Messages from 2022
Here we provide a bite-sized summary of the Minister's or the Local Preacher's Christian messages from last year for you to think and pray about...
11th December -Be Patient
Rev Alf Waite's theme today was that although the Advent period prepares us for the birth of Jesus, it has lessons all of its own. Firstly, it asks us to prepare ourselves to receive Him and to hold onto the hope of salvation that Jesus brings, but we also need patience to wait for what is to come.
In Matthew Ch 11 vs 2-11 we read that John the Baptist, unjustly imprisoned and tortured by doubt, sends messengers to Jesus asking Him to confirm that He really is the promised Saviour. Jesus replies by asking them to look at the evidence of His ministry. The lame walking, the blind now seeing - all this reflecting the messages of the prophets in Israel's antiquity, which John will have been very familiar with.
Farmers know that whatever they plant they can never predict what the harvest will be like because it depends so much on the weather, which is uncontrollable (see James Ch 5 vs 7-10). Similarly, to us living in an ever chaotic world, the verses above are teaching us to be patient, confident in the knowledge that salvation is already here and available to everyone.
And God is patient with us as well. Although it has been two millennia since Jesus' birth His second coming is not slow in coming because God does not want any of His creation to be lost. But we can only be saved by coming to Him through Jesus.
So don't lose hope, grumble or be impatient, continue to live, love, work and pray because only when we recognise that we are as powerless as shown in the farming example above will Jesus and His promise of salvation come to us.
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4th December -A New Start
Traditionally, for the second Sunday in Advent we look at the work of John the Baptist and today we welcomed Joan Murray after a long absence through illness, who spoke about the message in Isaiah Ch 11 vs 1-10 and how it is a precursor to John's ministry which was to prepare the world for the coming of Jesus our Saviour, told in Matthew Ch 3 vs 1-12.
Using agricultural terminology that everyone would understand, Isaiah talks about a shoot springing from a tree stump, signifying new life from something as good as dead and Joan related an anecdote about a much loved plant which had been reduced to four dry twigs but which, with care she had nurtured back to health. Similarly, God gives us the water, oxygen and care we need to thrive again. We need to nurture and to be nurtured by God all year round.
John was seen as the successor to the great prophet Elijah - a wild man, living in the wilderness - a parallel with the Israelites' own wanderings in the wilderness hundreds of years earlier. John is baptizing people, asking the recipients to realign themselves with God in genuine repentance and he warns the religious elite who came (and us) not to be proud, or egotistical, trusting in our own faulted selves.
Christmas is all about making a new start, a new beginning, because Jesus the Messiah is the new King who will reorder creation and both Isaiah and John warn about His coming judgement.
A mix of people came to be baptized by John. Many had come for genuine reasons but some had only come to see the wild man's 'show'. His message - then and now - is to prepare our hearts to receive Jesus. So listen to God, repent and rejoice in His peace.
So listen to John. Jesus the Good Shepherd, our Saviour and Messiah is coming. New life is coming.
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27th November -Get Ready
As we enter the Christmas season, Peter Walsham reminded us of the need to be aware of and prepared for Jesus' second coming. In Mark Ch 13, Jesus teaches us to look out for signs of the approaching Day of Judgement at the end of time and what will happen, although only God knows when that day will be.
We have all misread or missed signs, some of which are misleading. At times our eyes play tricks as to what we've seen and we all miss things when we're busy doing other things.
So Jesus tells us to be alert and ready, whatever the age or season. He talks about the destruction of temple but which temple does He mean? Also that the skies will turn black. Skies have turned black before but the world hasn't ended. But we are to remember that everything is under God's control and because of that we have the hope of a better life if we trust Jesus' words and follow His ways. See John Ch 14 vs 1-3 where He promises us that He will return to be with us "so that you will be where I am".
Judgement day is predicted throughout the Bible but we shouldn't be worried if we act in a loving and forgiving way because Judgement will not stand against us as Jesus will be there to plead on our behalf.
Jesus says that notwithstanding being rejected or mocked that He cannot be stopped and that He will return.
But how do we get ready for this? One key thing is to be more observant of people's needs - and then to respond in love.
God has us in the palm of His hand and He won't let us go. That's the hope that Advent brings, the time when we all meet again in the new Heaven and the new Earth.
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20th November -Spread the Word
This Sunday, before the season of Advent begins next week is the festival of Christ the King so today Rev Dawn Brown invited us to stop, think and ask ourselves if Christ is King in our hearts. As we think about the imminent celebrations for His birth, what does Christ mean to us?
Just a few weeks before Christ's birth we read Luke 23 vs 33-43 which remind us of Jesus nailed to a cross. He is mocked by the authorities and the soldiers but then forgives the repentant criminal crucified with Him. Jesus' supremacy is unlike the kingship of any earthly ruler.
Soon it will be time to share our great celebration, an opportunity for us to share our Faith to make people stop and think - Jesus came not to gain power but to save. Jesus has been there from the start of creation but He still comes to us because he loves and cares for us, wanting to restore redeem us and restore our relationship with God the Father. All that greatness comes to you and I.
In a world of distractions we can lose focus. St Paul tells us in his letter to the Colossians to let the world carry on because as disciples we are different. Let Christmas not be the silly or festive season, let it be the one where we share Jesus and show that Christ is King because Colossians Ch 1 vs 20 says that through Him we are redeemed and reconciled. Rejoice because of that!
Jesus came at the right time to save us, our Superhero saving the day. If we know that, then live it! He has called us by name. At Christmas Santa calls children by name to receive a gift. Today Christ is calling you to share the Good News with other people - that through Jesus we are redeemed and saved.
This Christmas, help reconcile people to God.
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Remembrance -God's Promise
We celebrated a Baptism and all young lives today, alongside our Remembrance Day devotions when with the whole nation we brought before God the many who fought, and in many cases died, for peace.
Rev Alf Waite affirmed God's love for us, whatever we might face. Whilst some say that History is unimportant it's perilous to think like that, Ukraine shows us that each day, with more senseless destruction to come. Yet through all that, in Isaiah 52 we can read God's promise to the Israelites that He is still with them even though they are at this point exiles in a foreign land. God tells them that they are still valuable to Him; they are not 'nothing'.
And that same message of reconciliation and forgiven sin, underpinned by God's love for us and of our value to Him is made to all nations through Jesus. What was promised to the Israelite faithful is now made to all creation. It's the message of Christmas, that deliverance is coming notwithstanding the downs in Life.
The Devil often whispers our shortcomings to us, that we are 'nothings', but in Romans Ch 8 St Paul tells us that nothing separates us from the love of God. Paul says each of us is important to God and nothing can separate us from His love. vs 31 -39 read: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord".
God in Jesus is with us through thick and thin through persecution or hardship. It is this that is celebrated in Baptism. Only stubbornness and the belief that we can 'do things ourselves' can come between us and God but His love remains available and ready - when we come to our senses.
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6th November -Who are You?
Rev Derek Aldridge visited today and asked us, along the lines of the TV programme, 'Who do we think we are' because identity is important to all of us!
And we are all such a mixture! At times we scale the heights but at other times the opposite applies.
But remember, God uses all sorts of people. In Exodus Ch 3 vs 1-12 we read how Moses was selected by God to lead the Israelites out of their bondage in Egypt. Clearly Moses had huge doubts asking "Who am I to do this?" Is it a case of mistaken identity? God says no and responds that He will be with Moses.
In Mathew Ch 16 vs 13 - 20 Jesus asks His disciples what people are saying about Him. Some think He's a reincarnation of John the Baptist, others that He's one of the ancient prophets and those that know His family are incredulous and underestimate Him because of that.
So everyone gets it wrong. Jesus then asks the disciples who they think He is. They've seen all His miracles and how He stilled the storm when their boat was in peril at sea. And Peter gets it right - Jesus is the Jews' long expected Messiah, the Son of God.
Back to our own identity and 'Who am I?' then. The Bible book of Genesis says that God made us all in His image so we should identify ourselves in relation to Jesus and how we reflect Jesus and God's will in our lives.
Finally, a thought to conclude with. If anyone were to be asked who you are, in considering their answer, would they recognise you as a Christian and in so doing, see reflected in you the image of Jesus?
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30th October -Sharing the Faith
At a time when many people are seeking meaning for their lives Jean Shotton emphasised the need to welcome people into the Church's community of Faith because Faith is a community thing, something we should celebrate and be proud of and that through having Faith in God we too are called to be Disciples, and to serve, just as the original twelve Disciples did.
And just like us, having been sent out by Jesus to speak to people the original twelve had their doubts so in Luke Ch 17 vs 5-10 we see them asking Him to increase their Faith.
Jesus tells them that even with a Faith as small as a mustard seed, they can do great things and change lives and He then goes on to speak about the role of slaves or servants. To put that in context, in ancient Rome there were more slaves than free people but what Jesus means is that the Disciples belong to Him just as a slave belongs to a Master. Faith then as now, is about trusting in God, holding on with confidence and not letting go. Your Faith may appear small to you but it's your gift from God - and if you trust in Him, it will be enough.
Following Jesus is a challenge. The Disciples could see the risks involved in going to Jerusalem with Jesus so they wanted to be sure. In turn, we need to think about who we are and how we belong to God and how we follow Jesus.
To be story tellers of the Lord, is an act of will inspired by love. Change might be slow and gradual and we may not see the fruits of our work but it is our Christian duty to explain our Faith when people ask us about God. It's what we are called to do.
There is 'Room for All' in the community of Faith.
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16th October -Let us Pray
Acknowledging that for some this is a difficult subject, shrouded in misunderstanding and mystery, Rev Alf Waite spoke today about Prayer, explaining that it is just something that means having a conversation with God, as you would with a close friend or relative.
In Luke 18:1 - 8 Jesus tells us about a widow appealing to an uncaring judge and says how much more a loving God will respond, always hearing our petition and providing justice to those who ask Him.
Does God answer your prayers? It can be with a 'yes' or perhaps a 'no' or maybe a 'not yet'. Charles Spurgeon a notable nineteenth century Christian once raised money for an orphanage he ran but in prayer he heard God say he had to let someone else have the money so eventually, after much internal wrestling, he gave the money away. On returning home, a letter awaited him and inside it was a cheque for the amount he'd given away!
Another example of answered prayer is that the HQ of the British and Foreign Bible Society which distributes Bibles worldwide, is built on a site where 500 years earlier people had prayed to own a Bible in their own language at a time when this was forbidden to common people.
Just as it is with our human friends, sometimes we feel more distant than at other times and of course our busy lives can get in the way. And at times when life is difficult, Prayer becomes difficult too, but God is always waiting for us to return to Him, ready to welcome us back and help us get through. He loves us but He also wants to know that we love, trust and believe in Him as well.
So don't despair, lay all your troubles before God and have that conversation He wants you to have with Him. Or to put it another way, Pray always. You'll feel better for it.
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9th October -Cast in Stone
Gwyneth Walsham led our service this week and spoke about a recent close encounter she had had with God.
Recalling the popular song 'From a Distance' which says that God is watching us - but from a distance, Gwyneth said that her experience was that whilst it is true to say that God is watching, He does it right alongside where we are in order to encourage, or possibly redirect, our footsteps along the way He has planned for us. And He often does this in moments when we least expect it.
On a quiet walk around the ruins of Coldingham Priory in the Scottish Borders, Gwyneth came across some inscribed stones which caused her to pause and think. The first stone bore the inscription: "The Holy monks of old are still reflected in their good deeds and noble words." A little further on another stone asked "Who came here?" and went on to provide the answer: "Kings, serfs, monks, saints, soldiers - and You." The next stone she came across read "Pause a moment, think a moment - Happiness is free." After all, it's more enriching than being miserable isn’t it? Then next to a bench, another stone offered an invitation to "Come and sit down. There is peace to be found. Let your thoughts fall."
The monks at Coldingham revered St Cuthbert, a bishop of the early Christian church in the area and the next stones commemorate his life as follows: "Man of God our special Saint. Shepherd boy to Bishop." and then "A torch for Christianity. Kindled light and love in hearts of all."
If we are prepared to listen, our God of surprises often speaks to us. What might the simple maxims cast in the Coldingham stones be saying to you?
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2nd October -Growing Faith
This week, Rev Dawn Brown highlighted two Bible stories. In Luke 17, Jesus' disciples' request that He increase their faith, whilst in 2 Timothy, we see St Paul writing a letter of encouragement to a young follower, demonstrating that Jesus' teachings are practical, relevant and achievable and that faith in Jesus produces real results.
In the reply that Jesus gives His disciples He refers to the need for servants to do their duty and to continue working for their Master. So how does that advice help to grow Faith?
Faith is an essential part of our life's journey. It needs to be practiced daily and by staying positive, you will find that the longer you practice it, the closer you will get to your true Christian destiny - life everlasting with God.
When we pray for something and it is not delivered, then some will say that our faith simply isn't strong enough. But that misses the point, because if it is not God's will then what we ask for will not happen! Faith needs to be practiced by trusting God with everything in order to be in tune with Him. Faith can make something out of nothing if we grow it by fulfilling the work God has called us to do, reflecting the Lord's Glory and allowing Him to be seen through us. With the Spirit in and with us, we CAN move mountains.
How big is the Spirit of God in your life? Are you unsure or perhaps afraid of where Faith might lead you? Remember that God never gives us more than we can handle and as we continue to work in faithful practice day by day our seed of Faith grows. We will see God work miracles because we have Faith.
Jesus invites us all to live in Faith and if you can do what God asks, people will remember you as a faithful Christian witness who has found their way home.
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25th September -Living Water
As part of our Harvest Festival this year, Peter Walsham spoke about living water, both the water we need in our everyday lives to drink and wash with and the eternal life-giving living water that Jesus provides for our spiritual well-being if we follow Him.
We all know that so many of the poorest people in the world have no access to clean, uncontaminated water and as a result, suffer all kinds of illnesses and even death from water borne infections. As Christians, we should give what we can to alleviate their plight.
There are many miracles connected with water which is symbolic of life itself, throughout the Bible. In John Ch 4 Jesus is outside the town of Sychar resting by a stagnant well, meaning one into which groundwater leaches, when a Samaritan woman comes out to draw water. There was a better active well with a stream refreshing it in Sychar itself but the woman, probably a prostitute and definitely an outcast, was not allowed to use it.
As a result of ancient rivalries, Jews did not speak to Samaritans and so the woman is surprised when Jesus asks her to give Him a drink. He tells her that the water He can provide is 'living water' by which she can correct her life although she initially mistakes Jesus' offer for drinking water, meaning that she won't need to go to the well anymore, before realising what Jesus is driving at.
For us, our selfishness and pursuit of materialism and other sinfulness causes pollution not only to our own sources of water, but to our very selves resulting in our whole lives becoming polluted.
If we take on Jesus' offer of His Holy Spirit of 'living water' by following Him and leading loving unselfish lives through good times and bad, then He forgives us and promises us eternal life.
Isn't that a drink worth taking?
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18th September -It's Not Fair!
Judy Tasker spoke about the prophet Amos who lived 800 years before Jesus. He was a poor man who was called by God to send a message to the rich in whose hands wealth was increasingly centred. He condemned their dishonesty, cheating the poor, giving short measure or including husks in the wheat as well as for dealing in slavery. The gap between rich and poor was widening. Just like our own times it wasn't fair!
Jesus revisited this in the parable of the cheating steward told in Luke 16. Jews were not supposed to levy interest, although many did, so perhaps the steward was knocking off the interest the wealthy master shouldn't have been charging in the first place? Was the master as dishonest as the steward?
So how do we treat those people who are less well-off? How do we deal with our money? Do we buy fairly, with due consideration for those people at the bottom of society, both here and abroad?
Do we think about the workers who make our clothes when we change things for the sake of fashion? Are the manufacturers paying badly for incredibly long working hours in 'sweatshop' conditions?
Ethical living is not new. Amos talked about fair trade, teaching that God has a particular care for the poor. Jesus emphasised it too. Resources need to be used justly. Power does not only lie with the rich and powerful - we have power too. Do we ask hard questions about working conditions? Should we pay a little more for a fairly traded product or contribute to a Food Bank, or raise injustices with our MPs? Use your influence for the good of others.
Amos exposed those who abused power, who bought and sold the poor in his day and we must do the same. Help transform injustice wherever you see it whenever you can. There can be no peace without justice.
If it's not fair - do something!
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11th September -Community Care
In the week we remembered Her Majesty the Queen's life of service and care Maureen Simpson spoke about the text in Luke Ch 13 vs 10-17 where Jesus gets into bother with the church authorities for healing a disabled woman on the Sabbath day. In so doing he was rebelling against the Jewish leaders who put their church traditions and protocols above the needs of their people.
Jesus felt the need of the woman was beyond the reach of the church. The woman He healed was imprisoned by her disability, ignored and overlooked and because she was female, she had no status or value to the Pharisee priests who were in authority. Jesus freed her from all that. The Pharisees couldn't see beyond their rituals and because of that, they showed her no care or respect and had no compassion for her suffering.
Jesus replied to his critics by accusing them of hypocrisy, asking if they too had 'worked' on the Sabbath by feeding their animals whilst ignoring the woman? I wonder if after the healing they saw her in a different light.
If it had been here and now, what would we have thought about a stranger breaking the rules of our society? Are we reaching out to the under-valued in our communities? We say 'thy kingdom come' in the Lord's Prayer. It means that we are asking for God's kingdom to dawn within each one of us enabling us to see God at work in our communities and also what He needs us to do.
So today we need to ask if we miss people in need as we go about our daily business? Are we so busy that we just don't see what's around us? What are we going to do about that?
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4th September -Above all: Love
On the first day of the Methodist year, Rev Alf Waite said that the only way we have meaning is in relationships and the Christian faith is all about relationships.
In St Paul's letter to Philemon, a wealthy man, he writes a personal letter about his lazy and untrustworthy run-away slave Onesimus, but who had become a Christian after meeting Paul in prison in Rome. Onesimus had had a transformation of heart - essential to becoming a Christian - and had now become so useful that Paul wants to keep him. But Paul sends Onesimus back and appeals to Philemon's loving heart on Onesimus' behalf and in so doing, demonstrates what the church then, and now, should be like.
It's estimated that over 40 million people are enslaved today and 75% of them are female, many are children. Of course, it's heart breaking but we don't we see Paul condemning slavery. An explanation could be that if Paul had called it out there would have been even more discrimination against slaves. Instead he states that all are equal in the Christian church, whether high-born or slave and he tells Onesimus to go back and Philemon to accept him back, yes as a slave, but also as a brother in Christ.
Christians need to be different. We see things get worse and worse and we suffer like everyone else, in ill health, injustice, in the ups and downs of life but in church we stand together in equality, loving and caring for all around us as witness to the world until Jesus returns.
Our message is that there is life in the midst of suffering, by living differently through Jesus. Church needs to be different - a counterculture that exists to love and care even when times are at their hardest.
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28th August - Change the World
Joan Murray asked us how we live our life with God. Psalm 112 says that "happy is the person who honours the Lord which means everything is fine. But it's only part of what's is needed because the psalm goes onto to say that God is asking us to live as he does by, to not be picky and help everyone around us.
Luke's gospel is all-encompassing written for Jews and Gentiles. We read about Jesus' many blessings for the poor, writing about what's important and that you don't need riches to live a good life and so it links back to Psalm 112.
Jesus' parable stories helped people to think differently and to imagine a reality other than their normal perspective and in Luke Ch 14 vs 7-14, Jesus speaks about a wedding banquet He'd been invited to. Jewish tradition was that the closer you were to the host, the more honoured you were. There'd be pushing and shoving to get the best seats but Jesus teaches them about the need to be humble, taking the lowest seats and then to give to others without expecting anything in return talking of the importance of being hospitable.
Joan told an emotional story about a jam-packed train journey she'd been on. There had been fractious behaviour before the train had to stop due to an incident on the line but the mood overall became angrier the more tired and hungry the passengers became. Most people tried to ignore the commotion but then one person offered some food to the children on board. Then others did the same and as the children ate, people calmed down and even became friendly. All through one man who hadn't been afraid to offer what he could. God sees all our faults but He also sees our potential.
Remember Proverbs Ch 25 vs 6-7 which says: accept God, know your place, humble yourself by serving others and change the world!
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21st August - What is Methodism?
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Rev Alf Waite took us back to our roots today and discussed what it means to be 'Methodist.' The roots of the Methodist Church go back to John Wesley an Anglican Minister who was looking to reform the Church of England, following the Lutheran Reformation and the English Civil War, believing that the Bible had to be at the core of belief and practice.
So the Bible is central and we interpret it through the Church's traditions, our reasoning and our life experience, understanding that everyone is sinful, consequent from the original sin depicted in the story of Adam and Eve's disobedience of God's instruction.
St Paul affirms in Romans Ch 3 that we all sin but although we are trapped in our sin, through God's grace, which He makes available to us even before we come to faith and believe in Him, we can be set free. We are never coerced to believe but if we do then repentance follows, something which comes from within us. Whilst good works of compassion and service - love and care for others - is central to our faith we are not 'saved' by doing these things.
God works - displayed by His infinite mercy in sending Jesus to die on the Cross in our place - and we respond! Trusting in Jesus gives us confidence that we are saved in God. That's the doctrine of Salvation that the Methodist Church believes in, but each person needs to 'own' it for themselves. by dedicating ourselves to God and His purpose. It doesn't mean we are perfect but in accepting Jesus, we allow God to grow in us which is expressed through our love for others throughout our lives.
A Methodist loves the Bible and makes it the rule for life. Stuck in sin we are driven by God's rescue plan of Jesus, loving our neighbours through His holy spirit within us. Simple really - but it takes our 'all' to achieve.
14th August - God's River
Rivers can only go downhill but if blocked they find a diversion, another path so in the midst of drought and the risk of flash floods should a rainstorm hit hard ground, Rev Dawn Brown asked if we had come with open hearts this morning? Because if not, then God's life-giving water will not penetrate us, but will just run away to waste. Whilst we all like things done a certain way, sometimes we need to be open to new ideas.
Although like grapes in water stress we can improve through adversity, today the world needs a River of Faith in Jesus to revive it. In Hebrews 11 the writer explains how the Israelite heroes of antiquity had progressed in Faith and our calling is to bring that River to people in this day and age.
And we don't have to have lived a perfect life! The Hebrews reading picks out Rahab - a woman of ill repute - but she had been courageous during a time of war and helped the Israelites to win. We are all faulted through past sins but the Good News we bring is that Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross brings us and all who have Faith forgiveness and salvation through the Grace of God.
We are here because our ancestors kept the River flowing and we must do the same through our works of love and prayers. We do not know where this will lead us in this life but in Faith we know that all will be well.
So in this summer of drought, don't keep the water of God's River of Faith in a bucket by the door - let it flow!
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7th August - Return to Me
Jesus said "Heaven and Earth will pass away but My words will never pass away" so in the chaos we find ourselves in today, with so much going wrong, we need to hold onto Faith and believe that God's Word is sure and true said Rev Alf Waite.
Down the ages humanity has always tended to re-interpret the word of God, saying that much of Scripture and theology is outdated and no longer relevant. But it is wrong thinking to believe that we can adapt and change God's Word to suit ourselves.
In the Biblical book of Zechariah, we see God calling to the exiled and broken Jewish nation who had become estranged from God, to wake up because God still had work for them to do. His message in that time of national crisis and brokenness is as relevant to us today as it was then.
Post Covid and with the cost-of-living crisis, the church and society are just as broken. Because God is a living God, He wants us, His Christian people to be a vibrant unified church in order to be the hope of the world Jesus built it to be. God doesn't want us to settle for less, He wants more!
Humanity has always had a pattern of discovering God and then forgetting Him, yet He is still the great Redeemer and sanctifier of every generation. We are Jesus' body on Earth and it's our job as Christians to find ways for people outside the church to discover or re-discover God, opening churches in every way possible through social nights, Prayer groups or Bible studies, providing doorways and opportunities for those reconnections to happen.
Currently the Church is generally busy just keeping itself open, but when we die to self, God will work within and through us to bring healing to the World.
God told Zechariah to tell the exiled Jews to "Turn from wicked ways and I will heal their land". Judah was saved by God. He can rescue us too.
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24th July - How to Pray
Analysing the Lord's Prayer that Jesus gave us, Local Preacher Maureen Simpson emphasised that prayer shouldn't be off-putting, it's just a conversation with our loving Father God - the original word used 'Abba' is very intimate and is best translated as 'Daddy'. Even though we might not know Him we're asked to build a relationship with our Father, the Father not just of ourselves but of all our communities and institutions, just as he is the Father of the whole of creation.
'Thy kingdom come'? If God is everywhere surely the Kingdom has come already? But what we are praying for here is that there should be an awareness of God in people's lives, praying that God may enter the hearts of people who do not yet have that special relationship with Him.
And 'give us this day our daily bread' means that we will be provided with enough, both mentally and physically, for each day as it comes and no more. In terms of food, it calls us not to waste this precious resource.
Then the big one! 'Forgive us our sins'. All God is asking for is honesty - that sometimes we get it wrong in words or actions. We all mess up sometimes and need to forgive others too. We have different personalities so we don't always agree but our characters are God given so that in discussion we can test the best way forward but we must be prepared to take our gripes to God and leave them there. Only by letting our disagreements go - are we able to walk free.
And finally, 'lead us not into temptation'. We need our faith and love of God to get through things, so that we can cope when bad things happen.
Prayer brings us nearer to God and Faith is the power of the Holy Spirit that underpins it. Are we ready to prepare ourselves, receive the Holy Spirit and continue to help His Kingdom come?
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17th July - Sing Praise!
We had a good old sing-song this morning before Rev Dawn Brown spoke about ensuring that we sing our praises to God - even when things aren't going right.
We need to embrace the free gift of God's grace and remember it's always available to us. We are called to remember God's journey with us and what He has done for us. The love He has given, keeping us safe through His grace, as witnessed by His sending Jesus His son to die for us. Think about the love, strength, courage and wisdom we have received. Are we acknowledging this as we should?
When times are difficult God shows us His compassion forgiveness and love - do we share these things with other people through the story of our lives? And when God is continually calling us to be faithful why do we sometimes doubt Him?
At times we get stuck in the journey of life, not living in faith. For some perhaps it's because they aren't seeing God's power, His presence in the world or His great knowledge beyond our understanding and for these reasons, are not able to raise their voices in song. And that song needs to be sung continuously - not only inside but outside the church's walls.
Why not read Psalm 145 written by King David, a man who committed great sin but who always came back to God. Ask yourself if you are showing God's mercy to others through your words and actions, today and every day, and in so doing, singing His praises?
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10th July - Saved by Jesus
Rev Alf Waite spoke about the example set by the two disciple brothers James and John. When they first appear, they are irritable, arrogant and self-absorbed before Jesus transforms their lives.
Early on, in Luke Ch 9, we see James and John rebuked by Jesus for wanting to destroy a village that won't allow Jesus to enter. In Mark Ch 10, they ask to be allowed to sit next to Jesus in heaven. It demonstrates their ambition to be leaders rather than to undertake lives of service that they should have recognised by observing Jesus, who came to serve others.
Yet the Bible shows that it is James and John, who together with Peter, are chosen by Jesus to accompany Him on many of the most important parts of His story, such as Jesus' Transfiguration and His prayers in Gethsemane prior to the Crucifixion. Jesus overlooked their faults and drew them to Himself, and there's a lesson here - sometimes we are called to accommodate difficult people too!
Eventually they were both changed. We know that James was one of the earliest martyrs, by then, not a man calling for a village to be destroyed but surrendering to execution as a follower of Jesus. In many countries there is active Christian persecution, and we need to remember that, but also that we too should be willing to rely on Him and be killed for following Jesus.
It is believed that John survived and wrote five of the New Testament books, consistently teaching that Jesus is the Son of God and that through Jesus, the Grace of God and the Holy Spirit, our sins are forgiven and that there is salvation for all believers.
We all encounter many problems and other forms of suffering in our lives but as we go along, remember the faith of James and John, who teach us that we are safe because of the Cross of Jesus.
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3rd July - Pass it on...
In Luke Ch 10 Jesus sends out 72 disciples to spread His teaching about what God wants from us and how, through faith in Him, the Good News that salvation and eternal life is available to everyone. It's a prequel to Jesus' 'Great Commission' in Matthew Ch 28 where He instructs us to go and make Him new followers over the whole world.
So we have the awesome responsibility to pass on Jesus' promise until He returns to Earth again at the end of time. We are told not to be afraid bit to have Faith because through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is always with us.
There's a symbolism in the number 72 because it is derived from Genesis Ch 10 where those who left Noah's ark after the Flood founded every nation on Earth. Jesus is saying that His message is for the whole world, not just the Jews.
And the 72 were instructed not to take any means of support with them but to rely on the generosity of the townsfolk they visited. Jesus was asking them to trust God to provide for them.
Throughout life, we depend on other people, through whom, until Jesus come again, God works. We are called to serve and the people we serve have the opportunity to show God's love in serving us. In engaging with others we get the chance to teach Jesus' Good News through our words and actions. We are not expected to cajole or persuade - our job is simply to sow the Seed of God's Word, giving people the opportunity to begin a Faith based life despite the awkward questions we face, like climate change, the war in Ukraine or the refugee crisis.
Finally, Jesus teaches us to avoid self-righteous pride because it's not what we do for God but what He does for us. Let's remember, it's God's Word we are teaching, Him we are following and the glory belongs to Him.
No video this week - but here's our service in full:
26th June - Making Music
Rev Derek Aldridge spoke today on our 50th Church Anniversary Sunday and asked if we had ever considered ourselves as an orchestra. Within a church, there is no limit on the number of players the orchestra can have because all are welcome - and we never stop recruiting, but there has to be a desire to be in the band and in the orchestra, every instrument plays an important part.
The purpose of an orchestra is to play music and to do that, it needs to be in harmony. St Paul told us in Romans 12 vs 16 to live in harmony but at times, when there is discord, we have to remind ourselves that we should play the same tune because the music the music of Christ's life and the theme of God has already been written. In other words, when we get knocked off course, we have to get back to the true message of Jesus.
An essential truth was revealed by a simple story which contained the question - "what differentiates day from night"? The answer has nothing to do with the sunrise, it's the time when you see strangers and recognise them as your own brothers and sisters. Our music needs to fit that harmony!
Jesus calls us all to be disciples telling the tale of His love, but at times when disharmony and unrest occurs we need to retune, to 'face the music' in a manner of speaking, and look for His direction.
We are the players, with His music to perform but we also need to keep our eyes on Jesus, the conductor. Do we sometimes want to conduct Him rather than let Him conduct us? We have to be wise enough to accept that we don't know it all, marching to the beat of our own drum.
Yes, it's good to make music - but it's better to make good music!
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19th June - Rescued by God
Today, we looked at the story of the man Jesus freed from his demons as told in Luke Ch 8 vs 26 - 39. This is the famous healing where Jesus allows the man's demons to enter a herd of wild pigs who race away and plunge over a cliff to their deaths in the sea beneath. Rescued by God, we heard the tale as it might have been told by the man (we called him Simon) himself!
Mania wasn't understood back in Biblical days when Luke was writing and it's only in recent years that we have begun to appreciate all its potential causes, such as post traumatic dress, so the story was put into modern context by hearing Simon's possible back-story. But apart from the mania this 'dramatisation' of the tale taught us some useful truths about God.
Firstly, God is for everyone - and he actively seeks the lost and those who do wrong. Simon wasn't a Jew yet Jesus went beyond His own homeland to find him, a single lost soul. Is He looking for you now?
Then, after being healed, Simon wanted to go with Jesus but is told that he must stay where he is and tell his story to the people where he lived, thereby spreading by personal testimony the wonderful news of what Jesus did for him. It taught us that sometimes what we want to do is not what God needs us to do, so we must listen for His instruction and then obey His call - because in the end we cannot resist His will anyway.
Until Jesus comes again at the end of the world, it's us, here and now, who do His work, through the power of God's Holy Spirit within us. It reminded us that it's our job to look out for the Simons of this world and do what we can to help them.
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12th June - How to meet God
Judy Tasker spoke today about the many different stories in the Bible of how people met God.
One in the Old Testament is where Isaiah describes his vision of meeting the all-powerful, glorious and frightening God, who gives him a message to relay to the people (Isaiah Ch 6). Although over-awed, Isaiah responds by saying 'send me'.
Later in the New Testament John Ch 3 vs 1-21 records the secret visit of Nicodemus, a high-ranking Jewish rabbi and a member of the ruling Council, to Jesus. Nicodemus is told he has to be 'born again' by which Jesus means he needs to have a new understanding and a change of heart as to the nature of God and what God wants from him. This must have had a profound effect on Nicodemus because later, in the Easter story, we see Nicodemus pleading that Jesus gets a fair trial (John Ch 7 vs 50-51) and then providing the embalming spices for Jesus' body (John Ch 19 vs 39-42).
Two very different accounts of meeting God, and down the ages, there have been many more stories of people meeting God, some dramatic but others in more ordinary circumstances.
If we clear space in our minds to allow it, we too can meet God in all manner of places and ways. There are some places where heaven and earth seem very close and where, like Holy Island for example, people have felt close to God. Then when we see something that we wonder at and makes us gasp in nature, like the Milky Way on a dark night or in the intricacies of a spider's web. God inspires such feelings through the power of His Holy Spirit.
Make a habit to make a space in everyday life to hear God speak. The rest is up to Him. Let the Holy Spirit reach into your heart. Give God that opportunity.
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5th June - Keeping the Faith
St Paul says those who are led by the spirit are children of God, and today on Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate the Holy Spirit which came down on the disciples. It's the birthday of the church, a time to party, when we're adopted into God's family through His Holy Spirit. This is when the sharing of the God's Good News, the message of salvation began.
God loves his whole creation and on this Platinum Jubilee weekend, much has been said of the faith of our Queen and her 70 years of Christian service.
President Obama said of the Queen that her life had been a gift, not only to the UK but to the whole world. When she promised, whether her life be long or short, to commit her life to service and sacrifice, she invited us to join in by supporting her through our prayers.
The Queen believes she wasn't just born to be monarch but had been called by the Grace of God to serve the Nation, to be head of the Commonwealth and the defender of the Faith and symbolised at her Coronation by her anointment with oil.
When he ascended to Heaven Jesus promised that God would send His Holy Spirit through whom we are adopted by God as His sons and to live out our lives in His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not ours by right and we can't earn it, it's a gift from God. Without it, we live only half a life.
God has kept His promise and Her Majesty has kept hers and we must do the same. We don't know what's coming but we do know that we need to walk in God's presence, through which we live free, surrounded by His love.
This is our calling. To commit ourselves to God, sharing His love in the praise and glory of His name as followers of Jesus Christ. Rev Alf Waite
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29th May - Waiting
Before her Coronation the Queen spent time some time away, preparing for her role as monarch to begin. We are not future Kings or Queens but waiting for God and preparing to listen to Him is essential for Christian people.
How good are we at waiting? When Jesus ascended to His Father in heaven, the Disciples were told to go and wait for the gift Jesus had promised them, God's Holy Spirit.
So what kind of 'waiter' are you? At the bus stop we see different people on their way to different places. Some wait and worry. Have they got the right change? Or are they at the right stop? Others just wait calmly and if the bus doesn't come, they'll wait for the next one.
But what are we waiting for? Are we waiting for God to speak to us? Would we recognise Him if he He did? If we think of God as the bus, do we wait to hear His plan for us or are we distracted, pre-occupied with our own plans?
Before the disciples received the Holy Spirit, they had begun to realise that God's plans were different from their own. We too must realise that God's plan for our lives might be different from our own.
Jesus blessed His disciples as He ascended to heaven and in the same way God blesses us every day. We might not see it, but each new day and the people we share it with are blessings from God as He works out His plan. God is always with us, even as we wait for His direction.
God's Spirit is in all of us as we prepare ourselves to do the work God wants us to do. When He calls, will we be ready or will we remain at the bus stop, hoping His call will never come or so caught up in our worldly desires that we don't see Him as He passes by. Rev Dawn Brown
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22nd May - Keep your fire burning
This week we Methodists celebrate 'Aldersgate Day' when in May 1738 our founder, John Wesley, felt God's Spirit move his heart and he finally understood that he had found his own personal experience of God and the assurance of his eternal salvation through faith in Jesus.
Just as John Wesley had felt his heart ‘strangely warmed’ that day, we too can be refreshed and inspired by sharing our faith stories with each other, listening for the unequivocal call to follow Jesus and through helping others, bear witness to everyone that eternal life with Jesus Christ in heaven is available for all.
Wesley was particularly concerned about inviting people to experience God’s grace and love through Bible study and prayer and by putting faith and love into action and speaking out where he saw injustices, like slavery - which was not abolished until 1834.
So do we speak out both as individuals and as a church against injustice? Start by thinking about your personal story, your relationship with God and your thankful response to His call to live generously. In doing so, reflect on what is in your heart and ask if more can be done about today's ills. Modern-day slavery perhaps? Or the cost of living? Institutional racism and bias maybe? Or something else?
On Aldersgate Day, Wesley experienced a life-changing experience and a fire was lit within him. Now - as it was then - it's our calling to keep that fire, the fire of God's Holy Spirit, alive in the world today.
John Wesley’s most memorable command is still relevant here and now: "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can."
Can we keep our fires burning and live up to that?
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15th May - Love one another
At Eurovision last night there was much talk about the love in the auditorium. It showed in the public vote for Ukraine - and nobody got null points!
At the Last Supper, Jesus gave his disciples a new command, to love one another summing up the whole point of the 10 commandments which is that it's safe to live with one another without fear.
So Jesus' commandment to His disciples at the Last Supper, immediately before the events leading up to the Cross began, was to love one another. He'd just washed His disciples' feet - the lowest job in the house, usually assigned to a servant. Then He goes out, is arrested and lays down His life on the Cross, dying for the disciples - and all of us demonstrating a deep love of service and sacrifice.
Because Jews never mixed with none-Jews, who were considered unclean, we hear In Acts 11 that after the conversion of the Roman soldier Cornelius, not much love was being shown to St Peter! He has to go to Jerusalem to explain the taboos he's crossed because it's causing divisions in the first, entirely Jewish, Christian church, just as Jesus had been criticised for the very same thing. Peter explains that in a vision, God had told him not to discriminate.
Is this what God is doing? Making Himself available to everyone? The answer is yes and once the first Christian church had accepted this, it grew and spread across the ancient world. And it started with Jesus' commandment to love one another.
The only thing we can do is to trust our God - and in so doing sacrificially love and serve one another demonstrating the love of Jesus . That's our adventure to love one another as he has loved us. Actions speak louder than words. It's missional.
Through the many doubts of every day. Praise the Lord all your life and love his people.
Rev Alf Waite
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8th May - How we Worship
One of our Worship Leaders Gwyneth Walsham spoke about how we worship here at Trinity.
Singing has always been an important part of Methodist worship because the words inspire and can overcome our fears, just as it did when our founding fathers, John and Charles Wesley were in a ferocious Atlantic storm on a trip to America in 1736.
Enjoyment is also a part of true worship. As we smile at each other it is like switching on a light in a very dark room and the enjoyment is shared with each other, take a look at Psalm 16 verses 9 - 11.
We Read a lot too. We may think we know quite a bit about the Bible but I honestly don’t think a lifetime is long enough but hopefully it will give us a good start before we make our heavenward journey and hopefully our Bible readings will help us to reflect their teachings in our everyday lives.
Our Meditations in worship allow us to concentrate on the needs of others, here at home in our own community but spreading out from that, to encompass the whole world. Christian meditation is the process of deliberately focusing on specific thoughts and reflecting on their meaning in the context of the love of God and there's no better time to do this than through prayer.
And our care is reflected in our Offering, not just giving money but our hearts, time and talents, gifts richly provided by God in His service too.
And finally we worship with the Name of Jesus on our lips. People should see that we have that certain something in our lives never forgetting what Jesus did for us. It's why we meet every Sunday, and indeed whatever day we choose to worship our God.
Maybe you haven't noticed, but we've just spelt out SERMON.
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1st May - Beauty from Brokeness
Judy Tasker spoke this week about the ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi which enables quite spectacular repairs to be made to ceramics and glassware using gold dust, making the item more beautiful than it was before.
And it's a metaphor for how God works, because He is always there, ready and waiting for us, if we choose to engage with Him.
We read the Bible passages about St Paul's conversion on the Damascus Road and his change from being a persecutor of the early Christian church to becoming it's most famous ambassador and also how Jesus forgave and rehabilitated St Peter after he had denied all knowledge of Him prior to the crucifixion.
Both Peter and Paul, pillars of the early church, were broken men. Peter had sworn undying devotion to Jesus yet when he was in fear following Jesus' arrest he denied knowing Jesus three times. Yet after Jesus' resurrection Jesus met Peter again and gave him the opportunity to be reconciled with Jesus again. As for Paul, originally known as Saul, he was jealous for the Jewish religion and wanted to protect it from Jesus and His new way of thinking. Because of this, he hunted down the early followers of Jesus, yet he was transformed in an instant by Jesus.
No matter what we have done, Jesus doesn't reject us because we are not perfect, He gives us the opportunity to be reconciled and made useful once again. As with a Kintsugi repair, we can let Jesus shine through our imperfections and achieve great things for His kingdom. Enhanced by the Grace of God we can help to repair others!
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Easter Sunday - Is it Enough?
Taking into account all the current problems in the world today Rev Alf Waite asked if the Lord's resurrection was enough.
When Mary Magdalene found the empty tomb she found Jesus walking in the garden and went to tell the disciples that she'd seen the risen Jesus - but spoken by a woman with a dubious past, to the rag bag group that were the disciples, is that enough for us here and now?.
Many think they've outgrown religion, that it's just a method of control. Is the message enough for those who have lost loved ones to Covid, for those who have suffered mental problems? Is it enough for those on hospital waiting lists, for children trafficked around the world or subjected to violence on the streets and in their own homes? Is it enough for the millions of refugees and victims of war crimes in Ukraine? Or those suffering destitution and poverty on the edge of survival here at home? Is the risen Lord enough for them?
Yes it is! It is enough! On Easter Sunday we celebrate a truth that has never changed. Jesus succeeded in everything He came to do in dying for us and rising from death to live for evermore. The benefit is for all who put their trust in Him because by His resurrection death and sin are defeated. The law was given so that we can understand what sin is but Satan can no longer accuse us because the law which measures sin has been overtaken by God's Grace and God has given us new life.
We may have to suffer misfortune yet still we have hope in the future because the truth about Jesus is the only thing that lasts in this world and through Him we have an inheritance that cannot be taken from us or be destroyed.
That's the message of Easter and it is enough!
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Palm Sunday - Watch the Ball!
Rev Dawn Brown said today that as Jesus and the disciples entered Jerusalem recalling all His earlier miracles, everyone was excited, wondering what Jesus, their Messiah, was going to do next. In total awe, the disciples and the crowd are looking forward to the best week of their lives, anticipating great things, yet their week turns into a week of terror.
Because everything goes wrong. When Jesus is arrested, trialled, beaten, killed and buried, the greatest miracle they had hoped for, the crowning of their King of Kings, was not going to take place. The disciples dropped their focus, Peter denies Jesus whilst the others were just 'lost'.
We too have experienced disappointment. When on the brink of success, suddenly, it all goes to pot, leaving us not knowing where to turn. We can understand the disciples' confusion and disappointment.
But the greatest miracle does actually happen! Christ the Lord rises again. The lesson here is that no matter where life takes us, a miracle may be waiting if we only keep our eye on the ball, on the miracle that is Jesus, when the fruit of the Holy Spirit is born in our lives and those of others.
Jesus' human side might have thought that perhaps the Jews had really 'got it', but really He knows He has to focus on why He had come. His faith pulled him through, taking Him to the Cross and then to His resurrection. Jesus didn't take His eye off the ball!
Sportsmen know that they need hard work, perseverance, training, a good coach and a good team around them. For us, Jesus is our coach, the Holy Spirit gives guidance and training whilst God as leader of the church supports us.
As God's children. keeping our eyes on the ball that is the Cross, we have a choice. Either we fulfil the tasks He has given us - or we can reject Him and His promise of Eternal life.
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3rd April - In dying we Live
Jesus replied: "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies it produces many seeds”. (John 23 v12)
Jesus teaches us this as His earthly ministry draws to a close because to Jesus, death on the Cross is the process by which He will create a new existence. His words prompt our thinking towards the concept of new life germinating after physical death.
To the Jews, “Son of Man” meant the "undefeatable" conqueror sent by God so they hoped that Jesus was going to lead them to defeat their Roman enemy in war. However, Jesus meant submitting Himself in apparent weakness to Crucifixion where He secured the greatest victory the world has ever known.
Jesus looked to the example of a grain of seed, to explain Himself. If the seed isn’t planted, in apparent death then new life cannot grow and produce more seeds for life to continue. Jesus is saying that only through death comes life and that only by giving our life can we save ourselves.
At times, because of selfishness, our desire for happiness and comfort conflicts with doing God’s work. We put off doing things or turn a deaf ear because it is inconvenient and we are unprepared to make the necessary sacrifices God asks.
Jesus warns us about greed and selfishness: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life must lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the Gospel, will save it. What good is it if you gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul.” (Mark 8 v 34)
This is the Crux of Christian living. So what sacrifices are we prepared to make for Jesus?
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27th March - Look Up
This week, Peter Walsham told us that in the Bible's Old Testament book of Numbers 21: 4-9, when the people complained against God, demonstrating a lack of faith and trust in Him and their leader Moses (for which we can read that they were following their own self-interest) God sent a plague of snakes. Not the response you'd expect from a loving Father and it seems particularly strange because it resulted in quite a few deaths!
But then God tells Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole for the people to see and if then bitten, those who looked up and saw it were saved from the deadly effects of the snakebite venom. The message was that they had to renew their faith in God's saving grace to receive the antidote.
For us, it means that even at times when we can't see an answer or a way out of our troubles if we look up to God, then all will be well. It's like driving on a road you don't know or being in an airport, you need to look up to and trust the signs to keep yourself on the right path.
In John 3 vs 16 we read: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The disciples had no idea why Jesus had to lifted up on the Cross and what it all meant at the time, but eventually they understood. Like them, we need to believe in Jesus and look up to Him for all our needs.
When we do that, we are not condemned but freed from all our faults, completely forgiven and our eternal life with Him is guaranteed.
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How amazing is that?
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20th March - Grow with God
This week Maureen Simpson discussed the parable of the barren Fig tree in Luke 13. It's not really about the tree - it's about us and our walk with God.
How can we grow closer to God today? How do we find Peace. It's not done through expensive material things or experiences like a new flash car or by taking Mindfulness courses to make our lives better. We need to live Now, not dwell on the the past or wish for the future.
There's a story about a spiritual healer who had terminal cancer. He didn't ask 'why' he was suffering, he said that was a fruitless thing to ask. The real question he posed was 'what does God want me to do in the time I have left?'
God gave the fig tree another chance. Some people struggle on with things that are beyond them when they need to think about moving on! Don't get stuck in a rut, grow closer to God here and now.
The BBC's 'Repair Shop' and 'Money for Nothing' shows give things another chance. God always gives second chances if we ask Him so let Him help you to change and move along your own individual spiritual journey.
The whole Bible is about people moving on. Think of Abraham, Moses, Noah or the Apostles after the Crucifixion, there are many others. Similarly, Jesus called people to move on by freeing them from their broken bodies and minds.
God is patient and doesn't give up. Let Him take and transform you into something special, something new.
The Fig tree needed time to recover, so in the time we have left, together let's grow with God through faith and prayer, because He is ready to take you into His Repair Shop and refurbish you to work here today for His Kingdom, born again with a new start in Life.
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13th March - Letting go...
Jesus said that anyone who wants God's gift of new and eternal life has to give up their old life so Rev Alf Waite spoke about finding God's purpose for your life as one of the great adventures of being Christian.
We are easily distracted by the world and it's old ways. In Genesis we read that God called Abraham to leave his old life and go to a new land, promising him that he'd be a father to many nations. Because he and his wife were very old, Abraham didn't believe that God could provide them with a family so he tried to do it his way by going with his slave girl. But then, God gave them Isaac, a legitimate child.
Similarly, the disciple Peter, recognising that Jesus was the Messiah, tried to persuade Him away from the Cross. Jesus had rebuked him by saying 'Get behind me Satan.' Peter didn't understand that Jesus needed to die and be resurrected before God's promise of a new life could be born.
But our new life can only be achieved by first giving up the old one. There are no half-measures. It's a question of Faith and Trust. Faith in the capacity to Trust in the new life God has for us - even before it can be seen.
Some people want to hedge their bets by holding onto the old life whilst trying to adopt the new. Take Cop 26 - a lot of words but what's happening now? Are we letting go of the old ways to begin the new ways that are required.
The Christian life isn't only about loving. There is the need to respond to the call of God to lose our lives in order to gain the new life and this may lead to suffering.
Please reassess where you are today! Remember that the blessing God gives us through His new life is to be shared, that others may be blessed too.
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6th March - Cain and Abel
Referencing Ukraine and other areas of conflict in our prayers, Rev Derek Aldridge reminded us that we are called not just to be peace lovers but to be peacemakers, drawing on Genesis Ch 4 the story of Cain, the first son of Adam and Eve, the first criminal and the first murderer.
But Cain wasn't the first transgressor. The first rebellion was against God when Adam and Eve ate from the tree whose fruit God had forbidden. So this first rebellion against God, then develops into the rebellions of man against man.
When God asks Cain, "Where is your brother"? Cain avoids the question and replies "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" He refuses to acknowledge his crime and shows no remorse, until he realises that his crime would make him a target of retribution. But God had a surprise for him - and us. He put a 'mark' on Cain to protect him, a phenomenal act of Grace - the Grace that is reflected in the life of Jesus.
Despite our short-comings God does not abandon us, the enormity of Cain's crime is matched by the enormity of God's grace, which means there is hope for us too.
Jesus lived for those whose only 'crime' was to be poor, or rejected, or to live in the land of an occupying foreign power..... Christ went to refugees to say they were included in God's Kingdom a Kingdom big enough to include Cain.
We're all guilty of disappointing God. We're all marked men but God's Grace is offered to us even when we sin by ignoring others or being over critical perhaps. The Mark of Cain is hard to shake off but through Jesus we know we're not finished, we're a work in progress. We love and serve others because God is love.
Cain's question: "Am I my brother's keeper" was the wrong question. Abel didn't need a keeper, he needed a brother.
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27th February - Love your Enemy
In Luke Ch 6 vs 27 - 39 Jesus tells us not to judge and condemn others but to love each other, to forgive and forget, so in the week where war broke out in Europe, Maureen Simpson brought the thorny issue of disagreements in our personal relationships with each other.
We all have faults, we are all wrong at times and sometimes this leads to us bearing grudges. Even 30 years after the Second World War some people still viewed Germans negatively. More recently, in mining areas some people haven't forgotten those who broke the 1985 miners' strike. People hold grudges or want compensation for everything that has gone wrong but Jesus said Love your enemies.
We all want fair play, but when it doesn't come, grievances are easily replaced by feelings of vengeance. But hanging on to grudges doesn't do any good and actually harms the grudge-holder.
Love is a gift from God. Loving your enemies is to accept other people. We have a choice - bear that grudge or move on!
We're all different and we need to accept that the opinion of others sometimes makes things work out better because their disagreement with your plans makes you think. God may not be bothered about your plans but He is bothered that we don't fall out over them.
Why is it so hard to be nice? Accept that people, like you, get angry at times. So how can we be kind to our enemies? Well, the answer is - don't antagonise them further. Do unto others as they would do unto to you.
Is someone getting under your skin? We've all been hurt. Do we become their enemy and they ours or can we learn to love the enemy within us as well as the enemy without.
Differences can be defeated by loving one another. Go on - make God proud:
love your neighbour as yourself.
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20th February - Being Brave
Focussing on our need to be courageous in our faith when sharing the Good News, of salvation through believing in Jesus, Rev Alf Waite spoke about the example of the apostle Matthew, the tax collector.
When you look at the choices Jesus made with His band of disciples, they were a real mixed bunch, just like the make-up of any church's membership. I think Matthew was one of the bravest of the twelve.
In the list of disciples, none of the others were classified by their profession. Why would that be? As a tax collector, Matthew would have been truly despised. Despised by the Jews, his own race for working for the Romans and in leaving his job to follow Jesus, the Romans would have seen him as an enemy. That tells us something of Matthew's courage.
Matthew is believed to be the one who wrote the Gospel that bears his name. Dated about AD 60 at the latest, the Gospel speaks of someone who had an orderly mind.
As a financial man, detail would have been important to him, something that was crucial to his witness to the Jewish Christian church he was writing to.
Matthew’s response to Jesus' call seems to have been instant. Perhaps he'd met Jesus previously. Jesus said, “Follow me” and Matthew went, leaving everything. That wouldn't have been easy because as a tax collector, it would have been suspicious. But Matthew left his old life, one of wealth and privilege that his job brought, behind.
A more unlikely character you would not have imagined to be a follower of Jesus. So for me Matthew was the bravest, knowing that in giving up the trappings of wealth he would face flack from his own Jewish Community and put his life in danger.
Many Christians fear the response of families and friends to their newfound faith. Matthew’s heart was to share his faith, can we be brave like him?
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13th February - Being Blessed
Jean Shotton preached today on Jesus' famous sermon on the mount (Matthew 5 verses 1 - 12) which is echoed by a similar piece in Luke 6 and where Jesus outlines what is required to be 'Blessed' by God. These Blessings are known as the 'Beatitudes'.
Throughout the Bible God chose ordinary humble people like you and me to deliver His message and fulfil His covenant promises. One example is Jesus' mother Mary, a young girl with no particular status. In her 'Magnificat' poem in Luke 1 she reflects on the trust God has placed in her and wonders that the rich and powerful are turned away empty handed. Mary says that she is treated by God in a way that proves He wants the best for all His people.
God picks the poor, lowly and also the weak to deliver his plan, something which St Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 12, that in weakness there is strength.
So what can we learn from the Beatitudes today? Basically, Jesus is saying now, as He did back then, that we need to show love and compassion and help those in need. What can we, in faith, do for another person?
There are many opportunities. Pray for persecuted Christians worldwide. Pray for the ongoing situation in Ukraine, Yemen and Afghanistan. We can be 'blessed' by supporting Comic Relief or by investing in the material, educational and spiritual needs of someone else, as we saw in last week's service. Want damages people but compassion, kindness, understanding and practical help can help to repair those scarred by deprivation.
We can only do what is in our power to do, but this coming week, reflect on all the ways you have been Blessed and trusting in God's Grace and mercy, live out the Beatitudes - the Blessings of love, kindness and compassion in your life and bring the joy Jesus has brought to you to people in need, at home and abroad.
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6th February - Called to Compassion
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Today we welcomed Ollie Lovatt a volunteer with the Christian charity Compassion UK which enables people to invest in children from disadvantaged third world countries by sponsorship providing access to education training and their material needs.
There are around 385 million children in poverty in the world, children who didn't choose poverty any more than we chose to be born in a rich country. Sponsorship is about sharing, something which Christians are called by God to do and when we do, it has a positive impact on lives.
In the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke Ch 10), Jesus chooses the characters very closely and each one has something to tell us today.
First, a lawyer who asks Jesus how to achieve eternal life. As a lawyer he should know this so Jesus asks him what he thinks. The answer he gives is to 'love God and love your neighbour' but then he asks how he should define his neighbour, so Jesus replies with His famous story.
Three people see an unidentified, injured man by the roadside who has been robbed.
The first two, a priest and a church worker should step in - but they don't because in the society of that time the man might make them ritually 'unclean' and so put them through a great deal of inconvenience because of that contact, so they cross over to avoid this.
Then along comes a Samaritan, an outcast, a man from a race for centuries seen as enemies of the Jews. He doesn't hesitate to help. He just sees human need and puts himself out both in time and in cost, even giving the inn keeper money for the victim's care in advance.
You could argue that the Samaritan is actually an allegory for Jesus Himself.
The moral here is that everyone is our neighbour regardless of creed or colour. Can we be that Samaritan to a child in poverty today?
Take a look at: https://www.compassionuk.org/sponsorship
30th January - Authority with Love
Anne Farrow reminded us that in response to heated debate about the need to get rid of the old Jewish traditions, St Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 sensitively taught that our human faults, failures and difficulties are often caused by the absence of love, and that we should always use our knowledge and authority as Christians with love.
It's a fact that we are often reluctant to accept advice, the old from the young, or from someone we know perhaps. As a local, when Jesus preached in His home-town, it didn't work! He nearly got lynched!
But who can we look to and trust as 'authorities' on the big issues of our day? Let's think of some troubling examples.
Take human embryo cloning. Is it tampering? Is it vile and unnecessary, playing at God? What about the research that comes from it against very serious illnesses? Do we let dogma override love and deny people who are suffering those diseases, because of our beliefs?
Then there's the end of life. Think about assisted dying. 'Where there's life there's hope' we say but for some, life is hopeless so does our dogma get in the way of allowing people dignity at the end of their lives?
And are there just wars? Against Russia over Ukraine or between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Yemen? Where should Christians, as peacemakers, stand?
Think also about the recent acquittal of three Climate activists who strongly motivated by their Christian faith took their authority from Christ, and stopped a rush-hour train in London.
There are no easy answers to any of these things but as Christians, we have to think about of them. The Church needs to be out in front, employing Jesus' authority and setting standards rather than responding when it's too late.
Life is too complicated to know all the answers but we have to ask questions, recognising the authority of Jesus and pass on His wisdom with the deepest love we can muster.
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23rd January - The Lord's Favour
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Peter Walsham told us (Luke Ch 4) that Jesus survived a lynch mob after teaching in His own home church on Isaiah's prophesy, saying that He was their long-awaited Messiah, who would set them free.
Israel had been exiled and scattered but they were now being allowed back to their homeland. All wrongs would be put right, the Day of the Lord's favour had come.
Jesus taught that the Prophets had not been accepted in their own time, God sent Elijah to a Gentile Widow, similarly in Elisha's time only Nathan also a non-Jew was cured of illness.
People don't like criticism. We argue we are right - even when we are wrong! The Jews couldn't accept Jesus' criticism of them demonstrated by their two great prophets.
We claim God's saving power when we pray 'Deliver us from evil" in the Lord's Prayer. And if we surrender to Him, God intervenes to save us from Satan's traps.
Isaiah Ch 61 contains a prophesy 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me' Does it still apply to us in this age? Does God's spirit rest on me and you? Yes! The Pentecost story in Acts Ch 2 proves we have only to ask for it.
God has anointed us to proclaim His Good News of Salvation. To anoint means to pour out. Do you feel anointed by God in the world in which you live? Are you an active Christian pouring out His message of Love through your words and acts of kindness? Do you feel set aside by God for His special purpose?
This is the relevance of your faith here and now. There are still many poor, homeless imprisoned and hungry people, who are hard pressed, bullied, victims of abuse and hostility. These people long to hear that 'today is the day of the Lord's pleasure.' It's up to us to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.
Let's make those words come true.
16th January - Celebrities for God
Maureen Simpson spoke about Jesus' miracle of turning the water into wine at the wedding in Cana at the start of His ministry, told in Ch 2 of John's Gospel. It's a story of surprises. A carpenter's son from a down-at-heel place called Galilee proved to be a man full of surprises. It was the wedding's third day of celebration, an ordinary midweek day when people were not focussing on their religion. Jesus was an ordinary man from an un-regarded area, at that time without celebrity.
How do people get to be known? What makes a celebrity? There is a pressure on people in life generally to become well known. Some dress to impress. Some achieve celebrity by their actions. This early miracle, which saved a family from the social disgrace of running out of wine at a major social event, helped build Jesus' celebrity.
And it's a story of faith. Mary, Jesus' mother, saw the problem. She had the faith, courage and intuition to know that her son would sort things out. Had she seen earlier unreported miracles or had she remembered what she had been told about Him in the Bethlehem stable? We don't know, but the fact remains that she introduced the wedding guests to the Son of God.
So the carpenter's son from Galilee certainly surprised the wedding guests and the wedding in Cana was transformed into an event that would be heard about for centuries.
Do we have, like Mary, the certain hope in the God of surprises, and have a personal relationship with Jesus that seeks to involve others? That through Him all will be well?
Do we surprise people? As Jesus' followers, how does the world see us? People know us, but do they see us as different? Do they see the peace that the love of Jesus brings? Do they see us show the love of Jesus with an urge to share His love?
Are we celebrities for God?
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9th January - Say 'Yes' to God
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It was our annual 'Covenant' service on Sunday and Rev Dawn Brown reminded us of God's commitment to us and what that means for us.
So why do we do a covenant service - don't bother Google, believe it or not, it doesn't know! Methodism's founder John Wesley left us with this tradition so that we ar reminded of God's amazing love for us.
In Romans Ch 12 vs 1 and 2, St Paul says that because of God's great mercy to us we should offer ourselves as a living sacrifice as a response to the abundance that God gives us and because His mercies are 'new every morning' (Lamentations Ch 3 vs 23).
If you are a dancer, you will have learnt that as long as your core is strong and your mind focussed you can get everything right but if you let go of either, you lose your balance. Our covenant reminds us to keep our focus on God, His mercy and His grace. It also affirms that God is there to hold you safe in His hands when things go wrong in your life, when you get it wrong or are faced with adversity.
We are in a world that is breaking, confused and lost and we are God's soldiers, called to serve, so don't go with the temptations and the flow of the world - instead, say 'Yes' to God and go out into the world with His wisdom, offering ourselves without fear and in the knowledge that God is with you. We are recipients of God's grace and love and we are called to share His love and grace with others.
Come! Embrace it! Come to worship, read the word of God in your Bibles. Offer yourselves in service to the glory of God. Refocus your eyes on Him and His wonderful mercies that are 'new every morning'. Say 'Yes' to God today.
2nd January - A Stable story
Misquoting from the film 'Casablanca' Rev Alf Waite asked “Of all the barns in the whole world why did you come into mine?” Chance? Well, Matthew's Gospel (Ch 2 vs 13 - 23) tells us that Jesus' birth was no chance event because Scripture foretold it and God had planned it that way! There is so much encouragement to unpack here.
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Firstly, God works in mysterious ways to fulfil His purposes! Jesus’ coming as a vulnerable baby was a surprise. The Wise Men looked for Him in a palace but they were wrong. Eventually they ended up with a humble family in Bethlehem because the birth of Jesus is a continuation of Israel's story. It is not a separate event but a fulfilment of GOD'S PLAN.
Next, God's Mission will not fail! Despite opposition, the Jewish-Christian church Matthew is writing to is being joined by thousands of non-Jews because God wants all to grasp His saving Plan. Through the cross, Jesus will lead people to freedom from sin and death. The message is clear: God knows what He is doing and we can trust Him. Mary and Joseph did just that, doing everything God asked of them. Imagine the faith that took!
Finally, opposition will not quench God's Spirit! Matthew's Gospel brought comfort to the first church, exposed to many dangers. Today, the church is still exposed to opposition. As individuals Christians we are not immune to life's trials and often feel threatened. But we need not fear for God is with us.
Jesus was threatened from conception. Mary could have been killed for becoming pregnant out of marriage. Herod could have slaughtered Jesus as a baby. Jesus' own people rejected Him and, in many countries today, His church is not welcome.
Yet no kind of opposition can defeat God. Be sure that God’s purposes will go forward in 2022 no matter what and that He will never give up on us.
Take heart in that and keep trusting!