Welcome
to our services today and a special welcome to any who are worshipping with us
for the first time. It was an invitation to prayer in the ten days from the Day
of Ascension to the Day of Pentecost. But that invitation to prayer carries on.
Thy Kingdom Come. It’s right at the heart of the prayer Jesus taught us to
pray. There is something very down to earth about that prayer. Thy kingdom
come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The next time we pray that
prayer let’s be specific in our mind’s eye. Let’s not just think of ‘the earth’
in general. Let’s think of a specific place. Let’s try praying the opening
words of the Lord’s prayer with that place in mind. It could be our nation. It
could be our town. It could be our street. It could be our work place. It could
be our school. It could be our hospital. It could be our house. It could be the
room where I am sitting. It could be beside a particular hospital bed. Thy
kingdom come, thy will be done, here in this place as it is in heaven. This week
we arrive at some of the great passages in the book of Isaiah as we move from
chapter 7 to chapter 9 to chapter 11. His words show what it’s like when God’s
will is done on earth as it is in heaven. It’s in the life and teaching, in the
death and resurrection of the one who taught us that prayer that we can see
what that’s like better than anywhere else!
Welcome
and Call to Worship
457
All hail the power of Jesus’ name
Prayer
and the Lord’s Prayer
Thy
Kingdom Come
A
Hy-Spirit Song
Reading:
Matthew 28:16-20
Hymn:
We shall go out with hope of resurrection
Activities
for all over 3
Thy
will be done
Reading:
Isaiah 9:2,6,7 and 11:1-9
241
Isaiah the prophet
On
earth as it is in heaven
Prayer
and Worship with Hy-Spirit
Prayers
of Concern
456
Christ is the world’s true light
Words
of Blessing
It’s
great to have a focus. The year of the child. The decade of solidarity with …
Maybe
I have taken my eye of the ball. Not been quite so aware of the year of …
recently.
The
problem is at the end of the year the issue is still there. The focus is still
needed.
There
was an invitation to prayer in the ten days from the Day of Ascension to the
Day of Pentecost. But that invitation to prayer carries on. Thy Kingdom Come.
It’s right at the heart of the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. There is
something very down to earth about that prayer. Thy kingdom come, thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven.
Extreme
praying – some challenging thoughts from our young people. Interesting places
to go to.
The
next time we pray that prayer let’s be specific in our mind’s eye. Let’s not
just think of ‘the earth’ in general. Let’s think of a specific place. Let’s
try praying the opening words of the Lord’s prayer with that place in mind. It
could be our nation. It could be our town. It could be our street. It could be
our work place. It could be our school. It could be our hospital. It could be
our house. It could be the room where I am sitting. It could be beside a
particular hospital bed. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, here in this place
on earth as it is in heaven.
A
time to share. What place comes to your mind?
Where
in your mind’s eye would you go to pray that prayer?
What
is the prayer we make?
Thy
kingdom come, thy will be done.
What
is God’s will in that place? What does God’s rule look like in that place?
In
some ways the wonder of the Lord’s prayer is that it is all embracing. It
invites us to put that place, those people, those concerns into God’s hands,
trusting that God’s will be done, God’s kingdom come.
The
prophet Isaiah shared his vision, his insight, his prophetic words at a
specific time in the 8th century BC, in a specific location Jerusalem
and the small area around known as Judah, the Southern Kingdom of a divided
Israel.
This
week we arrive at some of the great passages in the book of Isaiah as we move
from chapter 7 to chapter 9 to chapter 11.
He
was speaking at a specific moment, in a specific place powerful words that
speak into a very specific situation. But there was something about those words
that had about them the inspiration of God in a
much wider sense.
Isaiah’s
vision of God’s rule, God’s kingdom, sketches out what God’s rule looks like
when it happens.
This
is what it takes to rule in God’s way for Isaiah.
Some
passages stand out as they go to the heart of the matter and, as it were, map
out what it takes to rule in God’s way.
They
caught the eye of Jesus as he from a young age was steeped in the Scriptures.
He
came to usher in God’s kingdom, God’s way of ruling, the prayer he invited his
followers to pray, the prayer we pray to this day.
It’s
these passages that inspired his ministry. It’s these passages that inspired
his followers. It’s these passages we see brought to fulfilment in Jesus.
This
is what in Isaiah’s view it would take for Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and then Hezekiah to rule as God’s
anointed in a kingdom that would be God’s kingdom in a way that was according
to God’s will. This is what should shape their rule.
This
what shaped Jesus’ whole ministry as he came to bring in God’s kingdom in God’s
way.
Here
in these words we can be on the lookout for what it takes to exercise authority
and power in God’s way as we pray God’s kingdom come
His
words show what it’s like when God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.
It’s in the life and teaching, in the death and resurrection of the one who
taught us that prayer that we can see what that’s like better than anywhere
else!
And
his words are an inspiration in our place in our time.
Again
the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep
as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put
the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: ‘Hear then, O house of David! Is it too
little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord
himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall
bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the
time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child
knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two
kings you are in dread will be deserted. The Lord will bring on you and on your
people and on your ancestral house such days as have not come since the day
that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.’
God
with us.
A
sense of the strength and the calm,
The
justice and the peace
the
grace and the mercy
…
of the presence of God – in a little child.
And
in Christ it was that presence of God that was so real in him.
As
a young woman gave birth and Jesus was recognized as Emmanuel, God with us.
A
sense of the presence of God with us in the darkness of the world around us.
The
people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those
who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.
For
a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority
rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful
Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
His
authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for
the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with
justice and with righteousness
from this time onwards and for evermore.
The
zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
That’s
what it takes – that’s what Isaiah’s vision was …
Peace
and Justice and righteousness
A
shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The
spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the
Lord.
His
delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He
shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but
with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the
earth;
he
shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall
kill the wicked.
Righteousness
shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
The
wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the
calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The
cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The
nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on
the adder’s den.
They
will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for
the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
Think
of each location, each place
What
does God’s kingdom look like – the presence of God there
Wonderful
counsel
Peace,
Justice, righteousness
God on the side of those who are vulnerable
Bringing
together those at enmity with each other.
As we turned to prayer we played the artists' for Grenfell single, Like a Bridge over troubled water and then shared a time of prayer together.
about the food and drink you need in order to
stay alive,
or about clothes for your body.
After
all, isn't life worth more than food?
And
isn't the body worth more than clothes?
Look
at the birds:
they
do not sow seeds, gather a harvest and put it in barns;
yet
your Father in heaven takes care of them!
Aren't
you worth much more than birds?
Can
any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it?
“And
why worry about clothes?
Look
how the wild flowers grow:
they
do not work or make clothes for themselves.
But
I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth
had clothes as beautiful as one of these
flowers.
It
is God who clothes the wild grass
—
grass that is here today and gone tomorrow, burnt up in the oven.
Won't
he be all the more sure to clothe you?
How
little faith you have!
“So
do not start worrying:
‘Where
will my food come from?
or my drink?
or my clothes?’
(These
are the things people all over the world are always concerned about.)
Your
Father in heaven knows that you need all these things.
Instead,
be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God
and with what he requires of you,
and he will provide you with all these other
things.
So
do not worry about tomorrow;
it
will have enough worries of its own.
There
is no need to add to the troubles each day brings.
A Hy-Spirit Song
Activities for all over 3
It has been great to share
the GIFT course in our Sunday services, at Explore and in four Day sessions at
North Nibley over the last year. GIFT
stands for Growing In Faith Together.
We began in the Bible with a
set of services, a short course and a day session in the Autumn around the
theme Faith in the Word.
As Christmas approached and
into the New Year we looked at what it takes Being Church, the
Congregational Way: we explored how we are called to be Christ-centred,
Spirit-filled, rooted in the Bible, missional, worshipful, inclusive and
well-managed. That was also the theme of our fourth Day together in North
Nibley in the Summer.
Our second day just before Christmas
and our second course, just after Christmas, looked at what we believe as
Christians and how we are called to live A Life of Faith.
At our third day just before
Easter and on Tuesday evenings in Explore during the summer we are looking at
the way the Christian faith is a world faith that reaches out into the world. Faith
in the World. That’s the focus of
our services now through the summer.
The Christian Faith is a
world faith - it’s a faith lived in the world. It’s also a faith for the world.
Next Sunday we’ll be reflecting on the way we pray for the world – returning to
that theme, thy Kingdom come. When planning this sequence of services related
to this theme six months ago the General Election was set by Act of Parliament
to be on 4th May, 2020. Little did we expect that a General Election
would have come and gone. It was way back then that we invited Adam Coverden
who belongs to St Matthew’s to come and reflect with us on how our Christian
faith does relate to our politics. Hard on the heels of that we will be
celebrating our World Mission partnership, the Council for World Mission’s 40th
Anniversary in its present form and welcoming to our evening service on 16th
July Roderick Hewitt.
At the last of our Gift
Course Explore evenings Maureen Williams will be joining us. Having been to
Papua New Guinea in the 1980’s as a missinonary with the CWM she has kept in
touch with the work of CWM ever since and will be sharing with us her insights
– Felicity and I will also recall some of the involvement we have had with CWM
over the years too. That’s this Tuesday evening.
So where do we turn in the
Bible?
Just as we are beginning
this sequence of services Fresh from the Word takes us to one of the most
political of all the books of the Bible, the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.
You can tell from the Bibles I have used which parts
of the Bible are my favourites. The New Testament is well-thumbed, especially
the Gospels. And in the Old Testament it’s the Book of Psalms that has been
opened more than any other. Hard on the heels of the Psalms come the Prophets,
and in particular Isaiah. But Isaiah is a long book. In Fresh from the Word our
readings from the Bible take us to the first 39 chapters of Isaiah over the
next couple of weeks. When you allow someone else to lead you through even a
favourite book of the Bible they will no doubt take you
to parts of that book that haven’t recently caught
your attention. Catherine Williams, from Tewkesbury, does that for me this week
as our readings build up to a climax in one of my favourite passages in all the
Bible, the call of Isaiah in chapter 6. There are some surprises in store as we
build up to that chapter and as we read that chapter in full. And some of them are
not easy to get your mind round. But as I read through them I cannot help but
feel that this wise figure from a distant
past has something very powerful to say about the
world of today.
We’re going to be focusing
on the first 39 chapters. In case you have any doubts about how political this
book is going to be the opening verse is absolutely clear. This book is going
to be about what’s going on in the southern kingdom of Judah and its capital
city, Jerusalem in the 8th century Before Christ.
The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw
concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and
Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Interestingly, in II Kings 15ff and in 2 Chronicles 26
ff you can read about wat the government of these kings was like. Uzziah was
also known as Azariah: while he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, his
rule left a lot to be desired; the same could be said of Jotham’s rule. Ahaz,
on the other hand, did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord according
to II Kings – his reign was a grim period of trouble. It’s the very last of
these kings who is praised more than any of the others – it’s as if by his
reign Isaiah has been taken notice of.
He had already begun to speak out, in the reign of
Uzziah, but it was in the year that Uzziah died that he had his call … it’s one
of those great passages in the Bible that speaks of the call we all have to take
our faith into the world and make a difference.
I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty;
and the hem of his robe filled the temple.
Seraphs were in attendance above him;
each had six wings:
with two they covered their faces,
and with two they covered their feet,
and with two they flew.
And one called to another and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.’
The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called,
and the house filled with smoke.
And I said:
‘Woe is me! I am lost,
for I am a man of unclean lips,
and I live among a people of unclean lips;
yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’
Then one of the seraphs flew to me,
holding a live coal
that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs.
The seraph touched my mouth with it and said:
‘Now that this has touched your lips,
your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’
And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’
251 I the Lord of sea and sky
As we join company with Catherine Williams of
Tewkesbury, this week, we are going to read some pretty difficult stuff. Isaiah
is relentlessly critical of what he sees going on in the world around him. It’s a pretty grim world.
When I read passages like this I cannot help but feel
this is a strange world, a different world, a world long ago. But then as I
make allowance for the imagery, for the language used. The thing that strikes
me when I do Old Testament biblical history is that this is our world.
We are making a mess of things. The abominable
atrocities of the terrorists in Manchester and London Bridge are almost aimed
at stirring up the worst in us – of fear and then of division. And yet they
bring out the best in our communities.
Kensington and Chelsea – the richest borough in the
land has the greatest poverty in the land – the money-saving in the cladding and the absence of any official
emergency response – somehow put the spotlight on the divisions of wealth and
poverty in our society.
The Ofsted report on the inadequacy of children’s
services in Gloucestershire this week I read. One paragraph caught my eye: “The
majority of social workers have less than two years’ post-qualifying experience
and, for too many, particularly those in their assessed and supported year in
employment, the caseloads are too high and include complex cases that require a
good depth of knowledge and experience.
Isaiah’s challenge to his time, is the challenge for
our time. It’s there in verse 17.
It’s not the quality of your worship, not the
festivals you celebrate that count …
Communities coming together in Manchester and in
London.
Commitment to make a difference.
Our faith is a faith for the world of this time.
Whom shall I send?
Who will go for me?
Here am I, send me.
There’s a twist in the tale. Read on in Isaiah 6 and
you cannot help but realise – it’s not easy. People don’t get it. It’s an uphill
struggle. And interestingly it’s the end of chapter 6 that Jesus quotes when
explaining his parables – they are not nice children’s story. They outline a
hard way to follow that’s tough.
Maybe we need to turn again to the presence of Christ,
and a strength from beyond ourselves in the Holy Spirit as we seek strength for
the living of these days.
We look to the challenge of a troubled world
We hear the call to do something about it
We recognise the reality of the troubles continuing
We return to that wonderful imagery from the world of
God’s creation Jesus shared shared with, we meet in his presence and rejoice in
Text of the
Week: Acts 2:38-39 Have a whole new way of thinking and
be baptised, everyone one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins
may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the
promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone
whom the Lord our God calls to him.
On this, the Day
of Pentecost, when we celebrate the birth of the Church and the power of the
Holy Spirit, welcome to our services.
And a special welcome this morning one of our Highbury families as they
brought their two little ones to be baptized. At the heart of the Christian
faith is the initiative God takes in reaching out to each of us in love. That
grace of God comes to each of us before ever we have done anything to deserve
it, before ever we have come to understand it. It is that gift of God’s grace
so freely given that we celebrate in baptism. With the gift we celebrate comes
the hope that as they grow older these two youngsters come to know that love of
God for themselves and find out what a difference it can make in the living of
their lives. Our hope is that even now they can respond with a child’s faith to
the love that is poured into their hearts. And then in the fullness of time
when they come to make decisions for themselves our hope and prayer is that
they make their own profession of faith in God and in Jesus Christ as Lord and
Saviour. That means there are promises to make for their parents, for their
family and friends, and for us all as a church family – to welcome them into the
family, the wider family and the church family too, to share with them the
security of love and the Christian faith that can make such a difference for
them. In our celebration of baptism there’s one final thought! Maybe we were
baptised when we were little in a service that celebrated the reality of God’s
love in our lives: have we made that love our own and discovered the difference
it can make to us!.
Today’s service was
planned immediately after the appalling atrocity in Manchester. We shared the
service the day after the horrors of London Bridge. The people caught up in
those tragedies were very much in our thoughts and prayers.
Welcome
and Call to Worship
40
Praise to the Lord, the almighty
Prayer
and the Lord’s Prayer
Reading:
Acts 2:1-4
When
the day of Pentecost had come,
they
were all together in one place.
And
suddenly from heaven there came a sound
Like the rush of a
violent wind,
and it filled the
entire house where they were sitting.
Divided
tongues, as of fire, appeared among them,
and
a tongue rested on each of them.
All
of them were filled with the Holy Spirit
and
began to speak in other languages,
as
the Spirit gave them ability.
The
disciples spilled out of that upper room, rushed down on to the streets and
they could contain themselves no longer. They had the most wonderful message to
share and they shared it in such a way that everyone from everywhere got it!
Then
it was that Peter got to his feet, quietened the crowd, and told the story of
Jesus and all that he had done, the wonderful love he had shared, that death on
the cross that seemed such a tragedy and turned out to herald the most
wonderful resurrection victory.
And
the greatest thing of all was that it really was for everyone!
Reading:
Acts 2:37-39
Now
when they heard this, they were cut to the heart
and
said to Peter and to the other apostles,
‘Brothers,
what should we do?’
Peter
said to them,
‘Repent,
have a whole new way of thinking,
and
be baptized
every
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
so
that your sins may be forgiven;
and
you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For
the promise is for you,
for
your children,
and
for all who are far away,
everyone
whom the Lord our God calls to him.’
Those
who welcomed the message were baptized and that day 3000 people were added to
that group of disciples and the Church was born.
From
that point on as people came to follow in the footsteps of Jesus they were
baptized and often the whole family as well.
We
share in the sacrament of Baptism
Today
is very special for us as a church family as our friends bring their youngsters
to be baptized.
At
the heart of the Christian faith is the initiative God takes in reaching out to
each of us in love. That grace of God comes to each of us before ever we have
done anything to deserve it, before ever we have come to understand it. It is
that gift of God’s grace so freely given that we celebrate in baptism.
We’ll
pour a little water over each of them and that water is real – just as the
water we see and can feel is real, so the love of God is real too!
But
if you pour water over something it just cascades to the ground – to make use
of it you need to catch it and then use it – maybe in a glass or a jar. Our
hope and prayer is that as they grow older they will come to know that love of
God for themselves and find out what a difference it can make in the living of
their lives.
Our
hope is that even now they can respond with a child’s faith to the love that is
poured into their hearts. And then in the fullness of time when they come to
make decisions for themselves our hope and prayer is that they make their own
profession of faith in God and in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
That
means there are promises to make for their parents, for their family and
friends, and for us all as a church family –
·to welcome them into the family, the wider
family and the church family too,
·to share with them the security of love
and the Christian faith that can make such a difference for them.
In
our celebration of baptism there’s one final thought! Maybe we were baptised
when we were little in a service that celebrated the reality of God’s love in
our lives: have we made that love our own and discovered the difference it can
make to us!
So,
I invite our two friends to bring their youngsters forward.
To
Mum and Dad: Do you believe in God and in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and
do you promise to bring these two little ones up in the security of your loving
family and home, and do you promise to pass on to them the teachings of our
Christian faith and give them a sense of the love God has for them and for
everyone as they grow up?
We
do
Let
me ask all of their family and friends who have come specially to share in this
baptism service to stand.
Do
you promise to give your blessing, your encouragement and your support to these
two as they bring their little ones up in their family and in their home?
We
do
Let
me ask all who belong to this church family and everyone who has come to join
us in church today to stand.
Do
you promise to give these two little ones a welcome into our church family and
to pass on to them the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God in the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit?
We
do.
As
I name you,
I
baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The
Lord bless you and keep you;
the
Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the
Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
As
I name you,
I
baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The
Lord bless you and keep you;
the
Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the
Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Baptism
Prayer
It
really has been wonderful welcoming these two into our church family in this
last eighteen months – and to see them really growing up.
It’s
been great to welcome them into the church family already – on a Sunday in our
services, on a Tuesday morning at Toddlers.
Then we’ve got Messy church that’s really good – and also we’ve got Film
club – great for all the family and a great introduction to watching films
together.
But
I have a feeling neither of them need introducing to films.
Someone
told me that one of their favourites was Frozen … and in Frozen the best bit of all was Let it
Go.
So
we’re going to have a look at film clip of Frozen.
In this clip from
Disney's "Frozen," Elsa, whose secret powers have just been revealed,
flees Arendelle and unleashes her magic, creating a breathtaking ice palace.
Performed by the voice of Elsa, Idina Menzel, "Let It Go" is an
original song by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Tony Award®-winner Robert Lopez.
The
snow glows white on the mountain tonight
Not
a footprint to be seen.
A
kingdom of isolation,
and
it looks like I'm the Queen
The
wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn't
keep it in;
Heaven
knows I've tried
Don't
let them in,
don't
let them see
Be
the good girl you always have to be
Conceal,
don't feel,
don't
let them know
Well
now they know
Let
it go, let it go
Can't
hold it back anymore
Let
it go, let it go
Turn
away and slam the door
I
don't care
what
they're going to say
Let
the storm rage on.
The
cold never bothered me anyway
It's
funny how some distance
Makes
everything seem small
And
the fears that once controlled me
Can't
get to me at all
It's
time to see what I can do
To
test the limits and break through
No
right, no wrong, no rules for me,
I'm
free!
Let
it go, let it go
I
am one with the wind and sky
Let
it go, let it go
You'll
never see me cry
Here
I stand
And
here I'll stay
Let
the storm rage on
My
power flurries through the air into the ground
My
soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
And
one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I'm
never going back, the past is in the past
Let
it go, let it go
And
I'll rise like the break of dawn
Let
it go, let it go
That
perfect girl is gone
Here
I stand
In
the light of day
Let
the storm rage on
The
cold never bothered me anyway!
Wow
– isn’t that great – and the cold never bothered me anyway!
At
our Family Film Club Andrea chooses the films carefully and then prepares a
leaflet to take away. A year ago we showed Frozen. And this is the leaflet that she handed out.
The
Day of Pentecost is a great day for a baptism service – as it’s a day of
looking forward – and looking forward in the presence of God whose love will
never let us go!
A
Hy-Spirit Song
Activities
for all over 3
A
blessing to give and receive
I
prepared this service 10 days ago hard on the heels of the stuff that happened
in Manchester. I then enjoyed a holiday last week, and had the whole day in the
garden yesterday. I was ready just to run with the service I had prepared.
And
then last night all the stuff at London Bridge happened.
Again,
what I had prepared then seemed once more to connect.
It’s
a scary world we are all living in at the moment.
It’s
a scary world these two children are growing up into and indeed all our
children are growing into.
I
have a sneaking feeling it always has been a pretty scary world.
It
certainly was 2000 years ago. The Roman
civilsation was a wonderful civilation. But it was also a brutal one. One of
the few to consider throwing human beings to the lions or pitching them to
fight each other to the death as acceptable entertainment.
And
when they conquered they really did conquer and hold their peoples under
constraint.
It’s
a scary world now.
It was a scary world then.
And
the blessing that was given at Pentecost is a blessing that is as real and
important to us today as it was then.
The
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and that fellowship we can have
with the Holy Spirit and God has with us through the Holy Spirit really can
make a difference to our lives. And
really can make a difference to the lives of these two as they grow older.
It’s
a way of life that’s based on love for one another. And it’s a way of life
that’s rooted in the love God has for us in Christ
It
finds its focus in the life and teaching, the death and resurrection of Christ
and there is that conviction that nothing in the present, or the future,
nothing in life or death, not heights no depths can separate us from the love
of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It’s
that kind of all embracing love that reflects the very nature of God that has
the power to drive away fear.
And
that’s what is scary about our world today.
Terrorism really does breed terror.
In
one sense we must not allow it to.
But
in another sense our Christian faith shows us that fear does not have the last
word – and the thing that drives out fear is love.
Wasn’t’
that the powerful message that came out of Manchester? From taxi drivers to
hoteliers to the guy going round with a placard announcing free hugs for all –
it was a spirit of love that was going to drive away the fear.
But
the reality is we cannot do it on our own.
Fear is not something that we can simply get the better of.
And
the message of Pentecost is that there is a strength and power from beyond
ourselves that we can draw on that can make all the difference in the living of
our lives.
It
is that strength, that power from beyond ourselves that sows in our hearts the
seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control.
This
is what can get the better of those who want to sow the seeds of terror.
Reading:
Galatians 5:22-26
The
fruit of the Spirit is
love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
generosity,
faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control.
There
is no law against such things.
And
those who belong to Christ Jesus
have
crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If
we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
Let
us not become conceited,
competing
against one another,
envying
one another.
Bear
one another’s burdens,
and
in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.
Let’s
make that our prayer as we remain seated and sing
Lots
of people from church have been following bible readings each day – and this
week we begin a sequence of readings for Pentecost – it’s called Longing to
belong – and we find ourselves in conversation with Katie Miller, a pioneer
minister in the Church of England working in Speke in Liverpool. It’s on the
theme Longing to Belong – one in the Spirit.
Wednesday’s
reading caught my eye – it’s a reading I often use in a Baptism service. I had
thought not to use it today as it was Pentecost Sunday – but then I saw these
notes. I want to read the passage and then the notes as well.
Mark
10:13-16
People
were bringing little children to him
in order that he
might touch them;
and the
disciples spoke sternly to them.
But
when Jesus saw this,
he was indignant
and
said to them,
‘Let
the little children come to me;
do not stop them;
for
it is to such as these
that the kingdom
of God belongs.
Truly
I tell you,
whoever
does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child
Jesus
reminds us here that we are one in the Spirit with those of all ages. Children
are not to be excluded. They are welcome and belong also. In fact, they are to
be an example to us of how to receive the Kingdom of God.
I
was recently at a church weekend away where there were, as is not uncommon,
activities for the children.
At
the end of the weekend, at the final service, the children sang for us and
showed some of the activities with which they had been involved.
Everyone was delighted and appreciative of their input.
None
of this is unusual.
However,
after this the adults were then invited to hold out their hands so that the
children could pray for them. Praying simple prayers for those who swished to
be involved, the children circulated the group blessing and praying for all
those holding out their hands. It felt like a profound reversal of roles to
allow the children to bless us. I was reminded that being one in the Spirit
with others means allowing all to both give and receive. We are not truly one
when one group is only ever giving and another only ever receiving.
It
made me think about our service today.
It’s
wonderful to give so much to these two little ons. It is wonderful to promise to give so much
more.
But maybe even more than that is the wonderful they give to us, to us all.
Children
can do that.
It
was Mum who said that Let It Go was their favourite. She had so enjoyed Richard
playing it the other Sunday we asked Richard to play it again today. But then,
not knowing the film very well, I googled it … and what struck me was how
powerful those words were thinking of all these two youngsters had experienced
in their lives. Maybe this was a moment
when they were speaking to us and we were receiving.
I
had just that experience of receiving from youngsters 10 days ago when I did
the assembly at St John’s.
It
was a week last Wednesday. I arrived at St John’s and walked through the
playground ready to take assembly after the morning break.
One
of the teachers came up to me and asked me to say a prayer in assem bly for all
the people in Manchester. I hadn’t thought of doing that. But I went up to the
Head and she was in agrteement. The previous evening I had stumbled across an
article written by Winston’s Wish and published on the Echo Web site. Winston’s
Wish is a Gloucestershire charity that has spread nationwide giving support to
children in bereavement. Their article gave advice about how to talk kto
children about what had happened in Manchester. Don’t cover it up. Tlak about
it with them.
having read the article I felt better equipped … but still very helpless and
not a little apprehensive – what should I say, what words of prayer should I
use – what can one do? How can I give to
the children?
I
went into the assembly only to discover a theatre group had got there before
me. Four Square theatre had been doing a
show called Fishermen’s Tales – telling the story of the fishermen followers of
Jesus./
Actually
it tied in with my Assembly. It was the second one I had done this term on the
term’s theme, Forgiveness. Forgiveness
by numbers. My first assembly had been about the number 3 – three times Peter
denied Jesus, three times the risen Jesus asked him do you love me – three
times Peter was challenged to look after and care for everyone. And the number
of the fish they caught that day could be laid out on the ground in the shape
of an equilateral triangle with seventeen fish on each side of the triangle –
153 fish is the triangular number of 17.
Today’s
assembly turned to the times tables and Jesus’ favourite times table – the
seven times table. Peter lost his cool and wanted to know how many times to
forgive seven times? Seventy-times seven
times.
I
came to the end of my assembly telling the story of the King who forgave the
slave who owed him three and half billion pouds and went outside and wouldn’t forgive
the slave who owed him a mere £60000.
My
talk over I asked the two youngsters operating the computer to put up the words
for the song. I didn’t know it – it was
one the youngsters had learned last year from one of the theatre group when he
had joined the school with I Sing Pop.
Great
way of teaching the youngsters pop songs with all the moves but a Christian
message.
I
decided to say my prayer first.
I
avoided any link with the forgiveness theme – that was something for another
day and another time – and a big one to get your head round in the wake of
Manchester. Not for that day, not for that time.
I
prayed that God would comfort people in Manchester after all that had happened
and I prayed that all over the country we would work together at caring for
each other so that we could all be together and supporting each other.
Something
like that. I hope it was OK – I did my best.
Then
I got them to play the words of the song.
I
was at the front – the youngsters were singing for all they were worth. It may be a year since they did I sing pop –
but they sing the songs brilliantly.
I
found I had to turn with my back to the children – to follow the words.
It
was hard to stop the tears coming down my cheeks.
I
had supposed I would offer something to the children to help them.
They
were a blessing to me as the words they sang were words of hope in a world of
devastation.
And
it took the children to share that blessing with me.
There
is somewhere with a love we can all share
No
more sorrow and a whole new tomorrow
I
can feel it in my fingers
#I
can feel it in my toes
I
can feel my body moving
#letting
everybody know
So
imagine this
Everybody
has love to give
And
we all have a chance to live
Freedom
with sadness ended
Love
defended
There
will be no pain
And
the broken will rise again
Darkness
fading the night will end
Love
is when Chains are broken Heaven opens
A
memorable moment I for one will not forget.
Let’s
join in singing …
246
Spirit of holiness
Spirit of holiness, wisdom and
faithfulness,
wind of the Lord, blowing strongly
and free:
strength of our serving and joy of
our worshipping—
Spirit of God, bring your fulness to
me!
1 You came to interpret and teach us
effectively
all that the Saviour has spoken and
done;
to glorify Jesus is all your
activity—
promise and gift of the Father and
Son:
Chorus
2 You came with your gifts to supply all
our poverty,
pouring your love on the church in
her need;
you came with your fruit for our
growth to maturity,
richly refreshing the souls that you
feed:
Chorus
3 You came to the world in its pride and
futility,
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Prayers
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245
There’s a spirit in the air
This
is the definitive version of the text. An earlier version in Faith Looking
Forward and many other books is given elsewhere but the definitive version
should be used wherever possible.
Our sermons on Sunday mornings are exploring the way we can make that a reality.
Mapping the Church of the Future
As we re-shape the life of our church and dream dreams for the future of Highbury we are reading through Acts on Sunday evenings. Our series of sermons with the title 'Mapping the Church of the Future' is a 21st Century view of Acts.
