In our 29 December 2019 service Esther thanked Ian for the Mary did you know?” song. It’s one of her favourites. She reflected on the fact that sometimes what we expect to happen and what actually happens may be different. January is a gloomy month and we need to know that we walk in the light. Esther asked for people to share what had been happening in their lives. Esther’s brother Malcolm is going to share what’s been happening in Walthamstow and Ben will share what is happening in Lancaster. Esther read from 1 John 4 7 21
As we’re leaving this year and this decade 2020 is good vision. The best focus and that is what we will need,
Malcolm said it was good to be back on home ground. Malcolm reckoned that he came here before he was even born. Malcolm recalls this church always encouraging people to share their gifts. He learnt the Bible here teaching it to others.
Malcolm shared that about 4 weeks ago a young lady from Iran came to live with them. She came here aged 17 studying and passing her exams but then she went off the rails. She applied for asylum, and the Home Office moved her to Liverpool. She found out about Christ and joined a church in Liverpool. Her asylum claim was rejected and she then became stuck in the system and ended up living with an Iranian family.
Malcolm found out about her in February through a fellow minister , and invited her to join the church to help with the Iranian members of their congregation. She flew through the scriptures and she came alive when talking to people about the gospel. Malcolm shared that two years ago they’d started work trying to get an intern. But it came to nothing. Malcolm invited her to volunteer with his church hence why she has come to live with them.
He read from 1 Corinthians, showing God chooses . Malcolm never expected that the person who was perfect for work in his church with young people would come from Iran , and study maths and science. Often what we need is sitting right in front of us.
When God leads you on a journey it’s exciting. God’s upside down kingdom often surprises!
Ben then talked about his internship in Lancaster . He’s been working with them for a year and a half. They get a lot of students. Watching them grapple with the great truth of the gospel. Sharing that God sent his son to save us. Ben finds it great to see people come to make decisions based around the bible and the church. They had one person Danni, who slowly over time decided to become a Christian. Another young person meets up for coffee to discuss the bible and ask hard questions!
He also reflected on the discouragement , they’re trying to move building and are having to learn to trust God’s word and timing. It’s tempting to think “If only we had” when all we need is God’s word.
Esther talked about how we are privileged to be able to connect to our communities through Filling Station through Sheraton Court through the Alpha course.
We need to find ways to touch peoples lives. Find a way to communicate Christ to them even if it is just a smile and hello.
Get in touch if you have anything you’d like us to share.
Are you dancing to the same tune?
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.
Don’t be scared to reach out and help a Zombie
3 November 2019
We were joined by Mattie Steel who preached on 2 Thessalonians chapter 1
He shared his experience of being at Stockton sixth form college he took chemistry but he struggled about pulling together ingredients to make the final product. Other things in life are not as difficult. Fish and chips, visiting the lakes and good weather, Middlesbrough and a win makes a happy Matty.
The opening of the letter shows Paul in a good mood . Persecution is on the increase but this church in Thessaloniki is increasing.
Matty can see a similar spirit here at West View Baptist Church. But Paul’s letter shifts to those who don’t accept god. It gives Paul no joy to say this. Jesus will return and there will be a judgement. Paul shows that he knows God’s heart is that none should perish.
Our Godmay make you worthy of his calling. Paul expands on this in chapter 8 of Romans. God has chosen called or invited people to come into a relationship with him. He also provides the way for us to be made right with God.
What Paul is not saying is that there is some sort of level that people need to achieve.
In Christ you get a new identity. You are different and this is described right through the New Testament. Different audiences are called to this change, from say a little Corsa to a powerful Ferrari for Christ. Whenever there is a command you will receive the power and grace of the Holy Spirit to live up to the call as a child of god set free from the bondage of sin. You are free. Paul wrestled with this in Romans 10. We live a new life as the old self was crucified with him. Alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Paul prayed that God may make you worthy of his calling. Theologian Don Carson says we are to grow up into Christian maturity.
If there is any struggle you feel in bondage to, Jesus will set you free. Matt offered to pray for any one who needs this freeing from struggle.
Paul prays for fruit from this group of believers in Christ. He recognised the deeds coming from faith, but there is a need for prayer as well. We will only see new kingdom fruit with prayer behind it. Falling to the extremes of either of these camps makes it easy for the external world to dismiss us. Holy huddles, or Christians doing nice things is what we will be dismissed as.
Always offer to pray when out on the streets. Matty gave example of an addict they prayed for who felt sober for the first time in a number of years.
Take the risk and see what happens. Nothing that you can do that can put people off God’s love.
Matty related the story of the time that he was down in Brighton and there was a Zombie festival that weekend. He found himself alone in a railway station at midnight being prompted by God to go and speak to someone. That someone was dressed as a Zombie… at midnight! Matty offered help. Found out the man in the costume had been suicidal previously and following chats then and later he came to Christ and was baptised.
He also shared that our hospitality does not have to be perfect. He once offered a meal to two people down on their luck. He only had beans and bread in to offer. The two young people wanted to cook the meal and sadly they burnt the toast and were that keen on stirring the beans so they wouldn’t stick, they reduced them to mush. It didn’t matter. God still used burnt bread and bean purée to enable someone to be led to Jesus.
From the Garage church to the Filling Station.
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.
Are we going to the Borderlands?
13 October 2019
Tim preached on Luke 17: 11-19
He asked to think about borders . Jesus was walking between the border of Samaria and Galilee. But it could be anywhere today Mexico USA, Scotland England, uk Europe. Only one of the lepers, the foreigner the stranger the outsider came back to thank Jesus. The act of healing was bigger than just healing the leprosy. Tim’s guess is the others went running to the priests to get clearance to go home to their families.
Welcoming the stranger is an important message. Would we welcome those from the other side of the wall. Jesus uses the woman at the well and the Good Samaritan to show a similar message.
No doubt the other nine headed to their family to share their good news. Luke implies that we need a whole new relationship with God.
What are we thankful for? We touched in this on our Alpha course this week. We’re quick to criticise but slow to give thanks . You can see this in Google reviews or TripAdviser. It’s easier to focus on the bad. We’re slow to recognise that the people involved are human like us. We’re slow to thank. Ephesians chapter 5 shows this. God is the source of everything, everything breathe we take (Tim resisted the urge to sing that song!)
WE need to find the things you can be thankful for our in the created world.
To get a good view requires a lot of effort sometimes. But even at sea level here in Hartlepool we can count our blessings. Use spiritual discipline to list what you are thankful for and list them before God. This seems to be a healthy thing to do.
Eucharist means thanksgiving. Let us cultivate a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving. People who are thankful tend to be lovely people.
Cultivate this as we go back into our communities.
But there’s something else here, Jesus would not have met these men if he hadn’t ventured into our borderlands. Do we do this ? Or are we reluctant to embrace people who are different from us. How might we equip people for that task.
Perhaps going to the borderlands means joining a club, a group. We may often find that Jesus is already out there.
Living without judgement. The man who came back would have been a reject in the eyes of the community even without the leprosy. God really loves the stranger, the other , the people over different faith. Today’s media love to highlight difference. Tim showed the video One Day where Israelis of different backgrounds came together to sing together to share a positive message . People from all walks of life celebrating in three languages praying for a day where peace will arrive. It’s a brave thing to do. Jesus had an annoying habit of reaching out into communities that no one loved. Tim shared the experience of a fellow minister from Burnley who on the day of the riots there was challenged to get to meet people he did not know from other faiths in the aftermath of the riots. Living on these edges is where Jesus wants us. Refugees drug users people of other faiths. Where would Jesus be nowadays? Would he be sitting here with us.
Let us live with gratitude and thankfulness.