Points of view
|
May Viewpoint
Edited from the Easter Message
of the Most Reverend Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury
The Resurrection was a slow-burning explosion that changed individual lives, groups of people, whole societies, the course of history and the structure of the cosmos.
Like the birth of Jesus at the beginning the Resurrection was experienced only by a few people in a few places - yet through the power of God it opened new life to all who heard it and led them in new directions of which they could not imagine. God’s nature is to give us space to respond, space to ignore him, in this life. Of course, that choice has consequences now and beyond the grave, but we are wooed, not compelled, to follow Christ.
With Jesus alive from the grave everything is different - we have the offer before us of life, hope and purpose in relationship with God. A channel of communication with God is offered, a relationship created, which we had no way or means to open by ourselves: it would be unimaginable were it not the sovereign work of God.
It is only the beginning. The Acts of the Apostles tells how the news of the resurrected Jesus spread beyond its Jewish roots, and reaches every person on earth, offering life and hope not only then but now, to each of us here.
Personally, and together with all Christians we have life in Him and are called to obedience. Because of the Resurrection we can believe that Jesus Christ is God, and because we believe, we become disciples, and because we are disciples each and every one of us has a mission to make Him and His Kingdom known now and throughout our lives, in word and deed.
A church caught up by the good news of the Resurrection will be a Church that lives to serve those around it. It must be a holy church made up of holy people, rejecting the seeking of power, transparent about its failings, humble when there is sin.
The message we have been given by God, to give to the world is this: all may have hope and calling, because Jesus Christ – God’s chosen and anointed one - is risen from the dead.
So, the Resurrection confronts us with our own decisions about Jesus. Do we put our lives in His hands and find life and hope, or do we seek to live our own way? There is no neutral option. We may choose to live with Him, or without Him. Choose hope and life, eternal life because it comes from God, real life because it was demonstrated decisively and forever in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
For He is risen indeed.
of the Most Reverend Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury
The Resurrection was a slow-burning explosion that changed individual lives, groups of people, whole societies, the course of history and the structure of the cosmos.
Like the birth of Jesus at the beginning the Resurrection was experienced only by a few people in a few places - yet through the power of God it opened new life to all who heard it and led them in new directions of which they could not imagine. God’s nature is to give us space to respond, space to ignore him, in this life. Of course, that choice has consequences now and beyond the grave, but we are wooed, not compelled, to follow Christ.
With Jesus alive from the grave everything is different - we have the offer before us of life, hope and purpose in relationship with God. A channel of communication with God is offered, a relationship created, which we had no way or means to open by ourselves: it would be unimaginable were it not the sovereign work of God.
It is only the beginning. The Acts of the Apostles tells how the news of the resurrected Jesus spread beyond its Jewish roots, and reaches every person on earth, offering life and hope not only then but now, to each of us here.
Personally, and together with all Christians we have life in Him and are called to obedience. Because of the Resurrection we can believe that Jesus Christ is God, and because we believe, we become disciples, and because we are disciples each and every one of us has a mission to make Him and His Kingdom known now and throughout our lives, in word and deed.
A church caught up by the good news of the Resurrection will be a Church that lives to serve those around it. It must be a holy church made up of holy people, rejecting the seeking of power, transparent about its failings, humble when there is sin.
The message we have been given by God, to give to the world is this: all may have hope and calling, because Jesus Christ – God’s chosen and anointed one - is risen from the dead.
So, the Resurrection confronts us with our own decisions about Jesus. Do we put our lives in His hands and find life and hope, or do we seek to live our own way? There is no neutral option. We may choose to live with Him, or without Him. Choose hope and life, eternal life because it comes from God, real life because it was demonstrated decisively and forever in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
For He is risen indeed.
April Viewpoint
The Three ‘P’s of PRAYER
I have little doubt that I speak for many Christians when admitting that there are times when I wrestle with prayer.
Our reasons for this may be very different: a busy day, endless distractions, perhaps feelings of distress, anger or disillusionment at ‘unanswered’ or ‘wrongly answered’ prayers (as we might believe them to be). These are just some of the many reasons why prayer can be a struggle. Although recognised as important, prayer can often seem unessential and thus be put to the bottom or close to the bottom of our daily list of things to do.
Yet as we celebrate Christ’s death and resurrection this Easter, it is important and right to reflect upon the implication these events have upon our relationship with prayer.
Thanks to Jesus, prayer is a privilege. As Luke 11: 9-10 tells us, we can ‘ask for it will be given to us, seek for we will find, knock for the door will be opened to us’. Our Father is both caring and able: we need not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, we should present our requests to God (Phil 4:6). We can cast all anxieties on Him for He cares about us (1 Peter 5: 6-7). So, let us humble ourselves in recognition of the privilege of prayer.
Thanks to Jesus, prayer is powerful. ‘I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified’ (John 14: 14). Here Jesus explains to his disciples how he is within the Father. These verses remind us not only how God provides through prayer, but also how our God uses our prayers to His glory. As we pray to our Father in faith, He answers our requests according to His will and in doing so, glorifies His name.
By defeating death for us upon the cross and uniting us in Him, Jesus gives us the privilege of speaking to our Father in continuous prayer with confidence in his power to provide and glorify.
And so, to walk in faith is to prioritise prayer. In Colossians 4:2, Paul instructs us to devote ourselves to prayer and in Luke 18, Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow to show the disciples that they should always pray and never give up. Prayer is the chief exercise of faith, a sign of obedience and devotion to God and therefore not to be merely added onto our day as and when time allows.
Let us strive individually and collectively to persevere in prioritising prayer!
Every blessing,
The Rev. Miranda Donne
I have little doubt that I speak for many Christians when admitting that there are times when I wrestle with prayer.
Our reasons for this may be very different: a busy day, endless distractions, perhaps feelings of distress, anger or disillusionment at ‘unanswered’ or ‘wrongly answered’ prayers (as we might believe them to be). These are just some of the many reasons why prayer can be a struggle. Although recognised as important, prayer can often seem unessential and thus be put to the bottom or close to the bottom of our daily list of things to do.
Yet as we celebrate Christ’s death and resurrection this Easter, it is important and right to reflect upon the implication these events have upon our relationship with prayer.
Thanks to Jesus, prayer is a privilege. As Luke 11: 9-10 tells us, we can ‘ask for it will be given to us, seek for we will find, knock for the door will be opened to us’. Our Father is both caring and able: we need not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, we should present our requests to God (Phil 4:6). We can cast all anxieties on Him for He cares about us (1 Peter 5: 6-7). So, let us humble ourselves in recognition of the privilege of prayer.
Thanks to Jesus, prayer is powerful. ‘I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified’ (John 14: 14). Here Jesus explains to his disciples how he is within the Father. These verses remind us not only how God provides through prayer, but also how our God uses our prayers to His glory. As we pray to our Father in faith, He answers our requests according to His will and in doing so, glorifies His name.
By defeating death for us upon the cross and uniting us in Him, Jesus gives us the privilege of speaking to our Father in continuous prayer with confidence in his power to provide and glorify.
And so, to walk in faith is to prioritise prayer. In Colossians 4:2, Paul instructs us to devote ourselves to prayer and in Luke 18, Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow to show the disciples that they should always pray and never give up. Prayer is the chief exercise of faith, a sign of obedience and devotion to God and therefore not to be merely added onto our day as and when time allows.
Let us strive individually and collectively to persevere in prioritising prayer!
Every blessing,
The Rev. Miranda Donne
March Viewpoint
A Garden City
As we approach the end of Lent and come to Easter and Pentecost one place features large in the story of Jesus: the city of Jerusalem – a place that features a great deal in the Bible, in world history and in the news.
The Bible portrays the possibilities for humankind by two contrasting cities: Babylon and Jerusalem (see Revelation 18-19 & 21-22). For the Jews these were the places in their history of exile and homecoming. Babylon stands for the corruption, arrogance, conflict and perversion of God's good gifts that have dogged humanity from early days until now. Within the prehistoric stories of Genesis Babylon is the place where humankind overreached itself and confusion, disunity and conflict took over. Instead of "Babylon" the gate of God it became "Babel" confusion - like our word babble (see Gen: 11:1-9).
The place where God's will is done and where he lives is “Jerusalem” (see Rev. 21:2-4). Interestingly this ideal place is not pictured as the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:4ff) but the City of Jerusalem. It is a "Garden City" (Rev. 22:2) whose gates are open to the world (Rev. 21:25), but it is still a city. The development of civilization, science and technology are seen as positive things benefiting all and no evil in themselves. Our growth in knowledge is seen as part of the destiny God created us for (Gen. 1:28) so long as, in partnership with God, we care for the creation of which we are a part.
It is in the City of Jerusalem, where Jesus died and rose again, that Babel is reversed by the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. People of many and various language hear about the wonderful works of God in their own tongues (Acts 2:1-11). The differences are not eradicated, but none are excluded. From this we learn that differences in culture and race are to be a source of great enrichment and joy rather than arrogance and conflict. Jerusalem became for a brief moment what it means: the City of Peace.
It will not have escaped your notice that the earthly Jerusalem does not live up to its name but is divided and fought over. Just like us Christians don't live up to our calling.
Let us then pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalms 12 & 133). Let us pray for the work of God's Spirit amongst the nations to bring order out of chaos (Gen. 1:2). And let us pray that God's Spirit may fill us and make His City real in us!
Tony Vigars
As we approach the end of Lent and come to Easter and Pentecost one place features large in the story of Jesus: the city of Jerusalem – a place that features a great deal in the Bible, in world history and in the news.
The Bible portrays the possibilities for humankind by two contrasting cities: Babylon and Jerusalem (see Revelation 18-19 & 21-22). For the Jews these were the places in their history of exile and homecoming. Babylon stands for the corruption, arrogance, conflict and perversion of God's good gifts that have dogged humanity from early days until now. Within the prehistoric stories of Genesis Babylon is the place where humankind overreached itself and confusion, disunity and conflict took over. Instead of "Babylon" the gate of God it became "Babel" confusion - like our word babble (see Gen: 11:1-9).
The place where God's will is done and where he lives is “Jerusalem” (see Rev. 21:2-4). Interestingly this ideal place is not pictured as the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:4ff) but the City of Jerusalem. It is a "Garden City" (Rev. 22:2) whose gates are open to the world (Rev. 21:25), but it is still a city. The development of civilization, science and technology are seen as positive things benefiting all and no evil in themselves. Our growth in knowledge is seen as part of the destiny God created us for (Gen. 1:28) so long as, in partnership with God, we care for the creation of which we are a part.
It is in the City of Jerusalem, where Jesus died and rose again, that Babel is reversed by the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. People of many and various language hear about the wonderful works of God in their own tongues (Acts 2:1-11). The differences are not eradicated, but none are excluded. From this we learn that differences in culture and race are to be a source of great enrichment and joy rather than arrogance and conflict. Jerusalem became for a brief moment what it means: the City of Peace.
It will not have escaped your notice that the earthly Jerusalem does not live up to its name but is divided and fought over. Just like us Christians don't live up to our calling.
Let us then pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalms 12 & 133). Let us pray for the work of God's Spirit amongst the nations to bring order out of chaos (Gen. 1:2). And let us pray that God's Spirit may fill us and make His City real in us!
Tony Vigars
February Viewpoint
“Lord, if you are willing…” (Matt 8:2b)
Last Sunday, I enjoyed hearing one of our readers preaching on Matthew’s account of Jesus healing first a leper and then the servant of a Roman centurion (Matt 8:1-13). She made the point that Jesus was as much at home helping a high-ranking, authoritative military officer as he was ministering to a penniless leper, whom most people would have avoided. In doing so, he displayed two attitudes that we find particularly hard to emulate – genuine humility, and confidence in God’s ability to change people’s lives.
A truly humble person has a realistic idea of their own value before God. The truth is that we are wonderfully precious in God’s eyes: he values us so highly that he has given all he has to keep us close to him for eternity; so we don’t need to compare and ‘rate’ ourselves against other people, or fight for recognition. We shouldn’t feel intimidated by powerful people, or superior to people with obvious problems, like the leper of Jesus’ day. They are neither more, nor less, important to God than we are, and he wants us to be ready and willing to reach out and help whomever God puts in our path, without prejudice or self-righteousness.
Jesus’ humility enabled him to speak frankly and honestly to those he met – even those he knew would not accept his words – and it also enabled him to rightly assess other people’s true value: instead of ignoring the leper, regarding his hardship as somehow deserved or inevitable, or thinking (as we might) “Oh well, there’s suffering everywhere – I haven’t got time to deal with everyone and this man’s bound to have loads of other problems as well...” Jesus responds respectfully and compassionately, confident that His Heavenly father would want him to grant this request.
We may not be as confident or as experienced as Jesus was in ministering to people in God’s supernatural power (!) but we can still learn from Jesus’ example, by asking God to open our eyes to the true value of the people we meet – regardless of superficial appearances – and making time to listen to their needs. We can also ask God to forgive our unbelief and replace it with faith in his goodness towards others and ourselves. If we act on this, we will soon be seeing for ourselves God’s ability to transform the most unpromising of lives (beginning with our own).
With every blessing
Sue Allerton
Last Sunday, I enjoyed hearing one of our readers preaching on Matthew’s account of Jesus healing first a leper and then the servant of a Roman centurion (Matt 8:1-13). She made the point that Jesus was as much at home helping a high-ranking, authoritative military officer as he was ministering to a penniless leper, whom most people would have avoided. In doing so, he displayed two attitudes that we find particularly hard to emulate – genuine humility, and confidence in God’s ability to change people’s lives.
A truly humble person has a realistic idea of their own value before God. The truth is that we are wonderfully precious in God’s eyes: he values us so highly that he has given all he has to keep us close to him for eternity; so we don’t need to compare and ‘rate’ ourselves against other people, or fight for recognition. We shouldn’t feel intimidated by powerful people, or superior to people with obvious problems, like the leper of Jesus’ day. They are neither more, nor less, important to God than we are, and he wants us to be ready and willing to reach out and help whomever God puts in our path, without prejudice or self-righteousness.
Jesus’ humility enabled him to speak frankly and honestly to those he met – even those he knew would not accept his words – and it also enabled him to rightly assess other people’s true value: instead of ignoring the leper, regarding his hardship as somehow deserved or inevitable, or thinking (as we might) “Oh well, there’s suffering everywhere – I haven’t got time to deal with everyone and this man’s bound to have loads of other problems as well...” Jesus responds respectfully and compassionately, confident that His Heavenly father would want him to grant this request.
We may not be as confident or as experienced as Jesus was in ministering to people in God’s supernatural power (!) but we can still learn from Jesus’ example, by asking God to open our eyes to the true value of the people we meet – regardless of superficial appearances – and making time to listen to their needs. We can also ask God to forgive our unbelief and replace it with faith in his goodness towards others and ourselves. If we act on this, we will soon be seeing for ourselves God’s ability to transform the most unpromising of lives (beginning with our own).
With every blessing
Sue Allerton
January Viewpoint
Dear Friends,
I am writing this during Advent, a time of waiting, but looking forward to the New Year.
During January we celebrate Epiphany, full of awe and wonder.
I love the season of Epiphany, but first during Advent I am being reminded about the importance of waiting. At the moment we are on our shared narrowboat, stationary in the marina, waiting for the ice to melt so we can take the boat out on the canal. The boat moored opposite ours is called Patience, what an appropriate name! Glancing out of the window the trees beside the canal are tall and motionless. They are beautiful. As they stretch up to the heavens, they seem to say: ‘Be still and listen.’ Yes, quietly waiting is important but we need to remain alert to the possibility that the Lord will speak in the stillness, in fact the Lord is delighted when we choose to spend time with him.
For me, narrow boating is often the time when the Lord speaks clearly as I enjoy his creation and observe other boats. Early one beautifully still summer morning I spotted a tiny little owl perched on a fencepost beside the canal. It was sitting motionless, quietly watching and waiting. Then I noticed that directly below it the moored boat was called Silent wings, and the next one Sabbaths Rest. They seemed to be saying: ‘Be still, don’t worry and remember God loves you.’ Seeing the owl and the boats was such a delightful little gift from the Lord who loves to shower his children with precious moments to treasure.
If we are alert, God will often speak to us through the natural world, but during the season of Epiphany we remember those extraordinary moments when God chose to reveal himself in powerful, supernatural ways. It begins with the arrival of the Magi and that wonderful moment when God revealed himself to pagan noblemen through a small child and they fell down and worshipped him. Traditionally the season continues with Jesus’ baptism when he declared through baptism that he was ready and willing for the tough journey ahead. Immediately heaven was torn open and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove, anointing him with power and strength for his ministry. Finally, he heard the voice of his Father speaking to him: You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.(NLT).
Wonderful words! But words for us to hear and treasure too. We are all his children and he delights in us as well . Please treasure those words as we enter 2018.
Happy New Year,
Hazel Butland
I am writing this during Advent, a time of waiting, but looking forward to the New Year.
During January we celebrate Epiphany, full of awe and wonder.
I love the season of Epiphany, but first during Advent I am being reminded about the importance of waiting. At the moment we are on our shared narrowboat, stationary in the marina, waiting for the ice to melt so we can take the boat out on the canal. The boat moored opposite ours is called Patience, what an appropriate name! Glancing out of the window the trees beside the canal are tall and motionless. They are beautiful. As they stretch up to the heavens, they seem to say: ‘Be still and listen.’ Yes, quietly waiting is important but we need to remain alert to the possibility that the Lord will speak in the stillness, in fact the Lord is delighted when we choose to spend time with him.
For me, narrow boating is often the time when the Lord speaks clearly as I enjoy his creation and observe other boats. Early one beautifully still summer morning I spotted a tiny little owl perched on a fencepost beside the canal. It was sitting motionless, quietly watching and waiting. Then I noticed that directly below it the moored boat was called Silent wings, and the next one Sabbaths Rest. They seemed to be saying: ‘Be still, don’t worry and remember God loves you.’ Seeing the owl and the boats was such a delightful little gift from the Lord who loves to shower his children with precious moments to treasure.
If we are alert, God will often speak to us through the natural world, but during the season of Epiphany we remember those extraordinary moments when God chose to reveal himself in powerful, supernatural ways. It begins with the arrival of the Magi and that wonderful moment when God revealed himself to pagan noblemen through a small child and they fell down and worshipped him. Traditionally the season continues with Jesus’ baptism when he declared through baptism that he was ready and willing for the tough journey ahead. Immediately heaven was torn open and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove, anointing him with power and strength for his ministry. Finally, he heard the voice of his Father speaking to him: You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.(NLT).
Wonderful words! But words for us to hear and treasure too. We are all his children and he delights in us as well . Please treasure those words as we enter 2018.
Happy New Year,
Hazel Butland