There are some great posts on this blog. The sophia network is especially for all female youth and children's workers, volunteer and employed, full time, part time or spare time. Women in church leadership or other forms of ministry are also welcome to join. I think men could also learn a lot by reading it.There is a great article on preparing young people for University and they are also offering a theology e-course.
Thursday 30 September 2010
MISSION
“We live in a society . . . which is now basically second or even third generation pagan once again” and that shift took place during centuries when we had a church in every neighborhood, offering Church-approved sermons and teachings and ministries every week…. "
The Church has got to realize its missionary responsibilities. We live in a society, whether that be urban or rural, which is now basically second or even third generation pagan once again; and we cannot simply work on the premise that all we have to do to bring people to Christ is to ask them to remember their long-held, but dormant faith. Very many people have no residue of Christian faith at all; it’s not just dormant, it’s nonexistent; in so many instances we have to go back to basics; we are in a critical missionary situation.
Church Planting Central has some very powerful insights to share on the parable of the Lighthouse.
LAMENT
The Old Testament lectionary reading for Sunday is from Lamentations 1. It is not a happy, cheery passage! The passage raises important questions for us about the nature of our gatherings, and what space we make for those who are really struggling with making any sense of their faith. The psalms are full of lament, but when you look through the modern songbooks there is precious little to chose from. If you are searching for songs of lament, it's not hillsong or kingsway that will help, buth rather the Iona Community, who have re-worked some of the psalms and written several other powerful songs of lament. I've also been struck in my research today by how well we do lament within our wider cultural context. Some of the tunes of lament I have heard today have deeply moved me. Lamentations is a timely reminder to us of the darker times in our experiences which we perhaps too easily ignore in our worship services.
Wednesday 29 September 2010
CHRISTMAS CAROL SINGING!
Singing in The Eastgate
Saturday 11th December @ 11am
Please put this date in your diary now.
An opportunity to sing /play well known Christmas Carols , convey the Christmas message and raise funds for the Vine Trust as well. If you are interested, please sign the sheet in the church foyer or speak to Audrey Whyte for more information.
THIS SUNDAY
Twenty years on from the fall of an oppressive communist regime, the people of Romania still face many challenges day-to-day with extreme poverty and unemployment, cultural prejudice, and disability discrimination is rife. The Romanian church also faces challenges in terms of its teaching and thinking being influenced by the cultural ideas of the past. Carpathian Aid is one of the many small charities who have been working in Romania since the early nineties.
Please come along after the morning service THIS COMING Sunday 3rd October when I'll be sharing some of my experiences from my recent trip with the charity to visit and work with people who are reaching out to Romania's poorest in the name of Jesus and making a valuable difference to their quality of life. If you can bring a sandwich, I'll provide the coffee and cake. We'll hopefully begin around 11:45am. Looking forward to sharing with you!!
Mike Robertson
St Michael and all Angels
I have entered into a new world through following the Daily Office of Celtic Daily Prayer. A world which celebrates the saints and frequently feasts. Today is the feast for Michael. It is the only feast of the angels that the reformers retained. It's a day which has strong links to the beginning of a new academic term in some of our Universities. It has been an enlightening experience to be reminded regularly of many of the great saints of Christian history.
24/1 PRAYER
What is 24-7 Prayer? from 24-7 Prayer on Vimeo.
There is a prayer movement called 24/7 which you can find out all about here. Last night, we discussed the possibility of a 24/7 prayer focus over a week in early 2011. I think wisdom prevailed, and it was agreed that we should seek "to walk before we run." We have therefore agreed to have a 24 hour prayer focus from Saturday 22nd - Sunday 23rd January. Stuart MacQuarrie has agreed to take on a co-ordinating role, and we hope that many folk will feel able to commit to a time of prayer over the 24 hour period. I'm sure Stuart will be posting more ideas and plans in the coming weeks.
Tuesday 28 September 2010
hospitality
I have been doing some additional reading today in preparation for a kirk session (leadership team) meeting tonight. I was especially struck by this article written by Graham Turner:
“Ours is a friendly church”
How many times have we heard is said that our church is a friendly church? And then we add, “there is always a warm welcome here for newcomers”.
While a polite and cheery welcome on a Sunday morning is a good start, the Bible is interested in something deeper: ‘hospitality’. In our culture this has usually come to mean being a good host and feeding people. From the Greek behind this word (philoxenos) we know that hospitality really means ‘love of strangers’. It is about welcoming these strangers into our lives, and being open to be welcomed into their lives. It is about having compassion and freely giving ourselves to people we do not yet know.
In his book ‘Reaching Out’, Henri Nouwen says that to reach out to strangers and invite them into our lives is at the core of Christian spirituality. But he goes on to say, “It is important to realise that our spontaneous feelings towards strangers are quite ambivalent.” This, he continues, is a form of hostility, usually pervaded with fear and anxiety, that prevents us from inviting people into our world. One of the fruits of progress on the spiritual journey is to see our hostility (or ambivalence) transformed into hospitality - that is, love of the stranger.
Robert Warren, once the Archbishop’s adviser on mission, said that people need a network to belong to. He added that research has shown, that if a new person to a church makes six friends (that is, more than acquaintances) in six weeks, there is a 98% chance that they will stay. This does not happen in many churches. Churches often say, “we are a friendly church”, but someone one once asked, “Yes, but how easy is it to make friends here?”
I encountered a single woman who came to one of our churches recently who said, “Do you know how hard it is to go into a church for the first time by yourself?” As someone else said, “If a stranger comes to your house, it is only polite that you speak to them.”
Our response to all this can be either:
a. defensive – i.e. “it does not happen around here,” or
b. managerial – i.e. “we need to put some new systems in place in our church organisation.”
I do not think it requires either of these. It certainly does not need more ‘oughts’ or ‘shoulds’ from the front of church about talking to new people after the services; because it is at root a spiritual issue, not simply a practical one. Instead, we need to feel what the stranger feels and imagine what it is like to be in their shoes. This is compassion – to share their pain.
Sadly, in our world the assumption is that strangers are a potential threat or danger. In God’s world, they are a potential encounter with the living Christ himself. So are you missing out?
What this article is saying to me, is that leadership isn't so much about getting together and making strategy decisions, so much as it is about living a virtuous, hospitable life which impacts on others.
Here's another excellent article on this theme of hospitality.
SCOTTISH NORTHERN CONVENTION 2010
The Scottish Northern Convention is taking place at the East Church, Inverness this week. Unfortunately, I don't think I am going to be able to make any of the meetings. The speakers, Alistair Begg and Charles Price are both outstanding, so if you have time, they would be well worth going to hear. If you can't make it, you can listen to many of Alistair Begg's sermons here.
Monday 27 September 2010
Vine Trust
We had a really excellent time yesterday with Willie,Calum and Justin from the Vine Trust. 130 folk turned up last night for our cafe event which was highlighting the opportunity to join with the Vine Trust on a workparty in Tanzania for 2 weeks in October 2011. Thanks to everyone who baked cakes and helped to make the evening such an enjoyable one.We'll keep you posted on all the developments in terms of a workparty over the coming weeks and months.Sunday 26 September 2010
Lighthouse
25 people successfully passed the hygiene course held this week. Hopefully this will lead to an increase in the pool of volunteers for the Lighthouse. WE could really do with a boost in numbers as we seek to develop the work.
Saturday 25 September 2010
UNDERSTANDING DREAMS AND VISIONS
UNDERSTANDING DREAMS AND VISIONS
A Course by Streams Ministries
NOVEMBER Thurs 4h – Sat 6
INVERNESS ,The King’s Factory, Culloden
This course is filled with supernatural adventure and prophetic insight. It reveals in greater depth how God speaks through dreams and visions connecting us more deeply to the heart of God and enabling us to see and understand more of the supernatural realm of His kingdom.
Dream interpretation is proving to be a vital key in our personal walk with God as well as on the mission field in these times, a powerful tool to connect with those who don’t know God but are receiving dreams and experiences with a hunger for answers.
The prerequisite is the ‘Art of hearting God’ Course.
For booking and further info please see website www.northatlanticdreams.net
A Course by Streams Ministries
NOVEMBER Thurs 4h – Sat 6
INVERNESS ,The King’s Factory, Culloden
This course is filled with supernatural adventure and prophetic insight. It reveals in greater depth how God speaks through dreams and visions connecting us more deeply to the heart of God and enabling us to see and understand more of the supernatural realm of His kingdom.
Dream interpretation is proving to be a vital key in our personal walk with God as well as on the mission field in these times, a powerful tool to connect with those who don’t know God but are receiving dreams and experiences with a hunger for answers.
The prerequisite is the ‘Art of hearting God’ Course.
For booking and further info please see website www.northatlanticdreams.net
Thursday 23 September 2010
St Columba's
This Sunday marks another significant step in the development of St Columba NCD. For the first time, they will be having a morning service at 11am. An Alpha course will also be run in conjunction with the morning service, giving people an opportunity to explore faith over lunch. We wish St Columba's well, as they take this exciting next step.
VINE TRUST CAFE
Just a wee reminder that we are hosting Willie MacPherson and Calum Munro from the Vine Trust this weekend. On Sunday evening, we hope to have an update on the work in Peru and hear plans for a possible workparty to Tanzania in October 2011. We would like to kick off from 6.15pm onwards with drinks and cakes being served. We would be most grateful for any baking or bought cakes/biscuits, which could be dropped off in the kitchen on Sunday morning, or taken along on the evening itself.THE EXCHANGE FACTOR
The Exchange Factor
connecting globally and locally
Saturday 30th October, 2010
Hilton Church, Inverness
Directions: www.hiltonlighthouse.org/map
11.00am until 3.30pm
(Doors will be open from 9.30am for those who need to set up.)
This event is aimed especially at people involved in world church activities in their congregation, but is open to anyone who would be interested.
Keynote speaker: The Very Rev Dr Andrew McLellan
Convener, Church of Scotland World Mission Council
Workshops These will cover various issues relevant to supporting the world church in your congregation
‘Marketplace’ What in the world is your church doing?
Bring along a ‘stall’ and show others.
Be inspired and challenged by others from the area.
Lunch will be provided. Cost £5.00 per person.
If you would like to attend, please send the registration form overleaf to: Audrey Grahame, or e-mail her: agrahame@cofscotland.org.uk
(This will help us to know numbers for catering purposes)
Payment can be made by cheque to ‘The Church of Scotland’, or you can pay on the day.
connecting globally and locally
Saturday 30th October, 2010
Hilton Church, Inverness
Directions: www.hiltonlighthouse.org/map
11.00am until 3.30pm
(Doors will be open from 9.30am for those who need to set up.)
This event is aimed especially at people involved in world church activities in their congregation, but is open to anyone who would be interested.
Keynote speaker: The Very Rev Dr Andrew McLellan
Convener, Church of Scotland World Mission Council
Workshops These will cover various issues relevant to supporting the world church in your congregation
‘Marketplace’ What in the world is your church doing?
Bring along a ‘stall’ and show others.
Be inspired and challenged by others from the area.
Lunch will be provided. Cost £5.00 per person.
If you would like to attend, please send the registration form overleaf to: Audrey Grahame, or e-mail her: agrahame@cofscotland.org.uk
(This will help us to know numbers for catering purposes)
Payment can be made by cheque to ‘The Church of Scotland’, or you can pay on the day.
Wednesday 22 September 2010
The Busy Christian's Guide to Busyness
At my renovare group meeting today, we were reflecting together on the challenge of maintaining a good work/life balance. During the discussion I learnt about a book called The Busy Christian's Guide to Busyness. I think it was a book which was written for people like me! I find that my role within Christian community, which often involves working with busy volunteers, is frequently unhealthily busy. I think it's time to read The Busy Christian's Guide to Busynesss!24-7 prayer
At our most recent leadership team meeting, we agreed to a 24-7 prayer focus for a week at the beginning of 2011. It will probably be centred around a prayer room in the Lighthouse which will be open 24-7. I need to start finding people with a passion for prayer to help lead this. friendship with God.
Only when God is seen does life truly begin.
Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is.
We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution.
Each of us is the result of a thought of God.
Each of us is willed.
Each of us is loved.
Each of us is necessary.
There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ.
There is nothing more beautiful that to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him.
Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is.
We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution.
Each of us is the result of a thought of God.
Each of us is willed.
Each of us is loved.
Each of us is necessary.
There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ.
There is nothing more beautiful that to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with Him.
Who do you think said this? You can find out here.
LIGHTHOUSE VOLUNTEERS
Last night I was "holding the fort" at the Lighthouse since the majority of the volunteers were participating in the final evening of the health and hygiene course. I understand that there were 28 people who sat the final test last night. I can only hope that this will lead to a significant increase in the the level of volunteering at the Lighthouse. "Back at the fort", I served about a dozen customers, so it wasn't a particularly busy evening, but it's good to see the level of custom slowly increasing, as people realise that we are open in the evenings. The other thing that strikes me about volunteering last night, is that it is a really enjoyable social experience. I enjoyed a variety of different conversations - much better than sitting in front of the TV.
Tuesday 21 September 2010
GLASGOW
I took a walk into the centre of Glasgow on the afternoon in which the Pope was celebrating mass at Bellahouston Park. It was the first time I had been in the City Centre for 17 years. I spent 4 years studying in Glasgow in the late 80's. It's a very different place now compared to then. The Centre is now full of coffee shops, shopping centres and even a multi-plex cinema. The statue of Donald Dewar stands at the top of Buchanan Street outside the Royal Concert Hall. It reminded me of Christmas 1989 when I was doing a training placement in Drumchapel. I was surprised to meet Donald Dewar when he turned up for the Church OAP Christmas Dinner. It was an insight for me into the more unglamourous side of being an MP.
Church of Scotland Emerging Ministries Conference 2010
I spent 2 days in Glasgow last week at the Church of Scotland Emerging Ministries Conference 2010. The conference draws together individuals and groups committed to experimenting with forms of ministry and church which are aimed at connecting with people and communities in a post Christendom world. In Scotland today, the Church as we have known it is in rapid decline. At this years General Assembly, a ministry report spoke of the Church of Scotland running out of money by 2017! Personally, I am very optimistic about the future, but it will be a very different future.The keynote speaker at the conference was Alan Roxburgh from Vancouver, whose book The Missional Leader, I have previously recommended on this blog. We used the book for a kirk session retreat earlier this year. He is an outstanding speaker, and if you want to get a flavour of his teaching, take a look here. It was also great to catch up with Rob & Gwen Barlow who are enjoying life in Islay.
NHS
Hilton Church has strong links with Raigmore hospital and the NHS. We have members within our congregation working in almost every level of the health service. Last night on Panorama, the fact was highlighted that in the UK there are 6,500 employees within the NHS paid more than the Prime Minister. The Scotsman yesterday brought these statistics closer to home:
Two NHS Highland employees, understood to be senior hospital consultants, came second and third in the Scottish list, with one making it on to the UK NHS top ten, with a pay packet of £315,500. A spokeswoman for NHS Highland said that person's presence on the list was a result of unique set of circumstances. She said: "In addition to their annual salary, they were doing significant additional amounts of work for a period of time. However, this situation has now ended."
There is clearly going to be a major debate over the next period of time regarding pay within the public sector. I don't know much about these things, but at a time when I do know that many of the lower grades within the nhs are being squeezed financially, it will be revealing to see how the higher graded employees are treated.
Health & Hygiene Course
We aim to give all our volunteers within the Lighthouse and congregation, a good basic understanding of all the health and hygiene requirements. Last night and tonight, we have 25 of our volunteers going through a validated H&H course. There is an examination at the end of the course this evening. Hopefully we will have an additional 25 qualified volunteers by the end of the day!
Monday 20 September 2010
Soul survivor song
Jonathan was singing this song before the evening service last night. It was a favourite for the group from Hilton which recently went to Soul Survivor.
Sunday 19 September 2010
AFGHANISTAN
I received this message from Stewart MacKay this morning,:
just to say, that's me sitting in departure lounge waiting to fly out to Afghanistan. Will be away for several months. Wouldn't mind if you could remember us in your prayers, ie, Maggie and Caleb, the troops and myself whilst we're out there.
Cheers for now!
Stew
Cheers for now!
Stew
The Pope visits Scotland
I'm just back from a 3 day visit to Glasgow where I was sharing in a conference on developing fresh expressions of church. I'll blog more about that soon, but at the moment suffice to say, that my visit to Glasgow wasn't to meet the Pope as some of my family have been saying!
Congratulations
We are delighted to hear that Scott and Heather McRoberts have been blessed with a baby daughter. Anna Charis McRoberts was born at 2pm on16th sept weighing 7lbs 7ozs.
Tuesday 14 September 2010
Coffee
I've just had a lesson from Michelle on how to make cappucino's and all the other varieties of coffee. I'm covering the Lighthouse tonight from 6.30-7.30pm, so thought knowing how to make the stuff might help. We have the Lighthouse management team meeting tonight at 7.30pm, and there is also a pastoral care team meeting taking place at the same time, so there should be opportunities to apply my new found knowledge! carpathian aid
Twenty years on from the fall of an oppressive communist regime, the people of Romania still face many challenges day-to-day with extreme poverty and unemployment, cultural prejudice, and disability discrimination is rife. The Romanian church also faces challenges in terms of its teaching and thinking being influenced by the cultural ideas of the past. Carpathian Aid is one of the many small charities who have been working in Romania since the early nineties. Please come along after the morning service on Sunday 3rd October when I'll be sharing some of my experiences from my recent trip with the charity to visit and work with people who are reaching out to Romania's poorest in the name of Jesus and making a valuable difference to their quality of life. If you can bring a sandwich, I'll provide the coffee and cake. We'll hopefully begin around 11:45am. Looking forward to sharing with you!! Mike Robertson
dwelling places
Marsali Campbell who works in Uganda with Dwelling Places is coming to share at Hilton Church on Sunday morning. Dwelling Places is a Christian, non-governmental organization dedicated to removing children from the streets, rebuilding broken families and restoring broken individuals with the love of Jesus Christ. In recent years I have heard about their remarkable work from others, so it will be good to find out more first hand. Laurence is organising a soup and sandwich lunch to hear more about her work, and this is what he has written:Marsali Campbell is a nurse from the Highlands of Scotland (Smithton Free Church) who is an AIM (African Inland Mission) nurse working for the last 8 years with street children in Kampala – the capital of Uganda. She works for an indigenous NGO called Dwelling Places.Maureen Kitiibwa has also been with the team of Dwelling Places for many years, and is currently the Administrator.Together they have been touring the UK speaking about their ministry in the city and the amazingly important work on behalf of the forgotten souls on the street.
Come and hear a presentation of their vital work in Kampala in the church after the morning service on Sun 19th September. Soup and sandwiches will be provided.
Come and hear a presentation of their vital work in Kampala in the church after the morning service on Sun 19th September. Soup and sandwiches will be provided.
bible in a year
For the last 2 weeks I have been posting Jonathan's comments on BIAY here, but from today you will find them all here on the fantastic new Hilton Youth Project website.
Monday 13 September 2010
greenbelt
I went to listen to Stanley Hauerwas at Greenbelt. He has recently published his autobiography called Hannah's Child. Thanks to Sally for highlighting this clip.
JUMP
I'VE JUST RECEIVED THIS EMAIL FROM JUMP.
Dear Friends,
As you are aware, the next two Jump events scheduled for 18th September and 4th December have been cancelled, and we wish to inform you in more detail as to why. At present, we have a shortage of team members and a team leader. A number of team members have had to pull out of helping with Jump for personal, family or work commitments, so we are currently unable to promote, organise and run the events effectively, as we do not have enough bodies to do so.Jump has been highly successful in achieving its aims to date. These are: bringing together primary school aged children, who attend SU groups, children's clubs and/or church groups in Inverness and surrounding areas; praising and worshiping God in creative ways; getting to know Jesus better and going God's way. Since Jump was established in 2007, 12 different churches have been involved and 2 SU groups. In the past 3 years, well over 100 different individuals have registered for the events. Most children registered have returned to subsequent Jump events. The average number of children attending is between 70 and 80, however we have had 100 children attending on one occasion. Jump has seen children from smaller churches, where there may only be a few children, interact and worship on a larger scale, and get involved in activities they may not have had the chance to.> This has helped the children to see they are not alone in following Jesus.> Jump has also brought together folk from different Christian denominations> to work together as one body for Christ. There is still an interest and a need for Jump, but more churches need to come on board so more members can join the team. To enable Jump to continue, we need more support in a number of ways: * helping with administrative tasks, like registration; * carrying out practical tasks, like organising and preparing juice and snack; * instructing children by running activities and workshops; * and last but not least, actually leading Jump. Leading Jump would involve leadership skills, and following and developing our vision of: gathering together children, leaders and parents to celebrate God's goodness in creative worship; learning more about Him; channeling the children's energy, gifts and talents in good and positive ways; and helping team members to use their talents to the full. If you have the time, devotion, and calling to use your gifts and talents to help children and young people in this way, then we would love to hear from you. Please contact Chris at info@jumpinverness.org.uk We really do need your help NOW, if we are to continue to take Jump into 2011 and beyond. We desire to glorify and exalt God, and to make a difference in children's lives. We welcome you to join the team and bring your enthusiasm, energy and inspiration to give in a creative way. We thank you for your support and prayers, as we await God's will for Jump's future
My main reflection as I read this email is that right across the Christian community, and in every church including Hilton, we face a major challenge in terms of people who are willing to take real responsibility in terms of leadership and involvement. I am a leader in a church where we are currently often struggling to fit everyone into the sanctuary on a Sunday morning, and yet even from such a large pool of worshippers we have a dearth in terms of people willing/able to serve in key areas of mission and discipleship. The Sunday club and the Lighthouse spring to mind in my immediate experience . The words of Jesus " that the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few..." come to mind. I think there is real wisdom in the approach that JUMP are taking. I suspect we may be following a similar path at Hilton in the not too distant future.
BAIY 13
Genesis 27:1-28:22…
Now Esau was a bit daft and he did things that really upset his parents, like marrying Canaanite women. And he sunk really low when he disregarded his birthright in favour of some lentils. But, even still, did he ever sink as low as Rebekah and Jacob do here. Isaac’s an old, blind man, never mind the fact that he’s Rebekah’s husband and Jacob’s dad. And he’s sent Esau out to hunt some game for his supper and he will give him his blessing when he returns. And the blessing that the father gave his son in those days was so important. It was binding, and guys like Isaac had such a connection with God that whatever they blessed over their son would come to be. But, having eavesdropped on that conversation, Rebekah puts this outrageous plan into action. She sends Jacob – the younger son, remember – out to get two goats while she looks out Esau’s best clothes. She cooks up a feast for Isaac and then wraps the goat’s fleece around Jacob’s flesh, because Esau was a hairy man. And then she sends him into Isaac’s tent with the stew to secure the blessing which should have been, by the conventions of the time, Esau’s. And notice Jacob seems pretty unsure about the whole thing at first… I’ll get cursed, he’ll know it’s me etc, etc. But pretty soon he gets into the swing of things and starts to lie through his teeth. ‘I am Esau, your first born.’ Isaac’s suspicious. He even states that the voice is that of Jacob. But Jacob goes on: ‘I really am Esau, honest.’ And when Isaac feels the hairiness of his hands and smells the clothes, he blesses him. And it’s some blessing.
Just then, Esau returns home and soon the realisation hits both him and Isaac. They’ve been deceived… by their own flesh and blood. Isaac’s mad. He trembled violently. Esau is a mixture of sadness, envy and rage. He begs Isaac to give him a blessing, even just a little one: ‘haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?’ But, of course, that’s not the way it works… only one son gets the blessing. And what Isaac pronounces over Esau is more of a curse. And Esau wants to kill his brother and so Jacob flees to his uncle’s house to be safe, first and foremost, and to find a wife from among Abraham’s people, unlike Esau’s Canaanite wives. Rebekah will call him back when the time is right.
Did Esau deserve this? It doesn’t seem like it with what little we know about him. But it’s through Jacob that the covenant promise to Abraham continues. It’s Jacob who will be called ‘Israel.’ And that’s obviously what God intended all along, and the dream Jacob has at Bethel just confirms it. But I can’t help but think that God had some more honest way of working things out. I can’t help but think Rebakah and Jacob took things into their own hands and they did some pretty horrific stuff.
But, nonetheless, Jacob’s the one through whom God continues to work out his plan and the fact that God chooses him – despite the lies and the deceit – is pretty amazing. And Jacob does become great. There’s a healthy does of hope in there for us, then, don’t you think. So far, it doesn’t seem like the misfits and the screw-ups who rarely seem to do what the Lord would want are ignored by God. Just the opposite, in fact! It kind of seems like they’re the people that God uses to fulfil his purposes time and time again. We might even dare to call that grace.
Matthew 10:32-11:15…
We sang a song at Soul Survivor that had the words, ‘we’re not ashamed, we’re not ashamed of you Jesus.’ That’s Jesus final command to his disciples before he sends them out, essentially. Whoever acknowledges me will be acknowledged in heaven and whoever disowns me will be disowned in heaven. In other words, if you’re ashamed of Jesus then heaven’s not the place for you. If, on the other hand, you speak for him and stand up for who he is and can boldly say that you’re not ashamed of him, consider heaven to be your home.
And he goes on with his difficult message that people who choose to follow him must love him more than their own family. And that’s not to say that families aren’t important, it’s to say that Jesus – because of who he is – requires everything that we are: every breath we take, every move we make, every drop of blood in our veins, every word we say, every thought we think. Everything. That’s what it means when he says, ‘anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.’ The people listening to Jesus that day knew what it meant to take up a cross: death. And Jesus is saying that the decision to follow him is, truly, a life and death decision. It means everything. No holding back. Essentially, Jesus is saying, are you willing to die for me? And that’s still the level of commitment that he’s looking for today. Will you die for me?
Those who will, he says – those who lose their life for his sake – will find it. If we give up our old life and give everything to Jesus then a whole new life that continues into eternity opens up before us.
And he has the right to promise that because he is the Messiah. John the Baptist was wondering if Jesus was ‘the one’ and so he sends his disciples to ask him. And it’s almost like a job interview. Go and ask Jesus, John is saying, if he fits the Messiah’s job description as it’s written throughout the Old Testament. And Jesus’ CV speaks for itself: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor. Yep, Jesus says, I’m the one you’ve been waiting for.
And since John started to preach and baptise, and now with a vengeance as Jesus shows up, the Kingdom of Heaven is advancing. And it’s our job to make sure that continues to happen today.
Psalm 9:1-6…
The psalmist, here, understands what the Kingdom of Heaven is all about and the things that happen when men lay hold of it. Praise overflows and we can’t keep it to ourselves what God has done. We burst into song. Do we see evidence of that in our lives?
And those who shttp://www.lausanne.org/participant-information/regfee.htmltand against the Kingdom turn back, ruin overtakes the enemy. But the Kingdom of Heaven stands strong because God is on the throne and he judges righteously. And that’s as true today as it has always been. The Kingdom stands strong because God is on the throne.
Now Esau was a bit daft and he did things that really upset his parents, like marrying Canaanite women. And he sunk really low when he disregarded his birthright in favour of some lentils. But, even still, did he ever sink as low as Rebekah and Jacob do here. Isaac’s an old, blind man, never mind the fact that he’s Rebekah’s husband and Jacob’s dad. And he’s sent Esau out to hunt some game for his supper and he will give him his blessing when he returns. And the blessing that the father gave his son in those days was so important. It was binding, and guys like Isaac had such a connection with God that whatever they blessed over their son would come to be. But, having eavesdropped on that conversation, Rebekah puts this outrageous plan into action. She sends Jacob – the younger son, remember – out to get two goats while she looks out Esau’s best clothes. She cooks up a feast for Isaac and then wraps the goat’s fleece around Jacob’s flesh, because Esau was a hairy man. And then she sends him into Isaac’s tent with the stew to secure the blessing which should have been, by the conventions of the time, Esau’s. And notice Jacob seems pretty unsure about the whole thing at first… I’ll get cursed, he’ll know it’s me etc, etc. But pretty soon he gets into the swing of things and starts to lie through his teeth. ‘I am Esau, your first born.’ Isaac’s suspicious. He even states that the voice is that of Jacob. But Jacob goes on: ‘I really am Esau, honest.’ And when Isaac feels the hairiness of his hands and smells the clothes, he blesses him. And it’s some blessing.
Just then, Esau returns home and soon the realisation hits both him and Isaac. They’ve been deceived… by their own flesh and blood. Isaac’s mad. He trembled violently. Esau is a mixture of sadness, envy and rage. He begs Isaac to give him a blessing, even just a little one: ‘haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?’ But, of course, that’s not the way it works… only one son gets the blessing. And what Isaac pronounces over Esau is more of a curse. And Esau wants to kill his brother and so Jacob flees to his uncle’s house to be safe, first and foremost, and to find a wife from among Abraham’s people, unlike Esau’s Canaanite wives. Rebekah will call him back when the time is right.
Did Esau deserve this? It doesn’t seem like it with what little we know about him. But it’s through Jacob that the covenant promise to Abraham continues. It’s Jacob who will be called ‘Israel.’ And that’s obviously what God intended all along, and the dream Jacob has at Bethel just confirms it. But I can’t help but think that God had some more honest way of working things out. I can’t help but think Rebakah and Jacob took things into their own hands and they did some pretty horrific stuff.
But, nonetheless, Jacob’s the one through whom God continues to work out his plan and the fact that God chooses him – despite the lies and the deceit – is pretty amazing. And Jacob does become great. There’s a healthy does of hope in there for us, then, don’t you think. So far, it doesn’t seem like the misfits and the screw-ups who rarely seem to do what the Lord would want are ignored by God. Just the opposite, in fact! It kind of seems like they’re the people that God uses to fulfil his purposes time and time again. We might even dare to call that grace.
Matthew 10:32-11:15…
We sang a song at Soul Survivor that had the words, ‘we’re not ashamed, we’re not ashamed of you Jesus.’ That’s Jesus final command to his disciples before he sends them out, essentially. Whoever acknowledges me will be acknowledged in heaven and whoever disowns me will be disowned in heaven. In other words, if you’re ashamed of Jesus then heaven’s not the place for you. If, on the other hand, you speak for him and stand up for who he is and can boldly say that you’re not ashamed of him, consider heaven to be your home.
And he goes on with his difficult message that people who choose to follow him must love him more than their own family. And that’s not to say that families aren’t important, it’s to say that Jesus – because of who he is – requires everything that we are: every breath we take, every move we make, every drop of blood in our veins, every word we say, every thought we think. Everything. That’s what it means when he says, ‘anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.’ The people listening to Jesus that day knew what it meant to take up a cross: death. And Jesus is saying that the decision to follow him is, truly, a life and death decision. It means everything. No holding back. Essentially, Jesus is saying, are you willing to die for me? And that’s still the level of commitment that he’s looking for today. Will you die for me?
Those who will, he says – those who lose their life for his sake – will find it. If we give up our old life and give everything to Jesus then a whole new life that continues into eternity opens up before us.
And he has the right to promise that because he is the Messiah. John the Baptist was wondering if Jesus was ‘the one’ and so he sends his disciples to ask him. And it’s almost like a job interview. Go and ask Jesus, John is saying, if he fits the Messiah’s job description as it’s written throughout the Old Testament. And Jesus’ CV speaks for itself: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor. Yep, Jesus says, I’m the one you’ve been waiting for.
And since John started to preach and baptise, and now with a vengeance as Jesus shows up, the Kingdom of Heaven is advancing. And it’s our job to make sure that continues to happen today.
Psalm 9:1-6…
The psalmist, here, understands what the Kingdom of Heaven is all about and the things that happen when men lay hold of it. Praise overflows and we can’t keep it to ourselves what God has done. We burst into song. Do we see evidence of that in our lives?
And those who shttp://www.lausanne.org/participant-information/regfee.htmltand against the Kingdom turn back, ruin overtakes the enemy. But the Kingdom of Heaven stands strong because God is on the throne and he judges righteously. And that’s as true today as it has always been. The Kingdom stands strong because God is on the throne.
BIAY 12
Genesis 25:1-26:35…
And so we say goodbye to Abraham who has been our first major figure of faith so far, the one with whom the covenant was made and who stood before the Lord. At 175 years old he ‘breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years.’ Isaac and Ishmael – his first two sons who we rarely see together – bury him next to his wife, Sarah, and that’s that. But Abraham still resonates through the pages of the Bible as the first real hero of faith and the one with whom God made the covenant. Indeed, one of the ways we identify God as the God we believe in is as the God or Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
And it’s to Isaac that we now turn. Isaac, the one through whom the numerous descendants would come – the people of God. Yet, hold on, Rebekah, his wife, can’t have children either! Is it simply the case that God likes to do things the hard way? Or is it the case that God’s people are the result of miracles left, right and centre. Even today, God’s people exist because of the miracle of faith that God works in people’s lives.
And, sure enough, Isaac prays and God enables Rebekah to conceive twins: Esau and Jacob. Now Esau was a hairy man, red hair no less and lots of it. He’s the older one. Jacob, on the other hand, seems fairly non-descript as we’re told only that he came out holding onto Esau’s heel. And Esau’s an extrovert, a hunter, the man about town (or country as it happened). Jacob’s an introvert, a thinker a quiet kind of guy.
Yet Esau’s ‘life and soul of the party’ approach means that he held his birthright in low regard – and your birthright in those days was so important that it’s hard for us to imagine. One day, Esau returned from the countryside and was starving, to the extent that he sold his birthright – his father’s blessing, the opportunity to be in charge and the chance to be the one through whom God’s covenant would continue – for a bowl of lentil stew. Now, I like lentils a lot, but even I wouldn’t be so stupid as to favour them over a birthright. Come on! Although they didn’t know he’d done this, Esau, we soon discover, was a constant source of grief to his parents as Genesis 26:35 tells us. We discover the result of his stupidity tomorrow.
You’ll have also noticed that Isaac does exactly what his dad did and passes off his wife as his sister. Didn’t he learn anything? But, whilst he clearly picked up some of Abraham’s more questionable qualities he also picked up his best trait: being in love with God. Just like Abraham, Isaac ‘called on the name of the Lord’ at Beersheba and that’s by far the most important thing a child can ever learn from their parents.
Matthew 10:1-31…
Matthew gives us a list of the twelve disciples and then tells us what Jesus instructions were to them before he sent them out. Now, the disciples haven’t been with Jesus very long at this point but Jesus is clear that following him life is not about spending ages learning what to do and theorising about it and, basically, staying in a safe place. Rather, what we see Jesus doing is telling his disciples that in order to learn what it means to be Christian you’ve simply got to get out there and do it. I guess it’s like riding a bike or learning to swim. You can read books by the dozen about cycling or how to survive in the water. You can attend classes with experts on the subjects. You can watch others on their bicycles and swimming away merrily. But if you never get on a bike or into the water you’re never going to figure out how to cycle or how to swim.
To be a Christian you’ve simply got to get out there and have a go. That’s what Jesus is saying here.
And let me highlight just a few of the things he tells his disciples to do (which he’s telling us to). Preach a very simple message: ‘the Kingdom of heaven is near.’ Don’t get too wordy. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy and drive out demons. In other words, if you believe that Jesus has given you authority (he has, by the way), then have the courage to pray with and for people and have the faith that you’ll see miracles happen. Don’t take anything with you other than necessities (shoes, clothes, but no money). Jesus is all you need. And it’s going to be hard, the disciples were warned about floggings and appearing in court. You’ll probably find yourself in some interesting situations too, but the Spirit of the Father will be with you. And through it all, God who knows the number of hairs on your head and cares for each and every sparrow, will be looking after you. After all, you’re worth more than many sparrows.
So, have a go… use this passage as a kind of textbook. Christianity is to be lived, not just talked about. Do you have the courage to live it out wherever you find yourself this week?
Proverbs 1:20-33…
We meet lady wisdom for the first time – a good woman to know. And, just so you know, we’re talking spiritual wisdom for how best to live and follow God, not the ability to answer all the questions on University Challenge!
Part of living out the faith is learning to be wise. We do that by listening to God (through prayer and Bible reading) and by listening to people who are already wise, often older folk, and who will give you good advice. Let’s not be daft and foolish and reject wisdom. Rather, let’s answer wisdom when she calls and look for her everywhere we go. In other words, let try not to be stupid but instead seek to walk the way that God has set before us, then we won’t need to be afraid of any harm.
And so we say goodbye to Abraham who has been our first major figure of faith so far, the one with whom the covenant was made and who stood before the Lord. At 175 years old he ‘breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years.’ Isaac and Ishmael – his first two sons who we rarely see together – bury him next to his wife, Sarah, and that’s that. But Abraham still resonates through the pages of the Bible as the first real hero of faith and the one with whom God made the covenant. Indeed, one of the ways we identify God as the God we believe in is as the God or Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
And it’s to Isaac that we now turn. Isaac, the one through whom the numerous descendants would come – the people of God. Yet, hold on, Rebekah, his wife, can’t have children either! Is it simply the case that God likes to do things the hard way? Or is it the case that God’s people are the result of miracles left, right and centre. Even today, God’s people exist because of the miracle of faith that God works in people’s lives.
And, sure enough, Isaac prays and God enables Rebekah to conceive twins: Esau and Jacob. Now Esau was a hairy man, red hair no less and lots of it. He’s the older one. Jacob, on the other hand, seems fairly non-descript as we’re told only that he came out holding onto Esau’s heel. And Esau’s an extrovert, a hunter, the man about town (or country as it happened). Jacob’s an introvert, a thinker a quiet kind of guy.
Yet Esau’s ‘life and soul of the party’ approach means that he held his birthright in low regard – and your birthright in those days was so important that it’s hard for us to imagine. One day, Esau returned from the countryside and was starving, to the extent that he sold his birthright – his father’s blessing, the opportunity to be in charge and the chance to be the one through whom God’s covenant would continue – for a bowl of lentil stew. Now, I like lentils a lot, but even I wouldn’t be so stupid as to favour them over a birthright. Come on! Although they didn’t know he’d done this, Esau, we soon discover, was a constant source of grief to his parents as Genesis 26:35 tells us. We discover the result of his stupidity tomorrow.
You’ll have also noticed that Isaac does exactly what his dad did and passes off his wife as his sister. Didn’t he learn anything? But, whilst he clearly picked up some of Abraham’s more questionable qualities he also picked up his best trait: being in love with God. Just like Abraham, Isaac ‘called on the name of the Lord’ at Beersheba and that’s by far the most important thing a child can ever learn from their parents.
Matthew 10:1-31…
Matthew gives us a list of the twelve disciples and then tells us what Jesus instructions were to them before he sent them out. Now, the disciples haven’t been with Jesus very long at this point but Jesus is clear that following him life is not about spending ages learning what to do and theorising about it and, basically, staying in a safe place. Rather, what we see Jesus doing is telling his disciples that in order to learn what it means to be Christian you’ve simply got to get out there and do it. I guess it’s like riding a bike or learning to swim. You can read books by the dozen about cycling or how to survive in the water. You can attend classes with experts on the subjects. You can watch others on their bicycles and swimming away merrily. But if you never get on a bike or into the water you’re never going to figure out how to cycle or how to swim.
To be a Christian you’ve simply got to get out there and have a go. That’s what Jesus is saying here.
And let me highlight just a few of the things he tells his disciples to do (which he’s telling us to). Preach a very simple message: ‘the Kingdom of heaven is near.’ Don’t get too wordy. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy and drive out demons. In other words, if you believe that Jesus has given you authority (he has, by the way), then have the courage to pray with and for people and have the faith that you’ll see miracles happen. Don’t take anything with you other than necessities (shoes, clothes, but no money). Jesus is all you need. And it’s going to be hard, the disciples were warned about floggings and appearing in court. You’ll probably find yourself in some interesting situations too, but the Spirit of the Father will be with you. And through it all, God who knows the number of hairs on your head and cares for each and every sparrow, will be looking after you. After all, you’re worth more than many sparrows.
So, have a go… use this passage as a kind of textbook. Christianity is to be lived, not just talked about. Do you have the courage to live it out wherever you find yourself this week?
Proverbs 1:20-33…
We meet lady wisdom for the first time – a good woman to know. And, just so you know, we’re talking spiritual wisdom for how best to live and follow God, not the ability to answer all the questions on University Challenge!
Part of living out the faith is learning to be wise. We do that by listening to God (through prayer and Bible reading) and by listening to people who are already wise, often older folk, and who will give you good advice. Let’s not be daft and foolish and reject wisdom. Rather, let’s answer wisdom when she calls and look for her everywhere we go. In other words, let try not to be stupid but instead seek to walk the way that God has set before us, then we won’t need to be afraid of any harm.
Sunday 12 September 2010
SUNDAY CLUB
I led Sunday Club (P1-5) this morning for the first time ever! The experience was ultimately very enjoyable, but I have to say that it's a lot harder work than preparing a sermon! We were looking at the parable of the lost coin, so I was off at the bank getting Ten pounds worth of 5p's as well as chocolate gold coins from Tesco's. Then there was the research on FINDING NEMO together with identifying the right clips. I had to find a candle for the front, and a table cloth to represent the room where the coin was lost, as well as recruiting Kevin to lead the songs, Stuart to lead the prayers and Sarah to tell the story. I was delighted to see that quite a number of parents came though to share in the time, which was a great help. I also hope this interaction between parents and children together with the use of the same materials across the church will lead to more effective nurture of the children within our congregation.Overall it was a promising start and I'm sure I will be a little more relaxed the next time. One of the major observations from several quarets was that the accoustics in the large hall are very very poor. It would seem to me that improving this must be one of the priorities in any plans for the future. Next week, Andrea is leading and the morning will begin with sharing breakfast. I'm sorry I won't be there, but I'll be leading the main service
PS I also forgot to mention Eilidh Macritchie who did a great job of leading YOU ARE A STAR by Stepehn Fischbacher from the front of the church!
MSM
The final session of MSM took place yesterday. The course is centred around a passion to create communities of faith (fresh expressions) for people who are not yet Christians.A fresh expression is a form of church for our changing culture established primarily for the benefit of people who are not yet members of any church.It will come into being through principles of listening, service, incarnational mission and making disciples. It will have the potential to become a mature expression of church shaped by the gospel and the enduring marks of the church and for its cultural context. Over the next period of time those of us who have been on the course from Hilton will be reflecting and praying and talking about what God may be saying to us in the light of all that we have learnt. What forms of Church do we need to think about creating for our changing culture? If you want to find out more, here is a good place to start.
Saturday 11 September 2010
BIAY 11
Genesis 24:1-67…
This is a great passage. Firstly, let me say, that I’m glad we no longer have to make promises by slipping our hand under someone’s thigh. That could lead to all sorts of awkward situations! You might also become quite selective about who you make promises to. But, anyway, that’s the way Abraham ensured his servant would stick to his promise and who am I to criticise!
What I think is great about this passage is that Abraham and his servant are so keen that God plays the major role in the choice of Isaac’s wife. There’s an angel involved. And the servant asks for a specific sign from God so as to make sure he ‘picks’ the right woman. And, guess what, God gives the servant a specific sign when Rebekah comes to the well – even before the servant’s finished praying.
When it comes to our relationships – particularly with regards to girlfriends or boyfriends (you can’t pick your parents or your siblings after all) – do we want God do play the central role? In reality, most of us probably let certain parts of our body do the decision making. But it’s clear from this passage – at least to me – that God has a specific person in mind for each of us, whether we’ve found them yet or not. And if we take a step back and pray and ask God to reveal if someone’s right for you or not then I believe he will, just like he did to Abraham’s servant.
God wants to be part of every bit of our lives, not just the churchy stuff we do. In fact he wants to be the most important bit (not that God’s a ‘bit’) of every area of our lives. And that includes our relationships too.
And the brilliant thing in this passage is that, when everyone recognises that God’s in charge of the situation they all step back and say… let’s not get in the way. Laban and Bethuel (Rebekah’s brother and father) say together: ‘This is from the Lord. We can say nothing to you one way or the other…’
Now we’re good at saying stuff and doing things that often get in the way of what God is doing and, as a result, end up doing our own stuff rather than what God wants to do. And, unfortunately, that’s all too often the case not just in our relationship but in our churches and youth groups and – sad to say – everything we do. And, here, the morning after, Rebekah’s mother and brother decide to do just that. ‘Let the girl remain with us ten days or so.’ In other words, we know what God has planned but let’s just put it on hold for a week and a half. Thank goodness Rebekah was willing to just go with God’s plan and she goes with Abraham’s servant, falls in love with Isaac at first sight (God had matched them up after all) and she becomes the next great woman of faith after Sarah, who, of course, has died as we read yesterday.
There’s the lesson… when we get a sense of what God is doing – in our relationships, our churches or wherever – just go for it. Don’t put it off, don’t over analyse it, don’t put the barriers up. It might be scary, uncomfortable or totally new for you (as it must have been for Rebekah, leaving her country, her family and her friends). But who are we – really, who are we – to get in the way of God?
Matthew 9:14-38…
Fasting, eh? I’ve said before that we don’t do enough of it! But it’s important to note that if we fast that we do it for the right reasons. When Jesus was with the disciples walking around on earth there was no need to fast. Fasting is about giving up stuff in order to focus on Jesus, pray and long for his return. That’s what Jesus is saying: when I’m with you, rejoice… when I’m not, fast, pray, long for me to be with you again. And I’ve got something up my sleeve for Lent 2011 where we can fast and pray and long for Jesus together. It’ll be hard but it’ll be good.
And then we’ve more examples of faith. On the way to a house where a girl’s died a woman who’d been bleeding for 12 years and who was therefore unclean – an outsider – touches his cloak. And she’s healed, and therefore she’s made clean and is included in society again. But, do you see, it’s got a lot to do with her faith that she got healed. Jesus says to her that her faith has healed her. (And that’s because her faith is in Jesus, by the way, not just in any old so and so.) And it was through the faith of the dead girl’s father that she is raised to life again. Notice, everyone else (‘professional’ mourners if you’re wondering who they are) laughs at Jesus. They didn’t have faith in him. And we might not laugh at Jesus but I often wonder if we have genuine faith in him. Do we really believe that Jesus can heal people and work miracles today – because he can and he will if we dare to believe it. Our faith will make us well too!
And the blind person is asked by Jesus if he believes that Jesus can heal him. That;s the issue: do we believe? Do we have faith? (And it’s clear, by the way, that the Pharisees didn’t as they made the most preposterous and wicked claim, actually, that Jesus was doing demonic things! Not so… so not so!)
And, the last few verses… they’re as true today as they were 2000 odd years ago. There are many people in the world – in our schools, our workplaces, our communities – who are ‘harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.’ In short, there are loads of people around us who need Jesus. And, though there’s not many of us, it’s our job to introduce them all to him.
[NB: this pattern of Jesus telling the people he’s healed not to tell anyone about it (v.30) is known as the Messianic Secret. When Jesus was around on earth there were certain ideas about what the Messiah would be like, the most common of which was that the Messiah would be a military leader to drive out and slaughter the Romans. That’s not what Jesus is like and he doesn’t want people to think that’s what he’s going to be like. So, he tries to keep his identity secret as he has a mission and he doesn’t want people with their own agendas to get in the way of God’s work.]
Psalm 8:1-9…
‘O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.’ Wow. And indeed God is amazing and majestic and we can’t really get our heads around who he is. And the Psalmist recognises that God shouldn’t really be bothered with wee human beings like us. And yet he is. He’s put us in control of all he’s created and that’s amazing (and comes with a lot of responsibility too). God – the creator of the universe – cares for little old you and little old me! So, when you’re praying and reading, imagine that a person more powerful than anyone else and who loves you more than anyone else in the universe is with you and wants to talk to you. And know that he is and that he does – that’s God. How majestic is his name in all the earth.
This is a great passage. Firstly, let me say, that I’m glad we no longer have to make promises by slipping our hand under someone’s thigh. That could lead to all sorts of awkward situations! You might also become quite selective about who you make promises to. But, anyway, that’s the way Abraham ensured his servant would stick to his promise and who am I to criticise!
What I think is great about this passage is that Abraham and his servant are so keen that God plays the major role in the choice of Isaac’s wife. There’s an angel involved. And the servant asks for a specific sign from God so as to make sure he ‘picks’ the right woman. And, guess what, God gives the servant a specific sign when Rebekah comes to the well – even before the servant’s finished praying.
When it comes to our relationships – particularly with regards to girlfriends or boyfriends (you can’t pick your parents or your siblings after all) – do we want God do play the central role? In reality, most of us probably let certain parts of our body do the decision making. But it’s clear from this passage – at least to me – that God has a specific person in mind for each of us, whether we’ve found them yet or not. And if we take a step back and pray and ask God to reveal if someone’s right for you or not then I believe he will, just like he did to Abraham’s servant.
God wants to be part of every bit of our lives, not just the churchy stuff we do. In fact he wants to be the most important bit (not that God’s a ‘bit’) of every area of our lives. And that includes our relationships too.
And the brilliant thing in this passage is that, when everyone recognises that God’s in charge of the situation they all step back and say… let’s not get in the way. Laban and Bethuel (Rebekah’s brother and father) say together: ‘This is from the Lord. We can say nothing to you one way or the other…’
Now we’re good at saying stuff and doing things that often get in the way of what God is doing and, as a result, end up doing our own stuff rather than what God wants to do. And, unfortunately, that’s all too often the case not just in our relationship but in our churches and youth groups and – sad to say – everything we do. And, here, the morning after, Rebekah’s mother and brother decide to do just that. ‘Let the girl remain with us ten days or so.’ In other words, we know what God has planned but let’s just put it on hold for a week and a half. Thank goodness Rebekah was willing to just go with God’s plan and she goes with Abraham’s servant, falls in love with Isaac at first sight (God had matched them up after all) and she becomes the next great woman of faith after Sarah, who, of course, has died as we read yesterday.
There’s the lesson… when we get a sense of what God is doing – in our relationships, our churches or wherever – just go for it. Don’t put it off, don’t over analyse it, don’t put the barriers up. It might be scary, uncomfortable or totally new for you (as it must have been for Rebekah, leaving her country, her family and her friends). But who are we – really, who are we – to get in the way of God?
Matthew 9:14-38…
Fasting, eh? I’ve said before that we don’t do enough of it! But it’s important to note that if we fast that we do it for the right reasons. When Jesus was with the disciples walking around on earth there was no need to fast. Fasting is about giving up stuff in order to focus on Jesus, pray and long for his return. That’s what Jesus is saying: when I’m with you, rejoice… when I’m not, fast, pray, long for me to be with you again. And I’ve got something up my sleeve for Lent 2011 where we can fast and pray and long for Jesus together. It’ll be hard but it’ll be good.
And then we’ve more examples of faith. On the way to a house where a girl’s died a woman who’d been bleeding for 12 years and who was therefore unclean – an outsider – touches his cloak. And she’s healed, and therefore she’s made clean and is included in society again. But, do you see, it’s got a lot to do with her faith that she got healed. Jesus says to her that her faith has healed her. (And that’s because her faith is in Jesus, by the way, not just in any old so and so.) And it was through the faith of the dead girl’s father that she is raised to life again. Notice, everyone else (‘professional’ mourners if you’re wondering who they are) laughs at Jesus. They didn’t have faith in him. And we might not laugh at Jesus but I often wonder if we have genuine faith in him. Do we really believe that Jesus can heal people and work miracles today – because he can and he will if we dare to believe it. Our faith will make us well too!
And the blind person is asked by Jesus if he believes that Jesus can heal him. That;s the issue: do we believe? Do we have faith? (And it’s clear, by the way, that the Pharisees didn’t as they made the most preposterous and wicked claim, actually, that Jesus was doing demonic things! Not so… so not so!)
And, the last few verses… they’re as true today as they were 2000 odd years ago. There are many people in the world – in our schools, our workplaces, our communities – who are ‘harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.’ In short, there are loads of people around us who need Jesus. And, though there’s not many of us, it’s our job to introduce them all to him.
[NB: this pattern of Jesus telling the people he’s healed not to tell anyone about it (v.30) is known as the Messianic Secret. When Jesus was around on earth there were certain ideas about what the Messiah would be like, the most common of which was that the Messiah would be a military leader to drive out and slaughter the Romans. That’s not what Jesus is like and he doesn’t want people to think that’s what he’s going to be like. So, he tries to keep his identity secret as he has a mission and he doesn’t want people with their own agendas to get in the way of God’s work.]
Psalm 8:1-9…
‘O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.’ Wow. And indeed God is amazing and majestic and we can’t really get our heads around who he is. And the Psalmist recognises that God shouldn’t really be bothered with wee human beings like us. And yet he is. He’s put us in control of all he’s created and that’s amazing (and comes with a lot of responsibility too). God – the creator of the universe – cares for little old you and little old me! So, when you’re praying and reading, imagine that a person more powerful than anyone else and who loves you more than anyone else in the universe is with you and wants to talk to you. And know that he is and that he does – that’s God. How majestic is his name in all the earth.
Friday 10 September 2010
BIAY 10
Genesis 21:1-23:20…
There’s a lot going on in our readings from Genesis today so we’ll just focus in on a couple of things. First, the birth of Isaac. It’s through Isaac that God’s promise is to come true: that Abraham’s descendants will become as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the beach. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born, which goes to show that nothing is impossible for God. It also goes to show how much faith Abraham had for believing God! And look at Sarah, who’d laughed at the very idea that she could have a child when the 3 visitors had paid Abraham a visit to his tent. She’s now laughing with sheer joy. God, you see, has taken Abraham and Sarah on a journey from being insignificant folks living somewhere in the east to the first great couple of the faith. And the crowning moment of this work that God has been doing in their lives is the arrival of their son. And through him, God’s people will grow in number and spread over all the land. That really is a cause for great joy and celebration.
But wait a minute, we now turn to chapter 22. So here’s Isaac – long awaited, the child of promise – and God tells Abraham to go and kill him on top of a mountain. This sounds crazy – at best. The philosopher, Immanuel Kant, thought that the voice Abraham actually heard couldn’t have been God’s voice because God is good. It could only have been an evil, demonic voice. Bob Dylan – the singer/songwriter – put it like this: God said to Abraham, ‘go kill me a son.’ Abe said, ‘Man, you must be puttin’ me on.’
But you know, I think they were both wrong. Kant was wrong because devotion to God means that you’re willing to give everything – holding nothing back. And God wants to rest Abraham here to see if he’s that willing to follow him. A big ask, but it’s certainly God – the good, loving, all-consuming God – who asks the question… a God who wants everything Abraham has to offer.
And Dylan was wrong because Abraham understood just that: that devotion to God means that you’re willing to give everything and hold nothing back. So Abraham doesn’t say, ‘Man, you must be putting me on.’ He says, ‘Here I am.’ Those are words of faith. Those words mean, essentially, ‘I’m yours, completely… I’m willing to go for you and I’m not going to hold anything back.’ Even though God asks him for his son – his only son who he’d waited 100 years for and whom God himself had given him. Still, Abraham says, ‘Here I am.’
And they trudge up the hill together. Abraham must have been scared stiff. We shiver when Isaac asks the question, ‘we’ve got all we need apart from the lamb?’ And we almost want to punch Abraham for trying to be all holy instead of just being straight with him: ‘God will provide it.’ But, then again, if he’d told Isaac he’d have run a mile.
And we can only imagine the scene as Abraham tied his son to the altar of wood, Isaac kicking and screaming like mad. Then Abraham raises the knife over his son and… ‘Abraham! Abraham!’
God is not a monster who wants child sacrifices but he is a God who wants faith… who wants everything we have. And Abraham passed the test – he was willing. And God, it turns out, does provide the animal, just as Abraham had said, a ram caught in the thicket which he slaughters and sacrifices to God. What a story, whatever you make of it.
As a new(ish) father I’ve started to read this story differently. I want to walk with Charlie and get him to a point when I can tie him to something holy (not literally of course) and then I want God to ‘get him.’ I want God to set his heart on fire. One of these days Charlie and I will arrive at a sacred place and I will lay him down on an altar of faith. And when that day comes – when the car keys, the career plans, the dates and the decisions are his, not ours – his mum and I will offer him up to God who (and we actually believe this) has a plan.
And, as your youth leader, I want that for you all as well – that God would ‘get you’ and set your heart on fire. And I guess my job is simply to be one of the people who try and get you close enough to God’s holy spark… you and Jesus can take it from there.
Matthew 8:23-9:13…
I’ve gone on far too long about Genesis today, so just a couple of things from Matthew. Jesus – the King – has authority over nature, demons and illness. Moreover, he can forgive sins – which all the Pharisees and teachers of the law knew fine well only God can do. Therefore they accuse him of blaspheming – being offensive to God – instead of interpreting Jesus actions as they should have done… that he is God himself. Indeed, as we’ve suspected all along in Matthew, this King is none other than God himself: the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And, just to prove it, Jesus heals the man who’s sins he’d just forgiven.
And then Jesus goes and calls Matthew – the wrong sort of person. A tax collector and, therefore, a Roman sympathiser – hated by everyone in the area, no doubt. But Matthew follows him and, when Jesus is challenged about this and who his friends are (who are all the wrong sort, by the way) he simply says, ‘it’s not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick… I’ve not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’ And he’s still doing that to this day.
Psalm 7:10-17…
The psalmist, continuing from yesterday, now plays off God – who is good, wise and powerful - against the evildoers and wicked people on the earth. There’s no comparison. And we, like the psalmist, should be thankful to God because it’s him we depend on and trust and who will be triumphant, not the sort of people we read about in this Psalm, who are ‘pregnant with evil.’ And therefore we, also, should sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
There’s a lot going on in our readings from Genesis today so we’ll just focus in on a couple of things. First, the birth of Isaac. It’s through Isaac that God’s promise is to come true: that Abraham’s descendants will become as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the beach. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born, which goes to show that nothing is impossible for God. It also goes to show how much faith Abraham had for believing God! And look at Sarah, who’d laughed at the very idea that she could have a child when the 3 visitors had paid Abraham a visit to his tent. She’s now laughing with sheer joy. God, you see, has taken Abraham and Sarah on a journey from being insignificant folks living somewhere in the east to the first great couple of the faith. And the crowning moment of this work that God has been doing in their lives is the arrival of their son. And through him, God’s people will grow in number and spread over all the land. That really is a cause for great joy and celebration.
But wait a minute, we now turn to chapter 22. So here’s Isaac – long awaited, the child of promise – and God tells Abraham to go and kill him on top of a mountain. This sounds crazy – at best. The philosopher, Immanuel Kant, thought that the voice Abraham actually heard couldn’t have been God’s voice because God is good. It could only have been an evil, demonic voice. Bob Dylan – the singer/songwriter – put it like this: God said to Abraham, ‘go kill me a son.’ Abe said, ‘Man, you must be puttin’ me on.’
But you know, I think they were both wrong. Kant was wrong because devotion to God means that you’re willing to give everything – holding nothing back. And God wants to rest Abraham here to see if he’s that willing to follow him. A big ask, but it’s certainly God – the good, loving, all-consuming God – who asks the question… a God who wants everything Abraham has to offer.
And Dylan was wrong because Abraham understood just that: that devotion to God means that you’re willing to give everything and hold nothing back. So Abraham doesn’t say, ‘Man, you must be putting me on.’ He says, ‘Here I am.’ Those are words of faith. Those words mean, essentially, ‘I’m yours, completely… I’m willing to go for you and I’m not going to hold anything back.’ Even though God asks him for his son – his only son who he’d waited 100 years for and whom God himself had given him. Still, Abraham says, ‘Here I am.’
And they trudge up the hill together. Abraham must have been scared stiff. We shiver when Isaac asks the question, ‘we’ve got all we need apart from the lamb?’ And we almost want to punch Abraham for trying to be all holy instead of just being straight with him: ‘God will provide it.’ But, then again, if he’d told Isaac he’d have run a mile.
And we can only imagine the scene as Abraham tied his son to the altar of wood, Isaac kicking and screaming like mad. Then Abraham raises the knife over his son and… ‘Abraham! Abraham!’
God is not a monster who wants child sacrifices but he is a God who wants faith… who wants everything we have. And Abraham passed the test – he was willing. And God, it turns out, does provide the animal, just as Abraham had said, a ram caught in the thicket which he slaughters and sacrifices to God. What a story, whatever you make of it.
As a new(ish) father I’ve started to read this story differently. I want to walk with Charlie and get him to a point when I can tie him to something holy (not literally of course) and then I want God to ‘get him.’ I want God to set his heart on fire. One of these days Charlie and I will arrive at a sacred place and I will lay him down on an altar of faith. And when that day comes – when the car keys, the career plans, the dates and the decisions are his, not ours – his mum and I will offer him up to God who (and we actually believe this) has a plan.
And, as your youth leader, I want that for you all as well – that God would ‘get you’ and set your heart on fire. And I guess my job is simply to be one of the people who try and get you close enough to God’s holy spark… you and Jesus can take it from there.
Matthew 8:23-9:13…
I’ve gone on far too long about Genesis today, so just a couple of things from Matthew. Jesus – the King – has authority over nature, demons and illness. Moreover, he can forgive sins – which all the Pharisees and teachers of the law knew fine well only God can do. Therefore they accuse him of blaspheming – being offensive to God – instead of interpreting Jesus actions as they should have done… that he is God himself. Indeed, as we’ve suspected all along in Matthew, this King is none other than God himself: the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And, just to prove it, Jesus heals the man who’s sins he’d just forgiven.
And then Jesus goes and calls Matthew – the wrong sort of person. A tax collector and, therefore, a Roman sympathiser – hated by everyone in the area, no doubt. But Matthew follows him and, when Jesus is challenged about this and who his friends are (who are all the wrong sort, by the way) he simply says, ‘it’s not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick… I’ve not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’ And he’s still doing that to this day.
Psalm 7:10-17…
The psalmist, continuing from yesterday, now plays off God – who is good, wise and powerful - against the evildoers and wicked people on the earth. There’s no comparison. And we, like the psalmist, should be thankful to God because it’s him we depend on and trust and who will be triumphant, not the sort of people we read about in this Psalm, who are ‘pregnant with evil.’ And therefore we, also, should sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
lighthouse
It's Friday which is the busiest day of the week in the Lighthouse, and we are facing the day, one staff member short. We have a committed but very small volunteer group (amazingly small for the size of Hilton Church!) and we also have regular support from Youth Inclusive and the other staff workers within the church. The level of activity within the cafe has now reached a level where we will require to employ another member of staff, as we face a meltdown situation in the near future without this addition. It's a good problem to have in terms of the cafe, but one which is not entirely comfortable to live through in terms of the pressure it creates. We have tried extremely hard over 2 years now to increase our volunteer base during the day without much in the way of success. I think we are coming to the realisation, however reluctantly, that the Lighthouse requires more staff at its core with the support of volunteers. This kind of strategy involves a very careful balancing act when we we are trying to maintain a high quality affordable facility for the local community while at the same time raising enough income to support more staff. These are some of the challenges of running a facility like the Lighthouse in the current situation.
lighthouse garden
We have been a bit quiet on this front over the last couple of months. Plans are now in place to re-develop the garden and we have been successful with 2 grant applications for funding, so hopefully we can make a start in the near future. More about this soon.CHURCH RE-WIRING
Hilton Church was opened in 1958, which means that the buildings have been in constant use for over 52 years. Over the years there has been a revolution within society in relation to issues like health and safety, fire prevention and disability access to name just a few! We have been progressively responding to all of these issues and the next step in this process begins next Monday. The whole building is going to be re-wired, with fire alarms and emergency lighting also being installed. This is costing the congregation over £20k. In actual fact this money will be coming out of the relatively meagre fabric reserves that we hold. Hilton Church isn't the kind of church which holds great financial resources. Any future improvements will require raising additional funds from within the congregation, so there will need to be some detailed consideration of this by the Board in the coming months. The buildings will continue to function during the works which are scheduled to take place over the next 3 weeks.
Thursday 9 September 2010
biay 9
Genesis 19:1-20:18…
So this is a hard text in this day and age because it identifies the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah as men desiring other men – homosexuality. It’s not fashionable and it’s not politically correct to say it but, if we’re taking seriously what the Bible is saying, God is not happy with what they’re getting up to. He’s really not happy at all.
His angels (two of the three guys who’d visited Abraham yesterday) rescue Lot, his wife and his daughters from the city. And the angels instruct them not to look back. Now there’s an important point there… When God calls us to follow him or if he takes us in a new direction or whatever it might be we must never look back. Instead we’ve got to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and the direction he’s leading us in. The past is gone and we should never look back, wanting what’s gone before, when we’re with God. Lot’s wife did and she was turned into a pillar of salt – which can’t be good!
But what she looked back upon was God’s anger destroying Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding area for the sins committed there. ‘The Lord rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah.’ He had shown his mercy to Lot and his household but the outcry against the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was so great and they had persisted in their ways so unswervingly that God chose to destroy them, much as he had done with the flood to the whole world.
The next section is equally disturbing. Lot’s daughters, having no men around, decide to get their father so drunk that he doesn’t have a clue what’s going on. Somehow, on consecutive nights, they manage to sleep with him – their own father?! – and get pregnant by him. Now there’s no criticism of them for doing this (though nowhere in the Bible do they get a pat on the back) but it is the case (as we’ll see) that the nations that come from them (the Moabites and the Ammonites) will repeatedly be found warring against the people of God – which might well be to do with the unconventional way (to say the least) that they were born.
And then we read on to Abraham doing the same thing to Abimelech as he did to Pharaoh a few chapters previously: telling the king that Sarah is his sister, not his wife, to save his own skin. It transpires that Sarah is his half-sister. But she is also his wife and he should, in my book, be up front about this. God, though, has prevented Abimelech from sleeping with Sarah and sinning against God. And, as weird as it seems, it all results in Abimelech and his people beginning a relationship with God. Abraham knew that there was no fear of God in that land (20:11). But by the end of the passage Abimelech is bringing gifts to Abraham, receiving prayer and getting healed – pretty cool. And perhaps it even makes Abraham’s tactics permissible.
Matthew 7:24-8:22…
The last bit of the Sermon on the Mount is the famous passage about the wise and foolish builders. In life – as in house building – storms come, hard times hit and the going gets tough and unless we’ve built our lives on the teaching of Jesus, we’ll fall apart. It’s exactly the same with a builder who has built his house on sand… when the rains came and floods waters rise, the house falls flat.
So, we’re to build our house on the rock and that rock is Jesus and his teaching. And the fact that Jesus says this at the end of the Sermon on the Mount suggests that the rock for our lives to be built on is everything he’s taught in the last couple of chapters. Difficult but solid things.
And in response to the Sermon a leper comes to Jesus for healing. And it’s always in response to Jesus and his word that men and women come to him for him to meet their needs. And notice the leper’s words – there’s no doubting. It’s not, ‘If you are willing, can you heal me,’ but, ‘if you are willing you ca heal me.’ That’s faith. And Jesus heals him. Just as he does with the centurion’s servant. The centurion understands Jesus’ power. He doesn’t need to be in the same place to heal someone, he simply says the word and it’s done. And because the centurion understood that – understood how powerful Jesus is – Jesus commends him for having greater faith than anyone in Israel. And Jesus then tells the people of Israel (the Jews) that many will come from the east and the west (that includes you and me) to take their place at the feast of Abraham (heaven).
And there are more amazing healings that take place at Peter’s house.
And Matthew’s structured it brilliantly – like any good writer. First you hear Jesus words and then we see that word accompanied with signs and wonders. And that’s still true today, if we hear Jesus words and respond then we will see amazing things happen. People are still healed in amazing and powerful ways. Miracles do happen. And we’ll see them as we follow Jesus.
But the cost of following Jesus is pricey. Like Lot leaving Sodom and Gomorrah, we can’t look back. We’re with Jesus now. Nothing else compares to that.
Psalm 7:1-9…
This Psalm echoes a lot of the themes in the other two readings today, namely of God’s protection and action on behalf of the righteous. He protected Lot and his daughters as Sodom was burning up. In Jesus, he acted on behalf of the leper and the centurion’s servant and countless others at Peter’s house.
The Psalm reminds us that there is wickedness in the world but that God is looking out for us… for those who don’t look back but who follow him with all our hearts. He will make the righteous secure.
So this is a hard text in this day and age because it identifies the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah as men desiring other men – homosexuality. It’s not fashionable and it’s not politically correct to say it but, if we’re taking seriously what the Bible is saying, God is not happy with what they’re getting up to. He’s really not happy at all.
His angels (two of the three guys who’d visited Abraham yesterday) rescue Lot, his wife and his daughters from the city. And the angels instruct them not to look back. Now there’s an important point there… When God calls us to follow him or if he takes us in a new direction or whatever it might be we must never look back. Instead we’ve got to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and the direction he’s leading us in. The past is gone and we should never look back, wanting what’s gone before, when we’re with God. Lot’s wife did and she was turned into a pillar of salt – which can’t be good!
But what she looked back upon was God’s anger destroying Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding area for the sins committed there. ‘The Lord rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah.’ He had shown his mercy to Lot and his household but the outcry against the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was so great and they had persisted in their ways so unswervingly that God chose to destroy them, much as he had done with the flood to the whole world.
The next section is equally disturbing. Lot’s daughters, having no men around, decide to get their father so drunk that he doesn’t have a clue what’s going on. Somehow, on consecutive nights, they manage to sleep with him – their own father?! – and get pregnant by him. Now there’s no criticism of them for doing this (though nowhere in the Bible do they get a pat on the back) but it is the case (as we’ll see) that the nations that come from them (the Moabites and the Ammonites) will repeatedly be found warring against the people of God – which might well be to do with the unconventional way (to say the least) that they were born.
And then we read on to Abraham doing the same thing to Abimelech as he did to Pharaoh a few chapters previously: telling the king that Sarah is his sister, not his wife, to save his own skin. It transpires that Sarah is his half-sister. But she is also his wife and he should, in my book, be up front about this. God, though, has prevented Abimelech from sleeping with Sarah and sinning against God. And, as weird as it seems, it all results in Abimelech and his people beginning a relationship with God. Abraham knew that there was no fear of God in that land (20:11). But by the end of the passage Abimelech is bringing gifts to Abraham, receiving prayer and getting healed – pretty cool. And perhaps it even makes Abraham’s tactics permissible.
Matthew 7:24-8:22…
The last bit of the Sermon on the Mount is the famous passage about the wise and foolish builders. In life – as in house building – storms come, hard times hit and the going gets tough and unless we’ve built our lives on the teaching of Jesus, we’ll fall apart. It’s exactly the same with a builder who has built his house on sand… when the rains came and floods waters rise, the house falls flat.
So, we’re to build our house on the rock and that rock is Jesus and his teaching. And the fact that Jesus says this at the end of the Sermon on the Mount suggests that the rock for our lives to be built on is everything he’s taught in the last couple of chapters. Difficult but solid things.
And in response to the Sermon a leper comes to Jesus for healing. And it’s always in response to Jesus and his word that men and women come to him for him to meet their needs. And notice the leper’s words – there’s no doubting. It’s not, ‘If you are willing, can you heal me,’ but, ‘if you are willing you ca heal me.’ That’s faith. And Jesus heals him. Just as he does with the centurion’s servant. The centurion understands Jesus’ power. He doesn’t need to be in the same place to heal someone, he simply says the word and it’s done. And because the centurion understood that – understood how powerful Jesus is – Jesus commends him for having greater faith than anyone in Israel. And Jesus then tells the people of Israel (the Jews) that many will come from the east and the west (that includes you and me) to take their place at the feast of Abraham (heaven).
And there are more amazing healings that take place at Peter’s house.
And Matthew’s structured it brilliantly – like any good writer. First you hear Jesus words and then we see that word accompanied with signs and wonders. And that’s still true today, if we hear Jesus words and respond then we will see amazing things happen. People are still healed in amazing and powerful ways. Miracles do happen. And we’ll see them as we follow Jesus.
But the cost of following Jesus is pricey. Like Lot leaving Sodom and Gomorrah, we can’t look back. We’re with Jesus now. Nothing else compares to that.
Psalm 7:1-9…
This Psalm echoes a lot of the themes in the other two readings today, namely of God’s protection and action on behalf of the righteous. He protected Lot and his daughters as Sodom was burning up. In Jesus, he acted on behalf of the leper and the centurion’s servant and countless others at Peter’s house.
The Psalm reminds us that there is wickedness in the world but that God is looking out for us… for those who don’t look back but who follow him with all our hearts. He will make the righteous secure.
graduation
Highland Theological College UHI, Graduation & Awards Ceremony:
Friday 17th September, 3pm, Dingwall Free Church.
Speaker: The Rev. Alex Murray.
All welcome. You don't have to be an HTC student to attend!
Friday 17th September, 3pm, Dingwall Free Church.
Speaker: The Rev. Alex Murray.
All welcome. You don't have to be an HTC student to attend!
ANY QUESTIONS?
I am introducing a question box this Sunday!
Last Sunday, I made the following observations in relation to Jesus' teaching in Luke 14.
"Jesus appears to have often centred his teaching style around the questions that people were actually asking , and the issues of the day which were going on around him. I wonder what the questions are that you would like to ask today? What are the questions that really trouble you about your faith, your life? What are you curious to know more about?What are the incidents that have taken place in your own life, in the world this week, that have given you questions about God, about the nature of your life itself?"
If you have any questions, I invite you to place them anonymously (using the "post its") in the box in the foyer. Your questions will hopefully give us a clearer sense of the the issues that we face as a fellowship, and will give us some guidance in relation to our programme of teaching in the future.
SUNDAY CLUB
This morning we are offering the parents of the children in P1-5 a choice - you can share in the worship here in the sanctuary or you are welcome to join with your children in the large hall, where we will be watching Finding Nemo, finding lost coins and generally trying to celebrate Gods love for each one of us.
It's my first Sunday leading Sunday Club. It's much harder work preparing for Sunday club compared to an ordinary Sunday service! There is a much greater focus on interactivity and a variety of different learning experiences, compared to a sermon. I also want to give the parents an opportunity to share in the experience too as per notice above. I'm not sure how well this will work, but the intention is to get parents and children engaging with the Bible together. If it works, it must surely be a good thing.
Wednesday 8 September 2010
over the sea to skye via the bridge!
I was over in Skye yesterday visiting my parents. It wasn't the best of days weatherwise, but the scenery was still awe inspiring.BIAY 7
Genesis 17:1-18:33…
Here’s the moment when the covenant is sealed. And two significant things happen to go along with it. First is the name changes (from Abram to Abraham, which means ‘father of a multitude,’ and from Sarai to Sarah, meaning ‘princess’). Second is the mark of circumcision. Circumcision! No word conjures up as much fear for a man as that. But this is to be the sign of the covenant that God has established with Abraham. God wants to make it very clear who belongs to him, those under the covenant. And so there is to be made this mark on a child when he is eight days old of cutting the foreskin off. We can swallow the thought of this happening when the child is eight days old but Abraham gets it done when he’s 99 and Ishmael at 13 – that makes your eyes water!
But, besides the pain of circumcision, notice that it is a very physical thing. The sign that someone belongs to God and among his people is not a super spiritual thing, like spending all day with your head in the clouds. Rather, it’s a concrete, physical, real mark, echoing the fact that God is concrete, physical and real, not just a strange, spiritual idea.
Spiritual or not, there are still signs or marks that show who or what we belong to. If you play in a football team you wear their shirt, a school uniform displays where you get educated and so on. That’s what circumcision was about. After Jesus established the new covenant circumcision was no longer necessary. But still, today, prayer, worship, telling others, and the changes that God brings about in our lives are the signs and marks that show that we belong to God and among his people – and it’s important that people know that’s who we are.
Chapter 18 simply reminds us that, when we welcome God into our lives (just as Abraham welcomed these three strangers into his tent) amazing things happen. At that tent is where the promise is solidified that Sarah – who is in her 90s and has never been able to have children, remember – will have a son: Isaac. And Isaac is the one through whom the covenant will come true. Amazing!
Do you welcome God into your life as Abraham did? Rest assured, amazing things will happen if you do.
And the second half of this chapter reminds us that bad things are going on in Sodom and Gomorrah. God knows it, Abraham (who remained standing before and talking with the Lord – wow) knew it and God’s three messengers knew it too. God is going to destroy that place but he’s also going to show mercy – cause God’s like that. And I don’t read what follows as Abraham persuading God to be merciful. I think he’s just concerned because his nephew, Lot – one of the good guys – lives there. Therefore, he wants the assurance from God that the righteous residents will be spared. Abraham doesn’t want to think that Lot will be destroyed with everyone else and so, in a round about way, he gets his assurance from God that if there’s righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah then God will remember mercy – even if there’s only ten of them. So I don’t reckon it’s Abraham persuading God but rather Abraham allowing God to persuade him that his nephew, Lot, and his household will be ok. Ultimately, the proof in the pudding comes tomorrow.
Matthew 6:25-7:23…
Jesus reminds us here, once again, about what’s important. It’s not things like food or clothing but the kingdom of God. In many ways I think you could sum up this passage (6:25-34) with the words ‘chill out.’ But not ‘chill out’ because we don’t care but ‘chill out’ from worrying about all the trivial things in life because God loves us, is in control and will give us all the things we need. So ‘chill out’ and seek first the kingdom of God, then all these things will fall into place.
Because God is like that. All we have to do is ask, seek and knock – really simple things. For goodness sake, we know how to be nice to each other and parents, more often than not, give their kids good things (bread instead of stones, fish instead of a snake). Surely then God will give us so much more and so much better things as God is a Father infinitely more generous than we will ever get our heads round.
At the same time, don’t judge others in case you be judged yourself and make sure you follow Jesus’ teaching so as to find that narrow gate, you know, the one that leads to life. And don’t be tricked by false teachers (and there’s lots around today, maybe even more than in Biblical times). If good things result from what they do then they’re ok, just as a tree that produces good fruit is a good tree. Listen to them. If bad things seem to come from their words and actions then steer well clear.
Here’s some advice: keep your eyes and ears on Jesus.
Proverbs 1:8-19…
Whilst the book of Proverbs often puts it in a funny way, the guidance is brilliant. You young people out there… listen to you parents because – believe it or not – they actually know what they’re talking about (most of the time).
And, just as Jesus warned against false prophets and teachers and just as we see all the evil things going on in Sodom and Gomorrah, Proverbs further reminds us to steer clear of those people who would encourage you to take the wrong path. Sin can seem fun at first and the promise of what you’ll get out of it seems exciting (a new high, the respect of new friends of whatever). But it’s not worth it… it all ends up pear shaped in the end. As Proverbs puts it: ‘These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves.’ As Jesus says in Matthew: ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers.’ And, as for Sodom and Gomorrah, we’ll we find out tomorrow.
Here’s the moment when the covenant is sealed. And two significant things happen to go along with it. First is the name changes (from Abram to Abraham, which means ‘father of a multitude,’ and from Sarai to Sarah, meaning ‘princess’). Second is the mark of circumcision. Circumcision! No word conjures up as much fear for a man as that. But this is to be the sign of the covenant that God has established with Abraham. God wants to make it very clear who belongs to him, those under the covenant. And so there is to be made this mark on a child when he is eight days old of cutting the foreskin off. We can swallow the thought of this happening when the child is eight days old but Abraham gets it done when he’s 99 and Ishmael at 13 – that makes your eyes water!
But, besides the pain of circumcision, notice that it is a very physical thing. The sign that someone belongs to God and among his people is not a super spiritual thing, like spending all day with your head in the clouds. Rather, it’s a concrete, physical, real mark, echoing the fact that God is concrete, physical and real, not just a strange, spiritual idea.
Spiritual or not, there are still signs or marks that show who or what we belong to. If you play in a football team you wear their shirt, a school uniform displays where you get educated and so on. That’s what circumcision was about. After Jesus established the new covenant circumcision was no longer necessary. But still, today, prayer, worship, telling others, and the changes that God brings about in our lives are the signs and marks that show that we belong to God and among his people – and it’s important that people know that’s who we are.
Chapter 18 simply reminds us that, when we welcome God into our lives (just as Abraham welcomed these three strangers into his tent) amazing things happen. At that tent is where the promise is solidified that Sarah – who is in her 90s and has never been able to have children, remember – will have a son: Isaac. And Isaac is the one through whom the covenant will come true. Amazing!
Do you welcome God into your life as Abraham did? Rest assured, amazing things will happen if you do.
And the second half of this chapter reminds us that bad things are going on in Sodom and Gomorrah. God knows it, Abraham (who remained standing before and talking with the Lord – wow) knew it and God’s three messengers knew it too. God is going to destroy that place but he’s also going to show mercy – cause God’s like that. And I don’t read what follows as Abraham persuading God to be merciful. I think he’s just concerned because his nephew, Lot – one of the good guys – lives there. Therefore, he wants the assurance from God that the righteous residents will be spared. Abraham doesn’t want to think that Lot will be destroyed with everyone else and so, in a round about way, he gets his assurance from God that if there’s righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah then God will remember mercy – even if there’s only ten of them. So I don’t reckon it’s Abraham persuading God but rather Abraham allowing God to persuade him that his nephew, Lot, and his household will be ok. Ultimately, the proof in the pudding comes tomorrow.
Matthew 6:25-7:23…
Jesus reminds us here, once again, about what’s important. It’s not things like food or clothing but the kingdom of God. In many ways I think you could sum up this passage (6:25-34) with the words ‘chill out.’ But not ‘chill out’ because we don’t care but ‘chill out’ from worrying about all the trivial things in life because God loves us, is in control and will give us all the things we need. So ‘chill out’ and seek first the kingdom of God, then all these things will fall into place.
Because God is like that. All we have to do is ask, seek and knock – really simple things. For goodness sake, we know how to be nice to each other and parents, more often than not, give their kids good things (bread instead of stones, fish instead of a snake). Surely then God will give us so much more and so much better things as God is a Father infinitely more generous than we will ever get our heads round.
At the same time, don’t judge others in case you be judged yourself and make sure you follow Jesus’ teaching so as to find that narrow gate, you know, the one that leads to life. And don’t be tricked by false teachers (and there’s lots around today, maybe even more than in Biblical times). If good things result from what they do then they’re ok, just as a tree that produces good fruit is a good tree. Listen to them. If bad things seem to come from their words and actions then steer well clear.
Here’s some advice: keep your eyes and ears on Jesus.
Proverbs 1:8-19…
Whilst the book of Proverbs often puts it in a funny way, the guidance is brilliant. You young people out there… listen to you parents because – believe it or not – they actually know what they’re talking about (most of the time).
And, just as Jesus warned against false prophets and teachers and just as we see all the evil things going on in Sodom and Gomorrah, Proverbs further reminds us to steer clear of those people who would encourage you to take the wrong path. Sin can seem fun at first and the promise of what you’ll get out of it seems exciting (a new high, the respect of new friends of whatever). But it’s not worth it… it all ends up pear shaped in the end. As Proverbs puts it: ‘These men lie in wait for their own blood; they waylay only themselves.’ As Jesus says in Matthew: ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers.’ And, as for Sodom and Gomorrah, we’ll we find out tomorrow.
BIAY 6
Genesis 11:10-13:18…
Here’s our first encounter with Abram (his name’s not been changed to Abraham yet – that’s significant and we’ll get to that soon enough). But, after a little info about his ancestors, God speaks up and tells Abram simply to get up and go. And not just to get up and go but to leave behind all that is familiar – his people and his father’s household. And the promise God attaches to this instruction is that he will make Abram ‘into a great nation.’ Now we’ve already discovered that Abram’s wife can’t have children so Abram must have wondered what kind of promise this was. But, all the same, he obeys God in faith. He doesn’t know where he’s to go (God simply says he’ll show him when he gets there) and he doesn’t know exactly what the promise means. But he gets up and heads off with his wife, Sarai, his nephew, Lot, and everyone and everything attached to his household.
And it’s important to note that all along his journey Abram keeps his focus on God (after all, without him he’ll get nowhere). He does this by building altars at significant points. He builds an altar in Canaan in response to the fact that God has told him that his ancestors will be given that land – the promised land! At the end of today’s reading he builds another altar near the great trees of Mamre by Hebron. And at these altars Abram ‘calls on the name of the Lord’… in other words he worships God there and seeks his presence.
But before he gets to building the altar near Hebron we’ve got this account of a famine that caused Abram to head into Egypt in order to survive. But this great hero of the faith uses some questionable tactics to ensure that he saves his own skin and gets as much out of his detour into Egypt as he can.
Sarai, his wife, is a real stunner and so, lest the Egyptians get envious and kill this foreigner to get his woman, he convinces her to go along with this story that she’s his sister. Now I don’t know about you but that, to me, is a bare faced lie! And, as it goes on, we discover that Abram’s even willing to let Sarai become the Pharaoh’s wife – with all that being a wife entails. And all because Abram’s so keen to keep himself safe and get enough stuff to survive the famine. But, in so doing, he causes Pharaoh to commit adultery and God duly punishes Pharaoh accordingly for believing a lie and taking another man’s wife (for all that Abram was in the wrong, Jesus will tell us in today’s reading in Matthew that desiring a woman that’s not your wife is a pretty serious business). But, as I say, Abram’s pretty guilty too and God must have been mighty cross at him too. Basically, Abram creates one heck of a mess. And, on the back of it all, he even becomes wealthy, accumulating livestock and silver and gold! But Abram is a hero of faith.
Are you beginning to realise that the people God calls to follow him are less than perfect people? In fact, more often than not, they’re pretty messed up really. First we had Noah – the righteous of his generation – drunk as a skunk and lying naked in his tent, then taking it out on his son. And now we’ve had Abram – who we’ll be with for while – passing his wife off as his sister and allowing another man to marry her all to save his own skin and get enough stuff to survive a famine. But, as much as I look at Noah and Abram and wonder what on earth they were thinking, when I look at my own life I become awfully pleased that God chooses the sort of people who make major blunders and who fall way short of his standards to be his followers. If Noah and Abram – a drunk and a liar – are among the first heroes of the faith then there’s hope for me and you, isn’t there?!
Matthew 5:21-42…
Now, if anyone thinks Jesus is meek and mild then they’ve obviously never read these words. For some, these words might hurt but Jesus is simply laying out how radical life withing the Kingdom of Heaven is…
Of course, Jesus is saying murder is a really terrible thing but he also says that simply being angry with someone is really bad too. He’s putting murder and anger in the same bracket – i.e. someone who gets mad at someone else is effectively a murderer.
And having sex with a woman that’s not your wife is a really terrible thing too. But Jesus says to simply look at a woman and think to yourself something like, ‘I’d like a bit of that’ is just the same thing. Jumping into bed with a woman you’re not married to and thinking about jumping into bed with a woman you’re not married to are just as bad as each other, Jesus says. And he even goes as far as to say, ‘gouge out your eye and cut off your hand if it helps stop you from sinning.’ Of course, he meant it figuratively, but you get the point: sin is serious and you ought to stop at nothing to avoid it.
And divorce – with the exception of one half of the couple having an affair – causes the other to become an adulterer. Woah! I guess one thing to note here is that Jesus doesn’t want you to get married unless you really want to spend your whole life with that person – don’t take it lightly like a lot of people do these days (think Britney Spears and her one day marriage). Of course, where domestic abuse and things like that come into the equation, it’s difficult. But divorce is not something Jesus thinks little of.
Even when it comes to promises… don’t swear on this or that (and how many of us actually do say things like, ‘I swear on my life?’ I do!). Jesus tells us just to say ‘yes’ if we promise something or ‘no’ if we don’t. And not because it would be simpler that way or because it’s more to the point. No… because anything more comes from the evil one!
And, finally, and eye for an eye. Not so. Turn the other cheek. What on earth? This is a radical kind of generosity that shows God’s love and his patience with people in amazing ways. Now fair enough if God wants to do these things (turn the other cheek for another slap, giving someone who ask for your favourite shirt your jacket as well; walking two miles when all the Roman soldier or whoever told you to walk was one) but Jesus tells us that, if we want to follow God, this is the lifestyle we’ve to live out too, so that God’s extreme love and patience with people will be seen in our lives.
This is difficult stuff. This is something of what it means to live in God’s Kingdom. And Jesus lays it out straight. Meek? Mild? As if.
Psalm 5:1-12…
Basically, there’s two kinds of people. People like Abram – messy as he was – who listen to God and do as he commands and people who don’t. Or, as in Matthew, people who live according to what Jesus teaches – as radical and as difficult as it is – and those don’t. The later group the Psalmist calls the wicked. The former group the Psalmist calls the righteous. Let’s try and be like Abram and have the faith to go wherever God leads us. And let’s really pay attention to what Jesus teaches and try to live our lives accordingly. Then we’ll come under the righteous category. Then we, by God’s great mercy, will come into his house and bow before him. Then we will be joyful and God will spread his protection over us, bless us and surround us with his favour as with a shield. That’s go to be worth aiming for.
Here’s our first encounter with Abram (his name’s not been changed to Abraham yet – that’s significant and we’ll get to that soon enough). But, after a little info about his ancestors, God speaks up and tells Abram simply to get up and go. And not just to get up and go but to leave behind all that is familiar – his people and his father’s household. And the promise God attaches to this instruction is that he will make Abram ‘into a great nation.’ Now we’ve already discovered that Abram’s wife can’t have children so Abram must have wondered what kind of promise this was. But, all the same, he obeys God in faith. He doesn’t know where he’s to go (God simply says he’ll show him when he gets there) and he doesn’t know exactly what the promise means. But he gets up and heads off with his wife, Sarai, his nephew, Lot, and everyone and everything attached to his household.
And it’s important to note that all along his journey Abram keeps his focus on God (after all, without him he’ll get nowhere). He does this by building altars at significant points. He builds an altar in Canaan in response to the fact that God has told him that his ancestors will be given that land – the promised land! At the end of today’s reading he builds another altar near the great trees of Mamre by Hebron. And at these altars Abram ‘calls on the name of the Lord’… in other words he worships God there and seeks his presence.
But before he gets to building the altar near Hebron we’ve got this account of a famine that caused Abram to head into Egypt in order to survive. But this great hero of the faith uses some questionable tactics to ensure that he saves his own skin and gets as much out of his detour into Egypt as he can.
Sarai, his wife, is a real stunner and so, lest the Egyptians get envious and kill this foreigner to get his woman, he convinces her to go along with this story that she’s his sister. Now I don’t know about you but that, to me, is a bare faced lie! And, as it goes on, we discover that Abram’s even willing to let Sarai become the Pharaoh’s wife – with all that being a wife entails. And all because Abram’s so keen to keep himself safe and get enough stuff to survive the famine. But, in so doing, he causes Pharaoh to commit adultery and God duly punishes Pharaoh accordingly for believing a lie and taking another man’s wife (for all that Abram was in the wrong, Jesus will tell us in today’s reading in Matthew that desiring a woman that’s not your wife is a pretty serious business). But, as I say, Abram’s pretty guilty too and God must have been mighty cross at him too. Basically, Abram creates one heck of a mess. And, on the back of it all, he even becomes wealthy, accumulating livestock and silver and gold! But Abram is a hero of faith.
Are you beginning to realise that the people God calls to follow him are less than perfect people? In fact, more often than not, they’re pretty messed up really. First we had Noah – the righteous of his generation – drunk as a skunk and lying naked in his tent, then taking it out on his son. And now we’ve had Abram – who we’ll be with for while – passing his wife off as his sister and allowing another man to marry her all to save his own skin and get enough stuff to survive a famine. But, as much as I look at Noah and Abram and wonder what on earth they were thinking, when I look at my own life I become awfully pleased that God chooses the sort of people who make major blunders and who fall way short of his standards to be his followers. If Noah and Abram – a drunk and a liar – are among the first heroes of the faith then there’s hope for me and you, isn’t there?!
Matthew 5:21-42…
Now, if anyone thinks Jesus is meek and mild then they’ve obviously never read these words. For some, these words might hurt but Jesus is simply laying out how radical life withing the Kingdom of Heaven is…
Of course, Jesus is saying murder is a really terrible thing but he also says that simply being angry with someone is really bad too. He’s putting murder and anger in the same bracket – i.e. someone who gets mad at someone else is effectively a murderer.
And having sex with a woman that’s not your wife is a really terrible thing too. But Jesus says to simply look at a woman and think to yourself something like, ‘I’d like a bit of that’ is just the same thing. Jumping into bed with a woman you’re not married to and thinking about jumping into bed with a woman you’re not married to are just as bad as each other, Jesus says. And he even goes as far as to say, ‘gouge out your eye and cut off your hand if it helps stop you from sinning.’ Of course, he meant it figuratively, but you get the point: sin is serious and you ought to stop at nothing to avoid it.
And divorce – with the exception of one half of the couple having an affair – causes the other to become an adulterer. Woah! I guess one thing to note here is that Jesus doesn’t want you to get married unless you really want to spend your whole life with that person – don’t take it lightly like a lot of people do these days (think Britney Spears and her one day marriage). Of course, where domestic abuse and things like that come into the equation, it’s difficult. But divorce is not something Jesus thinks little of.
Even when it comes to promises… don’t swear on this or that (and how many of us actually do say things like, ‘I swear on my life?’ I do!). Jesus tells us just to say ‘yes’ if we promise something or ‘no’ if we don’t. And not because it would be simpler that way or because it’s more to the point. No… because anything more comes from the evil one!
And, finally, and eye for an eye. Not so. Turn the other cheek. What on earth? This is a radical kind of generosity that shows God’s love and his patience with people in amazing ways. Now fair enough if God wants to do these things (turn the other cheek for another slap, giving someone who ask for your favourite shirt your jacket as well; walking two miles when all the Roman soldier or whoever told you to walk was one) but Jesus tells us that, if we want to follow God, this is the lifestyle we’ve to live out too, so that God’s extreme love and patience with people will be seen in our lives.
This is difficult stuff. This is something of what it means to live in God’s Kingdom. And Jesus lays it out straight. Meek? Mild? As if.
Psalm 5:1-12…
Basically, there’s two kinds of people. People like Abram – messy as he was – who listen to God and do as he commands and people who don’t. Or, as in Matthew, people who live according to what Jesus teaches – as radical and as difficult as it is – and those don’t. The later group the Psalmist calls the wicked. The former group the Psalmist calls the righteous. Let’s try and be like Abram and have the faith to go wherever God leads us. And let’s really pay attention to what Jesus teaches and try to live our lives accordingly. Then we’ll come under the righteous category. Then we, by God’s great mercy, will come into his house and bow before him. Then we will be joyful and God will spread his protection over us, bless us and surround us with his favour as with a shield. That’s go to be worth aiming for.
BIAY 5
Genesis 9:18-11:9…
On either side of chapter 10 are two really interesting stories. The first one is seriously whacky. So, Noah gets drunk off of his own wine. Now, it doesn’t say so explicitly, but he must have had considerably more than the legal limit (not that there was a legal limit back then, but you know what I mean). You see, I’ve been out of an evening and had one or two glasses of wine but I’ve still been perfectly capable of returning home, brushing my teeth, folding the day’s garments and getting into my pyjamas. Noah, on the other hand – this guy who only a chapter or two ago was considered to be the only man of faith left on planet earth – has had so much of the stuff that he falls asleep naked in his tent. Now, I like to think that a combination of the heat of that part of the world and the intoxicating liquid meant that when his bedtime came he was just too knackered to get any further than undressing before falling asleep. The alternative is just a bit too disturbing: that Noah liked a glass or two in the buff. Let’s not go there.
So, anyway, here’s Noah snoozing in his birthday suit and Ham (and he might have had a glass or two when he gave him that name!) wanders in seemingly innocently and see’s bits of his dad that no child should ever have to see. But here’s the thing… Ham’s the one that gets in all the trouble. What on earth? Noah’s the one that got blazing drunk and decided to go to sleep in his tent with nothing on. And by my calculations Noah was a bit over 600 yeas old. Ham should have been sent for counselling let alone bound to be his brothers’ servant. Goodness me. Surely that’s the main reason Shem and Japheth walk in backwards to put a cover over their dad: Noah was shrivelled up like a prune! Who wouldn’t be at his age?
To tell you the truth, I don’t really know exactly what’s going on in this story. All I know is that it makes me laugh. And I guess, then, it’s alright to giggle at parts of the Bible as God’s obviously deemed it OK for this, frankly ridiculous, story to be part of his word! (If you want to know more, you probably want to ask someone like Jamie Grant or Hector Morrison.)
The Tower of Babel incident, on the other hand, isn’t funny in any way, shape or form. Humans just never seem to learn, even after all the scrapes their sinfulness has got them into. They opt to build this big city with a tower as high as the heavens in the middle. And God comes to check it out and is horrified. And he makes this statement: ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.’ And by that, I don’t think God’s scared that human beings could be equal with him or that he somehow doesn’t want to see us succeed and do amazing things. I think, out of concern for his people, he thinks they’re getting so full of themselves and wandering away from him that no sin, however horrid and vile, would be too far for them to go now. If they could think themselves up a tower as high as the heavens – as arrogant and offensive to God as that was – no sin would be impossible for them.
And so, in many ways, it’s for their own protection that God confuses their languages because too many humans, planning and conspiring away together, is a recipe for disaster in a serious way. So God makes sure that can’t happen and makes them need to rely and trust in him again. After all, that’s what he created us to do.
Matthew 4:23-5:20…
At the start of chapter 5 Jesus sits down on a mountainside to teach the vast crowds that were following him (because of everything that he’d been up to in 4:23-25). Funnily enough we call the next few chapters the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ (he was on a mountainside, get it?). Anyway, the Sermon on the Mount speaks for itself, it lays down all of Jesus’ basic teaching.
I had a friend in the USA who went to a youth ministry conference. The guy doing the evening sermon was introduced and the conference were told he’d been asked to preach the best sermon he possibly could. So, everyone was excited and expecting something great. The guy made his way on to the stage, opened his Bible at Matthew 5 and started to read: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.’ He continued to read up till the end of chapter 7. Then he shut his Bible and walked off the stage. Some people got it. The best sermon the guy could preach was simply to repeat the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount – the best sermon ever. And that all I can really do… encourage you to read it and take it all in.
A couple of things though. We wondered what kind of King Jesus was going to be when we read of his childhood. Here, in the ‘Beatitudes’ (as 5:3-10 are known) we start wondering what sort of people his kingdom is for. Not the rich and the posh and the people that have it all together but the poor in spirit, the mourning, the persecuted and so the list goes on. Sounds like the sort of kingdom anyone – absolutely anyone – can be a part of if you ask me,
And the second thing is that when Jesus says that he is the fulfilment of the law and the prophets (5:17) he means that everything in the Old Testament points at him. In other words, Jesus is who the Bible is all about – from the first page to the last. So, as you read the passages from the Old Testament in the year ahead, be asking yourself how it points to Jesus. It’s not always easy to see but if you ask God to reveal it to you I think you’ll be amazed.
Psalm 4:1-8…
Great words. As Sunday draws to a close and the new week begins let’s have confidence in God just like the psalmist: ‘I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety’ (v.8).
On either side of chapter 10 are two really interesting stories. The first one is seriously whacky. So, Noah gets drunk off of his own wine. Now, it doesn’t say so explicitly, but he must have had considerably more than the legal limit (not that there was a legal limit back then, but you know what I mean). You see, I’ve been out of an evening and had one or two glasses of wine but I’ve still been perfectly capable of returning home, brushing my teeth, folding the day’s garments and getting into my pyjamas. Noah, on the other hand – this guy who only a chapter or two ago was considered to be the only man of faith left on planet earth – has had so much of the stuff that he falls asleep naked in his tent. Now, I like to think that a combination of the heat of that part of the world and the intoxicating liquid meant that when his bedtime came he was just too knackered to get any further than undressing before falling asleep. The alternative is just a bit too disturbing: that Noah liked a glass or two in the buff. Let’s not go there.
So, anyway, here’s Noah snoozing in his birthday suit and Ham (and he might have had a glass or two when he gave him that name!) wanders in seemingly innocently and see’s bits of his dad that no child should ever have to see. But here’s the thing… Ham’s the one that gets in all the trouble. What on earth? Noah’s the one that got blazing drunk and decided to go to sleep in his tent with nothing on. And by my calculations Noah was a bit over 600 yeas old. Ham should have been sent for counselling let alone bound to be his brothers’ servant. Goodness me. Surely that’s the main reason Shem and Japheth walk in backwards to put a cover over their dad: Noah was shrivelled up like a prune! Who wouldn’t be at his age?
To tell you the truth, I don’t really know exactly what’s going on in this story. All I know is that it makes me laugh. And I guess, then, it’s alright to giggle at parts of the Bible as God’s obviously deemed it OK for this, frankly ridiculous, story to be part of his word! (If you want to know more, you probably want to ask someone like Jamie Grant or Hector Morrison.)
The Tower of Babel incident, on the other hand, isn’t funny in any way, shape or form. Humans just never seem to learn, even after all the scrapes their sinfulness has got them into. They opt to build this big city with a tower as high as the heavens in the middle. And God comes to check it out and is horrified. And he makes this statement: ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.’ And by that, I don’t think God’s scared that human beings could be equal with him or that he somehow doesn’t want to see us succeed and do amazing things. I think, out of concern for his people, he thinks they’re getting so full of themselves and wandering away from him that no sin, however horrid and vile, would be too far for them to go now. If they could think themselves up a tower as high as the heavens – as arrogant and offensive to God as that was – no sin would be impossible for them.
And so, in many ways, it’s for their own protection that God confuses their languages because too many humans, planning and conspiring away together, is a recipe for disaster in a serious way. So God makes sure that can’t happen and makes them need to rely and trust in him again. After all, that’s what he created us to do.
Matthew 4:23-5:20…
At the start of chapter 5 Jesus sits down on a mountainside to teach the vast crowds that were following him (because of everything that he’d been up to in 4:23-25). Funnily enough we call the next few chapters the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ (he was on a mountainside, get it?). Anyway, the Sermon on the Mount speaks for itself, it lays down all of Jesus’ basic teaching.
I had a friend in the USA who went to a youth ministry conference. The guy doing the evening sermon was introduced and the conference were told he’d been asked to preach the best sermon he possibly could. So, everyone was excited and expecting something great. The guy made his way on to the stage, opened his Bible at Matthew 5 and started to read: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God.’ He continued to read up till the end of chapter 7. Then he shut his Bible and walked off the stage. Some people got it. The best sermon the guy could preach was simply to repeat the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount – the best sermon ever. And that all I can really do… encourage you to read it and take it all in.
A couple of things though. We wondered what kind of King Jesus was going to be when we read of his childhood. Here, in the ‘Beatitudes’ (as 5:3-10 are known) we start wondering what sort of people his kingdom is for. Not the rich and the posh and the people that have it all together but the poor in spirit, the mourning, the persecuted and so the list goes on. Sounds like the sort of kingdom anyone – absolutely anyone – can be a part of if you ask me,
And the second thing is that when Jesus says that he is the fulfilment of the law and the prophets (5:17) he means that everything in the Old Testament points at him. In other words, Jesus is who the Bible is all about – from the first page to the last. So, as you read the passages from the Old Testament in the year ahead, be asking yourself how it points to Jesus. It’s not always easy to see but if you ask God to reveal it to you I think you’ll be amazed.
Psalm 4:1-8…
Great words. As Sunday draws to a close and the new week begins let’s have confidence in God just like the psalmist: ‘I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety’ (v.8).
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