Thursday 30 September 2010

What a Gift!

Ah well, another child let loose into the world! It's really strange how similar it is when you finish a book and allow it to wander off alone into the vastness of the interweb! Somehow it seems sad to say goodbye, and yet you know it has to go....... well, I think that's taken that analogy about as far as it can go!

Four Advent studies look at the themes of Gold, Frankincense, Myrrh and Journeying, and their spiritual significance for the Christ child, as within them we begin to hear a whisper of the Easter to come - Gold for a King, frankincense for a High Priest and myrrh for sorrow.

In researching the study for Myrrh (which pictures Jesus' future suffering) I came across  this lovely quote from Watchman Nee,
"The Alabaster Box
‘The breaking of the alabaster box and the anointing of the Lord filled the house with the odor, with the sweetest odor. Everyone could smell it. Whenever you meet someone who has really suffered; been limited, gone through things for the Lord, willing to be imprisoned by the Lord, just being satisfied with Him and nothing else, immediately you scent the fragrance. There is a savor of the Lord. Something has been crushed, something has been broken, and there is a resulting odor of sweetness.’

There are leader's notes and background material and lots of questions to stimulate discussion. Also included are prayers to open and close a meeting.

The Advent study is in A4 format, and each week's study can be printed on 2 double sided sheets, allowing space for note taking.

Permission is given for a church to photocopy these resources, so only 1 copy is needed per group!

More info and a sample study - Click Here

Monday 27 September 2010

What Troubles Us?

I'm thinking of preaching on the theme of a Tom Jones' song from his latest album of Gospel songs 'Praise and Blame' which has some great songs on it. The one in question is 'Does Trouble Me' and it raises a few questions that are worthy of thinking about.


1) How does God speak to this generation?
2) What do we do when God speaks to us?

It worries me that the Church seems to have written off the role of prophet in these New Testament times. It was encouraging recently to see the Pope in the UK challenging the country over the rise of militant secularism and atheism. It got to the newspaper front pages, which Christianity normally doesn't, unless it includes stories of abuse or scientists trying to disprove the existence of God.

I believe God speaks to us through our conscience - a uniquely gifted part of what makes us 'us' - and challenges us daily about this world in which we live, the people who inhabit it, and the dangerous direction that our society is heading in.

I also believe that, in general, we are hesitant as Christians to put our head above the parapet and say something when our conscience is pierced.

So ask yourselves this question. If you don't say 'That's wrong!' when your conscience tells you to say something, then who will?

If you don't go to the help of your brother in Christ, or a stranger in need when your conscience troubles you, then who will?

It'll be interesting to see in which direction the sermon goes - and whether I avoid mentioning the things that trouble me, in which case I might upset a few folk!!

Thursday 23 September 2010

An evening prayer

A prayer for this evening!




I lay my head to rest
and in doing so
lay at your feet
the faces I have seen
the voices I have heard
the words I have spoken
the hands I have shaken
the service I have given
the joys I have shared
the sorrows revealed
I lay them at your feet
and in doing so
lay my head to rest




more like this at www.faithandworship.com


Monday 13 September 2010

Fresh Insights

Watched the film 'Afghan Star' last night, which is a documentary about an X-Factor competition in Afghanistan to discover a new singing star.
It followed the fortunes of a handful of those who had done well in preliminary rounds and were now to be broadcast on TV as finalists. Among the finalists were two young women, which in itself was quite a surprise for an Islamic country. There was also a good ethnic mix from the country.
All was going well until one of the girls got a little carried away in her performance and danced along with her song. It was graceful and fitting, but universally hated by the watching public who (both young and old) considered that she had gone far beyond what could be considered as decent in an Islamic country.
The scene then shifted to clerics meeting and despairing at how the young were being corrrupted by the airing of such programmes.
The girl in question received death threats and had to go into hiding!
More than anything else, what came across was the gulf that exists between cultures. To me in the West this seemed such a trivial thing. To a strict Moslem it was beyong the pail.
The young people need their music and TV (which was banned under the Taliban) but they also respect the religious traditions of the country. 
There is little room for the rebel to survive!
And yet here we are as a nation, in Afghanistan, trying to introduce democracy in a country that we understand so little about. Should we really be imposing our Western ideals?

I recommend the film, should you be able to find it - a real insight into another culture!

Wednesday 8 September 2010

On Messing Up!

I've just finished writing a week's Bible study notes for the IBRA, which is something I do every year, This time the theme was 'Missing the Mark' which is more or less what Paul meant by sin in Romans 3:23 'All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God'.

I'm not sure that 'missing the mark' has the same impact and meaning as 'sin' but if that's what Paul meant then who am I to argue! Dr Tom Wright in a recent interview talked of society 'messing up' which I suppose is a similar metaphor.

What interested me was that each day's study looks at a Biblical character and the point at which they mess up. The list is quite impressive, incluing Moses, Aaron, Solomon, Samson, Jonah and Jeroboam as well as Paul's 'everybody!'

Personally I like Paul's use of the word 'All' because it infers that there is a level playing field upon which we are all capable of messing up, and that is quite reassuring! And of course God uses ordinary people to do his work and be his voice in the world, so accepts us as we are, vulnerable, flawed and perfectly capable of making mistakes, missing the mark, sinning, messing up..... however you want to define the act of falling short of God's glory or standard.

The good news is that God's forgiving love is bigger than our faults.

The bad new is that so many people are unwilling to admit their faults, and accept the forgiveness that God offers.





Monday 6 September 2010

An Autumn Spring Clean

I have a confession! We are having a new kitchen installed after 15 years, and as the clearing has progressed and cupboards pulled out, I have discovered a lot of small corners which were less than wholesome, having been missed by the casual wipe around with a damp cloth over the years.

I guess that probably mirrors my life. I know that there are small corners which are only known to me and God, things that I am not so happy about, that are in need of Spring Cleaning whatever the season might be!

How often it takes a major upheaval to expose that which has been left undone, when regular attention would have been preferable. How often we hang on to our past, rather than hand that all over to God and accept his forgiveness and cleansing.