Shaking the Trees - a Harvest Celebration

CP

Welcome

649 To Thee, O Lord, our hearts we raise

A big thank you to Shirley for gathering in requests for favourite harvest hymns.  Between our two services today we will have managed to include everyone’s requests.

Favourite harvest hymns

To thee, O Lord, our hearts we raise. William Chatterton Dix* (1837-1898). In 1862 the Convocation of Canterbury issued a form of service for harvest thanksgiving. This harvest hymn was written shortly afterwards, in 1863. It was one of six hymns added to the 1864 edition of Hymns for the Services of the Church, and for Private Devotion, the hymn book of St. Raphael’s Church, Bristol, where Dix worshipped as a youth. I

Harvest is from the Old English word hærfest, meaning "autumn".[note 1] It then came to refer to the season for reaping and gathering grain and other grown products. The full moon nearest the autumnal equinox is called the Harvest Moon.[1] So in ancient traditions Harvest Festivals were traditionally held on or near the Sunday of the Harvest Moon.

By the sixteenth century a number of customs seem to have been firmly established around the gathering of the final harvest. They include the reapers accompanying a fully laden cart; a tradition of shouting "Hooky, hooky"; and one of the foremost reapers dressing extravagantly, acting as 'lord' of the harvest and asking for money from the onlookers.

Early English settlers took the idea of harvest thanksgiving to North America. The most famous one is the harvest Thanksgiving held by the Pilgrims in 1621.

The modern British tradition of celebrating Harvest Festival in churches began in 1843, when the Reverend Robert Hawker invited parishioners to a special thanksgiving service at his church at Morwenstow in Cornwall.Victorian hymns such as "We plough the fields and scatter", "Come ye thankful people, come" and "All things bright and beautiful" but also Dutch and German harvest hymns in translation helped popularise his idea of harvest festival and spread the annual custom of decorating churches with home-grown produce for the Harvest Festival service. Another early adopter of the custom as an organised part of the Church of England calendar was Rev. Piers Claughton at Elton, Huntingdonshire in or about 1854.^[3]

Wikepedia

Harvest Thanksgiving

For the rich soil of the countryside, for

the good seed, and for the green corn

springing out of the earth,

we thank you God,

and praise your holy name.

For the warm sweetness of the fertile

rain, for the hot days of ripening sun,

and for the harvest,

we thank you, O God,

and praise your holy name.

For the yield of the forests, the earth

and the sea,

we thank you O God,

and praise your holy name.

For all who work on the land, in the

mines, or on the waters, and for their

courage in days of difficulty and

disappointment,

we thank you O God,

and praise your holy name.

For those who work in office, shop,

factory and in transport, to meet our

needs, we thank you O God,

and praise your holy name.

For these and all your blessings we

make our harvest thanksgiving and

give you all the glory:

Glory be to the Father,

and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now,

and shall be for ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our harvest each year has a focus – part on our own mission project – for our Children’s worker and part on a world project.

This year the Olive Tree Project – the olive tree harvest inPalestine isfast approaching – Sue McLellan who joined us from Embrace the Middle Esat willbe going out to help in the planting.  The tragedy is that the harvest is very much at the heart of the conflict in Palestine and Israel – water denied, trees uprooted.  Support in planting – the simplest of gestures working for peace

The Olive harvest involves shaking the tree – our Old Testament reading reminds us that as with so many references to the harvest in the Old Testament the shaking of the olives is for the alien, the orphan and the widow …

Reading:  Deuteronomy 24:17-22

The hills around Bethlehem are the hills of this wonderful Psalm – how important it is to look to the hills and find help in God -

Psalm 121 – the Congregation  CP 858

Help from God – that sense of protection is what is at the heart of the Olive Tree Project

It is a small gesture – but the tiniest of gestures is so important.

Parables of the seed.

Reading:  Mark 4:26-32

Psalm 121 is one of a set of pilgrimage hymns – pilgrimage to the Holy Land is filled with a sense of conflict and a sense of God’s presence in times of trouble.

Psalm 126

 "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."^[1] 

It was this verse that inspired Knowles Shaw, an American from Ohio, to write the next of our hymns.

How important it is to sow those seeds of kindness.

But also notice – it’s in the bad times as well as the good.

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,

Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;

Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Refrain:

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves,

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,

Fearing neither clouds nor winter’s chilling breeze;

By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Hymn:  Bringing in the sheaves

The tiniest of seeds grows into the greatest of trees.

Sowing seeds of kindness

We are in our harvest service challenged to think of those small seeds to plant for justice and for peace in Palestine – the focus we have on the Olive Tree – the Olive Tree Project.

It is the small things that make for peace and for justice.

Not to be despised.

But for each of us there are small things we can do.  Practical things.  Maybe a word that is helpful.  Some small gesture.  Good to think what it is that we can do – this week.  Make a commitment to do just that.

But it is harder than you think – and sometimes we let God down – we let ourselves down – we do not do as we ought.

How we need to lift our eyes up to the hills from whence cometh our help – our help cometh from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.

Prayer of Confession

O God our ~Father, we confess that we have often used your gifts carelessly, and acted as though we were not grateful.

Hear our prayer

And in your mercy

Forgive us and help us.

When we enjoy the fruits of the harvest, but forget they come from you

Then, Father, in your mercy,

Forgive us and help us.

When we are full and satisfied, but ignore the cry of the hungry and those in need –

Then, Father, in your mercy

Forgive us and help us.

When we are thoughtless, and do not treat with respect or care for the wonderful world you have made –

Then, Father in your mercy

Forgive us and help us.

When we store up goods for ourselves alone, as if there were no God and no heaven – then, Father in your mercy

Forgive us and help us.

How we need to lift up our eyes unto the hills from whence cometh our help.

Our help cometh even from the Lord who hath made heaven and earth.

Let’s turn once again to that Psalm and seek the strengthening of God – number 858 – and make this our prayer – as the choir this time sing those words

Psalm 121 – the Choir

The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil

He shall preserve thy soul

The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in

From this time forth and even for evermore.

In the knowledge of that forgiving love of God – we can reach back now and reaffirm our commitment to those most in need – to that justice and that peace that God longs for.  That justice that is at the heart of our Harvest thanksgiving service.

We reach back to Deuteronomy 26

You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow’s garment in pledge. Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this.

 When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all your undertakings. When you beat your olive trees, do not strip what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.

 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this.

It is that commitment to justice and to peace that inspired Henry Roberts Moxley, who was Minister of what was then the Summer Town Congregational Church in Oxford just after the war when Oxfam was founded.   Our thoughts as we sing this turn to his sister in law, Mrs Moxley and to Caroline Gregory – who will be thinking of us this evening – and is having a week’s respite over at the Summerfield home.

652 Praise we now the God of heaven

Now we make our Harvest Collection

Our Harvest Collection

John Gurney had once ministered in the Parish Church in Lutterworth which was home to John Wycliffe – he was passionate in the work of mission through the Religious Tract Society and the SPCK.  One suspects, however, that when he wrote his hymn inviting us in our mind’s eye to go to Canaan’s pleasant land where fair waved the golden corn … he had little knowledge of that land.

Indeed at the time it was a land that lived in relative peace.  As Jewish, Muslim and Christian lived side by side in the time of the Ottoman Empire.

We have very much more vivid pictures of that land now – and we think particularly of those who work for peace and for justice in that place.

This is a hymn that seeks God’s blessing from the morning to the evening of our lives, from the time of sowing to the time of reaping.

647 Fair waved the golden corn

Prayers of Concern

The next is one of those anthemic harvest hymns I have grown up with – but Congregational Prasie is the only hymn book it has ever been published in.

The only other hymn by A C Ainger in Congregational Praise is another anthemic hymn – God is working his purpose out as year succeeds to year.

Maybe as we sing this hymn it is a hymn that prompts in us a sense of hope in times of adversity.

The Olive Tree Project takes us into the midst of conflict with that commitment to working for peace and for justice in the smallest of ways.

As our country has again formally gone to war again this weekend, there can be a sense of despair.

This is a hymn that invites us to go back in order to look forwad with hope, that kind of sure and certain hope that knows nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lrod.

More than that, however, it takes us back to the importance of sowing little seeds – we do our part in the trust that God too is at work in his world.

We sowed the seed and watered it

In sorrow and in care:

But God alone the increase gave

And bade it blossom fair.

God is our hope and strength to-day

And therefore we will not fear

For the harvest of bygone ages

In the hope of the coming days

Go into his gates with thankfulness

And into his courts with praise.

651 Let all our brethren join in one

Let all God’s people join in one

And in verse 3 let’s personalise the hymn and sing We sowed the seed

Words of Blessing

May God the Father, who is the source of all growth, the provider of refreshing rain, nourishing the earth and warm sunlight, pour his blessings on us and all his children, and send us out in the power of his spirit to live and work for his praise and glory.

Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

Amen.

Jesus - the Word of God

Sometimes the simplest of ideas make you stop and think.  They can be most moving.  It was the simplest of ideas and it hadn’t occurred to me before.

I teach on the course that our churches run – we have a new name – the Congregaional Institute of Practical Theology.   We have an introductory course for anyone and everyone, called the Gift Course.  Then we do a Foundation Degree in Practical Theology and finally an honours degree top up as well.   That meant last week I did effectively two weekends back to back.  It was great the Karen Waldock was with us from the Wednesday evening to the Friday when I was teaching three sessions with Karen.

Then over the weekend there were about 40 of us, tutors and students, with 10 people from churches all over the country starting the FdA in Practical Theology   I teach the first of their modules and so spent the whole weekend in their company – I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did!

What I was exploring and then shared in preaching at the final service of the weekend is something that I am more and more passionate about.

I believe it is really important that we work out how it is that we read the Bible.  And the thing more than anything else for me that unlocks the bible is a very simple idea.

We are Christians, for us reading the Bible we are on the lookout for the way Jesus is right at the centre of the Bible.  Especially when it comes to the struggle we have at times reading the Old Testament the key is to read it through the eyes of Jesus.  Some will remember a series we did quite some while back now – The Idiots’ Guide to the Old Testament.

We used a time cone – saw Jesus at the centre and then in reading the Old Testament we must always see it through the eyes of Jesus.

With all sorts of other things going on – it’s exhilierating, and exhausting in equal measure.  But so important to do.

The weekend over I went to have lunch with my predecessor here at Highbury, Eric Burton, and meet up with Cherry and Graham and their son Mark.  Eric and the family all send their love to everyone – it was lovely to share with Eric for the afternoon.  Great to catch a glimpse of that little prayer book Eric keeps and to know of his prayers for us.

Coming back from such a weekend is always a bit like coming back down to earth with a bump.  Into the pattern of things.  And a busy week.

Tuesday lunch time was the lunch meeting we have as Church Leaders in Cheltenham – bringing together ministres representing different denominations and networks of churches.

On Tuesday it was good to welcome someone from the Police who is the Christian Police Association representative in the Gloucestershire constabulary.  He was talking about the growing role of chaplaincy in the police locally – at a time of reduced numbers in the police and increased work loads all the support services are recorded – except for the chaplaincy.  It is being developed to provide a completely confidential listening ear.  Interesting to see.  And a call for us to pray for the police as they go through a difficult time at the moment of changed patterns of working and significantly reduced levels of policing.   All very much for our prayers.

Tudor Griffiths who is the Rector of Cheltenham was leading the meeting and he it was who shared with us the simple idea that in the opening prayers somehow spoke very much to me.

I found it very moving  And I felt I simply wanted to share the idea this morning.

Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm in the Book of Psalms.

It is one of those highly crafted psalms that is Hebrew Poetry at its finest.  The Good News Bible doesn’t really do the craftsmanship of the Psalm justice.   Neither for that matter does my NRSV.  The Authorised Version on the table in front of the Communion  Table does.

The Psalm is divided into 22 sections of 8 verses.  Although the verse divisions don’t appear in the original Hebrew, that’s exactly how the original Hebrew is divided up.

There are 22 letters in the Hebrew Alphabet.

The first section is made up of 8 couplets, each of which starts with the first letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, Aleph, A. The second section is made up of 8 couplets each of which starts with the second letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, Bet, B.  And so on right the way through the Hebrew Alphabet.

it is one of a number of acrostic poems in the book of Psalms.

That in itself suggests something.

Maybe it’s an ABC with a teaching message to press home.

Maybe it’s an all encompassing Psalm that includes everything from A to Z.

No matter, it has a clear structure.

Look carefully at those 8 couplets and you will find that in almost every one of those 8 couplets is a reference to a single thing – thought the writer of the Psalm actually uses different words to describe it.

The single thing is the Word of God, or the Law of God, or the Commandments of God,  or the Precepts of God.

Let’s read it through in the NRSV …

You have dealt well with your servant,

   O Lord, according to your word.

66 Teach me good judgement and knowledge,

   for I believe in your commandments.

67 Before I was humbled I went astray,

   but now I keep your word.

68 You are good and do good;

   teach me your statutes.

69 The arrogant smear me with lies,

   but with my whole heart I keep your precepts.

70 Their hearts are fat and gross,

   but I delight in your law.

71 It is good for me that I was humbled,

   so that I might learn your statutes.

72 The law of your mouth is better to me

   than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Look out now for the word or phrase in each couplet that refers to the Word of God or the Law of God.

You have dealt well with your servant,

   O Lord, according to your word.

66 Teach me good judgement and knowledge,

   for I believe in your commandments.

67 Before I was humbled I went astray,

   but now I keep your word.

68 You are good and do good;

   teach me your statutes.

69 The arrogant smear me with lies,

   but with my whole heart I keep your precepts.

70 Their hearts are fat and gross,

   but I delight in your law.

71 It is good for me that I was humbled,

   so that I might learn your statutes.

72 The law of your mouth is better to me

   than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

The poet has a book of synonyms, a Hebrew equivalent of Roget’s thesaurus.  You can do the exercise in any section of Psalm 119 and you have this wonderful celebration of what the Word of God means for us.  In its own right it is great.  But as Christian readers we put Jesus at the centre of the Bible, we see the Bible through the eyes of Jesus.

More than that when we come to the New  Testament Jesus is described as the Word of God.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

Let’s come back to the Psalm – and see how it is transformed from being an interesting reflection on the Word of God, to a wonderful celebration that is at the same time thought-provoking of Jesus himself.

In the place of that phrase or word that refers to God’s word let’s put Jesus.

It is a wonderful reminder that Jesus is the one who has dealt kindly with us.

Jesus is the one who provides us with good judgements and knowledge.

Jesus is the one who lifts us up when we are humbled, who brings us back when we go astray.

Jesus has about him a goodness – it is that goodness that we seek to suffuse our lives and pour through us.

Sometimes we come up against the arrogance of those who spread deceit athings that hurt – it is at that point so important for us with our  whole heart to focus on Jesus.

Sometimes things can overwhelm us and it feels as if everything around us is out of sorts and gross … at those moments how good to find in Jesus all we need.

It is perverse – sometimes it can be good to have a humbling experience because that takes us back to our reliance on Jesus.

Indeed, Jesus is better than all the riches of the world

Just try it with these verses – try it with other sections of Psalm 119 – and something very moving happens.

You have dealt well with your servant,

   O Lord, according to Jesus.

66 Teach me good judgement and knowledge,

   for I believe in Jesus.

67 Before I was humbled I went astray,

   but now I keep Jesus.

68 You are good and do good;

   teach me Jesus.

69 The arrogant smear me with lies,

   but with my whole heart I keep Jesus.

70 Their hearts are fat and gross,

   but I delight in Jesus.

71 It is good for me that I was humbled,

   so that I might learn Jesus.

72 Jesus  is better to me

   than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

As in a moment we gather around the Table of our Lord to share in the Lord’s Supper how, maybe we can use this as our meditation – and seek in all things Jesus.

Love

Today we shared our Sunday morning service with friends from St Luke's.  On Friday we had welcomed thirty to forty youngsters for a special Summer Fun day and had shared the wonder of God's love.

The love God has for his world, the love God has for us and the love we are called to share with others.

These are only very rough notes of all we shared today ...

Call to Worship

Let us love one another, for love comes from God.  For God is love!

Hymn 217 Love divine, all loves excelling

On the platform for our day on Friday we had a tree ... the youngsters had shared thoughts about it.  It was a reminder of the way the story of the tree goes from start to finish of the Bible.  In the wonder of God's creation as people find themselves in the garden of creation at its heart is a tree, the tree of life.

At the foot of our tree was a dark heart.   And around the heart crumpled pieces of paper. The trunk of the tree had the appearance of a cross.  On the crumpled pieces of paper those feelings and thoughts that trouble us, weigh us down and which let us down and let God down.  Selfish ambition.  Telling lies.  Hurting others.

In our prayer we laid those troubling thoughts down.

And then above the cross on the tree a heart full of life ... and from that renewed heart, we were taken to another image used by Paul of the fruit that's borne of the spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generoisty, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

In our opening prayer we laid down all those things that trouble, those things in our hearts that are troubling to God.  We rejoiced at that forgiving love God has for us in Christ and we prayed that we too might bear the fruit of the Spirit in the living of our lives that through us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control may flow into our world and make a difference in people's lives.

Our prayer was followed by the Lord's prayer.

We then focused our thoughts on the love God has for whole world.

God loves the whole world

We talked about the wonderful collage that was the focal point of our platform display of the glory of God's creation - and invited everyone to look at Genesis chapter 1 in the church Bibles.   We worked through the chapter and reflected on the wonderfully rich poetry these ancient words use to convey the most wonderful truth of all that the glory of the world around us is the glory of God's creation ... and it is good!

Poetry that complements the science that tells us how that world came to be and with which the science in now way conflicts.

AS we were reflecting on those words, Judi took the younger members of the congregation into the porch and prepared with them a wonderful re-telling of the glory of creation.

LIGHT  -  have two people (possibly Adam and Matthew)  'hidden' behind the lecturns and when LIGHT is mentioned they stand waving white flags which they then drape over the edges of the lecturns.  They then come down off the platform to stand each side at the front to help organise the children.

SKY  -  I shall ask Angela -  blue flag to wave

SEA  -  I shall ask Emily  -  blue/turquoise flag to wave under the SKY.  (The cloth for EARTH will already be in place on the floor of the platform  and Emily can lower the flag onto this.)

EARTH  -  Emily raises her flag and encourages two children to lift the brown cloth and put it down again.  Then she and the children come off the platform and she sends the children down a side aisle to the back of the church.

COLOUR  -  Two children, organised by Matthew and Adam wave the multicoloured fabric, put it down on the platform and pretend to be trees.  Then two other children, organised by Angela and Emily walk on from the side (at the front) carrying pink floral flags.

SUN and MOON  - Two children, organised by Matthew and Adam walk on from the sides with a yellow flag for the SUN and a white flag for the MOON and stand on the platform.

STARS  - up to three childen organised by Angela and Emily come on to the platform with silvery shakey things.

I shall be at the back of the church organising the following with hopefully Phil and Christian helping

FLYING THINGS  -  birds

SPLASHING THINGS - fish etc

ANIMALS - various

ADAM AND EVE -  rather than choosing an Adam and Eve, what about the whole congregation stands for this part and perhaps there's something (short) we can all sing together while waving the various flags?

We went on to sing the song  My God is so big - it's the bigness of God that we celebrate in God's creation.

We then looked through some slides of the fun things we had done with the children ... and interspersed with the slides verses from the Bible that go to the heart of our faith in the God who is love.

For God is love

Great to share with the children – about God’s love – something we all share – look at the different things we did … and then the Congregation to read out the verses we were invited to think about.

1 John 4:7 - John 3:16

Matthew 22:39

1 Corinthians 13:4

1 John 4:10

Let us love one another, for love comes from God.
1 John 4:7

God loves the whole world

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes
in him shall not perish
but have eternal life.
John 3:16

You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
Matthew 22:39

You shall love
the Lord your God
with all your heart and
with all your soul and
with all your might.
Deuteronomy 6:5

Love is patient,
love is kind.
It does not boast,
it is not proud.
1 Corinthians 13:4

This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.
1 John 4:10

We then sang a song inspired by the words of John 3:16

Song: God so loved the world

That gives rise to the question … what is love?

Mike Workman of St Luke's then shared something of what we had shared with the children in answer to that question on Friday

What is love?

We looked at the love God has for the whole world, the love God has for us and the love we can share with each other.

Adrian shared in Prayers of love and concern for those we know to be in need and for the troubled parts of the world - the prayers were worked around the words What does God require of us but to love mercy to do justice and to walk humbly before our God.

We then made a presentation to Carolyn who today finishes three years of work with us as our Children's worker and latterly as our Children's Ministry Leader.  Carolyn presented us with a wonderful photobook of the time she has spent with us.

Carolyn's Photo-Book

Offering and Dedication

As our service came to an end we went back to the foot of the tree.

As the Bible begins with the tree of life, so it comes to an end with the tree of life.  It is in that wonderful vision of the new heaven and the the new earth where mourning and crying and pain are no more, where God makes all things new.   Then there's a vision of the waters of the river of life flowing out into the desert of the world and on each side of the river the tree - which fruits in each month of the year, all the year round.  And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

So people were invited to take home with them a promise and a prayer ... to think and maybe write someone's name to pray for this coming week, or maybe some part of the world.

Love one another for love comes from God.  And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

Hymn:  In Christ alone

Words of Blessing

The Building Blocks of Faith

Following on from the united service with St Luke's that we shared this morning [see the previous blog] we reflected this evening on the building blocks of faith.

It was great to share with so many children at our Summer Fun Day on Friday something that goes to the very heart of the faith we share.

Love

The love God has for the world, the love God has for each one of us and the love we share with each other.

That love that goes to the heart of our faith.

It was good sharing with friends from St Luke’s – Mike used a set of jenga blocks – stand one up and it easily falls, stand two up and they fall – but place a block on top and hold it down – and it’s so much stronger.

I want to reflect on what we can build our faith on.

Turn to Hebrews 11 –

How can we be sure of our faith?

1) Faith founded on Creation

Chapter 11 is one of those great chapters of the Bible.

It begins with a wonderful definition of faith.

faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen

It’s not proof.

It is not something tangible.

It is unseen – yet it is real.

What’s the foundation for faith?

First of all there is that sense one can have looking at the beauty and the majesty of the world that there is something more to it than we can see.

By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

Sense of wonder at the world.  – The beauty of the coast – the wonder of the sea – Chesil beach with three pebbles – large at Portland – medium sized at Abbotsbury tiny at West Bay – the world in a pebble.  Wonderful!

AS the service came to a close we said a big thank you to Carolyn for the last three years she has shared with us as our  children’s worker and latterly as our children’s ministry leader.

It was lovely when Carolyn presented us with a gift too.

It was aphotograph album of the time she has spent with us over the last three years.

A lovely way of remembering.

Carolyn has a very artistic eye and it includes backgrounds and photos she has taken – just of ordinary things that look extraordinary – four twigs on Crickley Hill!

And then turning the pages – I thought she had included a photo I had taken, but no, after one conversation she and Pete had visited one of my favourite beauty spots.

It’s at the top of the bwlch – desribed in one of the geology books I have as one of the finest mountain roads in the UK – from Bridgend over to the Rhondda – magnificent mountain scenery.

Carolyn's Photo book

And there a quotation – for the earth is the Lord’s – how manifold are all thy works.

This is the beauty of creation.

It’s a photo album – a family album of Carolyn’s time with us as children’s worker.

How do you think of the Bible – as a code book, a book of rules and regulations – try thinking of it as a family album.  Something to dip into.  You catch a glimpse of someone and you can fill out the story

That’s what I do as I skim Carolyn’s album with lots of June’s photos as well.

That’s what the Bible is like.

That’s how Hebrews saw the Bible.

For the second building block for our faith is people of faith.

That’s what we catch a glimpse of in Hebrews 11.

But faith is not just founded on the world and its beauty.

Faith is founded on the people of faith who have made such a mark on us.

So the second of the building blocks of faith is people who show their faith to us - in the BIble and beyond

2) People of Fath

Faith is what makes people tick – the people of the Bible.

The writer then treats us to a flick through the pages of the family album.  In pen pictures he conveys a wonderful sense of the faith that makes people tick.

Abel, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses,

He tells the story – lets us see the snapshots.

And then runs out of time.

And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection.

So treasure the pages of the family album – bring to mind the people of faith that have meant the world to you – treasure their stories.

Returning to a Greenfield stie Greenbelt had it all … it’s a beautiful world of God’s creation – in the gentle rolling countryside of the East Midlands that felt like home.  The beauty of the world.

Then the testimony of people of faith.

Mpo Tutu was one of the main guests – speaking about the work she is doing with her faither in the work of reconciliation and forgiveness.

Mpo Tutu – on forgiveness – the four steps

Desmond Tutu – his infectious laugh – a life underpinned by faith

But however wonderful the stories – people can let you down.  It’s easy for the building blocks to be knocked over for the foundations to be shaken.

Martyn Joseph – 9-50 on Monday night … but I caught him sing one song on his own … at the end of an evening that had included the Tallis Singers singing Thomas Tallis lamentations – his songs are angry, despairing – he spoke of visiting a family in Bethlehem – a Christian family – children were agonising … he shared the anger – but then the grandfather put his hand on his shoulder and said there isn’t time for the luxury of despair.

Song – the Luxury of Despair.

The song was one of those laments.

I looked up faith in a Dictonary of the Old Testatment and the index took me to a section on Lament by Walter Moberly, Lecturer in OT in Durham University.

The most frequent occurrence of laments is in the Psalter.  Indeed, the single most numerous type of psalm, more  numerous even thatn hymns of praise, is the lament.  Although this fact is routinely noted in introductions to the Psalms, its signifance is less often explored.,  Such predominance of laments at the very heart of Israel’s prayers means that the problems that give rise to kament are not something marginal or unusual but rather are central to the life of faith (cf. the exploration of this issue in Job).  Moreover they show that the experience of anguish and puzzlement in the life of faith is not a sign of deficient faith, something to be outgrown or put behind one, but rather is intrinsic to the very nature of faith.  Instead of the problems of the life of faith being put on one side, as though worship should really be just a matter of praise and thanksgiving, these problems are made central lto the very act of prayer and worship.  The practical realism of the these psalms is most striking.

Faith can be knocked -

Faith founded on the wonder of God in creation – it can be knocked – for nature red in tooth and claw gives rise to many questions …

Faith founded on the witness of other people that too can be knocked – as people you have honoured, put your trust in let themselves down – and you feel let you down.

But the faith that is so important to us is a faith that is founded on one thing more.

The main foundation – the most important foundation of all.

We move beyond Hebrews 11 to the start of Hebrews 12.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

I love that image – our Christian life is a race to be run – and we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus – looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter – or as one translation puts it the one on whom our faith depends from beginning to end.

3) Jesus Christ - on whom our faith depends from beginning to end

Mpho Tutu was interviewed by someone called Richard Burridge – I picked up a book of his in the bookshop – on Jesus.  Four Gospels, One Jesus?

An excellent introduction to the Gospels – it’s going down on the reading list for the bit of our course that begins in January.

He delights in the way that we have four different portraits of Jesus –

He begins with one example of someone having different portraits –

It made me think of another of our visits on Holiday – T>E> Lawrence

The classical scholar – translator of the Odyssey – inscription over the door of his house – do not worry –

The friend of Arabs – Lawrence of Arabia

The warrior –

The diplomat – involved in the peace settlements

Different portraits – but the same person -

Traditional pictures associated with each Gospel –

Mark’s Jesus – - the lion the roar of the Lion

Matthew’s Jesus – the human face – the teacher of Israel

John’s Jesus – the eagle – the high flying eagle

… and the one that caught my eye this evening

Luke’s Jesus – the ox – the bearer of burdens

Richard Burridge says this,

As well as a patient steay plodder, carrying heavy loads, the ox was a very religious symbol for Jews being used for sacrifice, and its horns representing the power of God.  If Luke is the evangelist who depicts Jesus as the bearer of burdens, he also most clearly describes his resources.

Prayer

The Holy Spirit

Joy and Praise

This is what holds it all together.

This is the strength our faith needs.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God we receive and the love of God we give in Christ Jesus our Lord

“So what are you preaching about on Sunday?”

The question took me unawares.

My friend wanted to be remembered to everyone … and she is pleased to think she is remembered by everyone.  She hasn’t been so well recently and is not really able to get out as she would want to.

The question took me unawares … but I was not unprepared.  No bad thing because it was still the middle of the week.

I knew roughly what I would be saying this morning and so I could tell her.

So this is very much a re-run of something I have already shared.

Even as I was sharing it it struck me that this was something that speaks into the kind of situation Caroline finds herself in, I found it was something that was speaking in a very different but no less real way to me as well.

Today we come to the end of the magazine, booklet that was shared with us at our Congregational Federation May Meetings down in Bristol

It tells the story of ‘the journey of the flame, a symbol of both the light of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.”

It’s the power of the Holy Spirit that’s working in our church through enabling people to use their gifts.

It is the power of the Holy Spirit that lifts us up when we are down.

It’s the Spirit that brings unity, binding us together,

… and binding us together with the Jesus whose love is for all.

It’s the Spirit that brings hope as we seek to build a better future

It’s the Spirit that brings light, shining in our world, our churches, our homes and our hearts

And now we come to the end of our book and the final thought …

The Spirit brings love

Look back and thank God,

Look forward and trust God

Look around and find God

Look within and know God

The God who is love.

My theme for today had been in a sense chosen for me.

It was earlier that day that I had been reflecting on what passage of Scripture to turn to.

I had been drawn to what is one of the really great chapters in the Bible about the Holy Spirit.  Romans chapter 8.  In the morning I hadn’t been sure where I would start.

“So what are you preaching about on Sunday?”  was the question I had been asked.

I took a deep breath and jumped into the middle of the chapter.

Sometimes it can be very hard to find the right words for prayer.  Sometimes it is hard to pray.  Sometimes it can feel almost impossible to pray.  Maybe that’s the point when it feels hard to be a Christian, almost impossible to hold on to that faith.

It is exactly at that point that Paul has a wonderful insight to share with us … it’s exactly at that point when the words fail us, when the thoughts aren’t there that God is still there – and God is there with us in our weakness, groaning.

the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.

Prayer matters not because at all times we can find the right words to pray.  Prayer matters because at those moments we find ourselves unable to pray it’s not just that others are praying for us, important though that is, it’s God who is there with us, sharing in our every weakness, groaning with us when words just won’t come.

There’s lots more Paul has to say … but my thoughts jump then to a question.

35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

This is leading towards one of those wonderful passages that I’ve come back to time and time again.  It has a warmth to it, a confidence to it, something tremendously powerful.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ?

The love that is thought of here is that warm love Christ has for us as his love surrounds us and upholds us and is always there.

Who will separate us from this wonderful love of Christ that in the words of the children’s song is so wonderful you can’t get over it, you can’t get round it, you can’t get under it?

Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

 ³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

³⁸For I am convinced that

neither death, nor life,

nor angels, nor rulers,

nor things present, nor things to come,

nor powers, 

³⁹nor height, nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

This is a wonderful thought.

The Spirit takes over in our weakness and is that strength from beyond ourselves we need so that we can have that assurance that the love of God in Christ Jesus is something that will always be with us, always be around us, always be deep within us.

It’s at this point that I could have brought my thoughts to a close.  That’s enough of a thought for one day.

The conversation went on a little.

But there was something more I wanted to say.

I have come back to these verses and seen them in a different light over the last week or so.  It was last Sunday when I found myself wanting in my preaching to make something of a response to all the horror we have been so aware of on the news recently.

I might have kept that to myself.  Why go on to think of that.   But it is one of the perverse things in our society today that if you are not able to get out so much, if y ou find yourself at home, the TV will be on maybe more than once it was.  And you cannot help but see the news.  And that too tears at your soul.

It was Elias Chacour, that remarkable Arab Christian Palestinian Israeli citizen who gets you thinking about the Beatitutdes differently – take them back into the Aramaic Jesus would have spoken and the word we translate as blessed becomes an active word, not so much a passive word.

Why don’t we try doing that with this word love?

I have always taken it to mean here at the end of Romans 8 the kind of love of God in Christ that surrounds us that strengthens us that comforts us that upholds us.

There is nothing in all of creation that can separate us from the warm embrace  of that love of God in Christ Jesus.

Words of wonderful comfort.

But what if there’s more to these words than that?

The love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord is not just a love that we are on the receiving end of.  It is a love that we are to be active in sharing with other people.  It is a love we receive from God that then becomes active in the very way we lead our lives for the sake of other people that is at the heart of the Chrsitian faith.

What if, as paul is coming the climax of this first part of a letter that is written to a set of Chrsitians who are living in a very hostile environment in Nero’s Rome, he is not just talking about the comfort you receive from the love of God, but also the need to keep on being active in the love we share with others.

IS there something else this question is asking as well?

Who will separate us from the love of Christ, from that active business of getting up and getting involved and working at the love of Christ we are called to share with the hungry, the poor, the thirsty, the naked?

Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Will all the awful things we see happening in our world make us lose our resolve to keep at it, to work at making a difference?

It’s not an idle question.    The hopelessness of the situation can get the better of you.  There is such hardship, such persecution, the sword is so much in evidence … it’s enough to make you give up on this whole thing of getting up and being active in love for others.

Every one of us can be active in doing something to make a difference – a new resolve to pray and to keep praying – to give where there is need – I mentioned the Lighthouse School – it is one of those partners Embrace the Middle East works with –

It is what draws me to support the statement I read out last week from the Bethlehem Bible College

We are against killing children and innocent people. We support love not hatred, justice not oppression, equality not bigotry, peaceful solutions not military solutions. Violence will only beget wars, it will bring more pain and destruction for all the nations of the region. Peacemaking rooted in justice is the best path forward. Therefore, we commit ourselves to spread a culture of love, peace, and justice in the face of violence, hatred, and oppression.

Come back to those last words of Romans 8 and they are not just wonderful words of promise, they are powerful words of commitment

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord …

… that active business of getting up and getting involved and working at the love of God we are called to share in Christ Jesus our Lord with the hungry, the poor, the thirsty, the naked.

What we are doing to help:

1. Support theEmbrace the Middle East GazaEmergency Appeal

2. Pray – a link toprayers for Gaza that have come in from Embrace the Middle East's Partners

Embrace the Middle East

Gaza Emergency Appeal

Support our Palestinian Christian partners in Gaza as they pick up the pieces in the hospitals and clinics.

We need to raise £60,000 to support emergency relief.

Depending on the exact needs of our partners, it is likely that funding will go towards:

Medicine and medical supplies to Al Ahli, NECC health clinics, and Caritas Jerusalem health clinics

Fuel for Al Ahli and NECC clinics

Food parcels for families*

Blankets for displaced families