the undeserving

Mercy – his forgiveness of those who believe in Jesus, his unique and universal mediator of reconciliation with him

Peace – the knowledge and comfort that we have nothing to fear either in this life or the next because we are at peace with our Creator and Heavenly Father.

Luke 6 verses 46 to 49

Today’s gospel reading about the wise and foolish builders is a story that most of us are familiar with.

And it speaks to us in two ways. It speaks to us about surviving the trials and tribulations of life, but it also speaks to us about standing and surviving God’s judgement.

And this morning I’d like to look at both of these strands.

To set this parable in context, Jesus is surrounded by a great multitude of people. Having healed many of them he then delivers a big chunk of teaching which is commonly called his sermon on the plain. And he ends his teaching with this parable.

So, Jesus is concerned as to whether people are actually taking on board what he is saying.

Lots of people like coming to see him - to be healed, to hear his teaching, and perhaps see a few miracles. No doubt it makes quite a nice day out. But how many of these people actually then go away and put his teaching into practice?

As he says in verse 46; “why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I tell you?”

Many of these people are happy to call him Lord, but don’t then actually do what he tells them to do.

And this can be true of us today. We can read our bibles and come to church and make all the right noises but are we actively trying to put Jesus’ teaching into practice in our lives?

Are we making every effort to live in the way that we know God would like us to?

Are we as it says on the beam above me – ‘doers of God’s word’? Do we – with the help of the Holy Spirit - do our best to love God and to love our neighbour?

Do we seek to bless others that we may be blessed?

Do we give generously of our time and money – that we may receive generously?

Do we try and control our tongues? Do we actively - as our Old Testament reading tells us to - try and obey God’s commandments and “observe them diligently – so that it may go well with us?”

You see to ignore God’s word and his teaching is to ignore God himself.

Whereas to love God is to obey his commandments. As Jesus says in John’s gospel - “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

To exalt God’s word and his teaching in our lives – in other words to hold it in high regard – is to exalt God in our lives.

This is why, if we claim to be Christians it is so important to immerse ourselves in the bible – in God’s word – to soak ourselves in it.

Again as our Old Testament reading puts it – to recite God’s word to our children, to talk about it at home, to reflect on it and write it down.

To base our lives on God’s word and to seek to live it out.

And Jesus is saying that if we do this – we will be placing our lives on a firm foundation.

Of course, just as digging deep foundations for a house involves hard work and effort – so does seeking to love God and demonstrating this by trying to live our lives in obedience to him.

And if we’re really going to try to love our neighbour as ourself – as the Good Samaritan found out – this will likely involve effort, inconvenience and expense.

It will involve putting our own plans aside and making time to actively help other people.

Digging deep foundations – and building our lives on rock – on Jesus and his teaching - requires dedication and the focus of our whole lives.

Each day we need to be turning to God and asking for his help to live as we know he would like us to.

To help us live clean lives. To help us bite our tongues and not say things we know we shouldn’t. To help us to resist temptation. To help us turn the other cheek and be peace makers.

Of course we’ll fall short and fail – but God is most interested in the attitude of our hearts and our desire to at least try and live lovingly.

It can be especially hard to forgive people who have hurt us or our loved ones - and we will likely need to pray persistently for God’s help to do this – particularly if we’ve been badly hurt.

But if we choose not to forgive - we will find that our own lives are spoiled by bitterness and anger.

The bible tells us we should thank and praise God even when life is tough because he loves us and is always working for our good – but this too can be hard.

It takes commitment to read our bibles each day and to try and live it out.

It’s much easier to live to please ourselves – but if we do this we’ll find we’re building our lives on sand.

The thing is though that the more we base our lives on Jesus and his teaching – as this parable makes clear - the better we will be able to stand up when life bowls us a curve ball – when the trials and tribulations of life assail us.

The better we will be able not only to survive difficult times but actually to remain confident, steadfast and even cheerful through them, because we have a strong faith in God and know that he is in control of our situation and loves us.

God has helped and comforted me through difficult times on several occasions - simply by speaking to me through bible verses or by giving me a great sense of peace about something.

Years ago when Mary and I were first married we had to leave the house we were renting because the owner died and his family wanted to sell it.

We prayed that God would help us find a new place to live but the only house we could find which we could afford, was a real mess with filthy carpets, mildew on the walls upstairs, and tons of rubbish in the garden.

Mary who was heavily pregnant, was really upset by our predicament. I went to Lamberhust church and sat on a bench in the graveyard. I wanted to pray but I was so chewed up I couldn’t.

As I sat there, suddenly a tremendous peace came over me and I knew everything was going to be OK. With the help of friends we cleaned the house up and painted and re-carpeted it with offcuts and it turned out fine.

And several years ago - when I was really fearful of being ill after I’d had a nasty lump removed from under my arm, God comforted me with the words of Psalm 41.

He said to me – ‘Joseph, I will protect you and preserve your life. I will not abandon you to the power of your enemies.

I will help you when you are sick and will restore you to health.’

It is easy to be a lazy Christian and to treat God like a spiritual headache pill – and come running back to Him as things start to get difficult.

But if we do this we shouldn’t be surprised if problems and difficulties then start to overwhelm us.

The other aspect of this parable that we need to be aware of is judgement. The life built on rock – on Jesus – stands when the flood – when judgement comes.

The first man who hears Jesus’ teaching and acts on it, survives the day of judgement.

He has taken Jesus seriously, repented, and made the effort to put his words into practise. He is able to stand on the day of judgement, because his life is built on a firm foundation, on God himself.

The second man has also heard Jesus teaching but he has failed to act on it or put it into practise. When judgement comes his life is swept away because it has no foundation.

Jesus words are supremely important because how we respond to them will determine whether we stand or fall on the day of judgement.

What he says is of eternal significance to our lives. Most of us don’t like to think about judgement. We prefer to think of Jesus patting children on the head and carrying cuddly baby lambs.

But the bible tells us that God has set a day when he will judge everyone – and on that day some will stand and some will fall.

When God judged the world in the time of Noah and sent the flood – the only safe place to be was inside the Ark.

All those who were outside the Ark were swept away in the flood waters.

And today in the world – where there is so much evil and hatred and bad news - the only really safe place to be is in Christ Jesus.

What this means in practice is making our peace with God and welcoming Jesus into our hearts and lives.

It means recognising that we need to be saved and put right with God – because we do sin – because we do fall short.

We all fail to love those around us and to honour God as we should. And however nice or kind we may be - we don’t measure up to God’s perfect standard.

God doesn’t enjoy judging people – but He is just. He can’t just turn a blind eye when people’s lives are destroyed by hatred and greed and malice. There is a price to pay for sin.

And this of course is why Jesus died for us. He never sinned or fell short. He led a perfect life and then willingly offered that perfect life for us on the cross.

And on the cross he took all our sin and failure to love others – himself - and was punished in our place – so that God would no longer have any cause to be angry with us

And when we accept Jesus into our lives - God places us in Christ Jesus. We become God’s children and members of God’s family - the church.

When the flood waters of judgment come we will stand – because our lives are built on Jesus and what he has done for us.

We will stand because we have believed in the Lord Jesus – and he has already been judged and punished in our place.

And when death comes – we need have no fear because we know that we belong to God; that we are his beloved children and that Jesus has rescued us from judgment and put us right with God for ever.

There’s a bible verse in the book of Revelation that says; “behold I stand at the door and knock and if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he shall eat with me.”

So, if you haven’t yet put your life on rock, Jesus is standing at the door of your life right now – and knocking. He’s saying please open the door of your heart and let me in.

I love you and I want you to be mine. I know everything about your life and I know what’s best for you.

If you let me in, I will change your life for the better. I will put your life on rock and you will stand; you will stand in life and you will stand when I come again to judge the world because you will be mine and belong to me.

I’m going to end my talk now with a time of quiet prayer and reflection when we can share what is on our hearts with God.

If you do want to open the door of your life to Jesus, just tell him. Say to him ‘Lord Jesus please come into my life. Save me and make me yours.’



So, let’s all pray quietly for a few moments.

The Christian Life

This morning I’d like to follow on from what Andrew Axon said a couple of weeks ago about Christianity being a seven day a week relationship with God and not just something we pick up and dust off on a Sunday morning.

I’ve called my talk ‘The Christian life’ and I want to show why the idea of just having a Sunday faith is completely at odds with what God intends for us.

And I’d like to start by looking at how we initially find a relationship with God because this is key to how we should then continue to walk with God day by day.

According to the bible, our relationship with God starts as we repent and turn to him.

Lots of people think repentance sounds a bit gloomy and negative but actually it’s a very positive thing. And it is simply us reaching a point where we truly want God in our lives and therefore we’re willing to turn to him and submit to him.

We’re willing to say OK Lord I’ve tried life my way and I’m not happy or fulfilled. I want meaning and purpose and forgiveness. I want to know you and why you created me – so please come into my life and be my God.

And we can reach this point in life for a variety of reasons.

It may be because we feel our lives are empty and pointless without God and we are hungry for meaning and purpose.

Or it may be because we are fearful and feel lost and alone in the world. It may be because we are burdened with a realisation that we’ve made a mess of our lives and we realise we need forgiveness and a fresh start.

People come to a point of repentance for a whole variety of reasons – but as we truly repent and turn to God and invite him into our lives – he responds to the cry of our heart and comes into our lives by his spirit – and we come to know him and his love for us.

In other words our relationship with him starts.

And then in order to grow and develop that relationship, just as we received Christ by turning to him and submitting our lives to him – we should continue to live in the same way day by day.

Paul says in his letter to the Colossians – “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him.”

So, each day we should be turning to and submitting ourselves to God afresh - inviting him to guide us and work through us in any way he chooses.

And this what Jesus is saying in today’s gospel reading when he speaks about taking up our crosses and following him.

Jesus lived in perfect submission to his Heavenly Father every day of his life even as he approached his crucifixion.

He chose quite literally to take up his cross in the Garden of Gethsemane when he said; “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

And metaphorically speaking we should do the same. In our case the cross Jesus is taking about is self-denial and choosing each day to do our best to follow God’s will for our lives rather than our own.

This is what Jesus means by losing our lives for his sake and the gospel. He means choosing God’s plan and purpose for our lives rather than our own.

Paul says essentially the same thing in our reading from Romans chapter 12. He says; “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship.”

The true and proper way to worship God is for us to lay our lives down in service to him. In practice this means allowing God to be the God of our lives.

It means being obedient to him. It means allowing him to direct and guide us. It means stepping out in faith if we believe he is asking us to do something.

It means submitting our plans to him and asking him to ensure that whatever we’re planning is in accordance with his will.

Its acknowledging that he knows best and that his way is best. It’s acknowledging that he is our Lord and God – not us.

And as we turn to and submit to Jesus as Lord and King we experience his kingdom – his rule and reign in our hearts and lives and we become a part of it.

And we become ambassadors for it – and our main purpose in life becomes to help extend it because we realise it is an eternal kingdom and it is the very best thing any person can ever experience or become a part of.

So, we walk through life each day in the world but also in the spirit - conscious of God’s kingdom and always looking for opportunities to share it and make Jesus known.

We walk in the world and in the spirit at the same time.

Its interesting that in the Old Testament according to the Law of Moses, the Jewish people could only eat clean animals – animals with a cloven hoof and that chewed the cud, such as cows, sheep, and goats.

In some ways just as an animal with a cloven hoof leaves a double footprint where it walks, so do we as Christians. As we walk through life, we leave a worldly foot print but also a spiritual footprint.

And just as cloven hoof cattle chew the cud – so should we chew and reflect on God’s word in order to get the goodness from it.

Of course we have to live our earthly lives and fulfil our worldly duties – to earn a living, pay our bills, do the washing up, mow the lawn, get our cars serviced – etc - but as we do these things we are conscious that God is with us and that he wants to reach out to those around us through us.

He wants us to be like salt and light. To change the flavour of life around us and for people to see something of his love and goodness in us.

And of course every Christian is a missionary – someone who is sent by God - and has a mission field?

Our mission field is the people we mix with and encounter each day. First and foremost our family. God wants to save our families and to reach out to them through us – through our prayers for them; through our words and the example of faith they see in us.

Our mission field is also our friends and work colleagues and anyone we may meet in life.

God loves each one and we just need to be open to the prompting of his spirit as we go through life.

Now at this point I just want to say that this is what God wants us to do – but as frail and weak and imperfect people, of course we fall short of doing this. I certainly do.

We get side tracked by the world and our busy lives and we can forget about God. We can put him on the backburner – and we miss what he is asking us to do because we’re too focused on stuff we have to do.

We fail to reflect his love and goodness. We have a tendency to be impatient and selfish and to wander away from God.

And this is the great struggle of the Christian life – the pull of God and the pull of the world, the flesh and the devil.

But so much of this struggle and how well we manage to lead our Christian lives hinges on the choices we make each day.

How we choose to feed or starve our relationship with God.

Generally speaking, the more time we choose to spend in prayer and reading God’s word, the healthier our relationship with him will be.

The bible says draw close to God and he will draw close to you.

I can’t stress how important it is for us as Christians to make space each day to spend time alone with God.

I really like doing the Bible in One Year as it gives me a focus for my quiet time each morning. I can lift the day ahead to God and ask him to be with me in it and through it.

Joyce Meyer is a really good American bible teacher – and she believes that Satan’s primary attack on our lives is often on our quiet times.

She says that Satan knows if he can stop or deter us from spending time with God, he can disrupt our walk with God and limit our fruitfulness.

So, don’t be surprised if other things crop up just as you’re about to pray or if you mind starts wandering and you suddenly think about some job you need to do.

Of course as Christians our walk with God is not just personal, its corporate. We need each other. We need the encouragement and prayer and support of our Christian brothers and sisters.

And as we meet and come together with other Christians Jesus is among us in a special way.

He says; “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

And this is why we come to church and meet together. This is why we join study groups. Its to meet with our spiritual family, to encourage one another and build each other up, in order that as we go out into the world during the week, we can be fruitful.

I know I’ve tried to cover quite a lot of different aspects of our Christian life this morning but as I said I wanted to try and show how far away from God’s purpose for our lives is the idea of being a Sunday Christian.

If we are trying to cram our relationship with God into an hour on Sunday we are miles away from his plan and purpose for our lives.

So, as I tie up my talk this morning, I’d like us to reflect on how we are doing on our Christian walk with God.

Are we submitting our lives and our plans to God – because this was the case when we became Christians? Are we spending time with God each day? Are we reading our bibles and chewing the cud? Are we actively looking to try and help others come to know him? Are we seeking to serve God in some way in our lives?

Of course, he doesn’t condemn us for failing to do these things but he wants us to be obedient and focused on him so that we can experience his life and love and then share it with others because there is nothing we can do that is more important.

I’m going to close now with a time of quiet when we can reflect on these things with our Heavenly Father.

So, let’s all close our eyes and talk to God in our hearts about anything I’ve said this morning which may resonate with us.

QUIET

Lord Jesus forgive us for all the ways we fall short in our walk with you. As we sing this next song we ask you to come among us and fill us with your Holy Spirit. We ask you to fill us with your life and your love and to give us the willingness and determination to follow you. Help us to make a difference in the world, Lord. Amen

Raising Children in the Faith – Talk 2

This morning we have the second in our little series of three talks about ‘family life and faith’, looking at how we – and when I say ‘we’ I mean the whole church family - can be involved in bringing up the next generation of children in the faith of Jesus Christ. If you missed the first talk, there are hard copies available by the font or, of course, you can get it on our website.

Are you a parent, a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle, a godparent? If so, then this little series of talks is for you; for you in order to help you to play your God-ordained role - just as we heard in our first reading of God’s instructions to his people in the Book of Deuteronomy – your role in raising the next generation of Christians. How can we, both as individuals with blood ties, and as the church family with spiritual ties, involve ourselves effectively in bringing up the next generation of children to know and love God as their Creator, Redeemer, Father, Friend?

After the last talk, one or two people did say to me how uneasy what I said had made them feel, but also admitted that it needed to be heard and that it had prompted them to give the subject much more serious thought. And that is surely no bad thing - declaring what God has said about how important it is Christian parents, grandparents, godparents, and indeed the whole church family, raise children in the faith; no bad thing if it wakes us all up to our responsibilities; no bad thing if it encourages us – as it ought – to take some positive, proactive -albeit in some cases remedial - action; no bad thing in the light of that truly sad and disturbing figure from the ‘European Values Survey’ I quoted from: that of those who self-identify as ‘Anglicans’, religious faith was the least mentioned value and was included as a priority only by 11% of respondents. Whereas the most chosen value amongst Anglicans? ‘Good Manners’, picked by a whopping 93%!!!

All the research shows that in every area of life it is parents and families who have the greatest influence on the outlook, values and behaviours of their children: it is the home that is the key place where children are nurtured and taught. As I said previously, that’s as true for faith as it is for manners, values and attitudes -WHICH IS WHY OF COURSE SO MANY CIVIL SERVANTS, POLITICIANS, IDENTITY GROUPS AND OTHERS are trying to wrest it away from parents! We surely would not leave our children ‘free’(!) to discover drugs, sex, alcohol, etc; so why on earth our Christian faith?

This morning I want to give you some very practical tips; tips that have been shown to be so effective in making a vital difference to our children in their faith’s formation.

If we give this our time, quality time; if we create a culture, an environment of faith at home; if we share wisdom with our children – but are also open to learning from them; if we as adults live as if our faith in Christ is the most important thing in our life, then the ‘world’, as Jesus termed it – that is, all those people and forces that find God either inconvenient or a threat to their aims and purposes – will find their task very difficult indeed. And we need to remember that we are not on our own in this: as St. John reminds us in his first letter, ‘He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.’ We all of us need to hold on to that wonderful truth whenever we face the ‘world’, its deceptions, its lies, and its temptations.

Making a difference in our children’s lives, the great difference of faith, does not require a degree in theology; but it does require a desire, as the Prayer Book puts it, ‘to grow in the knowledge and love of God and of his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord’. And rather than desperately trying to find extra time in our already full, fraught, and frenetic lives, why not begin to look at what you already do as a family and ask yourself and God how you could best bring a Christian dimension or flavour to that. I realise only too well that to so many Brits - who prefer not to talk about our faith and to compartmentalise it - because that it what is ‘expected’ - this can sound pretty extreme. But we really must ask ourselves, ‘How much do we value our children over silly social taboos or what other people might think of us?’

Do you say ‘grace’ at meals together? Do you say prayers with your children – at bedtime or whenever is best? Do you make those prayer times enjoyable and an adventure by writing some of them down and then talking about how God has answered them? Do your children have a bible appropriate to their reading age? Do your children and grandchildren hear you talking about God and also with him? Do they hear you singing some of the hymns and songs you sing on Sunday - or is it just your favourite old ABBA or Rolling Stones numbers? Why not, as a family, try, for example, singing ‘We are walking in the love of God’ but change the words for whatever you’re doing; because then your children will quickly get the message! So we are ‘washing, drying, driving, dressing in the love of God.’ These are all very positive and, I think we need to be honest, very simple things to achieve.

Yes, I know that there are many competing priorities. But do you take advantage of them and see them not as problems but as opportunities – opportunities to show your children how vital faith is and that the ‘world’ doesn’t always have to win.

If you have to miss the Sunday service, do you have a little service of your own – later at home, in the car on the way to the relations, on the walk by the fields or by the seashore? A couple of songs, a few prayers, perhaps one of you tells your favourite parable? Pretty positive; perfectly possible!

What about Christian holiday camps, either as a family or for children to go to and be with children who are Christians where they can have tremendous fun whilst deepening their understanding? My three children made and still have some of their best friends from those camps. There are very local summer ones and they start from around 9 or 10 years of age.

I know families who, on principle, will not hold a children’s party on a Sunday morning or even go to one. It’s not about being ‘self-righteous’ or ‘super holy’; it’s about being faithful and, to quote from our second reading. ‘shining like a star in the world’. And of course one very good way of being known as a Christian family is to invite friends to church as well as Sunday lunch. Making our faith visible is a God-given responsibility both at home and in the world; it is the Christians’ principal task given to us by Christ. One mother happened to mention at the school gate that when she prayed with her children they fell calmly to sleep. Another mother, on hearing this said, ’Well, I’d better try that myself ‘cos nothing else is working.’

So how do we start? Are you a parent? You might start by taking an honest look at the culture at home. Who calls the shots? God or ‘the world’? Are you a grandparent? Grandchildren see grandparents as very precious loved ones: make sure your grandchildren know what, deep down, makes you tick. Are you a godparent? What kind of presents do you give your godchildren? Are you a member of the church family? The children here belong to you, just as you belong to them. They may not understand that yet; but you do. Remember; you do not have to be perfect, but you are perfectly placed in those roles to be a tremendous influence on children.

When we read passages such as God’s commands to his chosen people in the Book of Deuteronomy; when we think of his loving concern for us and for our children in a world that so subtly wants to steer them away from him, and from us as parents, to enslave them to priorities, principles, and practices which, without the defence of a robust and living faith, will overcome them; when we think of what is best in life and best in human beings, how can we not do our utmost for our children in terms of raising them in the faith? God wants us to raise children of character, children of charity – that is, of Christian love; children of his Church to ‘shine as stars’ in a world that is trying its hardest to extinguish the light of his saving Gospel of forgiveness, reconciliation, and new and abundant life.

When God says, ‘You shall have no other God’s before me’, why do you think he said that? Was it for his good or for ours? We really do have to ask the right questions about God’s commandments and not listen to the facile, libertarian pontifications of several well known TV celebs in our increasingly destructive and anarchic culture of hyper-individualism. And do we really think that our children will admire and respect us more because we left them alone amongst the wolves to make up their own minds about the Christian faith, or because we followed the crowd, and the social taboos, and the spirit of the age?

Psychologists say that children need 18 years of uninterrupted, hands on, parental love if they are to grow up into well-rounded adults. What better human role model is there to give them than Jesus? It’s the question that stops in their tracks every parent at our local school who asks me why it has to be a Christian school with a Christian ethos and values. But if your children spend more time watching ‘Love Island’ than, for example, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’, what values are they going to take on board? ‘Oh, it’s harmless’, some will say. No it’s not! Have you read some of the background stories to these ‘celebs’? Children need positive alternatives to the barrage of -misguided and misguiding rubbish that surrounds them today. Genuine parenting is responsible parenting; responsible parenting is parenting as God intended it.

I often hear the excuse, ‘But I don’t know enough about the Christian faith to explain it to children.’ Okay, so go on an ALPHA course or come on a course we’re planning to run here on 8 evenings in the autumn called, ’Christianity Explored’. Over 35 years I reckon I’ve heard every excuse under the sun for people not willing to talk about their faith; but never a convincing one. Or perhaps you’re saying to yourself, ’But I’m not a perfect Dad or a perfect Mum or a perfect Granny or Grampa.’ Sure; no one is: but you could take the opportunity to talk to your children about our need for humility and about God’s wonderful gift of forgiveness.

How can I help children grow in the faith? Make sure it’s obvious! in your speech, in your conversations, in your priorities, in your home. The role of the Christian parent is to protect and to prepare our children to shine as God’s ‘lights’ in the world. We need to build character modelled on Jesus and in relationship with him, character that can face and overcome the world with God’s truth and his love, those two things which alone can ‘save’ others and bring them new life, life as God intended it, life as no other person or philosophy can bring.

Now I don’t expect – though I would be very pleasantly surprised – to drive through the village later this week and admire the ten commandments inscribed as per Deuteronomy 6 on your door frames and gates: but I do hope and trust that they will be on your hearts; that you will impress them on your children because you love them; and that you will talk about them with your children as a perfectly natural and normal part of every day.

A few years ago it was not uncommon to see children and adults with little bands on their wrists displaying the letters WWJD? - What Would Jesus Do? That seems to me to be a very healthy and helpful thing not only for those who wear them but also for those who see them and ask, ‘Why are you wearing that, and what does it mean?’

Next Sunday, the Church family. What can this family do to help raise our children in the Christian faith?