A strength from beyond ourselves

Today at Highbury we shared in Hy-Speed's awards service.  Hy-Speed is our digital Scalextric club primarily for men and their children, though women are welcomed too!  During our services we presented the awards ... and heard the Christian story of a couple of the leaders at Hy-Tec.

As the service drew to a close I shared some thoughts going back to the other news of the week at the World Cup!

www.hy-speed.co.uk

It was great to hear that thanks to the support we had received from among others Scalextric we had been able to 'plant' Hy-Speed at a Christian outdoor adventure centre in Devon and in Crediton Congregational Church too.

It always catches me out.

It did last week and to begin with I couldn’t get the hang of it.

As well as keeping a careful eye on your car as it hurtles round the track at Hy-Speed, negotiating those oh so tight bends: you also have to keep an eye on the controls in front of you on the big screen and in particular on the fuel gauge.

After a couple of laps I wondered why my car was slowing down and wouldn’t go the speed I wanted it to go – I glanced up at the screen to see the fuel gauge had dropped to the red zone.

I needed to call in to the pits to re-fuel.

That’s easier said than done as you have to plan ahead to make sure you are in the right lane in order to get into the pit lane.  It’s quite some challenge.  I missed it not once but twice.   And by the time I had got my mind in gear, let alone the car, the race was over and I was languishing in bottom place.

I determined to do better next time!

It’s one of those mind-blowing things about the digital scalextric track – the way the software works – wow.  Once you manage to get into the pit lane you press a button on the controller and you fill up with fuel.

In the next race I determined to do better.   I did.  I managed to get into the pit lane and fill up with fuel before the gauge went on to the red.  What happens then is even more surreal – the car comes out of the pit lane going marginally slower than it was doing just before going into the pit lane.  The reason?  The car is heavier with a full tank of fuel!   Come on … amazing software!  And great fun.

Two thoughts to hold on to for a moment there – the need even in model scalextric cars for fuel to keep them going.

And what it feels like to lose.

If a week is a long time in politics it is an even longer time in football.

Last week we celebrated with Daniel Sturridge his scoring a goal – and what a celebration.

He’s an interesting character who is quite open about his faith.  I tracked down an article in the Independent to celebrate that –

It’s common to find Sturridge using the hashtags #godislove and #godisgood after a Liverpool victory. When he reached a half-century of top flight goals at the beginning of February, the striker tweeted: “Thanks to God for allowing me to score 50 prem goals.”

He viewed the Bible as probably his most prized possession as another article reported …  It's important to me because I am very religious.  I believe that you have to pray, as well as work hard, in order to get what you want in life.  When I was growing up I prayed every morning and night - and I still do that today.

Then after winning a Barclays Player of the Month award back in September he tweated “I do all through Christ who strengthens me.”

That’s the quotation that caught my attention last week.

There’s all sorts of things you can draw from that.

I think I admire someone like him for being open about his faith – he is putting himself in a position where brick bats can be thrown at him.  But he touches on something very special in that particular comment.

Christianity is for me all about caring for others, having a love of other people; it’s about doing your part to shape the way things work be that in a family setting, in the community, in the work place, in the world of politics.

But there is another dimension to Christian faith – it offers us a strength from beyond ourselves to do things – a powerful thought.

Where do we draw on the strength we need to get through things?

A big question – and Christian faith has something to offer into any situation.

So what does Daniel Sturridge do when he loses?   Pretty gutted you suspect like everyone else.

I looked up the quotations.  It’s from the Bible.  It’s from a letter written by Paul from prison and the couple of sentences that lead up to the quotation are, I think, brilliant.  Maybe something for Daniel Sturridge to reflect on …

I know what it is to be in need and what it is to have more than enough. I have learnt this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little. “I do all through Christ who strengthens me.”  Paul in Philippians chapter 4 verses 12-13

Put that into Daniel Sturridge’s context …

I know what it is to win or lose. I have learnt this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little, whether I win or lose: I do all through Christ who strengthens me.

Indeed he tweeted as much this week!

Mind you as Adrian pointed out ...

Not in your own strength

One of the joys of teaching with the Federation's Congregational Institute of Practical Theology is visiting churches and seeing the work that is being done for the kingdom by students on the course.  Two and a half years ago Joy Leathers was called to ministry at the Oakamoor Memorial Free Church. During the last two years it has been great sharing with Joy on our course.  It will be great to join her at Winchester Cathedral in the Autumn for her graduation.  It was even more special to join her, her family and her church to celebrate her ordination to the ministry.  I was privileged to preach at the service and shared these reflections ...

Not in your own strength

A sermon preached by Richard Cleaves at the Ordination of Joy Leathers

at Oakamoor Memorial Free Church

Saturday, 22^nd June 2014

It has been a joy to share with Joy in preparation for ministry and a special joy to come and share in Joy’s ordination – a recognition given by our wider fellowship of Churches that Joy is called to the ministry in the one church worldwide of Jesus Christ and inducted into the ministry of this particular church.

It’s good to be back in the North West Midlands Area, having spent 8 years here and come to meetings here at Oakamoor too.

So … what have you let yourselves in for?

Sharing in learning  with our Foundation Degree in Practical Theology

The inspiration, I think of our approach to training is that it is done very much in the work place – a Foundation Degree is put together in the work place which is for us is in our churches and delivered in partnership with a university – the University of  Winchester.

That means that we are for the most part all of us involved actively in local church ministry of one kind or another – I in Highbury Congregational Church, Cheltenham, Joy here in Oakamoor.  We all learn from each other – and grow together as we share with each other.  That’s what’s brilliant about sharing together on our course.   As much as anything is the sense of belonging to a supportive community of people sharing together, explrinig together and learning together.

And that experience is nothing new.

Jesus calls his followers to be disciples, learners for life,

It is not insignificant that Jesus was highly regarded as Rabbi, Teacher, and that the followers he drew to him came to be seen as Disciples, learners.

And being the wonderful Jewish Rabbi and teacher that he was Jesus’ teaching is for the most part done by asking questions.   From the point when  he was 12 and his parents found him in the Temple “sitting among the teachers” listening and asking them questions all through his teaching ministry Jesus loved asking questions.  Sometime read through the gospels and count up the number of questions Jesus asks.  The whole point of this very Jewish approach is to get people thinking – and in that process giving a response.

I promised my son that I would answer my grandson every time he asks a question – Taid, (that’s the North Walian Welsh for Grandpa) why is …  Taid, what is …   He is now coming to the end of his first year in school and I am wilting at the challenge my son smilingly challenges me to remember.

Maybe I should respond with another question – I’ll have to try that tack!

It’s what Jesus does.

1) In a Pastoral Ministry we are called to listen and ask questions

In a pastoral ministry those two things said of the 12 year old Jesus are pretty precious – listen and ask questions – sometimes in pastoral context the gentlest of questions – just to prompt people to share – how important it is to listen.

But in a teaching ministry too – how important to listen – and to respond – and to explore faith.

That’s the challenge of Jesus at the very last as well.

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”         

We are in the business of getting people to recognise that there’s always something else to learn – we are in the business of making disciples of all nations.

That involves teaching these new disciples to obey all the commands Jesus has given

Quite some challenge.

It would be good to have a handbook – what does it involve.

A Handbook for Disciples

I have a feeling that’s what Matthew’s gospel is.

He brings together the teaching of Jesus and clusters it into five books – just like the five books of the law.

And there’s a structure – again a very Jewish way of doing things – very much in the spirit of Middle Eastern thinking.  In our way of thinking things have a logic to them that starts at the beginning and works through to the punchline at the end.

But there’s a different way of thinking – that sees the most important thing at the beginning.

So the first lot of teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5,6,7 starts with blessings – blessed are those who hunger and thirst after justice for they will be filled  and ends with the choice – either be like the wise man who built his house on the rock or the foolish man who built his house on the sands and not only listen to the words of Jesus but act on them.

That’s balanced at the end with Jesus’ final teaching – in 23,24,25 – that begins with woes – woe to those hypocrites who tithe mint, dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faith.

Then in chapter 10 comes a charge to the 12 as they set out on their mission

Balanced by chapter 18 that’s all about what it takes to be the church.

So what does that leave in the middle – but a talk full of stories in Matthew 13 – that’s all about the kingdom.

2) In a Pastoral Ministry we are called to put the Kingdom of God at the centre

And what does the kingdom entail as we sow those seeds and wait patiently for the harvest?

Nowhere is that more finely put than in the words Jesus used in his first sermon, you have chosen to include in this service – from Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me,

    for the LORD has anointed me

    to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to comfort the broken-hearted

    and to proclaim that captives will be released

    and prisoners will be freed.

2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn

It’s a wonderful insight into the nature of ministry – into the nature of what it is we all called to …

To all who mourn in Israel,

    he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,

a joyous blessing instead of mourning,

    festive praise instead of despair.

It’s about justice, and rebuilding things that have been destroyed; it’s about ministering and serving, about  nurturing and growing.

It’s powerful stuff.

A ministry that involves listening and asking questions – both the gentle questions of a pastoral care that is all about listening, and the probing questions that are the way towards becoming life-long learners.

A ministry that uses the teaching of Jesus as its teaching manual – and then shares that teaching with the kingdom right at its heart – a kingdom of justice, of mercy, of faith, of service, of comfort that transforms people’s lives.

And you can’t do it!

Joy can’t do it.

Actually none of us can do it.

We kid ourselves if we think we can.

3) In a Pastoral Ministry we need to share with each other … and draw on the strength of God’s Spirit

It has to be shared – it cannot be for one person to do alone – it’s not possible.

But then we need a strength from beyond ourselves.

If a week is a long time in politics – it’s an even longer time in football.

Last Sunday at church with the youngsters and again on Wednesday in school in assembly I got the youngsters to re-enact the historic England goal in the Italy match.   How Joe Hart rolled the ball out to Raheem Sterling on the left midfield who fed it forward to Wayne Rooney playing wide on the left wing who crossed it to Daniel Sturridge who with a brilliant flick had it in the back of the net!

I then asked what happened next?  And got the youngsters doing the Daniel Sturridge celebration.   How does it finish/  With two arms raised above, touching his lips with both sets of index and middle fingers and lifting them.   Why?

I tracked down an article in the Independent that

It’s common to find Sturridge using the hashtags #godislove and #godisgood after a Liverpool victory. When he reached a half-century of top flight goals at the beginning of February, the striker tweeted: “Thanks to God for allowing me to score 50 prem goals.”

He viewed the Bible as probably his most prized possession as another article reported …  It's important to me because I am very religious.  I believe that you have to pray, as well as work hard, in order to get what you want in life.  When I was growing up I prayed every morning and night - and I still do that today.

Then after winning a Barclays Player of the Month award back in September he tweated “I do all through Christ who strengthens me.”

That’s it.

None of us can do it in our own strength.

Joy cannot do it in her own strength.

We do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Someone rather naughtily whispered in my ear as we were starting up with our next song – but what does he do when he loses.

I’m ready to re-run the story with the youngsters in church tomorrow … and I have prepared a set of powerpoints for next week’s assembly – for our local vicar to do – we share taking assemblies.

I looked up where that quotation comes from and it comes from Philippians 4.

Maybe something for Daniel Sturridge to reflect on …

I know what it is to be in need and what it is to have more than enough. I have learnt this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little. “I do all through Christ who strengthens me.”  Paul in Philippians chapter 4 verses 12-13

Put that into Daniel Sturridge’s context …

I know what it is to win or lose. I have learnt this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little, whether I win or lose: I do all through Christ who strengthens me.

Put it into the context of ministry – and there are good times to rejoice in but also bad times when things don’t go well.

No matter – remember that it is not in your own strength … those first followers of Jesus were called to be witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.  And they couldn’t do it in their own strength.

We each of us are called to be witnesses wherever we are – and we cannot do it in our own strength.

The wonderful thing is that we can do all things in through Christ who strengthens us because this Jesus Christ in the power we receive from the Holy Spirit who is that unseen, yet very real strength we need deep within.

Restoration and Renewal - a Pentecost Sermon

Someone who can write a book called Reclaiming the Sealskin has to be worth listening to.

I guess I first started having Bible reading notes when I was at Junior Church – we had a lovely little lapel badge which as I was a little older I was proud to wear.

The International Bible Reading Association is still going strong … and once again this year I find myself using their Bible reading notes.  They have taken on a new format this year – Fresh from the Word has the sub-title the Bible for a change.

And a wonderful foreword by Desmond Tutu

The Bible, he writes, is not some dry and dusty list of rules.  It is the story of how we are created good in God’s eyes, how that goodness was damaged, and ho wwholeness is ours with God.  Depravity came into the world through individual choices, drip by drip. The Bible is an invitation to wholeness instead of brokenees.  We can choose wholeness and a life of beauty.  We can choose to work for peace in the small choices that face us each day.  Each of us has the dignity fo these choices, whether we are rich or poor, from the global North or South, in prios onr not.  The Bible shows us how.   It is about peace and reconcliaion.  It is about jstice in your neighbourhood. It is about joy and laughter.

The IBRA, Desdmond Tutu goes on to say has a rich history.  It goes all the way back to the evangelical revival in the nineteenth century and the creation of Sunday schools and public education for all.

We are created by God to be a blessing.

The key word for Desomnd tut is association – we need each other.

And so it is that this last week Annie Heppenstall, author of Reclaiming the Seal skin has been the writer of our Bible reading notes/  Her books are published by the Iona community’s Wild Goose publications, she lives and works in Birmingham and is a teacher and counsellor.

Her readings have been around the theme of ‘the Greening Spirit’  An intriguing title.

The Spirit restores life to decaying creation.

Pentecost, the coming of the Spirit is all about new life, restoration of things that hage fallen apart.

It has a power on a collective scale – on the level of us coming together in association with each other.

it is about the beginnings of the church – how great to celebrate birthdays today!

On the day of Pentecost the followers of Jesus are behind locked doors because they are living in a destructive time and are in fear for their lives.

They are fearful.

They are on their own.

And then there comes upon them this power, this strength,  from God.  And somehow it recreates them, it restores them.  It puts them together again.

The pour down on to the streets, are accused of drunken behaviour – but nothing of the sotrt is going on as Peter explains.

He then draws on those wonderful words of Joel to show the new thing that is happening.

 What intrigued m ein the IBRA Bible readings this week was that we were invited to read the words that go before these words.

They come out of a period of destruction for the Jewish people and they figure large in the Jewish reading of the Scriptures on a special Sabbath day that falls between the solemn holy days of the new year and the Day of Atonement – this ‘special Sabbath emphasises the process of repentance, lamentation, forgiveness by God and restoration to relationship.

The whole passage in Joel is about the need when things have gone wrong for restoration to happen …

It’s a passage full of promise and hope …

Do not fear, O soil;

   be glad and rejoice,

   for the Lord has done great things!

22 Do not fear, you animals of the field,

   for the pastures of the wilderness are green;

the tree bears its fruit,

   the fig tree and vine give their full yield.

23 O children of Zion, be glad

   and rejoice in the Lord your God;

for he has given the early rain for your vindication,

   he has poured down for you abundant rain,

   the early and the later rain, as before.

24 The threshing-floors shall be full of grain,

   the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

25 I will repay you for the years

   that the swarming locust has eaten,

the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,

   my great army, which I sent against you.

26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,

   and praise the name of the Lord your God,

   who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,

   and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other.

And my people shall never again

   be put to shame.

God’s Spirit Poured Out

People will need to be part of that process of resoration … and so Joel moves on to say that that can happen only by the strength of God …

28 Then afterwards

   I will pour out my spirit on all flesh;

your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

   your old men shall dream dreams,

   and your young men shall see visions.

29 Even on the male and female slaves,

   in those days, I will pour out my spirit.

These are the words taken up by Peter.

It is as if the sotry of Christ is a story of restoration – putting things together again after a destructive time.

Christ comes to bring wholeness.

A whole new way of thinking about the world, a whole new way of looking at the world, a whole new world-view – that amounts to his msessage.

Believe in the Gospel – be part of the kingdom – on the road to the cross.

We each have a part to play in that process.

Each of us a part to play.

We can think of brokenness but then we need to think of the part we have to play in restoration.

We can only do that as we have a stgrength from beyond ourselves – and be people of vision.

Moving on 6^th June to visit John Lewis – still a bit fragile after his long stay in hospital.

He was watching the D Day commemorations – I joined him – it was the major event of the day with the world’s leaders together.

We were watching the event – a long speech by M Hollande of France.  And then the BBC cut away – but we could switch to the red button.  John being a French teacher, we did.

Then we watched the very moving pageant that followed – a bit like the opening ceremony o fhte Olympic  Games and in its own way as moving.

Well choreographed with big screen recording of the events – on an enormous circular map of Europe spread out on the beach we had a presentation of the story of the war – the occupation by the forces of fascism taking the continent over.  The resistance of mny.  The D Day landings.  The reconquest of Europe.  The celebrations …  but still the darkness of the atomic bomb of the awfulness of the death camps of the holocaust.  And then the building of Europe again.

A wonderful picture of the young Princess Elizabeth on one screen and next to her the Queen of today.

And as the actors came to an end they turned to the screens and there were pictures of the veterans who were actually there.

Then they came out – and it was a German veteran and a French man.  They shook hands

The arena filled with children.

The hope of the future.

And the beginnings of what has become the European Union – the obligation is to make Europe work – an alternative to the warring imperial powers that had been at war for centuries – and the hope of Europe.   Our obligation is to work at making it work with the commitment of those who went to war.

It was moving stuff.

How you do that we will have differing views on.   It was powerful stuff.

I thought of the way the churches responded – by doing things – the beginnings of Chrsitian Aid.  Of the way my father’s church twinned with Germany – and Hans Werner Bartsch – a friendship.

The twinning that has gone on.,

We all have a part to play in the restoration.

That is the vision of Pentecost – sons, daughters, young men, old men, even slaves, men and women – the Spirit shall be upon them and they have a jtask to do – to declare God’s word to make this restoration a reality.

And that is the task we do.

We need to draw on the Spirit’s strength to do just that.

What strength do we need?

Our prayer exercise …

Focus your thoughts on your life of Faith and Prayer.

Think of the way you are called to be a disciple of Christ.  You may think of wonderful blessings you have experi-enced, of things to give thanks for.  You may be con-scious of weaknesses, things that you would love to be different.

In your mind’s eye, picture a flower or maybe more than one.  Flowers need leaves to enable them to flourish and roots to enable them to grow.

Think about what you would like your life of faith and prayer, your life of discipleship, to grow into.  How would you like to see it flower and flourish?

You may find it helpful to write your thoughts down around the flower.

Now think of the things you need to draw on for those flowers to grow - and write your thoughts on the leaves.

Finally, think of the roots.  And delight in the way the roots that have given us that life of faith and prayer are deep in the love of God the Father, as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus and as we draw on the strength of the Holy Spirit.

The Power of the Spirit - Individually and Collectively

Our prayer reflection this week plays on the two dimensions of Pentecost - the individual and the collective, bringing together lines from two Pentecost hymns - one intensely individual, the other powerfully collective.

Breathe on me
Breath of God

O Breath of Life
Come sweeping through us

Fill me
With life anew

Revive your church
With life and power

That as you love
So I may love
And do what
You would do

In your tenderness
Remake us

Seven weeks ago today on Easter Sunday we adorned our Cross with flowers – a sign of the hope of resurrection.

On the fiftieth day, the day of Pentecost we share those flowers from the cross – the resurrection hope of Chrsit let loose in all the strength of God deep in our hearts.

At the Federation’s Assembly in Bristol we were given a lovely book of pictures, prayers and htoughts about the Holy Spirit, Let the Flame burn.

Three years ago our then President, Brian Grist challenged us with the following words:

“We are all called as followers of Christ, gifte by the Holy Spirit to serve God in the placees where we live and the work we do.  And so let us commit ourselves to seeking God and being people of good news in our own communities.

Jonathon Hemingway created a flame sculpture for the Federation, representing the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Each of the flames that made up the sculpture then was taken round the churches and in a book people recorded thoughs and prayers.

I thought we would draw from those thoughts and prayers and from those pictures over the next few Sundays as we seek from God the strengthening power of His Holy Spirit deep in our hearts.

The first thoughts and prayers that are shared speak of the Power of the Holy Spirit.

That strength we need from beyond ourselves that comes from the very presence of God.

Reflecting on our celebration of Pentecost today, I was struck by the way that strength, that power of God works at two levels.

That insight is prompted by the flames of that sculpture itself.   The eight individual flames make up one flame that is in the shape of the individual flames.

The thought to share is this.

On Pentecost Sunday our thoughts turn to the Day of Pentecost and what happened in that Upper Room.

It was a scary, frightening time for the followers of Jeus and they found strength in meeting toegehre, drawing on each other for the strength they needed.  They met together.

And it was as they were meeting together that the Power of God came upon them – it was beyond description: the best you could find to describe it was that it was like the sound of a mighty rushing wind, it was like flames of fire touching them all.

Empowered and strengthened, they rush down the stairs on to the streets and that day the church is born.  A wonderful birth day.   3000 are added to their number.

The strength of God’s Spirit comes upon them together.

At our Church Meeting we came together to reflect together on the shape of our church, the direction we should take.  We thought of the things we would love to see flower and flourish here at Highbury – we though t of those resurrection flowers.  And then we reflected on the way for the flowers to grow they need leaves – and we reflected on the things that we need to draw on for the flowers to flourish.

And then we recognised we needed our roots deep in the presence of God.

It is only as we are rooted in the strength of God – the love of God, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the fellowship, the coming together of the Holy Spirit that we can hope to see the flowers grow.

Come, breath of life come sweeping through us, revive your church in life and power.

But it is not just together that the Holy Spirit works on his church.  The Holy Spirit is at work individually in each one of us.

There is another account of the outpouring of the Holy  Spirit.  This time it is seen not as wind or fire, but as the breath of God.

The risen Jesus on the day of resurrection breathes on each of his disciples and says, receive the Holy Spirit.

Breathe on me breath of God.

That individual coming of the Holy Spirit makes for each of us a world of difference.

Karen, our Discipleship Ministry Leader shared her Christian story of an upbringing first in a Congregational Church and then a Baptist Church and then joining a church that one evening she fully expected to be very familiar only to find that it was for her something that impacted on the rest of her life.  She had after the service when someone prayed with her what Karen described as a feeling of warmth flowing through her that left her seeing the world so much more vividly.  It was a filling of the Spirit that has continued to shape her life of faith as she has received gifts from the Spirit, not least the gift of encouragement.

The two dimension s of the Spirit’s work working on each one of us individually and working on all of us in the body of the church are captured as we put together these two short songs…

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me

Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me

Spirit of the living  God, fall afresh on me

Spirit of the Living  God, move among us all;

Make us one in heart and mind, make us one in love

Humble, caring, selfless, sharing –

Spirit of the living  God, fill our lives with love!

We then had a few moments of quiet and people were invited to share a time of prayer.

Focus your thoughts on your life of Faith and Prayer.

Think of the way you are called to be a disciple of Christ.  You may think of wonderful blessings you have experienced, of things to give thanks for.  You may be conscious of weaknesses, things that you would love to be different.

In your mind’s eye, picture a flower or maybe more than one.  Flowers need leaves to enable them to flourish and roots to enable them to grow.

Think about what you would like your life of faith and prayer, your life of discipleship, to grow into.  How would you like to see it flower and flourish?

You may find it helpful to write your thoughts down around the flower.

Now think of the things you need to draw on for those flowers to grow - and write your thoughts on the leaves.

 Finally, think of the roots.  And delight in the way the roots that have given us that life of faith and prayer are deep in the love of God the Father, as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus and as we draw on the strength of the Holy Spirit.

We then moved into our prayers of concern led by Janet Partington.

PRAYERS – 08/06/14

Grant us, O Lord:

to know what is worth knowing

to love what is worth loving

to praise what delights you most

to value what is precious in your sight

to hate what is offensive to you.

Do not let us judge by what we see,

nor pass sentence according to what we hear,

nor be influenced by all that dazzles.

Rather, may we judge rightly between things that differ,

and above all, search out and do what pleases You.

Lord Jesus, you showed us a way to live

That goes against all we know

All we have experienced

All our understanding of how the world works

And what it is to be human.

Amidst our struggles, and the struggles of those around us

You showed us another way

A better way

And in spite of the taunts and incomprehension of the world

We find ourselves wanting to follow you

Seeking to live as you lived.

Help us to understand what it means to live foolishly

And when we understand

Give us the courage to act

For this is no easy path.

Teach us how to pray for those who harm others

Through war, street violence, abuse and harsh words.

Teach us to see the humanity in those we would rather avoid

And those we would find it easier to judge

Teach us to care for the unwashed and the unkind

The doubter and the drunk

The distressed and dispossessed

The sick and the successful

The caring and the criminal

The rich and the ridiculous

The weary, the wary and the wise.

For you taught us that we are all your children.

Lord Jesus, may we judge rightly between things that differ,

and above all, search out and do what pleases You.

Amen

Receiving from Jesus - Being Led

On Sunday morning, Karen, our Discipleship ministry leaders shared the third in our series of sermons on receiving from Jesus

Discipleship - Receiving from Jesus - Being Led (Exodus 40: 34-38, Matthew 4:17-22)

Today we conclude our Receiving from Jesus trilogy by considering how we are led by him.

In Mar we considered how we are loved by Jesus. Looking at the parable of the two sons we asked:

·        are like one or both of the sons?

·        and are we are eating at the banquet?

The image shows our places are laid at the table, ready for us to join the feast.

In May we considered how God looks after us at the most fundamental level. The cross is God's "cure" for the self-centred, destructive "condition" of the human heart.  Like Nicodemus we need to realise our dependence on God and rely on him rather than our own wisdom and logic. The image contrasts the two ways of life on either side of the cross.

Today we consider how we are led by Jesus - a key concept for Christians and one that often comes to mind when we think of discipleship. What image should I choose for this third theme?

The Cloud

Last week talking about names, Richard explained that the New Testament doesn't use the term "Christians". Instead it identifies Jesus' followers as followers of "the Way". From the beginning our faith was seen as a journey - a way to follow.

Richard also talked about the origins of the "Congregational" way of being church. During Queen Mary's Roman Catholic reign, many protestants fled abroad. Some scholars translated a new bible from the original Hebrew and Greek texts - the Geneva Bible. This is the frontispiece of the 1560 version:

The Bible and Holy Scriptures Contained in the Old and New Testaments

Translated According to the Hebrew and Greek and conferred with the best translations in divers languages

With most profitable annotations upon all the hard places and other things in great importance as may appear in the Epistle of the Reader

The image shows the Israelites wait for God to part the Red Sea. Moses holds his staff aloft ready. The cloud of the God's presence is across the water waiting to lead them on. Our Old Testament reading (Exodus 40: 34-38) explained how the cloud of God's presence led the Israelites on their journey through the wilderness. When the cloud lifted from the tabernacle, they broke camp and moved on. If it stayed still, so did they.

The Geneva Bible was the popular choice of ordinary people until the end of the English Civil Wars. It included wood-cut pictures, summaries and annotations in the margins which helped people understand the bible for themselves. When King James commissioned his authorised version, he forbade annotations. The King and official Church believed it was their job to interpret Scripture on behalf of the nation. Our early Congregationalist forbears didn't agree. They saw themselves like the Israelites in the picture - led by  God and seeking his guidance together.

The Lake Side

In our New Testament reading (Matt 4: 17-22), Jesus walks along the shore of Lake Galilee and calls Peter, Andrew, James and John. The fishermen leave their boats and nets to follow him.  They have to make a decision. They chose to follow Jesus and life will never be the same again. In the GNB translation Jesus says, "Come with me and I will teach you to catch men." In the NRSV he says, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people." The old Sunday School chorus has, "I will make you fishers of men if you follow me." These are familiar words to many who have been brought up in churches.

What will happen?

The four will join a new family business - one that deals with people rather than fish - the business of the Kingdom of God. Its work includes finding the lost, mending the broken, feeding the hungry, joining the separated. The fishermen will embark on a new "career".

How will it happen?

Jesus will make them into skilled practioners in his business. As fishermen, the four already knew how they gained the ability to fish.  James and John weren't born with ability to mend nets. They learnt their skills from their father Zebedee over many years. Jesus was a working man too - a carpenter. He must have earnt about wood, tools, techniques and business skills from his father Joseph.

Although not an expert in fishing training today, I know that engineers, brick-layers, plasterers, auditors, accountants, nurses, doctors, radiographers, chefs and many others have to train over many years. Men and women still have to learn how to be effective practitioners in their own particular field. I think these images from the Modern Apprenticeship web-site that can help us understand how Jesus makes us into discipleships - how he leads us.

Apprenticeships

In April I started a new six month IT contract where the rest of the team are in their twenties. On Thursday we went out for lunch to mark a milestone - two young men were moving to their next placement on the graduate scheme. They have to spend a series of 3 month placements in different parts of the organisation in order to get a good grounding in the business.

Back in fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the early Congregationalists understood about apprenticeship. In those days young men typically served seven year apprenticeships followed by three years as a journeyman - ten years training before they could be Masters of their craft.

Apprenticeship schemes developed over the centuries and by the 1950s - when my Dad, his brothers and the contemporaries entered Portsmouth Dockyard - it was highly structured. Young men who left school at fourteen with no qualifications were able to pursue academic study in addition to learning on the job. Some went on to take HNCs and degrees.

I was sponsored as a student on an Electrical & Electronic University degree. Five of us spent three summers in Marconi Avionics in Rochester, Kent  on placements in the Production, Commercial and Engineers areas of a division making head up displays. I still remember much of what I learnt there.

So this is my favourite "Being Led" image. The Master has taken apprentices to a bench on the factory floor and is showing them how to assemble something. They concentrate on what he is showing them. Some try to do the same themselves. If they go wrong, the Master is there to help. There are many similarities with the way Jesus makes us into his skilled practitioners.

1. Learning from the Master

The gospels record many stories and direct teachings of Jesus. His disciples needed to listen and learn from him.

We need to be people who are prepared to learn. If we think the most important thing is for people to listen to us, we won't make good disciples. We need to read our bibles with teachable-minds, listen for the promptings of conscience and inspirational insights, listen and watch others around us and see what's happening in the world. We need to give prominence to those things which concur with what we know of our Master Jesus.

2. Developing new skills

In Matthew 10 Jesus sent out the twelve disciples saying, "As you go, proclaim the good news. "The kingdom of heaven has come near." Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, case out demons." He gave instructions about receiving payments and knowing how long to stay in one place. They needed to find out for themselves what that meant in practise - how to make the right decisions "on the job".

Similarly, we need to develop the skills we need and we have a Master who helps us along the way. As Jesus disciples, we never stop learning new skills or relying on Jesus to provide more.

Experiencing different "placements"

Just as apprentices experience different placements so Jesus led his disciples around Galilee, Judea and Samaria and crossed into Decapolis and they experienced different situations with him. They saw how Jesus interacted with lepers, prostitutes, Roman centurions and Pharisees. We will look at six of these placements in the autumn and share the first disciples' experiences as we consider Discipleship more.

The places where we spend our time each week - our homes, work places, communities, clubs, friendship groups etc - are our Kingdom of God placements - the situations our Master Jesus places us in for our own sakes and for the sakes of those around us.

Contributing to the Mission

Business expect apprentices to contribute to the business from day one. After sending out the twelve, Jesus sent out seventy-two followers in the same way. The seventy two returned full of joy because of the difference they'd made. They seemed surprised that they could achieve so much in Jesus' name.

In our placements we can make a difference too - salt & light, sometimes in the darkest places.

Growing more courageous

As apprentices experience new situations they build up resilience and grow more courageous, becoming braver to face further new things in the future. It is true of both professional life and Christian life. I can still remember the first time I plucked up courage to open my mouth in a group prayer meeting. It was terrifying. Jesus says, "Do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say is given you at the time,"  but it's hard to trust his words.

Two Questions

·         Do we want to follow the Master? - to learn from Jesus, develop new skills, work for him in our different placements, contribute to the Kingdom mission and grow in courage?

·         Or do we want to stay where we are?

Change is unsettling. It challenges us. It takes effort. It's easier to stay where we are. We will be considering Discipleship at the Church Meeting this Thursday. Please try to come. We will seek what Christ would have us do, in the same tradition as the early Congregationalists. There will be two further opportunities to discuss discipleship on 17 and 24 June too. All start at 7.30pm.

There's never room for complacency, but the more we lean on Jesus, the more we know he's there to sustain us through everything.

Even as Discipleship Ministry Leader, I don't know exactly where we're going next. I finished most of this sermon on Thursday night, after the team lunch. One of the graduates is a Christian called Paul. On Friday he bounded into the office and described how he attended a YMCA discussion with others from his church.  He'd been challenged by the stories he heard - so different from his own background - but loved the honesty of the group. Paul had experienced a new placement while I was writing this sermon. We can never be complacent. God continues to surprise us as we follow him.

We don't always know Jesus is leading us to, but we can have courage and confidence along the way because we know our Master loves and looks after us every step on the way.