John 10:11-18 Leadership

Introduction

There was a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application form that asked, "Are you a leader?" Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, "No," and returned the application, expecting the worst.

To her surprise, she received this letter from the college: "Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower."

This morning, we are reflecting on the subject of leadership. What are the qualities of leadership that we should be looking for as Christians? How does this relate to leadership within the life of the church, and what things can we learn for our own lives?

Our reading from John’s gospel sheds some very interesting light on the sort of qualities we should be looking for in our leaders.

The Good Shepherd: Leads from the front

Jesus used many different metaphors to describe himself, I am the true Vine, I am the way, the truth and the life, I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, and I am the good shepherd.
What do we learn about leadership from the good shepherd? Firstly, the good shepherd leads from the front. Here in Walsall we don’t see many sheep, but I come from Cumbria where sheep greatly out number humans, and when moving sheep the shepherd drivers the sheep from behind, with the use of dogs. However, in the middle east the shepherd leads the sheep from the front. This is why in Psalm 23, known by many as ‘The Lord’s my Shepherd’, it talks of God leading us beside still waters.

And this is one of the first qualities of good leadership, a leader is one who leads from the front, and most importantly, they are people that others want to follow. However, the Bible warns against the blind leading the blind, and so vision is an important quality in leadership. In Proverbs 29:18 it states, that “Without vision, the people perish.” If we consider churches that are growing, and having a real impact on their communities, you will discover that the leadership within those churches have a clear vision of where it is they are heading, and what it is they hope to achieve. This sort of vision, needs to be rooted in prayer and careful study of scriptures, because what we seeking is God’s vision for the church. There is a quote which says, “Vision that looks inward becomes duty. Vision that looks outward becomes aspiration. Vision that looks upward becomes faith.” It is that sort of vision we need to look for.

When a shepherd leads his sheep, they choose to follow him, not because they are coersed to do so, but because they trust the shepherd. And the skill of a really good leader is to lead people to where they don’t necessarily always want to go, but ought to be. In order to achieve this, there are certain qualities which are essential in order to be a good leader.

During the second world war Dwight Eisenhower served as the supreme commander of allied forces in Europe, and in 1953 went on to become the 34th President of the United States of America. This is what he said in reference to the qualities necessary for leadership. “In order to be a leader a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence the supreme quality of a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, on a football field, in an army, or in an office. If a man's associates find him guilty of phoniness, if they find that he lacks forthright integrity, he will fail. His teachings and actions must square with each other. The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose.”

Lays down his life

The other thing we learn about leadership from John’s Gospel, is that the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Jesus makes a contrast between the good shepherd and the hired hand. The main difference is that the good shepherd cares for his flock, where as the hired hand doesn’t. Shepherding is a hard, demanding and costly way of life. In 1 Samuel 17:34-35 David describes what it was like to care for a flock, and protect it from wild animals. “Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.”

To be a good leader, in whatever sphere that may be, means caring for those you are responsible for, and this can be very costly. It can be costly, emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. Consider for example, the way in which those who Jesus loved, and had cared for during the course of his ministry, abandoned him at the moment he needed them the most. Being in a position of leadership can at times be very lonely.

Knows his sheep

The other thing we notice from this passage is that the good shepherd knows his sheep. To be totally honest, I cannot tell the difference between one sheep and another, they all look pretty much the same to me, but the good shepherd knows each sheep individually. In the context of God, the message is clear, God knows us all by name, he knows us better than we know ourselves. He understands our needs, he understands our struggles and our anxieties, and as the story of the shepherd who goes in search of the lost sheep reminds us, he loves us as if we were the only person in the world.

Applying this to leadership, a good leader knows and cares for those that they are immediately responsible for. It is about putting the interests of others first. Leadership can follow one of two routes. Either it is directed to the self life of the leader, or it is directed selflessly for the good of those who are led. The former is the way of the world, which leads to death; the latter is the way of Jesus, which leads to life. The understanding of leadership from a Christian perspective is about becoming the servant of all, and this requires humility. Again our greatest example is that of Jesus. When James and John came to Jesus and asked to sit one at his right and the other at his left, Jesus responded “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 10:44-45) Good leaders, must first become good servants.

The sheep know his voice

Just as the shepherd knows the sheep, so the sheep know the voice of the shepherd. I heard a story of one visitor to the Holy Land, who witnessed an extraordinary scene. There had been a storm, and several different flocks of sheep had sheltered in the one building. The flocks were all intermingled, so to the outsider it was impossible to see which sheep belonged to which shepherd. But one by one the shepherds came, and called by name, each of their sheep, and when the sheep heard their name called, and recognised the voice of the shepherd, they responded.

A good leader, is someone who others will listen to, and want to follow. And therefore integrity and conviction of beliefs is very important. But it is also a reminder, that as Christians, we should be listening to voice of our master, and faithfully responding to his call.

Leadership in church

So far I have been discussing leadership in general, I now want to turn briefly to consider leadership within church. There is a risk that when we think of leadership, within the church, we tend to think in very limited terms, thinking primarily of the ordained leadership. However Paul’s description of the church as a body in 1 Corinthians, reminds us that we all have a part to play within the life of God’s church. If you look through the New Testament, you will see that the burden of leadership is always shared.

We can draw some useful lessons about leadership from geese! Geese travel thousands of miles, and they have four very interesting habits.

1. Those in front rotate their leadership. When one lead goose gets tired, it changes places with one in the wing of the V-formation and another flies point. A recognition that leadership is tough, and it’s important that that burden is shared.

2. By flying as they do, the members of the flock create an upward air current for one another. Each flap of the wings literally creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. It has been estimated that by flying in a V-formation, the whole flock gets 71 percent greater flying range than if each goose flew on its own. It is often said that 80% of the work in church is done by 20% of the people, how true is this of St Paul’s, and what can we do to encourage greater collaboration so we can achieve more.

3. When one goose gets sick or wounded, two fall out of formation with it and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with the struggler until it's able to fly again. This reminds us of the importance of supporting one another, particularly those in public leadership roles. How do you support your clergy here at St Paul’s? Would you notice if one of your church leaders was sick or wounded? And if so, how would you respond. I tend to find that whenever someone announces in church that they feel they should move on, or do something different, the immediate thought is not for them, but for the job they do, and how are we going to find someone to do their job.

4. The geese in the rear of the formation are the ones who do the honking. I suppose it's their way of announcing that they're following and that all is well. The repeated honks encourage those in front to stay at it. Leadership can be lonely, and it is good and important to get encouragement. Are we quicker at giving encouragement or criticism?

One lesson stands out above all others: it is the natural instinct of geese to work together. Whether it's rotating, flapping, helping, or simply honking, the flock is in it together...which enables them to accomplish what they set out to do. And I think that this is a wonderful model of leadership in church, and something for us all to consider.

Mark 7:31-37 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

This year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity brings together two themes, two invitations extended to Christian churches and people: to pray and strive together for Christian unity, and to join together in responding to human suffering. These two responsibilities are deeply intertwined. Both relate to healing the body of Christ, hence the text chosen for this year’s week of prayer is a story of healing.

Our gospel reading this evening relates how Jesus healed a man who was deaf and could not speak properly. Jesus led the man away from the crowd, in order to attend to him in private. He put his fingers into the man’s ears, and touched the man’s tongue, and “said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘be opened’.

In this story of healing we hear of the Lord’s compassionate response to suffering and need; it is an eloquent testimony to the mercy of God. In restoring the man’s hearing and his ability to speak, Jesus manifests God’s power and desire to bring human beings to wholeness, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy” (35:5-6). The restoration of the man’s hearing allowed him to hear the good news proclaimed by Jesus; the restoration of his speech allowed him to proclaim what he had seen and heard to others. All of these dimensions are reflected in the response of those who witnessed the healing and were “astounded beyond measure”: “he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak” (v.37).

During this week of prayer for Christian Unity, we are reminded that as Christ’s body, we are called to be united in carrying out his mission. A part of that mission is to attend to those who are suffering and in need. As God heard the cry and knew the sufferings of his people in Egypt, as Jesus responded with compassion to those who cried out to him, so too we as the church are called to hear the voice of all who suffer, to respond with compassion, and to give voice to the voiceless.

There is an essential connection between efforts to pray for and seek unity among Christians and initiatives to respond to human need and suffering. Here in Walsall we have seen a number of joint initiatives that have crossed the denominational divides, which have helped draw churches closer together. For example the Walsall Drinkers Ministry, which reaches out to clubbers in the centre of Walsall every Friday night. There is also the Vine Project, and the Glebe Centre, which are supported by different churches, in order to meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable people in our community. The same Spirit which makes us brothers and sisters in Christ also empowers us to reach out to every human being in need. The same Spirit which is at work in all efforts to make visible the unity of Christians also gives strength to every movement towards renewing the face of the earth. Every easing of human suffering makes our oneness more visible; every step towards unity strengthens the whole body of Christ.

In a Peanuts cartoon Lucy demanded that Linus change TV channels, threatening him with her fist if he didn't. "What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?" asks Linus. "These five fingers," says Lucy. "Individually they're nothing but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold." "Which channel do you want?" asks Linus. Turning away, he looks at his fingers and says, "Why can't you guys get organized like that?" The simple truth is that when we work together as Christians we are so much stronger, and able to achieve so much more, than if we try to do things on our own.
The Origins of this year’s Week of Prayer Material: Umlazi

This year’s theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has its origins in the experience of Christian communities in the South African region of Umlazi, near Durban. Our service tonight reflect the concerns and experience of a people who have undergone great suffering.

Umlazi was originally established under the apartheid regime as a ‘township’ for the majority black population. A legacy of racism, unemployment and poverty continues to raise formidable challenges for its people, where there is still a shortage of schools, medical clinics and adequate housing. This context of poverty and unemployment gives rise to a high crime rate and problems of abuse within families and communities. But the biggest current challenge faced by people in the informal settlements and townships is that of HIV/AIDS. It is estimated that 50% of the residents of Umlazi are infected with the virus.

One of the big challenges they face, which aggravates the problem facing people in the Umlazi area, is the stigma which keeps people who are suffering abuse, victims of rape, or infected with HIV/AIDS, from speaking openly about their problems. These are taboo subjects. As a result, many people hesitate to seek the assistance available.

In light of the challenges facing this community, the local church leaders in Umlazi designed an ecumenical service which had as its central theme ‘breaking the silence’. Special services were organised, during which the young people were invited to speak about that which was ‘unspeakable’ and to seek assistance, mindful that keeping silence can mean death.

What Christians in South Africa have learnt is that the HIV/AIDS pandemic, is too great a challenge for a divided church, and that it is only by working together that they can do something to break the silence around this devastating disease.

Unity is not the same as uniformity, there can be diversity of expressions of faith, but there can also be unity within that diversity. We are many different parts, but there is only one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all. It is certainly true that we are beginning to see much greater unity amongst Christians, but we still have a long way to go. Just as the blind man in Mark’s Gospel had his eyes and ears opened, maybe we need our eyes and ears further opened to realise the possibilities of what we could do to serve and transform our community by working more closely together, particularly when we seek to ‘break the silence’ on those things that oppress and isolate people in their suffering here in our community.

Breaking the Silence

Jesus’ instructions to his followers was for them to continue the work he had begun. The question we should consider is what does it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, who makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak? How best can we proclaim the good news and be instruments of Christ’s healing presence, listening and giving voice to those who have been silenced or have not been able to relate their experience? And how can we increase the unity that already exists between us?

One of the challenges we have to face up to is breaking our own silence. There have been times when Christians and Christian churches have remained silent when we should have spoken out, times when we have not empowered the voiceless to speak. There are times when the divisions of the churches have kept us from hearing the pain of others, or have left our response muffled, conflicted, ineffective and unconsoling, and for this we need to repent. Now is the time for us to break our own silence. What has been interesting to see, is how religion has been brought back to centre stage in public life, and how despite falling church attendance, the religious voice is once again being listened too, and been shown to be powerful. Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God to save.” We must not be ashamed or afraid of speaking out, we have a duty to speak for those who have no voice, or whose voice is not being heard. Failure to do so, is failure to fulfil our calling.

The church has been given a voice and a message to proclaim, a mission to carry out; and it is not a divided message, a conflictive mission. Enlivened by the Holy Spirit, it is to be a single coherent utterance, the good news given to us by and in Christ himself. Through Christ, we have the grace to break the silence. In Christ, we are the community called to say ‘be opened’ to the deaf and the dumb. The path to faithfulness and integrity requires that we strive and pray for that unity for which Christ prayed, and that even amidst our divisions, we learn to speak with a single voice, to reach out as a single body with compassion, giving flesh to the good news which we proclaim.

Source of Life: Prayer as Relationship Exodus 3:1-12

Introduction

Over the next five weeks, we are going to be focusing on the very important subject of prayer. Over this period we are going to be thinking of:
Prayer as the source of life, as relationship
Prayer as the source of joy, about enjoying God
Prayer as the source of light, focusing particularly on listening in prayer
Prayer as the source of wholeness, thinking about honest in prayer
Prayer as the source of love, thinking about prayer care

I hope that over the course of the next few weeks, we will have fresh insights into this very important subject. This is subject is an extremely important one. Brother Roger of Taize once said, ‘When a church gets on its knees and prays, people come running’. The one area in the life of St Martin’s that I feel we need to work at the most is our prayer life. It is no coincidence that when a church prays it grows, because it opens itself up to the power of God.

For example, Pastor Cho leads the worlds largest church, the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea. This church started in 1958 with just 6 people, today it has 800 thousand members. And what is the secret of this churches growth? Prayer. Prayer from the very start has been one of their main priorities, and it has born much fruit.

Now if we are at all serious about wanting to see St Martin’s grow, and if we want to grow as Christians, we must take prayer seriously.

I do however, have a confession to make, which is, I don’t find prayer all that easy. It is one area of my Christian life, where I know I struggle. I do not always find prayer that easy, but I know what a big difference it makes to my life. So I am speaking to you today, not as an expert in prayer, but as someone who is constantly learning how to pray.

Prayer: The Source of Life

The title of today’s talk is Prayer: The Source of Life. And I want to focus particularly on prayer as relationship, because at its most basic that is what prayer is. It is about our relationship with God.

As I have said many times before the Christian faith is all about a relationship with God the Father, through Jesus Christ. And like any relationship, whether we are talking about our relationship with God, or with our friends of family, communication is absolutely central. If there is no communication, then there is no relationship.

To give an example, if you are married, but don’t communicate with one another, then there is no real relationship. Just in the same way that we can come to church, and outwardly do all those things we think a Christian should do, but don’t pray, then there is little real relationship.

The reason prayer is the source of life, is that through it we grow in our closeness and intimacy with God.

Exodus

The reading from Exodus 3, and the call of Moses, reveals some important things about the nature and importance of the relational nature of prayer.

Giving God full attention

The first thing to note is that when Moses sees the burning bush, and realises that the bush is not being consumed by the fire, Moses realises that he is in a holy place. And he gives God his full attention.

And in prayer, we are called to give God our full attention. The trouble I find is that it is very easy to get distracted. If someone is trying to talk to me, and the TV or Radio is on in the background, I personally find it very hard to concentrate on what they person is saying, to communicate I need give that person my full attention. Similarly, I find that very easy for distractions to get in the way of prayer, speaking personally may be because I simply allow them to get in the way. This is why it is so good to get into a routine of having a what is described as quiet time. A time when you know you will not be disturbed, so you can read the Bible and pray. When that time is will depend on your individual circumstances, what matters is that you find something that works for you.

And when you give someone you full attention, you are waiting on them, you are giving yourself to them. One of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to prayer, is that we do all the talking, and forget to listen. In a couple of weeks time we will look more closely at the ideal of prayer as listening.

Another thing we need to be aware of, is that if we are not careful, we tend to treat God as some sort of divine shop assistant, our prayers more like a shopping list, than a genuine dialogue. This is not to say that God doesn’t want to hear our requests, because in the Lord’s prayer we are taught to prayer, “Give us today our daily bread”. It’s just that, if that is all our prayer is, then it leaves a lot to be desired. Imagine if every time you met your best friend, all you did was tell them what you would like for the coming day or week, your friend would soon wonder what sort of relationship you have together.

Moses is called by name

Secondly we see that Moses is called by name. Again this emphasises both the personal nature of our calling and our relationship with God. God calls us all by name to follow him. It is a reminder that God knows us, and wants to be a part of our lives.

God calls Moses for a very specific task, he says “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt, I have heard their cry… indeed I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians” We see clearly how God’s heart is for His people. God is concerned about what goes on in our lives. Our God is a relational God. The very nature of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, illustrates the importance of relationships. This is emphasised when God speaks to Moses from the burning bush and says “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

John Pritchard in his book ‘How to Pray’ writes, “Prayer is about exploring a relationship with God, it is not about an esoteric technique.” Prayer is about getting to know more about God and about ourselves. How you pray, is far less important than actually praying. Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Reading, writes, “Human beings are made for relationship with God. When we pray we discover the truth about ourselves: that we are children of God. Within this relationship we can flourish and become fully ourselves as God intended us to be.” That is why pray is the source of life for us as Christians. Because through it, we discover who we truly are, by getting to know the one who made us.

Drawing closer to God

Another thing we learn from the Exodus narrative, is that prayer is about drawing closer to God. When God calls out to Moses he said “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And through prayer we enter into the presence of the most Almighty God, we as it were stand on holy ground.

Prayer is an awesome privilege, when we consider who it is we are addressing. We pray to the creater of the universe. On 20 August 1977, Voyager II, the inter-planetary probe launched to observe and transmit to earth data about the outer planetary system, set off from earth travelling faster than the speed of a bullet (90,000 miles per hour). On 28 August 1989 it reached planet Neptune, 2,700 million miles from the earth. Voyager II then left the solar system. It will not come within one light year of any star for 958,000 years. In our galaxy there are 100,000 million stars, like our sun. Our galaxy is one of 100,000 million galaxies. In a throwaway line in Genesis, the writer tells us, ‘He also made the stars’ (Genesis 1:16). Such is his power. Andrew Murray, the Christian writer, once said, ‘The power of prayer depends almost entirely upon our apprehension of who it is with whom we speak.’

Prayer is not only about drawing closer to God, but it is also about putting God at the centre. Stephen Cottrell again writes, “Prayer is the most natural thing in the world. I can also be the hardest. Because it is relationship it is about letting go and allowing someone else to be the centre of your life. In so many ways the human spirit will recoil from this kind of loving. We like to be at the centre ourselves.”

I am by nature, quite a selfish person, and so putting someone else at the centre of my life, it not something that always comes naturally it is something that I need to work at. The same is true of prayer. Prayer is something I need to work at, and I suspect that is true of most of us here. We all face times, when we find it difficult to pray, it may be at times when we are under great stress, or when we are ill, or when we feel God is very distant. In those times, it is so important we persist in praying. The protestant reformer Martin Luther said “If I should neglect prayer but a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of faith.” To give a comparison it is essential to eat and drink to maintain our health, even if we don’t feel like it. If we do neglect these most basic of things, it will not be long before it begins to effect us, the same is true if we neglect prayer.

There are many ways we can build prayer into our lives, so prayer becomes a very natural outflowing of our life. For example, when you notice during the day that you feel good about something, just say it to God, in whatever words come naturally. Similarly, when there’s something you feel worried about, or when you get news about someone you care about. Talk about it to God. In many ways we are very good at talking to ourselves about things, prayer is simply turning the talk outwards to God, and drawing him into our lives. This is the essence of the prayer relationship we have with God, that we can take all things to him in prayer.

Conclusion

Over the next month we are going to look in more detail at prayer, and I do hope that we will all use this as an opportunity to focus again on the place of prayer in our own lives, and in the life of this church.

Bishop Jonathan's Evangelism Message

Alpha Course: Exploring the meaning of life

At St Martin's we run the popular Alpha Course (http://www.alpha.org/), a ten week course that looks at the claims of the Christian faith in a fun, friendly and informal way. This is the second course that we've run since I've been in Walsall, and last night was the second session of the course. Last night's topic was 'Why did Jesus die'. It's such a privilege to be able to explore with other people issues relating to God and the Christian faith. In total we have fourteen people on our current course (this includes group leaders), and we vary in age from a teenager up to people in their sixties. The evening begins with a meal, followed by a presentation and then an opportunity to divide into groups to discuss the topic of the night. The great thing about Alpha is that it gives permission for people to discuss the big questions in life, in a safe and non judgemental environment. We're all on a journey with God, a lot of people on the course are searching for answers, looking for God, others have been Christians for some time and are using the course as a refresher, looking again at the essentials of the Christian faith.

At St Martin's we tend to vary the presentation week by week, so some weeks I do the talk, using clips from films when appropriate, and other weeks we use the Alpha DVD which contains the talks given by Nicky Gumble.

I've been on quite a number of Alpha Courses over the years, but what I find is that each one is different, and I always come away feeling as though I've learnt something new. It's a wonderful privilege.

There is a link to the main Alpha website on this blog as as through our church website (http://www.walsallstmartins.2day.ws/), if you're looking for answers, and exploring the meaning of life, I'd recommend you give Alpha a go.

John 2:1-11 Wedding at Cana

Introduction

Least Successful Wedding Cake: At the wedding reception of Signor Faldini in Naples in 1981 the wedding cake exploded when a waiter was lighting the candles, with the result that two guests, two waiters and a tourist taking a photograph where treated for shock. Credit goes to the chef who later said; “I think I must have used too much alcohol in the mix.”

I never knew what real happiness was until I got married, and by then it was too late.

Married life is very frustrating. In the first year of marriage, the man speaks & the wife listens. In the second year, the woman speaks and the husband listens. In the third year, they both speak and the neighbours listen.

“By all means marry! If you get a good wife, you’ll be happy. If you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.” Socrates

The speaker at a women’s club was lecturing on marriage & asked the audience how many of them wanted to “mother” their husbands. One member in the back row raised her hand. “You do want to mother your husband?” the speaker asked. “Mother?” the woman echoed, “I thought you said smother.”

Our Gospel reading this morning takes place within the context of a wedding in Cana. Cana was a inconspicuous little town that lay outside of Nazareth.

Weddings in Jesus’ day where big affairs, in small villages like Cana, it would have involved the whole community.

Illustration
When Beata and I were planning our own wedding, one of our major concerns was to ensure that we had enough food and drink for all the guests, but our wedding celebrations only lasted one day. Jewish wedding celebrations could last a whole week!

We are told that at this particular wedding that Jesus attended, the wine ran out. To run out of food or drink at a wedding would not only cause major embarrassment, it would have been a social disgrace for the bride and groom. In the closely knit communities of Jesus' day, such an error would never be forgotten. In fact, according to one commentary I read, lawsuits were not unknown in these circumstances because it was considered a breach of hospitality! So the situation was a potentially serious one. We can sense some of the urgency of the situation in Mary’s words to Jesus, “They have no more wine.”

So Jesus instructs the servants to fill up six stone water jars, normally used for ceremonial washing, with water, and draw some of the water out of the jars and take it to the master of the banquet. And miraculously the water is turned into wine.

Illustration
A small boy was asked by a visiting relative what he had learnt at church today.

"Today" came the reply, "our lesson was about when Jesus went to a wedding and made water into wine."

"And what did you learn from that story?" the relative inquired.

After thinking for a moment, the lad answered, "If you're having wedding, make sure Jesus is there!"

John describes this miracle as a sign, so what does this sign have to tell us?

The wine can run out

First of all it informs us that the wine can run out.
To the Jewish people wine symbolized joy. The Jewish rabbis had a saying, “Without wine there is no joy.”

This wine can be seen as symbolic of our lives. If wine symbolizes joy, then there are times in our lives when the wine runs out. Times when we are empty of joy.

There are many different reasons why the joy may run out in our lives. It may be because we are going through difficult times, at work, or at home. It may be because we are under a great deal of stress or anxiety, and we are exhausted. It could be that we have neglected the one person who can give us true joy, and that is God. It could be that we are trying to find satisfaction and fulfillment in life in things which cannot truly satisfy, money, relationships, hobbies, alcohol, drugs, etc.

It can be a scary thing when the ‘wine runs out’, when we lack joy. You and I have no resources within ourselves to replace the joy. Only Jesus can provide this new wine. If you go to St Matthew’s you will see on their notice board the words, the secret of Joy is putting Jesus first, others second and yourself last. Jonathan Edwards, a theologian and preacher from the 18th century said the following. Christ is not only a remedy for your weariness and trouble, he will give you an abundance of the contrary, joy and delight.

The Bible talks a lot about joy, for instance in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Paul writes, Be Joyful Always, and Jesus prayed that we may have the full measure of joy within us. Joy is different to happiness. Henri Nouwen, said that “Joy is knowing that you are unconditionally loved.” Jesus prayed that we may have the full measure of joy within us. It is only through Jesus that we can discover true joy. Jesus is chapter 16 of John’s gospel, says, Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

The transforming power of God

The second thing this sign shows us is the power of God to transform something ordinary into something wonderful. The wine that Jesus produced was not ordinary wine, but the finest wine imaginable.

This is how God deals with us. He takes us as we are, and through the power of the Holy Spirit we are transformed. Jesus is able to take that which is tired, worn out, devoid of joy, empty, and lacking purpose, and transform it into something wonderful. It can be turned into something rich, fragrant, and ripe with the fullness of joy through his presence, through his care.

Jesus wants to transform our lives, just as he transformed that water. When he does this our lives take on a new nature.
Jesus turned…· water into wine; · he turns frowns into smiles; · he turns whimpers of fear into songs of hope; · he turns deserts into gardens, · he turns sorrow into joy;· he turns sin into grace; · death into life.

Jesus can transform anyone, consider for example Paul, who described himself as the Worst of Sinners (1 Tim 1:16), who before he encountered Jesus, was determined to destroy the church. Through Jesus, Paul was transformed into someone completely different. No one, is beyond the transforming power of God.

The question we need to ask ourselves, is what areas of our lives would we like to see transformed, and are we prepared to allow God to make those changes?

The abundance of God

Thirdly, this sign emphasizes the abundance of God’s provision. The wedding guests went from having no wine at all to having an overabundance of wine. There were six jars containing between 20 and 30 gallons apiece. So, at the very least, the jars contained 120 gallons of wine, and as much as 180 gallons. There is no way the guests could have consumed that much wine. Why did Jesus give so much wine? Because he is an extravagant giver. He never gives just enough; he always gives superabundantly.

We see this else where in the Bible. For instance, when the Israelites spent forty years in the wilderness, each day God sent more than food that their needs required. In the feeding of the 5000 Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish so that everyone could have their fill, and at the end there were twelve baskets of bread and fish left over. He gave them more than they could possibly eat. This is the way God gives.
Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). We have an extravagant God who lavishes us with his blessings. We can ask him for anything. The Bible says he gives “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

He loves to bless. To a dying thief on a cross he gave the gift of paradise. To a woman caught in an immoral act he gave the gift of God’s amazing grace and forgiveness. To a grieving father he gave back a child from the grip of death. He is lavish with his gifts. And to us who come with our requests, he gives the promise of abundant life here and now, and beyond this world, eternal life. When the new wine was brought out, the master of the banquet was amazed and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now” (John 2:10). Jesus always saves the best till last. In John 1:16 we read: “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another” (John 1:16). We have been filled to the brim with the blessings of God. And as Christians we have the assurance that the best is yet to come, because we can look forward to being with God in heaven. Heaven is where the deepest longings of our lives will be met. The Bible assures us, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). The best that the world has to offer now is only a hint of what is yet to be. The difference will be as different as water is to wine. Conclusion

The miracle of the changing of the water into wine, demonstrates the power of God to transform, and the amazing generosity of our God, that we have a God who lavishes good gifts on those who love him.

What would have happened at the wedding banquet if Mary had not had the courage to speak to Jesus, and tell the servants to do whatever he commanded? The wine would have ran out.
Has your joy ran out today? Jesus wants to transform you! Bring your need to him!

Matthew 2:1-12 After Christmas

Sermon for first Sunday after Christmas, again based on 'Getting it Across' by Nick Fawcett.

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Props:

Image of nativity scene without wise men.
Leftovers from Christmas – deflated balloon, a pulled cracker, a discarded wrapping paper, etc

Talk:

Begin by asking the congregation questions such as: How many days of Christmas are there? How many of you are still celebrating Christmas? What sort of Christmas did you have?

After all the build up, Christmas is over all too soon, and for many each year it seems to be a bit of a let-down; like a deflated balloon, a pulled cracker, or a discarded piece of wrapping paper (show examples). But, while Christmas itself is over, what it celebrates is not finished! Point to the picture on the projector, and ask the congregation what is missing. When they spot that the wise men aren’t there, ask them if they have any idea why not.

Although we think of the wise men as an essential part of the Christmas story, it is almost certain that they arrived in Bethlehem some time after the birth of Jesus, well after the shepherds had been and gone. And there must have been times on their long journey when they wondered whether, when they finally made it to their destination it would be too late, the event they had come to see long over and done with.

But although what we might call the first Christmas was over when they eventually arrived, the truth behind it, and the reason we continue to celebrate this festival, was as real as ever! Jesus had been born in Bethlehem – the King of the Jews, the Saviour of the world – and so they fell down and worshipped him and celebrated. And, no doubt those few moments with Jesus must have lived with them for the rest of their lives.

So it is for us today. Christmas may be over, but our worship and thanksgiving continues; for the truth we have celebrated goes on being as meaningful and relevant today, tomorrow and every day. God has come among us in Jesus, he has shared our humanity, he has opened up the way of life, he is by our side through his Holy Spirit. And he will go on being with us for all eternity. Thanks be to God!

Where is He?

Christmas morning talk, taken from 'Getting it Across' by Nick Fawcett, published by Kevin Mayhew.

Preparation:

Fold 8 A4 pieces of paper to make A5 cards. On front of these write the following words in bold letters:

JUDEA
BETHLEHEM
MANGER
STABLE
HOUSE
NAZARETH
JERUSALEM
EGYPT

On inside of each card, write ‘NOT HERE’. Place cards around front of church – where they can be seen.

Prepare 8 A4 pieces of paper wit one of the following written in large letters, E I H H S R E E

Talk:

Ask the congregation if anyone can remember what the wise men asked Herod when they came to Jerusalem? (Where is the one born King of the Jews?) Explain that I want to look at this question today, and I need 8 volunteers to come to the front – get them to hold one of the letters E, I, H, H, S, R, E, E,)

Invite each volunteer in turn to look behind one of the cards to discover where ‘The King of the Jews’ has been born. After each unsuccessful attempt ask the volunteer to display the words inside – NOT HERE. And to stand at the front of the church until all 8 volunteers are standing side by side in a line.

Observe that, despite the volunteers help, you question remains unanswered. Ask the congregation to look again very carefully, and see whether they might have missed something. Allow time for people to think, then line the volunteers up so that the letters pinned on their fronts spell ‘HE IS HERE’.

That’s the answer to our question. Or is it? Well, not quite, for it all depends on what comes after these words. (Position yourself at the end of the line). Is it a question mark (hold up ?) or is it an exclamation mark (hold up !)?

We all know Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea; we all know he was born in a stable and laid in a manger, because there was no room in the inn; we all know his parents came from Nazareth, and that they took Jesus later to Jerusalem; and we probably know that after Jesus’ birth they fled to Egypt to escape Herod.

All that is part of the wonderful Christmas story we know and love so well. But unless there’s another chapter in that story, then all the rest doesn’t finally mean anything. It’s only when Jesus can also be found here in our hearts, in our lives, in each one of us, that Christmas truly comes alive.

Where is the one born King of the Jews? Is he simply here (point to one of the cards) or here (point to one of the volunteers), or here (point to the congregation)? Or can we point to ourselves and say honestly and without hesitation, ‘Here is here!’

That’s the question we need to ask this Christmas, and the answer we need to give.

Christingle Talk 2006

This talk was taken from 'Getting it Across' written by Nick Fawcett and published by Kevin Mayhew.

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Today I have prepared a festive quiz for you. All the answers have ‘Christmas’ in them, and all you have to do is supply the missing word from the clues I am going to give you.

1 Something we eat after Christmas turkey? Pudding
2 Songs we sing at Christmas? Carol
3 Buying in food and presents for Christmas? Shopping
4 Something we send to our friends? Card
5 Comes after Christmas Eve? Day
6 A special festive occasion we might enjoy at work, school or home? Party
7 Something we hang up before going to bed on Christmas Eve? Stocking
8 Something we bring into the house and cover in lights and decorations? Tree
9 Someone who comes down the chimney bringing presents? Father
10 Comes before Christmas Day? Eve
11 Things we give to family and friends? Presents
12 Something we pull at Christmas? Cracker
13 What we call Christmas when it snows? White
14 Extra pay we may be lucky enough to receive at Christmas? Bonus
15 Things we hang on trees or round rooms and shops? Decorations
16 A fund raising event we may hold at church? Fayre
17 What we tuck into as part of our celebrations? Dinner
18 Something else we may eat at Christmas? Cake
19 A plant that flowers around Christmas time? Cacti
20 Something we use to cover our presents before we give them? Wrapping paper
21 Something we put on the Christmas tree, or which we might see in a town centre? Lights

All these things together go to make up our celebrations of Christmas; all kinds of
things which we will be enjoying over this season. And there is no reason why we shouldn’t have a good time and enjoy them all.

But are they really what Christmas is all about? The answer of course is no, but there is a danger if we focus on them too much they may hid the true message of Christmas. In fact, they have just done that. Has anyone spotted the true message of Christmas hidden within the answers – Glory to the New Born King’

These are words we sing in the great carol, Hark the Herald angels sing, and words which take us to the heart of Christmas – not presents or turkey or cards or pudding, special though these may be, but the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God, the one who reveals the glory of God and shows his love for the world.

The Hope of Christmas

A few days before Christmas, my grandfather passed away peacefully at home, after a long illness. Drawing on this experience, I preached the following sermon on Christmas Eve, to talk about the real hope of Christmas.

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Earlier this week my grandfather passed away. He had been unwell for a couple of years, and over the last few months had been cared for by mother at home. On Thursday morning I received a phone call from my father to inform me that my grandfather’s health had suddenly deteriorated. By the time Beata and I reached my parents home near Stoke, my grandfather had died.

My grandfather has been a Christian all his life, and always had a strong faith. Shortly before he died, my father was able to pray with him and administer the last rites. My grandfather was able to join in with the prayers and responses, and died peacefully half an hour later surrounded by his family.

The death of my grandfather made me think again about the significance of Christmas, and why it is so important. Jesus came into the world, to bring us the hope of everlasting life. In Scripture, hope is not wishful thinking that everything is going to be all right, it is an assurance based on the promises of God. As Christians we do not need to be afraid of death, because we know that death is not the end of our journey, but only the beginning. As one person expressed it, “Death is not extinguishing the light from the Christian; it is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.”

We are able to have this assurance, because God came into the world as one of us, to reveal his love to us. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) This is why Christmas is such an important celebration.

In the news this week it revealed what are the most popular names at present. For boys the top names are Jack, Joshua and Thomas, and for girls it is Emily, Ellie and Jessica. When Beata and I were choosing names for Tomek and Adam, are main consideration was whether we like the sound of the name or not, and that our family in Britain and Poland could pronounce their names, we didn’t give much consideration to what the names actually mean. But in the Bible names are highly significant, and the names given to Jesus reveal something very important about him.
The name Jesus for example means ‘God Saves’. Jesus came into the world to save us from our sins. If Jesus had not been born, we would still be left struggling to find our own way to God, without any real reassurance that we were on the right track. If Jesus had not come into the world, we would still be living under the condemnation of sin, but with no hope of a way out. If Jesus had not been born, then there could not be assurance in death. But God did come into the world in Jesus, and that through his death on the cross Jesus became the one perfect sacrifice that takes away sin, and opens to us the gates of heaven. And so, in the words of Hebrews, “we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10)
1 Peter 3:18 reminds us that “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

Without the birth of Jesus, there could be no hope for forgiveness, no new life, only judgement and condemnation.
There would be nothing to comfort and encourage us.
There would be no assurance for the future.
There would be no Holy Spirit, to live inside us, and to teach and guide us through live, and we would not have Jesus’ own example to live by.

The other name that Jesus was given was Emmanuel, which means ‘God with us’. None of us had any choice in the matter of how and where we were born. But God had a choice, and he chose a rough stable, a young teenage mother, from a very ordinary family, from a very ordinary town. Mary herself recognises this in her great hymn of praise, the Magnificat. "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.” (Luke 1:46-48)

And when the angels announced his birth, they didn’t go to the kings and rulers, but went to shepherds out in the fields. Being a shepherd was considered a very lowly job, and shepherds were not considered reliable witnesses in Jewish society. They lived outdoors, amongst the unclean wild animals. But yet it is these people, those on the very margins of society, to whom God chooses to announce the birth of Jesus, ordinary people, like you and me.

The fact that Jesus was willing to live as one of us, facing the same hardships and difficulties we face is incredible. In Philippians 2:5-8 we are reminded that our “attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

He experienced the pain, suffering and hurt that we all face as human beings, including the pain of bereavement. He did it in order to heal the breach which separated humanity from God.
Imagine what the world would be like if Jesus had not been born? When we begin to think just what this Christmas story means, we realise just how much we have to be thankful for. God was born as a human baby and entered time and space—clothing Himself in flesh—to serve weak and failing human beings. He came to do for us what only He could do: to save us in every meaningful sense of the word.

If Jesus was born today

If Jesus was born today it would be in a downtown motel marked by a helicopter's flashing bulb. A traffic warden, working late,would be the first upon the scene.Later, at the expense of a TV network,an eminent sociologist,the host of a chat show and a controversial author would arrive with their good wishes-the whole occasion to be filmed as part of the 'Is This The Son Of God?' one hour special.Childhood would be a blur of photographs and speculation dwindling by his late teens into 'Where Is He Now?' features in Sunday magazines.

If Jesus was thirty today they wouldn't really care about the public ministry,they'd be too busy investigating His finances and trying to prove He had Church or Mafia connections.The miracles would be explained by an eminent and controversial magician,His claims to be God's Son recognised as excellent examples of Spoken English and immediately incorporated into the A-Level syllabus,His sinless perfection considered by moral philosophers as, OK, but a bit repressive.

If Jesus was thirty-one today He'd be the fly in everyone's ointment-the sort of controversial person who stands no chance of eminence.Communists would expel Him, capitalists would exploit Him or have Him smeared by people who know a thing or two about God.Doctors would accuse Him of quackery,soldiers would accuse Him of cowardice,theologians would take Him aside and try to persuade Him of His non-existence.

If Jesus was thirty-two today we'd have to end it all. Heretic, fundamentalist, literalist,puritan, pacifist, non-conformist, we'd take Him away and quietly end the argument.But the argument would rumble in the ground at the end of three days and would break outa nd walk around as though death was some bug, saying 'I am the resurrection and the life...No man cometh to the Father but by me'.While the magicians researched new explanations and the semanticists wondered exactly what He meant by 'I' and 'No man' there would be those who stand around amused, asking for something called proof.

by Steve Turner

What Christmas Means For Me

This is the address I gave at our recent Carols by Candlelight Service. During the service I wanted people to reflect not only upon the nativity story, but also to explore what it means to be a Christian in today's society.

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For so many people Christmas has become a commercial festival, and the real meaning and significance of this time of year has been lost. For example, in Britain we will have spent up to £20 billion this December on credit and debit cards. I was talking to one lady on Friday who works for a well known bank, that 95% of the customers who come into the bank complain about the growing cost of Christmas. Is this really what it’s all about?

On average we gain 5 to 6 lbs in weight over the Christmas period. And on Christmas day itself we can consume as much as 6000 calories. Is this really what it’s all about?

Each year, we hear about attempts to play down the religious elements of this festival. In this weeks Walsall Chronicle it rang an article about the Bishop of Lichfield, Jonathan Gledhill who in his Christmas message has attacked a report calling on businesses and councils to use decorations that are ‘secular and not inherently religious’ to avoid offending non Christians. And the Chronicle finishes the article with a question. “Should Christmas be an overtly Christian festival or should it be toned down to avoid offending other faiths.”

I have to confess, going around the shops in Walsall looking for Christmas cards with have a religious theme, is getting increasingly difficult. If I want a picture of Father Christmas, reindeer's, Robins, Christmas trees, then that is fine, but it is a lot harder to find a card with a religious theme. The Daily Mail reported last week that only one out of every 100 Christmas cards sold in Britain contains a religious image.

What is happening is that slowly, bit by bit, Christ is being taken out of Christmas. And when we do that, what are we left with, apart from indigestion and debt!

I personally love the parties, and the food and I also enjoy receiving gifts! But that is NOT what makes Christmas special for me. What makes Christmas so special is celebrating the birth of Christ. It is the knowledge that God didn’t stand by watching the world get further and further into mess, but that he decided to come down into it, and to live on earth as one of us.

Christian art has made the nativity scene gloriously hygienic. But the truth is, the stable or cave where Jesus was born would have been smelly, dirty and untidy. This is what life is often like. Life is messy, rather than neat, orderly and safe. And that speaks to me a great deal, God choose to enter into the mess of this world, to reveal his love for you and me. God has come into the mess and confusion of my life, to reveal to me how much he loves me. And that is why Christmas is so special for me.

I would like to say that I have got everything sorted in life, but I haven’t. I would like to say that I had the most intimate relationship with God, but I don’t. I would like to say that I am always the person God wants me to be, but I’m not. But I cannot imagine my life without God. Christmas reminds me that I don’t have to be perfect for God to love me, I don’t have to have everything sorted in my life in order to be a Christian, because God loves me for who I am, as well as helping me become the person he always intended me to be.

This is why I love Christmas, because it reminds me just how much God loves me, and every single one of us. My message to you today, is don’t ignore the gift of God’s love that he offers you today. When all the Christmas celebrations are over, don’t put Jesus away with the decorations. Because if you do, you will be missing out on the most wonderful thing anyone of us can ever experience. A relationship with God.

Bishop Jonathan's Christmas Message

I enjoyed the switching on of the Christmas lights in Stafford market place this year. It must be the child in me but the sparkling coloured lights and the smell of roasting chestnuts stirs up a sense of wonder and delight.

Stafford Council bravely purchased some new crib figures this year, rather going against the trend of multi-faith everything. But then only a tiny minority among us wants either a mish-mash of beliefs or an empty manger. Most of our Muslim, Sikh or Jewish neighbours are glad to be in a Christian country where they respect our faith and we respect theirs, and they seem to wish we Christians were a bit more up-front about our beliefs.

So the crib-set in Stafford set me thinking about the market place in our secular society. Originally the king granted a licence for a town to hold a market and the sheriff guaranteed law and order. A market where you could freely and safely buy and sell was a big step-up from robber barons taking half your produce. But there were problems if one of the stall holders bought up the market and made life difficult for rival traders. So in today's world there may be problems with monopolies or if private firms are allowed to purchase the stock-exchange, unless the government is very careful to provide regulators, the modern equivalent of the sheriff.

What about the market place in ideas? When St Paul visited Athens he was able, as a foreigner, to bring his ideas freely to the Athenian Market place and to argue with the locals, both sceptics and followers of various faiths. The whole point of Christmas is that Love is offered by God in the form of a gift than can be accepted or ignored. It is the amazing mystery of Christmas that we are free to respond as we will.

It is because of this that freedom of speech and allowing people to present the truth as they see it is such an important feature of modern Christian democracy. It is part of the role of government to provide open spaces - a kind of secular market place if you like - for people to test out the rival truth claims and ideologies of our time.In that sense a Christian country is also a secular one. But that does not mean that a free country must be one where religion is only a private matter and the public square remains empty of the baby Jesus. An empty square is impossible anyway. All governance rests on values and values are in the end a matter of faith. Different religions have different values and teachings and these need evaluating, not mixing up. England became a nation because the missionaries long ago persuaded our pagan chieftains and kings that the rule of the Prince of Peace was preferable to constant war and banditry. The Christian faith became "by law established" because it was through the teachings of Christ that we got our rule of law.

So it is good to have a debate and a market place of ideas but the market place cannot be left empty for the whole year. If we don't put the very best of our spiritual values in the centre of public life, less good values will find their way in. Nature abhors a vacuum. My prayer is that, just as Stafford Council has decided to invest in a new crib-set in its market place at the centre of things, so the people of this country will make room in their hearts for the gift of Love come down at Christmas. "And the government shall be upon his shoulder."

A very merry Christmas!

Jonathan Gledhill
Bishop of Lichfield
5th December 2006

The Symbols of Baptism

This talk was given on Advent Sunday, which also included the baptism of a five year old girl.

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Today is Advent Sunday, and it marks the start of the new Christian year. And like Advent, baptism marks a new beginning, because it marks a new stage in our journey with God.

There is a lot of symbolism in baptism, which act as a way of reminding us about what the Christian life is all about, the cross, water and light.

The Cross – When we are baptised we receive the sign of the cross on our foreheads.

The Cross is the badge of the Christian faith. Here in St Martin’s we have a large cross on our wall, and it is there to remind us that Jesus died for you and me. We all fall short of God’s standards, we all do things which we know hurt God. We call this sin. And what our sin does, is create a barrier between us and God. Paul in his letter to the Romans writes that the consequence of sin is death, it means being cut off from God’s love for eternity. But because God loves us so much, he didn’t want us to suffer this death, so instead he choose to die for us, taking on himself our guilt, so that we might live. And so through Jesus’ death we have the chance of a fresh start.

Here in St Martin’s our cross is empty, this reminds us that Jesus didn’t stay dead for long, but that he is alive today, and that we can meet him.

So in baptism we make the sign of the cross on the forehead to remind us that Jesus died for us.

Water - Without water none of us would survive for very long. There could be no life without water. And in baptism, water reminds us that it is God who gives us life. Jesus said that he came to bring us life in all its fullness. And one of the things that baptism symbolises is the new life we have when we become Christians. Baptism is also a symbol of death, as we go into the waters of baptism it symbolises going into the grave, dying to the old way of life, a life without God, a life of sin, and as we are brought up out of the water, it is a symbol of being raised to new life, starting a fresh with Jesus. And that is why when we pray over the water, we say ‘We thank you Father, for the water of baptism. In it we are buried with Christ in his death. By it we share in his resurrection. And through it we are reborn by the Holy Spirit.'

The other thing that we use water for is cleansing. We use water to wash ourselves and our clothes so we can stay nice and clean. And in baptism we are cleansed from our sins, it is as though they are washed away, so that through Jesus’ death on the cross we are made clean.

Light - The final symbol in baptism is the giving of a lighted candle. Light, like water, is essential for life. Without light there could be no life on this planet. Also light is essential if we are to see where we are going. It can be very scary and difficult walking down a road at night on a pitch black night, where you can’t see what is in front of you.

Jesus said that he ‘is the light of the world’, in other words he is the one who guides us in life. And as Christians, we look to Jesus to show us how to live our lives. He is the one who guides us.

Jesus also said that as his followers, we also are like lights in the world. We are meant to carry the light of Christ out into our world, to our homes, schools, and work places, by demonstrating to others the love of God.

At the end of the baptism service we receive a candle, and we will say these words. 'God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and has given us a place with the saints in light. You have received this light of Christ, walk in the light all the days of your life. Shine as a light in the world, to the glory of God the Father'.

(And once the light of Christ has been lit, nothing can ever put it out (as a visual illustration of this I used a relighting candle that reignites whenever it is blown out)

Conclusion

So as you can see baptism is full of significance and symbolism. As N is baptised lets reflect on what our own baptism means for us. To think again about why the cross is important, to reflect on the love God has for each one of us. To think about how through the waters of baptism we are cleansed and given new life, and how as Christians we have received Christ’s light into our live.

And I’m going to invite you, as you come up to receive communion to splash yourself with some of the water in this font, to remind yourself of your own baptism, and recommit yourself to serve and follow God. So that you may also carry his light out into the world. Amen.

Good Advice

A boy strolls into his house with a chair under each arm and a sofa balanced on his head.

"Where did you get that from?! asks his dad.

"Off an old man in the park" replies the boy.

"Never EVER do that again" shouts the father. "What have I told you about taking suites from strangers?"

Christian & Muslim Dialogue

On Tuesday of this week, a unique event took place in Walsall. A meeting was arranged at one of the local mosques for Christians and Muslims to come together and learn from one another what 'faith' means to these two religions. The meeting was extremely well attended, with Christians from a number of different churches present, as well as members of the Aisha Mosque. The main part of the evening was a talk given by Vic Gledhill from the Walsall Community Church on faith from a Christian perspective, and then a talk from Imam from the Aisha mosque speaking about faith from a Muslim perspective. It was an extremely interesting evening, and our Muslim hosts made us feel very welcome.

There were a number of things that struck me about this event. First of all how important meetings like this are. There is a lot of fear and mistrust about Islam within British society, and so often this is born out of misunderstanding and ignorance, and building bridges so we can understand one another better is extremely important. This works both ways, because there were several things said by Muslim speakers in that meeting, which showed that they misunderstand some aspects of the Christian faith, just as I imagine we misunderstand parts of the Muslim religion.

One of the other things that struck me about the meeting, is that although there are big differences of opinion between Muslims and Christians on the person of Jesus and Muhamed, there is a lot of common ground between us, in terms of the importance our faith to our everyday lives, and there is mutual concern about the importance of family life, and how we encourage and support this. It was also interesting to hear one Muslim RE teacher, express his concern about how young people today (of all ethnic backgrounds) fail to see the relevance of God to their lives, and how we are to reach these young people - this is an extremely important issue for Christians as well.

The warmth of the hospitality, and the conversations we had afterwards as we looked around the Mosque gave me real hope for the future, and shows why it is so important to build bridges between Christians and Muslims.

The next event takes place as Caldmore Evangelical Church in Walsall at 7.30pm on Tuesday January 16th.

The Persecuted Church

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) The impact of these words spoken by Jesus, are possibly a bit lost on us today. But when Jesus spoke these words, the significance of these words would have been quite clear. In Jesus’ day, it was a common sight to see condemned men carrying their crosses through the streets to the place of execution. Jesus was saying, to follow him can be costly.

Living in twenty first century Britain, we face little or no opposition as Christians. We are free to practice our faith without fear or intimidation. But for many Christians the reality is very different. In the twentieth century more Christians died for their faith, than in the previous 19 centuries combined, and for millions of Christians around the world, persecution is part of the daily reality of life. And by persecution I mean a situation where people are repetitively, persistently and systematically inflicted with grave or serious suffering or harm and deprived of their basic human rights because of their faith.

In 1 Corinthians 12:26 Paul uses the analogy of the body to describe the church, and he says that “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.” And our Gospel reading reminds us that we have a duty to support our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and that failure to do so will result in judgement.

In many countries where Christians are a minority group, they find themselves vulnerable to abuse and injustice of many kinds. They are often discriminated against, with no hope of redress, to violence with no hope of protection.

Pastor Daniel

Take for example Pastor Daniel. He and his wife run a home for orphans in India. Along with their own four children, they care for 20 Dalit ("untouchable") children.
A converted Hindu, he has experienced severe persecution from fundamentalist groups opposed to his Christian activities.

Since 1995, he has been severely beaten and left for dead, and his house stoned by violent mobs who once besieged his home for 15 days.

To date, the police have failed to arrest those responsible and in fact arrested Pastor Daniel once, on trumped-up charges.

Pastor Daniel and his wife have been ordered to leave the region by Hindu extremists, or be killed.

Rahmet from Ethiopia

Next there is Rahmet from Ethiopia. She became a Christian at the age of 15, but when her Muslim family found out of her new faith they were enraged, and have disowned her, as have many of her friends. Rahmet now lives with a Christian family.

Yousif Matt from Iraq

Yousif Matty has led many Muslims to Christ. The church that he founded in 1992 has over a 1000 members, most of whom come from a Muslim background. Yousif has received hundreds of death threats, and his Christian bookshops have been attacked.

Since the invasion of Iraq three years ago, the situation for Christians has worsened. Earlier this year Christians in Iraq were by Islamic extremists that that they must either leave, convert to Islam or be killed. The aim of these extremists is to cleanse Iraq of every last Christian, and to a certain extent they are succeeding as many Christians have fled to neighbouring countries.

Sarah from Uzbekistan

Sarah was the first person in her hometown to become a Christian. She shared her faith with friends and neighbours, and a church of 300 was soon established.

However, after spates of heavy persecution, many of the new converts were too frightened to attend church. Sarah herself was kidnapped by a Muslim and forced into marriage. She is forbidden to visit her Christian friends, and on many occasions she has been pelted with stones when walking through the streets.

SHOW SLIDE These are the stories of just four people, but it is estimated that up to 200 million Christians in 60 countries world wide are facing similar persecution and discrimination on the grounds of their religious beliefs.

Psalm 31

Our first reading this morning was composed by King David. In his own life David had to face many trials, the times in which he lived were fraught with uncertainty and violence. In the psalm he talks about being pursued by his enemies. The experiences that David writes about in this psalm, are similar to the experiences many Christians around the world face. Being pursued by their enemies, living in times of trial and uncertainty. For example, we have seen the rise of a very militant form of Islamic extremism. In Nigeria, where there is a large Muslim population 270 churches were burnt to the ground last year, and in one horrific attack 20 Nigerian Christian children were burnt to death when the bus they were travelling in was attacked. Other Christians are having to face discrimination of an institutional, legal and employment nature, or are finding their rights to practice their religion suppressed.

In the psalm David describes how his experiences, left him distressed and anxious. He describes how he was scorned by his neighbours, and forgotten by his friends, who treated him as though he were dead. And the burden for Christians living with the threat of persecution is similarly great.

But throughout the trials David had to face, his trust remained in the Lord. David was conscious of the fact that God was ultimately the one in control. He said, “I trust in you, O Lord, I saw, ‘You are my God’.

David’s confidence was based on his understanding that God is a righteous God, and that he is concerned with justice. He trusted in God’s unending goodness, whose abiding presence offers support and encouragement even when we are faced by great hardships. Paul who similarly faced similar hardships, writes in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” He was able to say this, because his confidence was based not in men, but in God whose faithfulness endures for ever, and he knew that his future and his destiny lay in God’s hands.

In Exodus 3:7 we read that God hears the cries of his people, and is concerned with their suffering. Which is why, David is able to end the psalm with these words, “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.” (Psalm 31:29)

What I find so striking about hearing stories of Christians under persecution, is the strength of their faith, and their confidence in God’s goodness and justice. It is also striking that where the church is seeing some of it’s greatest growth, is in those places where Christians are facing the most opposition. Where does the confidence and joy of these Christians come from? It is based on the knowledge that they are suffering for Christ. In the 1st letter of Peter, he writes, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:12-13)

What is the main message that Christians who are suffering take from Psalm 31. I believe it is David’s message urging us all to be strong and to take heart, to wait expectantly for the Lord to bring justice for those who have put their trust in him. These are not glib words, but come from one who himself experienced extreme suffering, yet clung faithfully to the Lord and eventually saw him work.

So what should our response be to the suffering of other Christians?

Four main responses:

1. Pray for our Christian brothers & sisters who are facing persecution
2. Pray for those who are persecuting the, in Matthew 5:44 Jesus said “ “Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”
3. Support them with our gifts – many of these Christians suffer extreme poverty, and rely upon the support other Christians can give them.
4. We are to stand with those who are oppressed. Proverbs 31:8-9—“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

7 reasons not to mess with children

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales.
The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small.
The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.
Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.
The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah".
The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?"
The little girl replied, "Then you ask him".

A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work.
As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was.
The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."
The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."
Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, "They will in a minute."

A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds.
After explaining the commandment to "honour" thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"
Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family) answered, "Thou shall not kill."

One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head.
She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, "Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?"
Her mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white."
The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, "Momma, how come ALL of grandma's hairs are white?"

The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture.
"Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, he's a doctor.'"
A small voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the teacher, she's dead."

A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said,
"Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in
the face."
"Yes," the class said.
"Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?"
A little fellow shouted, "Cause your feet ain't empty."

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:
"Take only ONE. God is watching."
Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies.
A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples."

All Saints Assembly

Aim

To celebrate the Christian festival of All Saints (1 November) by demonstrating that 'saints' are ordinary people who love God.

Preparation and materials

Pictures of Southampton Football Club, & girl band All Saints. Plus pictures of Christian saints

Assembly

1. Show picture of Southampton Football Club. Ask the children if they know what the nick name of this club is – answer The Saints.
2. Show picture of girl group All Saints. Ask the children if they know what the name of this band is (be careful not to give the question away!)
3. Show selection of pictures of Christian saints - & say a little about then. We call these people 'saints'. Sometimes they were very brave and died because they believed in Jesus, or sometimes they were very good Christians, and set a good example for other people to live by.
4. Say that we also call people saints who are very kind or helpful - we might say, 'She's a real saint'.
5. Explain that for Christians 1 November is called 'All Saints Day' - it's the day Christians remember and give thanks for every saint, and for the example they set for us. It is also an time when we stop to thank God for those people who have helped us in our lives. Say that many people believe that only very special and holy people are 'saints', but we are all very precious and special to God. In the Bible St Paul said that all people who loved God and tried to do right were 'saints'.

Time for reflection

Think about those people in your own life who have helped you. And say thank you to God for them.

Dear God, Thank you for the example of all the special people who have loved you. Help us to love you too, and to remember that we are all special. Amen

John 11:32-44 Memorial Service Talk 2006

This is my talk for our annual memorial service which takes place in St Martin's on October 29th 2006 at 6.30pm. Part of this talk has been inspired by the Nooma video 'Matthew' by Rob Bell, and I feel it is right that I acknowledge this at the start.

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C S Lewis, who was born in 1898 and died in 1963, is renowned as being one of the greatest Christian writers of the last century. His works have been translated into over 30 languages, and 43 years after his death he is still on the best sellers list. He wrote many books, but he is most famous for his children’s series, The Chronicles of Narnia, which has sold over 100 million copies.

One of Lewis’ less well known books is called ‘A Grief Observed’, which is based on a series of journals C S Lewis wrote shortly after the death of his wife Joy Gresham from cancer at the age of 45. It is an extremely honest and moving account of the pain C S Lewis endured after his wife’s death.

Anyone who has experienced the pain of bereavement will I think be able to identify with what Lewis writes. This is what he wrote shortly after the death of Joy. “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear… the same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning… At other times it feels like being mildly drunk, or concussed. There is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take it in… I dread the moments when the house is empty… There are moments, most unexpectedly, when something inside me tries to assure me that I don’t really mind so much, not so very much, after all… I was happy before I ever met Joy. People get over these things. Come, I shan’t do so badly. One is ashamed to listen to this voice but it seems for a little to be making out a good case. Then comes a sudden jab of red-hot memory and all this ‘commonsense’ vanishes like an ant in the mouth of a furnace.

All of us here tonight, have been affected by bereavement at one time or another. For some here, this bereavement was very recent, and the raw emotions that CS Lewis writes about, may reflect how you feel today. For others, the bereavement may have been some time ago, but even with the passage of time, nothing fully takes away that sense of loss, instead you learn to live with it.

Christians have always believed that there is hope in death as in life, and that there is new life in Christ over death. But even if you share this hope, the pain of death is no less real. One of the things that C S Lewis wrestled with was the sense of having been abandoned by God. In the days after his wife’s death he wrote “Where is God?” for Lewis it felt as though God had closed the door in his face, and that he had been abandoned.

But this is something that Jesus himself felt, when he cried out from the cross, ‘Father why have you abandoned me?’ Where is God when it hurts?

There answer to that question in part lies in the cross itself. The cross throughout history was a symbol of suffering and death, but for Christians it has become a symbol of hope and victory in the face of death. It is through the cross Jesus took on and defeated death. At his birth Jesus was given a special name, Emmanuel, which means God with us. And it is on the cross that we see, Emmanuel, God with Us, suffering with us and for us. God shares our pain, and he weeps with us.

Jesus himself wept at the death of his friend Lazarus. Several days after Lazarus had died Jesus goes to Lazarus’ village, to where his family and friends are mourning their loss. And Lazarus’ sisters say to Jesus, if you had been here earlier, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. And Jesus enters into this big giant mess, and we are told that he was deeply moved in his spirit. Somewhere deep down he connects with all this mess, and then we are told, Jesus wept. He feels all this pain and loss, and enters into it. And he lets the full force of the moment hit him, he doesn’t hide from it, or ignore it, he faces it full on.

In life we cannot avoid pain, or try to ignore it, expecting it to go away. We have to let it out, or else it builds up inside of us. If Jesus wept, then we need to as well.

We all have a choice about how we respond to the pain of loss and about the kinds of people we are, and the kinds of people we’re becoming. We have a choice whether or not we’re going to become bitter. There is a woman in the Bible named Naomi, and she loses her husband and her two sons, and she says, “Don’t call me Naomi anymore, call me Mara.” The word Mara is the Hebrew word for ‘bitter’. “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me bitter." A man named Job in the Scriptures loses everything, children, houses and possessions, and his wife says “Job, are you still holding on to you integrity? Curse God and die!” She becomes consumed with her bitterness. And if we don’t’ acknowledge this choice, if we allow a bit of bitterness in, it will take over. Or sometimes it is not bitterness that we feel, but a sense of guilt. “If only I would have done this, that wouldn’t have happened. If only I would have been this way, if I would have done something differently” And so we can become racked with guilt, and it can seep in and become part of us and we aren’t even aware of it. Don’t let it happen.

In one of the psalms the writer pours out his pain and says to God, “You’ve made me see trouble. You’ve made me see troubles, many and bitter, but you will restore me again.”

It’s easy when we suffer loss, for whatever it is we’ve lost to become the centre of our life. We had them, and now they’re gone. And so there is this giant hole where they once were, and it becomes all we can think about. And what happens in the process is, our whole life becomes what we don’t have, and we lose out on what we do have.

Bereavement always leaves a great hole in our lives, our hearts will never be the same again, but we will recover.

The first Christians spoke about a day in the future when God would restore everything – you, me, everything in heaven and on earth. They talked about how there would be no more weeping or sorrow, nor more death or pain. I find great hope in that.

So may you realise that Jesus wept, and may you realise that God is with you, fully present, grieving your loss… but also restoring. And in that, may we find hope.