Office

Amanda led worship on 19 May with Tim and Jonny.

Tim brought the word from Acts 11 . It’s an incredible story of a tricky church meeting where they had to change the way they were thinking. Think how relevant this is when the news today is all about barriers and borders.

We all carry our own lists of those who are different to us. Yet we all know of borders that need to be thrown on the scrap heap of history. Peter got into trouble for exactly this . This is a huge challenge for Jewish culture. Sitting and eating with someone as a huge issue. Peter has already had his whole world view changed.

Luke is retelling the story as Peter is retelling the church. Cornelius had already discovered this. Even before Peter finished preaching the Holy Spirit had come down on people in the same way that had happened in the upper room. It seemed obvious to Peter that he should baptise the whole household but the folks in Jerusalem were not there and they were critical.

The sharing of the meal is critical. We’ve seen this with Filling Station, we sit with equal status and show our acceptance and partnership with people who are often very different to us. Peter smashes right through the barriers.

We’ve seen here in this church the positives of doing this, but the Jewish culture really frowned on eating with gentiles. Those in Jerusalem did not agree with Peter , they thought the gentiles should adapt to the Jewish way. They might have accepted them almost as a second tier a lesser tier of believers.

Remember last week and Simon the Tanner. God loves irony he loves challenging our preconceptions. Luke describes this in an orderly way and he reflects Peter’s own orderly approach to explaining the truth. God is in charge, God is pushing things forward. Salvation is sought here in Cornelius’ own words that Peter reflects on and learns from. Peter is reminded of Jesus words in Acts 1. Even gentiles like Cornelius are God’s beneficiaries, saved by Jesus sacrifice. How wide and how big is God’s love?

The Christian church had had to learn and change. Think about the issue of slavery. Racial equality is a relatively new factor and people like Martin Luther King jr paid a high price for where we are now. Women’s ministry is also recent. Think about the attitudes we are now being challenged. Look through the history of the church. Look in our rear view mirror! There’s still a lot of work to be done. Still slavery in our world. The Spirit’s goal is to push the church into a wider appreciation of God’s all encompassing love. God has no patience for barriers and walls. Do not reject what God has made clean. God made all things. It’s us that put labels on things , not God. In Acts 15 there’s a bigger meeting to accept the gentiles in the church. It’s taking us a while. The church should be working to develop a clear understanding of what God wants and he wants us to listen to unexpected sources! Who does God want us to listen to?

Ian Thompson led worship today with Mark, Amanda, Jonny and ian Taylor. It was the second of our joint services with Headland Baptist Church. It’s a pretty amazing experience when we all come together to worship. It was also a chance to sing happy birthday to Jonny as he celebrated his 18th through the week.

Tim brought us the Word today, He got a lot of the kids to take part in a painting activity transforming plain pieces of paper into different names for Jesus simply by painting over the paper with a wash of paint. Tim assured parents that the paint would wash off so let’s hope he’s right.

Tim pointed out that the music has a definite rock influence this morning. Nothing wrong with also wanting to join in with what the kids are doing next door in our quiet bits, particularly the Father Abraham song .

Tim read to us from Luke 9 verse 28 onwards, the story of the transfiguration.

He asked if anyone had been up Roseberry Topping. Anyone heard a voice from heaven whilst they are up there in the clouds, It does not happen very often. Jesus had just shared eight days before that his path would lead to death and the cross. So what had Peter and the other disciples being doing in the eight days, they were probably frightened and confused. Here they were now on the mountain top having this experience.

A lot of people are looking for that mountain top. But many of us don’t have this dramatic experience, Tim asked if any of us had been stood in a cloud on a mountain hearing the voice of God. No one out their hand up. Many of us live at the bottom of the mountain.

Tim let slip that he is a big Elbow fan and that this transfiguration sunday always reminds him of their song lyric,” One a day this like a year’d see me right!”  (For those who don’t know who Elbow are they are a Manchester band) Point of the story is that Luke is telling us who Jesus really is, letting the disciples have this glimpse before the road to Calvary. Why were they sleepy ? Is this more about them not being aware and then having something revealed to them. Maybe this shows Jesus as quiet in prayer. The disciples do the same at Gethsemane . There though, the humanity of Christ was revealed to them. On both occasions they are awoken to the true nature of Jesus.

In the moments of pain and darkness in our lives we might struggle to see the presence and truth of Jesus. Perplexed and frightened is the reaction of the disciples,

Jesus is seen here between the two pillars of the Jewish faith, Moses and Elijah, with them giving a glimpse of the resurrection story.

Peter was a practical guy and his strange desire or response was  to build some tents. He didn’t know what he was saying. He was maybe trying to preserve the moment. The Jewish expectation for the Messiah was a start of the new age at the festival of booths. Maybe this is why Peter feels he needs to build the tents or booths, Peter assumes the deal is done, that this is the end point. Suffering and death and a cross on a Hill was not on the agenda. Death and resurrection is something they cannot get their heads around . They had not remembered that Jesus has already said that he had not come to abolish the law but to fulfil it.

Jesus is the Christ he is the Messiah , the incarnate Son of God.

He chose to show up as one of us and follow the path to the Cross simply because he loved the people he had created.

It’s a simple story that is there to reassure people that the events described are to be trusted as a beacon of hope. We’re given a glimpse of who Jesus really is as we live our lives. Wherever we go he journeys with us , in darkness or on the mountain top. He’s the only one we need to listen to. Listen to Him, listen to Him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NFV8dHrZYM

Ian led worship on 24 February, supported by Mark and Amanda. Yvette brought us the Word today from Luke 6 27:38 . She continues to maintain that connection with her mum as she uses her mum’s well worn battered, bookmarked bible to preach from. It might need some sticky tape every now and then, but a battered well used bible filled with bookmarks and used by successive generations is its own silent testimony!

God’s good isn’t he, this time last week Yvette was stuck on the hard shoulder of a motorway with a broken bonnet and windscreen. Thankfully a new bonnet was found and the dartford crossing was not a problem when friends went to get the new part.

Luke was a doctor and a man of evidence. Luke gives specific instances of reference to women. Luke’s version of the sermon in the mount with four disciples but then talks to those who will listen. People had been hoping for a military messiah and what they got instead was a message of forgiveness, note how God often tells us exactly the opposite we want to hear!!

Why does Jesus tell us to love our enemies. Well it really annoys them, people are more likely to take our side and most importantly it’s what he did for us. Jesus got blamed for things he didn’t do, was denied and yet never gives up on us. He never treats us as what we actually deserve .

Martin Luther King Jr said that “darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.” Yvette reflected on what her mum used to say about people and their behaviour. “They can come up to my level cos I’m not going down to theirs”

Jesus is asking us to be different, exposing evil in a way that brings change. The Roman soldiers were mostly right handed. They would slap you on the cheek so turning the other cheek actually means you force him to treat you as an equal.

Jesus is talking to the debt ridden poor, people often sued unfairly. The person who takes everything you have is the one who looks bad here. Using the examples he does, Jesus shows how the system is corrupt and how we can change it. Breaking the cycle of insult and violence is what’s matters. But we can often be slow to be kind to ourselves.

Yvette,s husband made mistake with the car bonnet and he’s still beating himself up about it. Yet everyone else sees it as a simple mistake and nothing he needs to be worried about.

We’ve all done things to others or simply got things wrong . Thankfully God accepts us just as we are.

Think what we get back if we treat people well, if we love and we do not judge. As Christians we have a reputation for judgement at times. Mother Teresa said “The good you do today, people often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

We have the Holy Spirit inside usguiding us. It’s not instant. Think about how long the civil rights movement took in America