Conferences, workshops and courses

On 12 January 2020 Ian led worship with Amanda and Jonny.

Tim preached on Isiah 42.

The servant of the Lord is the title of the passage.. Isiah is living in difficult times. Jesus is the fulfilment of the prophesy.

You need to know what was going on at the time. We’re familiar with the journey of the nation of Israel. They stray from God’s covenant and God’s prophets bring them back to God. But then in the 6th century before Christ the Babylonians come and capture Israel and enslave the people. That’s the background to this passage. Most of us have not been forced out of our homes by conflict. Imagine what it feels like, Israel abandoned to the enemy. Was God still God they wondered as they sat and wept by the rivers of Babylon. Stormer describes these as meaning making literature for people under siege.

Sometimes we need such words. We help to live in the midst of chaos. In v13 God is depicted as both a warrior and a women in the labour. This imagery of a suffering servant, a bruised reed, a burning wick. Yet not broken, not extinguished.

In these words the servant comes with a different power not that of the Babylonians. What you see is how people who have been traumatised are called, not to put up walls or engage in nationalism, but to be a light to the nations. Our songs and the psalm Ian read at the start of service are all appropriate.


We sit safe from these issues in our warm church.

It zooms to the wider view. Isiah relocated the purpose of the people not as a defeated beaten broken people but people who share God’s light. God gives breath and spirit to every living person. On the planet. This is the God of the expansive universe.

This bruised reed who will not break is a liberator who will bring justice.

All the way to the edges of the known world is where this Word is to go. God calls them to bring sight to the blind free the prisoners. The passage is full of energy, God is still God. God’s people have not been forgotten.

Isiah shifts Israel from themselves to the wider world.

Who is the servant, ultimately Jesus fulfils this . Unbroken and not dimmed by the cross.

Is God speaking of a community though? We’re meant to hear this as both. The community that Jesus ultimately brings into being following him. Look at the news at the moment, chaos is rampant at the moment.

Leonard Cohen in his song Anthem says
“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.”

The imagery is present in Corinthians in the clay jars.

When we feel helpless and out of control we can see the power that grows out of compassion, to look beyond our problems and do good and share light.

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On 5 January 2020 Jonny led worship supported by Jacob and Amanda. Tim preached from Isiah 60 1:6

Have you ever felt like an outsider, not getting the joke. The magi were summoned as outsiders . They were invited to celebrate the light that had come into the world. By the time that Matthew is writing the story of the magi, the message of Christ is being broadcast around the known world. Jesus is the light of the world that has come amongst us. The nations will come to be included in the blessing. It comes at a time when people are struggling And Isiah speaks into this darkness .

The cloud over the people reflects the separation of the people from Israel. The things going on in the world seems to reflect the similar situation. We’ve put away the lights and January often feels dark in any case.

But remember what we celebrate at Christmas.

For a time it would be pitch dark in the lower regions of Jerusalem but the temples where higher on the hill and lit first and last at sunrise and sunset.

This part seems to have been written as the people are returning to a broken Jerusalem.aybe their hopes hadn’t been fulfilled in the return so the prophet looked forward to a time of light.

Matthew describes Jesus as God with us Emmanuel! It’s no accident that the wise men were drawn by the light of a star.

Johns gospel reflects that in Jesus was life and that in Him was light for all.

Imagine that it is possible to move from darkness into light. If we follow Jesus there is no need for us to stay in darkness we can have the light of life.

Light drAws people in. The Old Testament says that when god returns it will be for the benefit of all peoples. We see this in the passage today. People coming to learn rather than to conquer.

The wise men who came to Jesus were the first of thousands of gentiles. Our church needs to be a beacon and we need to share the light. Isiah reverses this a little . God remains at work in our world despite the darkness. If we lift up our eyes we will find God ahead of us in the world. The church has to arise to its mission. Take heart that the light has come. We can arise out of despair and get on. Jesus used the symbol of light, as the light of the world,

As you pack away your lights, with all that’s going on it’s easy to think that darkness is winning. But remember the light always wins. Darkness is defeated by the smallest glimmer of light. The gospel writers reflect this all the time. On the cross darkness is defeated, light wins! In 2020 be the light in your everyday things.

Nations will walk in the light, God’s dwelling will be among people.

Jesus tells us we are the light of the world, flawed as we are. Lots of people are hungry for spirituality. Let them see the light through us.

Let us go and share that light with others.

Tim and Jonny led today and Penny brought us some news on the BMS work planned in Africa . 

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

A letter to Christians not unlike us. Paul seems a little harsh here. Tim compares this to the professional performers in Strictly where people are all in sync. Imagine the Red Arrows all in sync. 

What happens when things go wrong. It looks a mess. Verse 6 says watch out for those who step out of line. The display is being spoilt, the flow is damaged, the outsiders see something is wrong. “I command you” from Paul is a strong message. 

This passage is a call to work, to be busy. The idlers may be those who think God is coming soon so why bother. There are those today who think that working for justice today is a waste of time and God isn’t bothered about this little planet .. God is before all things and reconciles everything in the passage edris read today. Think about the issues affecting our planet climate change etc. 

Maybe it also refers to people taking advantage of an incredibly generous community. 

Not so sure these are who Paul is talking about. 

Third possibility is the wealthy who expect others to do things for them.

We don’t know who Paul is referring to. This scripture has been used to deny help to others. The key to interpretation of this is really the last phrase focussing in on “do not weary”. 

An alternative interpretation is that those being referenced are trouble makers. V11 the word play is even true in the Greek, busy bodies causing grief and trouble using their efforts for chaos rather than serving the community. This is nothing to do with who deserve help, but simply saying do not stop helping. Expectations that people would follow what the disciples had handed on to them. Tradition is a tough word in churches, pew vs chair, modern versed established ways. If we limit our view to this letter think of the encouragement of verse 1. The grace, the relationship with the father, the relationship with Jesus and the disciples, follow the ways of Jesus. Jesus will speak the truth and annihilate the liar. 

This can be the reality in our society. What does our dance look like? 

Common life of the disciples is essential to the well being of the community. 

Reminder is to be the kind of community life that focussed on the good of all and not the individual. Charity at times was not very loving. Do people in need deserve help? Of course we believe they do but we have had experience where sometimes it’s not received with gracefulness. 

Don’t give up! Don’t give up! 

If you are unwilling to help then shouldn’t be fed! Maybe this isn’t as harsh as it sounds. Maybe what it is saying is if you don’t get involved you can’t grow. Think about our own experience with Filling Station. Think about the unlikely friendships we now have with people we might not have got the chance to meet.

Tim shared an image of people’s vests in the Durham cathedral art installations. As we sit together as God’s church this is us! Nothing more workmanlike than a vest. This is us filled with God’s Light, a church in step together. 

We are part of the dance encouraging others whether in Africa or simply going to school and college. Never stop doing good, don’t be discouraged, as we perform this dance together.Let’s stay in formation. Let’s never tire of doing good. 

27 October 2019

Tim preached on Psalm 84. He asked us we were having fun. Had we woke up today excited to come to church?

Psalm 84 shows the joy of the pilgrim on the day to temple. Maybe we look forward to other things. It’s difficult to look at our church and initially get excited. It’s an unremarkable building and indeed Tim reflected that when he and his family came here the kids called West View Baptist Church the garage! (Was this prophetic given our later Filling Station outreach?)

But people keep coming back week after week so there must be something about it, the excitement and awe of the pilgrim trudging up the hill towards Jerusalem. What makes it different. It is the dwelling place of the Lord of Hosts. Yet still real amongst his people amongst mortals amongst us.

John in Revelations says something similar. V2 talks about the living god, not static, not trapped in an endless cycle of death and rebirth. This God is the Lord of Hosts the living God. The psalmist remembers the longing the singing, the use of the language of birth using the imagery of the swallows. The psalmist likes birds, nesting flying with the wings of a dove. The birds need security to nest in the temple. Think about just standing in a doorway of the huge house of god being better than living in the tents of evil doers! The temple was viewed as the focal point but v6 shows that God was present in other places. The Valley of Tears or Baca is a dry serous dark place yet they find springs there courtesy of the Lord of Hosts! . The presence of god makes a difference! A dry valley yields springs and is covered in rain. They go from strength to strength. Sometimes we don’t feel like going to church, yet they are the times we most need to be there! It is important that there are special places and times to find god. We need these anchors in life. Ways that we profoundly enter into life with god! God promises when we share communion with him. These are the times that sustain us in the dry valleys and the life journeys where we might not expect to see god. Our places of worship are set aside in the hope that they might encounter the living god!

The importance of the place is not about the bricks and mortar. There’s an ethical dimension here. No good thing is withheld from those whose walk is blameless. We might run from that but the psalm singers were Just like us. They come to the temple to receive righteousness from god and renewed in worship and service to the community. Therefore we should not back away from the call from god to do his service. People should be glad to see us when we leave this building. The psalmist longs to be there. Imagine being a bat in gods belfry, a bird nesting in gods building. Can we imagine being them. Places we sing our favourite songs, celebrate family events, share sorrow at funerals. The valley is close, the years feature regularly in our lives. As we leave this place we know that he the god of the living place will walk with us. God in Christ is present with us and even sparrows fall no further than into his nail scarred hands.

Esther brought us the Word from Colossians 1 1:14 on 14 July

Fix your focus is what Esther calls this passage. It’s our job to pray for people who are struggling. Colossi people were just like us. Paul never visited Colossi in modern day Turkey. He spent about 3 years in Ephesus. Epaphras was probably the one who brought the word to the Colossians, it wasn’t a massive place.

Colossi is a trading crossroads, a crossroads for ideas , a place for Jewish refugees from Jerusalem, and a lot of other nationalities and cultures, including the Greeks and Romans, lots of their gods. In Acts it tells us that Paul even found an altar to an unknown god. The Romans really covered their back. The Jews and the Christians were the party poopers the wierd ones, the atheists of their day because they only worshipped one god, they didn’t join in the local feasts for local gods. Imagine trying to share your faith there. It’s a bit like what we do today.

Standards and values today risk us losing our focus. David, Esther’s husband had physically had experience this week of problems with sight both with focus and with pain. Irisitis was the diagnosis, thanks to a doctor checking with a colleague. It was a tough experience with injections into the eye, but following the treatment things will start to heal.

God was really teaching Esther about the value of focus. Faith and love spring from hope stored in heaven. Our lives are in Christ and Christ is in us. Faith in Christ Jesus , love for the people. It’s possible to love without knowing God but it is not possible to know God without love. Who was your Epaphrus who introduced you to God’s grace in all its truth. jump forward to verse 27 and the mystery . Think on chapter 9 of Daniel and his prayer for salvation. Paul is here praying for the faithful ones in church. We don’t what’s around the corner for our country but we need to show people the way.

Daniel and all the prophets did not know what we know. They did not know the mystery that we know, that God’s intentions are to save all people and not just the Jews. Imagine Daniels reaction to Jesus coming amongst us , living in us and through us. Daniel was a man of incredible focus.

Esther asked how old Daniel was when he was thrown into the lions den. We often see bible story images of him as a young man. He was 80 when it happened! He’d been faithfully praying three times a day looking up to God! Esther was with her grand daughter Ava watching tv and found out dogs have gaze bias. Dogs always look right if you ask them something. Imagine if we always focussed on the right hand of god! Paul encourages us to be filled with the knowledge and understanding of God, when we know that we know that we know. When we joyfully give thanks, we ate brought from the dominion of darkness into the light.

Ann Graham Lotz wrote about Daniels prayer. Ann talks about prayer as life’s compass. If prayer is our compass in life then the needle needs focussing on God Focussing on God first rather than on our problems fixed our focus. Grow in knowledge, know the Word, know what God intends.

Think about the moon landing , the knowledge it took to go there. Neil Armstrong overcame the death of his three year old daughter prior to undertaking this mission. Imagining victory is what Simona Halet, focussed from the age of 10 on winning Wimbledon!

Where’s our focus, where do we want to be? Esther’s new glasses have sharpened her distance vision! Our vision should be similarly focussed and sharpened on God.

Our True North