Now and the Future at Highbury

As we identified the three areas for us to focus on in building up the church for now and the future here at Highbury many of the practical ideas we came up with were ones that we could simply act on.

The life of the church and all we share starts with each one of us and so we are going to have a focus on Personal Faith and Prayer.  One idea was to have an alpha course or similar looking at the basic things at the heart of our faith.

Well, we haven’t got an Alpha course planned at the moment – but we have set up a course stretching over five Tuesday evenings from the beginning of November through to the beginning of December.  Christ in all things looks at the way all we do individually and within the church family is rooted in Christ.  It is an excellent opportunity for those who are new to Highbury to get a feel for what is at the heart of Highbury and at the heart of the faith we share.  And also for those who would like to renew that sense deep in our hearts, our minds and in all we do that Christ is in all things.

Throughout the weekend it was encouraging to sense how much we have to celebrate in our church here at Highbury – it is a special place to belong.  One of those things that we need to be encouraged by is the centrality of prayer.  The prayer chain we have is a real source of strength and encouragement.  But we made an observation – a telling observation.  Our prayer is focused on people and their needs – rightly so.  But what about the needs of the church?  Maybe that is something we are not so strong on.

And specifically as well.

I was quite moved when Mary shared in a few moments a wonderful testimony about the power of Ephesians – that the God we believe in, the God we trust is the God of the universe, the God who raised Jesus from the dead – this is the God we believe in.  mary came up to me with a request I don’t know whether it came from her or from her group that we read Colossians 4:2-6.

I have been looking at it again this week … and it seems to me a wonderful passage that goes to the heart of so much we were thinking about.

It’s all about prayer.

Be persistent in prayer, and keep alert as you pray, giving thanks to God.

Those are generalised comments that are so very important.

But immediately Paul goes on to be quite specific, specific about his own circumstances and the need there is for prayer to support the task that he has to do.

At the same time pray also for us, so that God will give us a good opportunity to preach his message about the secret of Christ.

This wasn’t a generalised theoretical request for support.

It was specific to the circumstances he was in.

Paul had made it to  Rome not as part of a planned missmonary journey to Spain as he had hoped, but under arrest.  In Rome he found himself under house arrest – but with limited yet very real freedoms.  As Acts finishes we see Paul under arrest but able to welcome all who came to see him and abole to preach the Kingdom of God and teach about t he Lord Jesus Christ – indeed Acts tells us he spoke with all boldness and freedom!

But it was a scary situation to be in … and Paul felt he needed quite specific prayers.

At the same time pray also for us, so that God will give us a good opportunity to preach his message about the secret of Christ.

And then he goes on to say.  For that is why I am now in prison.  Pray, then, that I may speak, as I should in such a way as to make it clear.

The Good News Bible was translated primarily for people who use English as a second language and it tends to eliminate all metaphor.  Which is such a pity.  Not least here.

Paul is under arrest, albeit house arrest.  There would in all likelihood be a guard put over him.  What does he specifically need.  I think it’s more than a metaphor.  At least, it’s a very powerful image.

The NRSV keeps the picture language – but it’s more than a picture.

At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word

That’s it.  That’s specifically what Paul needs.  An open door of opportunity – but also an open door so people can come and hear his message, not just his message – but ‘the word’ – what is that – that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for  which I am in prison, so that I may reveal it clearly as I should.

Or as the GNB puts it

Pray then that I may speak, as I should in such a way as to make it clear.

So what can we be very specific about in our praying this week.

That takes us to the next of the things for us to home in on.

Mission and Outreach.

Once again, there are things that we can develop in the future, no doubt.  But there are also things that we can be encouraged by and develop and then build on.

It was great to see the way Adam and Matthew offered to lead one of the groups on Saturday afternoon – they did brilliantly, as everyone who was there commented and also fed back very effectively the thinking that had been shared.

One idea that emerged from their group, had already been shared by Shirley at Deacons meeting.  At school they had been sponsoring a child and they wondered if we could do something similar.  We have taken that forward through the Deacons meeting straight away and Carolyn is this morning sharing with M’Ocean plans for sponsoring a child through CHIKS, Children’s Homes in Kerala State.

One of the things we need to do is to build up those mission links we have as a church family.  CHIKS is one of those.  Let’s be quite specific in our praying for CHIKS and for the individual children we will be able to build up a link with.

Another is the partnership we have with Stefan and Birgit who have been in Brazil and are now home and joining us next weekend.  Let’s be on the look out for the specific prayers they want us to share with them and for them.  And this week – let’s pray for safe journeying, and that they can really not only enjoy the weekend next weekend but really be blessed by it.  That means praying that our bring and share lunch will go well and that we can have a good time in their company next week.

But one more thing mission wise.  On Saturday evening HySpeed meets again.  It is very much part of our mission and our outreach and a wonderful way of making very real contacts with men.  The idea is to provide a setting where men and their children can simply enjoy our company – but as they get to know us, they discover the love of God in Christ in a church family.  If you want a term for it, I guess it’s ‘relational evangelism’  Sharing the gospel, sharing the good news by simply building relationships with people.

So I would have a very specific prayer for Hy-Speed that we can huild up the relationships we have with each other and the relationship we have with those who come to join in the evening.

In any work of mission, wherever it may be Paul’s words are remarkably appropriate.

Pray then that I may speak as I should in such a way as to make it clear.  But then he goes on to say this again quite specifically …

Be wise in the way you act towards those who are not believers, making good use of every opportunity you have.  Your speech should always be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone.

In some way I prefer the NRSV – Conduct yourselves wisely towards outsiders, making the most of the time.  Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.

It’s not so much that there is a ‘right’ answer – rather that the response we make be the right one – and one that points towards that remarkable mystery, that remarkable secret that is Christ.

There’s one more thing for us to focus on …

Renewal and Gifts.   It’s something we will be able to do in the context of our Sunday services when we review the gifts within the church congregation – we did it 8 years ago – but it needs updating.  And then the group who identified this challenged us to be prepared to be creative with gifts identified.

That brings us to Renewal.

Consider some pruning.  Do we need to continue everything we do in the way we do it currently?  Consider seeing where identification of new gifts takes us.

That’s something the Deacons have already started to look at and will bring to our next Church meetings a plan to take this forward.  Specific prayer – that we discern the way we can ‘re-imagine’ the way things work at Highbury, the way we organise to bring real renewal by God’s spirit into the life of our church.