My wee Blog! :-)

A ponderous question ... What can we do?

2011-11-26T12:45:00.005Z

It has been a great few days out and about, meeting up with friends, taking a break from parish life for 7 days.

Halfway through the past week ... a question which came a a bolt out of the blue was this question

"What can we do? "

It could be a negative question ... a statement of resignation...with the presumption that there is nothing that can be done

however it also can be a very positive question ... a statement of intention to do something.

It is a question which is running around in my mind about lots of issues at the minute ... from world wide things to smaller everyday encounters

Standing in front of St. Paul's in London on Tuesday ... surrounded by the protesters and the City of London and reading about all the issues of the world economy ... we could ask legitimately ... "What can we do?"

Walking along the London streets and seeing beggars and some of the worlds most expensive shops ..."What can we do?"

There are huge issues in our world ... and in our lives ... somehow we are called to rearrange those words to ... "do what we can" with our resources...

This is definitely something over the next while I will come back to on the blog ...

A Quiet time on the Blog

2011-11-05T12:09:00.002Z

Over the past few months things have been very quiet on the Blog due to the amount of other things that have been happening both online and off-line.

We are currently bringing together a team who are hoping to head of to Zambia next summer ... more details of this later

We have begun our recordings of services and distributing these over RSS Feed for those who are housebound in the parish

The Church of Ireland Gazette has a new website which makes it much easier to manage

We have set up a Bible Study bringing together On-line and Off-line communication - Bible study via email to a variety of parishioners - E100.

Hopefully we will bring the Blog back to life soon. In the interim I was watching last night
"Susan Boyle - An unlikely Superstar" one of the things she said which was really insightful

"You never know what effect you have on people until they tell you" which is really really true.

May we be people who spur each other on, encouraging one another and pointing out the great things we see in each other. There is so much negativity in our world, as Christians we are called to encourage and uplift one another in love.

Until the next Blog

RF

Back to church Sunday

2011-09-25T14:29:00.002+01:00

A sermon preached at the 10:30 am St. Columba's Service on Back To Church Sunday

Please be seated.

I’m going to play a song which some of you may well know. Do listen to the words.

song ends

Let us pray

Heavenly Father, I pray that you would by the power of the Holy Spirit take my words and speak through them, take our minds and think through them, and take our hearts and set them on fire with love for you. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The success of the hit TV Series Cheers in the past has been because people could relate to the characters, there was a feel good factor. The theme tune also relates to easy going nature, the universal realatity of the human need for acceptance.

Today is Back To Church Sunday, a day when friends and neighbours and family members are encouraged to come Back to Church. Churches across the country are doing the same thing as we are. Welcoming people back to church.

But what are we welcoming you back to?, why are we coming back to church?

By meeting here sunday by sunday we are saying we belong, by meeting here we are saying we need each other, by meeting here sunday by sunday we are saying we want to know a bit more about God.

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.

Life is difficult sometimes ... sometimes it is great

Life sometimes throws up challenges ... sometimes we are shaken

Sometimes we are joyous and sometimes we are confused, lonely, perplexed perhaps, grieving

Church is a place where we can come and be together

Church is a place where we should be able to find acceptance and love, we should be able to talk about things which bother us, things troubling us. We should be able to be real and we should be able to meet with people who can support us through the difficult times.

No church is not perfect ... and you’ll never find the perfect church but in this church we do in this church try to do our best to preach, teach and and to put theory and practice together.

One church leader recently said that he believes that the Local Church is the hope for the world. I too believe that. That each church church is at its very best when people work together locally, when we use our gifts and talents to serve one another.

We believe that when young and old, tall and short, people of all sorts work together for a common purpose great things can and will happen.

In St. Columba’s we are trying, we are striving to provide help and support to as many people as we possibly can.

Take a look through our parish Magazine

We are studying the Bible,

We continue to visit all those we know of in hospitals, nursing homes and sheltered accomodation,

we visit all homes in the parish as and when we can, we are putting into place ways in which people can serve God according to their gifts and abilities, we continue to try and develop our youth work, we are reaching out to our housebound parishioners via recordings of services, we continue to have the full range of activities and groups for all sorts of ages and interests throughout the week.

All of this is to help people belong to the family of God in this place.

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. There is a saying ... “It takes two to tango.”

I have heard it about churches where people can walk in and out and nobody speaks to them. If this is a criticism you have please do say hi to someone. And also if someone says Hi to you do say hi back and introduce yourself.

This is a place to which anyone can come and belong. One of the reason I am here is because of the friendliness of the church when I came incognito in a shirt and tie and sat down at the back of the church one sunday morning. Someone said hi to me!

You wanna go where people know, people are all the same,

Critics of the church universally would tell us that we are boring, untrue and irrelevant to the culture of today. Perhaps we have been - or perhaps our critics do have some challenges to help us improve.

However, the church at its best is here to serve the outsider, to walk beside and support the tempted whatever their temptation may be, we are called to bring the lonely into fellowship and friendship, the struggling student, the single mum, the housebound, the man struggling with answering the question about what life is all about.

When we look at the Gospel reading today we see Jesus asking the Lame man “Sir Do you want to be made well”?

The man had to respond

The church cannot do things without people responding.

We can sit and do nothing for a long time or we can respond.

Many of the problems we face can be responded to positively. The are resources which the church has access to which can help people.

Issues such as debt ... a phonecall to Christians Against Poverty can see the burden of debt lifted from households

Issues such as depression and other issues can be talked through with Christian Counsellors

Issues such as loneliness can be addressed by getting involved in many of the organisations in the parish.

Each one of us ... whoever we are, whatever we are going through can find hope, love reassurance, help, meaning within church if only we ask.

If you are here for the first time in a while, or if you are here each week do know that we are a church ready to help, ready to chat, ready to support, ready to talk through worries & fears.

You will see the new welcome cards in the pews - these create an easy communication link with the clergy and vestry - if there are things you would like, if you want us to visit please do fill them in, if there are other comments. Do fill your name in as well on them.

We are called to respond

Should Churches have facebook pages??

2011-09-13T12:02:00.003+01:00

Over the course of the last few months I have been asked this question from a number of people.

The quick answer is ... aye why not? Millions of people are communicating in Facebook so why not have a local church presence.

The longer answer is ... yes but be careful.

A few questions about this

What info are you putting on? Who are you going to allow to access it ... Fully Public ... friends only? ... who is going to administrate it? Are you going to update it regularly?

The other thing is youth (i.e. Under 18's) on facebook ... This is a whole area of problems as there needs to be safeguards and parish policies as to electronic communication. It needs well researched and have completely transparent procedures in regard to emails and facebook messages.

As far as I am concerned I will never add an under 18 as a friend to my personal facebook friend group. All emails that I send out to our youth group are all sent out on the parish email account which the Child Protection Panel(CPP) in the parish have access to. Our parish facebook account similarly has been set up so that the CPP have access to the username and password allowing them access to all communication methods.

Having said all of this ... if people are using facebook why not use it to communicate with the church. Just ensure that everything that you do has safeguards in place

Forgiveness ...

2011-09-11T16:49:00.003+01:00

A sermon preached in St. Columba's Parish Church at 10:30 Holy Communion

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen

A story is told about a man who loved dogs.
He went in front of his house and began creating a path from his front door to the street.

As he was nearly finished a dog trounced right though the middle of the wet cement.

Since he was a dog lover he overlooked the dog's inability to recognize wet cement so he calmly re-smoothed the path.

Knowing it could happen again he placed rope along each side of the walkway.

But a few minutes later the dog pounced over the rope and again splashed through the cement. His patience dwindled but he didn't retaliate; he just chased off the dog with some harsh words.

Again, he smoothed out the concrete and incredibly enough, the dog sneaked behind him and leaped flat-belly into the middle of the walkway. The man picked up a stone and hit the dog - it limped away!

His neighbour witnessed everything that happened and rushed over to his friend and said: "I thought you loved dogs." The man responded, "I do love dogs.

But that's in the abstract. I hate dogs in the concrete."

Sorry ... I read this and thought it is quite applicable today

The abstract and the reality ... the theory and the practice sometimes can be quite different poles apart maybe on lots of issues.

---
As we continue through this season in the church calendar which speaks about us growing as disciples. The readings raise lots of different issues for us as Christians. Today our Gospel reading speaks strongly about Forgiveness.

Forgiveness in our readings today is one of the areas of our life where we all struggle, where many struggle to bring theory and practice into line with each other.

In our service this morning
We have sought God’s forgiveness in the words of the confession
We have been assured of God’s forgiveness in the absolution

Before we come to the prayer of consecration we will share the peace... This is a crucial part of the service when we say to each other “Peace be with you”. The challenge of this is about relationship - can you say peace be with you to those who you have not forgiven?

In our service this morning we will pray in the Lord’s prayer forgive us today our sins as we forgive others who sin against us.

But do we? is our theory the same as our practice?

This is difficult. By speaking about this we are dealing with heart problems - problems deep inside the seat of our emotions, It deals with our relationship towards others.
It can be situations which have happened recently or way back.

When we speak of forgiveness we are talking about a relationship which has broken down by words or by actions between us and someone else. Wether the action is caused by us or them.

Forgiveness according to the OED is defined as 'to grant free pardon and to give up all claim on account of an offense or debt'.

Now - that is extremely challenging for any size of offense or debt

Perhaps some may say it is easy enough if at school someone steals our favorite pen.

But bigger offences, that certainly take more and more strength of our will power

Let us look at this from another perspective ... the alternative is unforgiveness
If we are to remain in a place where there is unforgiveness - then there will be undoubtably be
Anger
Hatred
Deep - seated resentment
Questions like what-if I had done something differently
A serious temptation not to display the fruits which God can develop in our lives.

It is a process but we need to choose for ourselves that whatever the crime is - what ever words and what ever hurts were done that we are not going to let them have control over us.

We forgive because he first forgave us.

When we think of the hurt we have caused God by thought, word and deed and then realise that this has been forgiven then from this place we can find the strength to forgive others.

One of the people who you find if you search of “Forgiveness Northern Ireland” is Gordon Wilson ... His daughter was killed in the Enniskillen Bombing

Gordon Wilson held his daughter's hand as they lay trapped beneath a mountain of rubble. It was 1987, and he and Marie had been standing watching a peaceful Remembrance Day service in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, when a terrorist bomb went off. The rescuers dug them out of the rubble and rushed them to hospital. But, by the end of the day, Marie and nine other people were dead.
A few hours after the bombing, when interviewed by the BBC, Gordon Wilson forgave the terrorists who had killed his daughter. He said that he would pray for them. He also begged that no-one took revenge for Marie's death. "That", he said, "will not bring her back."
The loss of Marie shattered Gordon Wilson and his wife Joan, but, they were anxious that bitterness and hatred should not rip apart the small town of Enniskillen. Before the bomb, Protestants and Catholics in Enniskillen had lived side by side, and the Wilsons wanted it to stay that way.
As Christians, the Wilsons wanted to help repair this damage between people.
After his television interview, Gordon Wilson received many letters from people across Britain and the rest of the world. Many supported him, but many others criticised him.
Forgiveness is at all sorts of levels - It is not about forgetting what has happened - not at all. But it is about allow us to move on from the consequences of an event. It is not simply a fllipant I forgive you and holding on to the consequences and mulling them over.

There is a Brilliant Book on the Subject Written by RT Kendall - Total forgiveness. He Explains that after a very painful episode in his life He made a decision for inner peace, found he had to carry out that decision by a daily commitment to forgive those who had hurt him and to forgive them totally.

He says “I therefore let them utterly of the hook and resigned myself to the knoweldge that:
They wouldn’t get caught or found out
Nobody would ever know hat they did
They would prosper and be blessed as thoughthey had done no wrong

he continues What is more I actually willed this! I prayed for this, I asked God to forgive them. But I have had to do it every day in order to keep the peace within my heart. Having been on both sides I can tell you: the peace is better. The bitterness isn’t worth it.

Who do we need to forgive today - is there someone who comes to mind who has wronged us and we need to utter those words father forgive them and father God I forgive them.

Why not begin the process of forgiveness today.

may our abstract and concrete beliefs be the same

Who do you need to ask for forgiveness? and who do you need to offer forgiveness to.?

It is challenging ... but it is the Gospel.

Let us pray.

In the prayer I will use the Post communion Prayer which we will pray later.

God of compassion,  in this eucharist we know again your forgiveness  and the healing power of your love.  Grant that we who are made whole in Christ  may bring that forgiveness and healing to this broken world,  in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Surprise

2011-09-04T21:17:00.001+01:00

A Sermon preached at St. Columba's on Sunday 4th September 2011 based on Mark 7: 24-37 at Choral Evensong

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight O lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen

Surprises

Surprises are events which we don’t expect, that go beyond what we normally experience. They can be good and they can be not so good.

The random act of kindness from someone ... perhaps a box of chocolates, or a boquet of flowers or a party.

Years ago some of you may remember the TV Programme surprise surprise when our Cilla - Cilla Black opted to reunite loved ones, fulfilled peoples life long dreams and ambitions.

Surprise Surprise

The first bit of Our Gospel reading this evening is one of surprise. For us reading it today it is surprising -

we may be surprised at how Jesus deals with the Syrophonician woman in the opening of this reading

we may be surprised at her response

And then we may be surprised at how Jesus at the end commends her

A Little background

Jesus is in Tyre, a gentile area and he is there with his disciples. He knew he was sent to “the lost sheep of Israel” God’s chosen people. It was them who Jesus communicated with, they were the ones he was concerned about.

It is surprising how Jesus speaks to this woman ... he mentions dogs - in the greek it is little dogs. but even so it still is surprising perhaps even shocking.

But then we see the woman coming back to him and saying well even the dogs get scraps from the table.

We then see Jesus opening up his ministry to those who are outside of the “in-crowd” those beyond the pale of the Jewish heritage.

It is surprising ... even shocking about the radical inclusiveness which Jesus highlighted that day.. a woman, a gentile woman asking for healing from a Jew ... the cultural norms of the day prohibited joint meals, and encouraged exclusive worship ... just think about the temple ... the court of the gentiles beyond which those who weren’t jewish couldn’t go.

There seem to be a couple of themes in this passage to pick up upon this evening

The first is the radical inclusiveness which Jesus set up for us. Who are the outsiders? who are those who we see as unclean, as beyond love, beyond help? Time and again in the gospel Jesus went to them, invited them in. In Belfast today who are the people who stand waiting to be invited in, to be shown the love and the fellowship.

We do pray in our parish prayer - That God would make the door of this church wide enough to welcome all who need human love, fellowship and care.

Each one of us have to answer ourselves as to who we see as outsiders, who we see as those whom we struggle to love. And then we are reminded that we are to reach out in love to them.

The second theme I see as important is that of peristance ... I wonder if we were to encounter Jesus as that woman did that day - would we have been brave enough to ask, would we have left it when he responded as he did that day, would we have pressed in and kept going not letting up... being persistant in our prayers.

This evening we have prayed, we have asked, we have sung our praises. I wonder what is on your heart and my heart. What are we longing for, what would we love to see God doing in our lives, for our family members, for our friends. Are there things we want changed in our world.

Pressing in and praying earnestly is something we as a parish need to do - on the service sheet you will see the priorities of prayer for this season - the things we need as a family to ask our father for this new academic year

Our organisations and leaders
Those who for what ever reason are not at church
Those who have young families
The planning of next summer’s mission trip
Those on our prayer list

Are we prepared to bring these things to the throne of God, are we prepared to be persistent? There is so much that we could say about prayer and how prayer works but it does begin by doing what that woman did that day and simply bringing the need before Jesus.

May we continually be surprised as to how God answers prayer, may we be surprised as to who comes along to our church, may we live up to the prayer that we pray for our parish. May we never turn anyone away from God because of our attitudes and pedjudices, and most of all may we be persistant in our prayers

In Jesus Name we pray

Amen

Worship ...

2011-08-27T22:34:00.002+01:00

This appeared recently on the 24-7 prayer website ... wonderfully simple!

Who Is Jesus

2011-08-21T12:08:00.001+01:00

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be always acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen

Who is Jesus?

This is the primary question to which each individual has to answer for themselves.

It is the question which the disciples had to answer

It is the question which the Jewish religious authorities had to answer

It is the question which the each member of the crowd which followed him had to answer

It is a challenging and potentially life changing question ... a question for each person in each generation.

It is challenging because of the implications of the answer given.

The Background

Take a look at the reading on the sheets in front of you ... The first verse shows the Background to this scene. Caesarea Philippi - I presumed that this was an ordinary villiage somewhere in 1st Century Israel ... somewhere with the flat roofed houses, markets etc etc. It was not until my recent trip to the Holy land and discovered that this was a unique place ... It is up in the mountains, the Golan Heights, it has been a place where in the past loads of pagan religions had their temples, where sacrifices to loads of different gods happened... It is also where one of the tributaries of the jordan springs up. There is a cave which has a spring ... it is known as the gate of hades because of the depth. So with all of this pagan choice of gods Jesus asks his disciples

The general question is asked Who do people say that the son of man is?

Some say John the Baptist

Others Elijah, Jerimiah or one of the prophets

This is an easy question for them to answer ... They have heard the talk, they have been in discussion with their friends, they hear the idle chit chat on the street. It is easy for them to answer about what others say.

The personal question is then asked - “but who do you say that I am?”

Peter answers with a profound answer ... an answer which has enoromous implications.

The word Messiah conjures up the jewish longing ... the fulfilment of all the scriptures

The word Messiah trumphs the prophets, the priests, the kings which have gone before

The word Messiah is not used by Peter lightly here.

Simon Peter has come to this conclusion after all that he has seen and heard, the teaching, the miracles, his own reflection, his discussion with the others.

Simon Peter and the disciples lives change at this point ... He is given the name peter ... meaning rock ... he is given the task of building church ... building church ... the first time that this word has been uttered ...he is to build a new community.

The Background was a pagan marketplace of all sorts of gods

The General Question was asked

and the Personal question was asked

The Background was a pagan marketplace of all sorts of gods

In our world today - there is a market place of ideologies, of all sorts of beliefs, all sorts of weird and wonderful things. gods made of all sorts of things ... maybe not found in temples but certainly gods nonetheless.

Within this marketplace the same questions are posed. The General question is asked

who do people say that the son of man is ...

The Theos research also examined who people thought Jesus was.

Two in five (40%) said they believe that Jesus was the son of God and

nearly half (47%) that he was a holy prophet.

When asked whether they thought Jesus was a good man and wise teacher, 66% of people agreed.

Only 11% disagreed.

That is familiar when we read the gospel account

We know what people say ... The question then turns personal

Who do you say that the son of man is ? ... If he is who he claims to be ... if he is the messiah, the Son of God ... then like Peter ... our call is then a call to surrender, a call of service, the call to prayer, the call to live lives worthy of the calling to which we have recieved, the call to work within the mission of God with everything we have

It is pretty black and white ... either we are involved wholeheartedly or not involved in this mission.

Either we love the Lord our God with our whole heart soul mind and strength and love our neigbour as ourselves or we don’t ... Jesus is pretty clear on this challenge.

This is the call to Christian Discipleship ... This is the question which we all are asked ...

“ Who do you say that Jesus is?”

Here is a quote from Bono ... Lead Singer of U2

Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius.

But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook.

Christ says: No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet.

I'm saying: "I'm the Messiah." I'm saying: "I am God incarnate." And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You're a bit eccentric. We've had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that.

But don't mention the "M" word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you're expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah.

At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he's gonna keep saying this. So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was -the Messiah - or a complete nutcase.

If he was and is Messiah ... then we all have questions to ask of ourselves as to how we are living and how much impact Messiah has in our lives and in our daily work.

Amen.

Bono on Grace

2011-08-20T10:19:00.002+01:00

On wednesday evening our Bible Study was looking at God's grace

One of the best and frankest description on the implications of Grace that I have read is this piece of an interview with U2's Lead Singer Bono

Bono: ... It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.

Assayas: I haven't heard you talk about that.

.Bono You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics - in physical laws - every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.

Assayas: I'd be interested to hear that.

Bono That's between me and God. But I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I'd be in deep s---. It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity.

Assayas: The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.

Bono But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there's a mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let's face it, you're not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That's the point. It should keep us humbled . It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.

Assayas: That's a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it's close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has his rank among the world's great thinkers. But Son of God, isn't that farfetched?

Bono No, it's not farfetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says: No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: "I'm the Messiah." I'm saying: "I am God incarnate." And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You're a bit eccentric. We've had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don't mention the "M" word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you're expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he's gonna keep saying this. So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was the Messiah - or a complete nutcase. I mean, we're talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. This man was like some of the people we've been talking about earlier. This man was strapping himself to a bomb, and had "King of the Jews" on his head, and, as they were putting him up on the Cross, was going: OK, martyrdom, here we go. Bring on the pain! I can take it. I'm not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that's farfetched - Bono later says it all comes down to how we regard Jesus:

Bono: [I]f only we could be a bit more like Him, the world would be transformed. When I look at the Cross of Christ, what I see up there is all my s--- and everybody else's. So I ask myself a question a lot of people have asked: Who is this man? And was He who He said He was, or was He just a religious nut? And there it is, and that's the question. And no one can talk you into it or out of it.

From Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas, by Michka Assayas, copyright © 2005 by Michka Awwayas. Used by permission of Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. For online information about other Penguin Group (USA) books and authors, see the website at www.penguin.com(Note: While the book includes numerous passages of Bono discussing his Christian faith, it also includes occasional salty language from both parties.)Copyright © Christian Music Today.

The potential of small things

2011-07-25T10:15:00.003+01:00

A sermon preached on Sunday 24th July at 10:30 Service in St. Columba's Parish Church

Over the past few weeks we have been looking at a few of Jesus' Parables ... the sower and the seed, the wheat and the weeds,

Potential can be defined as capable of being or becoming

Over the course of the past few days I have been looking over the first parable in the set which we read ...The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

The seed is planted with potential .. it is capable of being a bush, or becoming a bush... it has potential.

All seed have the potential. Teachers look at young people in Primary School and say that they have great potential. We look at the world today and see that it has great potential ... it is capable of being or becoming something fantastic.

There is also negative potential ... the human being has also the potential of doing great harm. Yesterday as I was at home I switched on to BBC News Channel as it was covering the events which happened in Oslo. One human being causing so much harm to so many people, as I watched that then news started breaking about a train crash in China, and further news about Singer and Song Writer Amy Winehouse, and then more news about the nurse who is alleged to have tampered with medical products.

Potential ... each and everyone has great potential ... but our God given best potential is to live as citizens of the Kingdom of heaven. To use our gifts and skills, our talents in the way God intended us to, to make an impact for good on the world around us. But he will never force us to make these decisions.

God has always been a God of freedom,

God always has been God of Transformation,

God has always been a God of potential,

When we look down through the pages of History God has used ordinary people to transform this world... and the truth is he still does it today.

Down through the years Christians have been at the forefront of some of the major things we now take for granted ... In Modern Society we could point to Christians

Men and Women who saw thing were not right, that humanity was not living to its full potential and who decided to do something about it.

• Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children - first laws to protect children from abuse (Rev B Waugh)

• Barnardo's - world's largest orphange system (T.J. Barnardo)

• Richard Oastler campaigned to protect children through the Factory Reform Bill and Anti-Poor movement.

• Almshouses birthed and were the first to offer formal care for the elderly and disabled in society.

• Prison Reform pioneered by the Quakers.

• Braille system for the blind developed by Louis Braille.

• Pioneers of free health care for the terminally ill (Douglas Macmillan)

• Advocates of International Fair Trade (Tearfund)

• International Housing for the poor - Habitat for Humanity (Millard Fuller).

Leprosy Mission - caring for those no-one else wants (Dr. P.Wilson)
Abolition of Slave Trade (W.Wilberforce and wider Church)

• Pioneers of Microfinance for poor countries (D.Bussau)

• Pioneers of education for the deaf (Rev. Gallaudet)

• Fathers of modern Foster Care (Charles L. Brace)

Simple Ideas which we now take for granted ... but which came from Christians living out their faith in their own fields of influence.

All of us are called as part of our Christian faith to be involved in the mission of God where we are ... of doing the small things which we can ... even though we think that they are so small and insignificant ... of remaining faithful to the small things and seeing them grow into something which is of great significance, of living lives which mean something ...

situated under the covers of each of the pews ... you will find that there are some seeds really small seed ... but seed which have the potential to grow ...

Sunday by Sunday we come to church ... we read readings, we hear sermons, we receive communion we commit ourselves to be living sacrifices ... and we go out. .... the past few weeks we have heard loads of things about Good soil, about producing a good crop .... there is a real challenge I believe.

As a church we are called to grow ... we are called to develop ... we are called to find out more about God ... we all have potential to do great things for God.

Perhaps we are not called to start a new organisation as some of those people were

Prehaps we are called to find out more about God’s will is for our lives

Perhaps we are called to get involved in something new here

Perhaps there is some particular need / injustice that we are concerned about

Perhaps we would like to get involved in a particular role in church life

The potential is great ... the seed that you have in your hand has the pontential to produce a vegetable, a tree, a flower ... each something different.

The only way we can know what we have got is to plant it and see what happens.

None of us know really what the future will hold, nor what our faith will look like in days weeks or months ahead but we do need to take care of it.

If you are up for a challenge, take the seed, and plant it, give it some water, and see what is produced!

If you are up for a challenge, take the faith which you already have, add a wee bit of Word and Christian Fellowship and see what could be produced

God always has been God of Transformation,

God has always been a God of freedom,

God has always been a God of potential,

It has always been up to us ... either we plant the seed and allow it to fulfill its full potential or we keep it in our pockets and don’t let it grow.

As a church we get the variety and the nourishment when everyone finds their full kingdom potential.

I Look forward to hearing in the next months as to what has been produced!

Pause!

2011-07-18T14:15:00.002+01:00

A Sermon Preached at 7pm Late Evening Office in St. Columbas Parish Church 17th July 2011

Text Mark 6: 30-34, 53-56

Mark 6: 30-34, 53-56

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. ³¹He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. ³²And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. ³³Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. ³⁴As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. ⁵⁴When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, ⁵⁵and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. ⁵⁶And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

Pause

This evening I would like to consentrate on the first bit of our reading

Our lectionary is great as it causes us to take a balance in our Christian life, sometimes we are caused by our readings to get out and do things, sometimes we are caused to reflect on Sin and then to repent, sometimes we are caused to think about others and other times we are reminded to pause, to take stock of where we are.

Every single one of us needs rest ... we need rest to recharge our batteries, we need rest to re-engage with God, we need rest to remind us where we are and what we are doing. Our american brothers and sisters may call it a “Time Out”.

We are spiritual beings, we are called to take time out, to reflect on how much more there is to life. We are called to mediatate on Scripture, to discover the richness of prayer.

The greatest resource that we have, the most limited resource we have on this planet is time. How we use this time allotted to us speaks so much about our priorities.

Over the past couple of months I have been very concious of this ... I have met lots of people in homes the length and breadth of the parish who are extremely busy either with work or dealing issues within their families.

I also know from speaking with Good school friends that spending time with the important people in their lives is difficult - due to other demands on their time.

It is one of the reasons that I am I running with the idea of Pause. Simply taking “Time out”. Of giving people the excuse to meet up for a picnic lunch, or a cup of coffee and a chat detail of the events are in the magazine.

The whole Idea of Pause is to use it as an excuse ...to be honest ... I’m very happy if nobody turns up ... as I would be glad if 100’s do! if you cant get out to the pause things in the magazine ... please don’t worry ... It is simply an excuse to take a break from the norm. To meet up with friends, to encourage one another.

To do what those disciples were trying to do in that boat ... to get away and pause but pause with a purpose ... to be with Jesus and with one another.

We are called to be people who do pause, If the all powerful Jesus and his disciples needed to take time out how much more do we.

Every single one of us has a spiritual side to our lives ...

Nobody is called to a 24/7 Job, we all need to take time out, to an active rest which can sustain us but as Christians we are called to life in all its fullness. And here in lies the tension of being and doing, of as Mars Bar’s famously.... Working, Resting and Playing

It is my prayer that we discover what this means in our lives. That we would find places in which we can pause, that we can build into our lives a rhythm of places where we can be fed, challenged, where we can process how we are developing in our walk with God and then put into practice what we are thinking.

A couple of practical questions

How in the past week, month and year have you rested?
How in the past week, month and year have you taken time out with God?
How in the past week, month and year have you done something practical for God?

Let us Pray

2011-06-29T11:54:00.001+01:00

A season to grow

2011-06-27T14:59:00.000+01:00

We are all living in a busy and complicated world

The rhythm of times and seasons in the church calendar is useful

... there are times when we are really busy and there are time when things quieten down

... there are times when we celebrate and times when we are more reflective

... there are times when we remember certain events and times when we look at general points

This sunday sees the beginning of the green colours in church which are ordinary... pastoral ... growth colours reminding us that we are indeed called to grow, to live

In this period between Trinity Sunday and the start of advent we will be reading Bible Passages which are focused on living out the Good News, of applying principles so that we grow as Christians, so that we become wiser in our learning, so that we become a wee bit more like Jesus.

Time and again Jesus used images from agriculture ... seed, roots, vines, wheat to speak about growth.

The readings at this time of year have been chosen to challenge congregations around the world to put into practice the whole of the Gospel - to apply the passages to our everyday situations.

Inspiration for sermons come in all sorts of different circumstances ... from all sorts of different people

I am learning in the curatage garden that there is a need to not only feed and water the plants but I also need to remove things that might damage them. I do love taking advice from people who know what they are talking about. Just this week Jim came and said that the window boxes are looking well but he also said ... look there is something damaging those young plants ... you need to get pellets to remove those pests.

Jim knows what he is talking about ... and sure enough they have gone. I needed to take action.

Every single one of us is called to grow, we are called on an amazing journey to know God better, we are called to develop, to become more like Jesus. Our reading this morning calls this sanctification ... a process of development ... Sunday by Sunday we come to church to worship, to hear the word of God proclaimed, to be strengthened when we hear it, to recieve Holy Communion, to be reminded the length Jesus has gone to for us and to be sent out our way, to wherever and whoever we are serving this week.

In our Epistle reading this morning we are reminded of the things which could so easily prevent us from growing up in the faith. Paul writing to the Church in Rome reminds them of sin and all that that word conjours up in our minds.

Not one of us are perfect ... all of us need to hear the message that we are all called to reflect on the stuff in our lives which we need to get rid of. If we don’t take action like my little flowers we may be hurt, we will be damaged by it.

When we talk about sin ... we could rhyme of a whole list of ways to sin ... but as we were preparing the current all age worship service sheet

we found the wording

Forgive us Lord

when we do the wrong thing,

when we say the wrong thing

even when we think the wrong thing

None of us have to look too far to see things that we have done, said or thought which are not of God’s will

When we compare our love to that of 1 Cor or our actions to that of what the Holy Spirit wants to produce in us

As we begin this period of growth over the summer period how are you and I going to grow, how are we going to put into place in our lives places of spiritual food, reflection, challenge and indeed community.

In St. Columba’s our prayer has been and will continue to be that all ages would be welcomed, would recieve love and fellowship. That all envy, pride and hatred would not be found here. That those who are tempted would find help, that those who are grieving would recieve comfort, that there would be mercy and place of growth

It is to this end that we want to provide Bible Study right through the summer on a wednesday evening ... currently looking at a book called Knowing God. Each Chapter is a stand alone study so if you want to come along please do let myself or the rector know ... copies of the chapters will be available

We also want to provide during the summer months dates, times & places to meet and be together, ... for all ages... Today we are heading to Tollymore. Other times will appear in the mid summer magazine

We simply want to give people the excuse, the space and time to pause, to chat, to be together and to renew strength and go on their way in hope and Joy.

We do live in a busy and complicated world ... church is called to stand out, to be a place where all can belong to a loving and caring community. It is our prayer in this community would grow into and would know that we are here for one another through good and bad. For this to happen we all need to play our part.

I do believe that this is Faith and Growth in action

Let us pray

Help us Lord to grow, to become more like you in our attitudes, in our words and deeds. Amen

Holy Land Series - 2 Bethlehem

2011-06-25T23:28:00.002+01:00

From here we Jumped on the bus and headed to the town of Bethlehem

Not a little town now but a big city, a divided city. It is amazing to catch our first glimpse of the peace wall ... the check point. When we were driving through one of the most poignant images was that of a bankzy graffiti icon ... that of the dove of peace under threat.

What an Irony!, in the place where the Prince of Peace was born there is so much conflict.

In Bethlehem we headed to manger square, queued in the church of the nativity and vistited the cave where Jesus is supposed to have been born.

A very special place.

Church of the Nativity

Matthew 2: 1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’ Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

O God, our gracious heavenly Father, Creator and Sustainer, and yet our Father, we thank you on this wonderful day for that little child who would make us all your children. As we remember his lowly, humble birth, take away our pride. as we remember his pure life, take away our sins, as we remember how he came, not to be ministered unto, but to minister, help us to serve more unselfishly, give more generously, and love more devotedly. For his sake. Amen (adapted from Leslie Weatherhead)

My lasting memory of this place will be the group getting together and singing ... Away in a manger ...

Shepherd’s Fields

After lunch (still on the first day!) we headed off to The Shepherds fields where we looked out over the hill country and spotted some modern day shepherds in the fields.

Luke 2

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.

Almighty God,

in the birth of your Son

you have poured on us the new light of your incarnate Word,

and shown us the fullness of your love:

help us to walk in this light and dwell in his love

that we may know the fullness of his joy;

who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and ever. Amen

Internet and church

2011-06-23T00:44:00.001+01:00

An interesting item ....

Anglican Communion News Service - Digest News

Pastors should use, not ignore, IT - Anglican priest

Posted On : June 22, 2011 12:02 PM | Posted By : Admin ACO
Related Categories: South East Asia
By Nathanael Ng writing in The Christian Post

Attitudes of uncertainty, fear and ignorance still dominate among church leaders on the advent of the digital revolution.

But for churches to impact society, pastors need to understand the changes and maximise their use of IT, highlighted an Anglican priest.

Writing for the latest issue of Trinity Theological College's Church & Society in Asia Today magazine, the Reverend Canon Terry Wong of St. James' Church said: "The Church should not relegate IT issues to technicians and hobbyist.

"Leaders, pastors, theologians and thinkers need to give leadership to these matters."

Key to pastoral ministry is regular communication between pastors and their church members and fellow leaders, Canon Wong pointed out.

Current IT tools can help pastors enhance that communication. And these tools are neutral, the priest emphasised.

"A pastor who wants to communicate will use whatever tools there are at his disposal," he said.

Giving specific examples, he highlighted that email communication provides a 'great' avenue for teams to work together.

"Our teams include lay leaders who do not share our work premises and work with us remotely," he said. "They receive inspirational ideas during the week and are encouraged when they know their pastor enjoys listening to them."

Twitter, Facebook, e-prayer letters or web logs are a convenient means for church members to be updated on the work and ministry trips of their pastors.

Church websites are important. This is because today many will first visit a church's website before turning up in church or at its office, the priest highlighted.

It is challenging to design or redesign the church website and to keep it updated, he acknowledged. For this reason, collective efforts could be made within a denomination to help each church do that.

It is advantageous for pastors to be knowledgeable about and comfortable with IT. Even if they are not, they can give space and encouragement for lay leaders or younger staff to contribute.

Web logs can supplement pulpit ministry to help church members know and understand the Christian perspective on devotional, moral or social issues.

Moving to another subject, Canon Wong encouraged churches to offer sermons online without charge. This will make the resources easily available for those from Third World countries.

Teaching journals or magazines should be made available online, the priest proposed.

As things stand, however, the Church appears to be 'losing the race' in terms of shaping beliefs and culture, he observed.

The issue is not a lack of relevant voices, he pointed out. Rather, it is one of churches not making good use of the digital medium and being slow to adapt.

"The Church has almost become a ghetto, speaking only to herself," said Canon Wong.

Many churches still bear vestiges of the era of the Reformation, with truth usually communicated semantically. Some attend churches where the Gospel is merely re-enacted.

It is not surprising then that youths are leaving traditional churches by droves in most societies, the priest noted.

"On Sundays, they enter a church singing formal songs and listening to the sole preacher," he said. "On weekdays, the world engages them in a whirlwind of networking, self-expression, meaningful interactions where truth and reality are experienced collaboratively, viscerally and relationally."

Consequently, Christianity is in danger of becoming irrelevant to them, he warned. "By ignoring the digital revolution and failing to connect with our youths today, the church has practically chosen to stay out of their lives," he said.

Moreover, people today are gathering in the cyber-world according to their hobbies and interests rather than political or religious lines.

And yet churches are seeking to establish their denominational distinctive or work in isolation from other Christian bodies.

"People on the street... are seeking for spiritual reality," said the priest. "And many of the terms used to classify denominational distinctive mean very little to them."

How does God guide us

2011-06-22T12:10:00.001+01:00

This blog has been prepared for a Bible study based on Chapter 20 of Knowing God by J I Packer

Some are afraid that they might miss God's plan for their lives.

Gods guidance is based upon two facts ...

1. The reality of God's plan
2. The ability of God to communicate that plan

The reality of these two facts are seen time and again throughout the pages of scripture

How does God today?

Packer gives us a class of problems which we may seek for guidance ... All of which are good (p265) but between which we may have to decide

They cannot be chosen by a direct reading of scripture
There does in this case need some sort of discernment ... How is this to be achieved?

Packer points to common sense ... Rational thought! ... Principles of bible teaching

I do like the comment at the bottom of page 268 'he guides me in the paths of righteousness' but not anywhere else!

Packer proceeds to highlight 6 common pitfalls

1. Forgetting to think ... To consider the implications of the choice
2. Forgetting to think ahead .... To weigh up the long term consequences of a decision
3. Not willing to take advice ... There are always people around about us who know the Bible, us, our own giftings and limitations better than we do and it is indeed biblical to take their advice, to ask them, to get their opinion ... Even if we end up rejecting what they say we can weigh up their opinions ... To look at a decision from a different angle is helpful
4. Forgetting to suspect oneself ... By this is to look at ourselves and ask why we are feeling this is the right course of action ... These feelings can sometimes be leading us in our own way ... Can we justify what we are deciding or not?
5. Forgetting to Discount personal magnetism ... Are we taking this decision to make us popular or because people will put us on a proverbial pedestal
6. Forgetting to wait ... 'wait on the Lord' is something which the psalmist is continually reminding us to do

The thing about all of this is that even though we have taken all of the above into consideration packer reminds us that there are no simple answers

We may well have to evaluate as we go along but there is no easy problem free life ... Look at the Bible characters ... No one has ever been completely guided by God in all decisions that made a carefree life... All came up against problems

'I simply had to bow in the knowledge that God was his own interpreter... We must allow God to do what he wants to do. And if you are thinking that you know the will of God for your life and you are anxious to do that, you are probably in for a very rude awakening because nobody knows the will of God for his entire life...'

When we miss the road

If we end up going the wrong way . It is usually a good idea to turn around ...even if it will take a bit of effort to make that turning. God is a god who takes all of us and makes good out of the mistakes. This is part of the overall sovereignty of God

He wills that whatever happens, whatever mistakes we make that we shall come safe home. Slip pings and strings there will be but the everlasting arms are beneath us; we shall be caught, rescued restored.

How freeing all of this is

Robert says ...

I think all of the above is completely great teaching and advice ... However i wonder for a wee bit of discussion on facebook / blog /email a couple of questions

1. How to the work of the Holy Spirit impact into all of this
2. Do you agree with all of the above ... Is there any other advice you would give to someone who is seeking to know whether decision x y or z is the right way to go?

The incarnation ...

2011-06-01T11:21:00.004+01:00

Two Blogs in One today ... Holy Land number 2 and Bible Study Chapter 5

Whilst in the Holy Land, directly after the Garden of Gethsemane we boarded the bus and headed to Bethlehem to visit the church of the Nativity.

Matthew 2: 1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’ Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

O God, our gracious heavenly Father, Creator and Sustainer, and yet our Father, we thank you on this wonderful day for that little child who would make us all your children. As we remember his lowly, humble birth, take away our pride. as we remember his pure life, take away our sins, as we remember how he came, not to be ministered unto, but to minister, help us to serve more unselfishly, give more generously, and love more devotedly. For his sake. Amen (adapted from Leslie Weatherhead)

The Incarnation has huge implications for our lives and ministry ... A dark cave, in a far away land. The Son of God was born.

In our Bible Study this evening we are looking at what the Incarnation means to us.

JI Packer on Page 62 looks at 7 things which the prologue to Johns Gospels says about this child born in a manger

IN THE BEGINNING WAS the word

And the word was WITH God

And the word WAS God

THROUGH HIM ALL THINGS WERE MADE

In him was LIFE

and that life was the LIGHT OF MEN

The word BECAME FLESH

These few verses when we analyse them speak so much of what we believe as Christians about Jesus.

He has always been, He is in a relationship with the Father and He is God, he became one of us and he is the Life and Light for us all.

There are loads of ways to understand what Jesus did in becoming Fully Human whilst also reamining fully God. Packer in our Bible Study reminds us that he emptied himself (Kenosis) means laying aside his Glory - He voluntarily restrained his power; and acceptance of hardship, isolation and eventually death on the cross.

So what does this mean for us ?

The incarnation speaks of God's love for each and every one of us. It Speaks of God identifying with his world, it reminds us that he identified with all our failings and faults. It means that God know what it is to be tempted, humiliated .... and the rest.

He knows what it is like to mourn at funerals, to rejoice at weddings

What if God was one of us? ... actually he was!

Holy Land Series #1 - Jerusalem at a glance and Mount of Olives

2011-05-25T22:40:00.005+01:00

It is only now that I have had time to sit back and reflect on Holy Land Trip.

This wee mini Series hopefully will recall some of the sights of my recent Pilgrimage with 25 others to the Holy Land, the sights, sounds, readings and prayers as well as meditations upon the readings which we used whilst out in the Land of so much history and faith story.

Our Pilgrimage began in Jerusalem, a fascinating city

A City which is Holy to Christian, Jew and Muslim where many middle eastern cultures meet and live together within the city walls. Where there is tension, where there is creativity. It is hard to capture the heart of this city ... it is unlike anywhere else in the world today.

As we entered the city by coach late at night we read Psalm 122 ... what an awesome experience it was to be in a city where so much of our faith is centred. When we think of Jerusalem we think of the temple, the streets where Jesus walked, the cross, the tomb, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the miracles.

Psalm 122
I was glad when they said to me,
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’
Our feet are standingwithin your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem—built as a city
that is bound firmly together.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
For there the thrones for judgement were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
‘May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,and security within your towers.’
For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.
Prayer:
God of our joy and gladness,
as we prepare to enter the city of Jerusalem
help us to take to our hearts its modern bustle, busy traffic, bright lights and at the same time to remember its divisions and ancient ways, its centres of faith for Jew and Muslim,
and all that it means to us and to all Christian people.
Protect all who live here from everything that makes for violence and hatred and keep all who visit from prejudice and self-centredness.
Bless us, who come to this holy place as pilgrims on a journey of faith.
In your mercy and love, inspire us by your Holy Spirit and speak to us through your Son, as we follow his steps to the cross and place of resurrection.
Give us joy in our hearts, keep us praising!
- and in your mercy hear our prayer –
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

_____________

As Pilgrims on our journey we set out the next day (First Full day) to explore the Mount of Olives ... What a hillside, when the bus leaves you at the top of the hill you have no idea what lies before you ... a complete mix of emotions, stories and teaching. This is the mount of olives, the real mountain.

We began when the bus left us at the top of the hill.

Churches seem to be built on every location ... more about that as we go along but as we begin we begin at the top of the Mount of Olives with the Church of the Ascension ... which has been turned into a mosque, looked after by the muslims but allowed access by the Christians.

As we progressed down the mountain we discovered many churches ... The Church of Pater Noster --- the Lord's Prayer. A wonderful church which around its walls has the Lord's Prayer in so many different languages.

The Benedictine Monastery was our next port of call, an awesome place of tranquility, peace and worship. As we sat in that place our first singing as a group took place ... Father, we adore you, lay our lives before you, how we love you ... Jesus ... Spirit.

From here we progressed into exploring the sights of the vista of the Kidron Valley overlooking Jerusalem.

The graves of those Jews who desire to see Messiah entering Jerusalem

As we progressed down this mountain side we encountered our next church, the church of dominus Flevit Where Jesus is supposed to have wept over .

Reading at Dominus Flevit: Luke 19: 41-44

As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.’

Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ,

Today we share your tears for the cities of the world;

Still we have not loved the things that make for peace.

We weep for the divided cities;

where brother fights with brother,

where anger feeds on hatred,

where prejudice blinds the eyes of compassion,

and even religion divides,

where children are taught to hate,

and old men relish ancient wrongs.

We weep for cities of oppression:

where iron law imprisons freedom,

where thought is curbed and conscience stifled,

where the questioning spirit is called a traitor,

where art and civilising truth grow barren,

and each must think in manner as his neighbour.

We weep for cities of poverty:

where children live, but die too soon,

where eager hands can find no work,

where hunger rules and aid is short,

where mothers clutch uncomprehending young,

and where the little we could do, we fail to do.

We weep for our cities and for ourselves;

we have not learned the things that make for peace.

Lord,

turn tears to love, and love to work.

Turn work to justice,

and all that makes for peace. Amen.

(Donald Hilton)

There is something extremely moving about this place, a place where Jerusalem can be seen in all its complexity and frustration. In its religiousity, and poverty, in its wealth and in its hussle and bustle.

As we progress into the Valley, we encounter the Garden of Gethsemane

Once again we need to in this place strip away the church and the tourist side of this site and look at the 1st Century olive trees, the garden where Jesus himself was arrested, where we saw the failure of the disciples to keep watch. Where he was betrayed by a kiss.

Mark 14: 32-41

They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. And he said to them, ‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.’ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

He said, ‘Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.’ He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, ‘Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’

And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him. He came a third time and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.’

Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; and with him there was a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, ‘The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.’ So when he came, he went up to him at once and said, ‘Rabbi!’ and kissed him. Then they laid hands on him and arrested him

In the power of the Spirit let us pray to the Father

through Christ the Saviour of the world.

Father, in this place you Son was betrayed,

earlier that evening he had washed his disciples’ feet.

We commit ourselves to follow his example of love and service.

Lord, hear us

and humble us.

At the Last Supper, he prayed for his disciples to be one.

We pray for the unity of the Church

Lord, hear us

and unite us.

On that same day he prayed here for the cup to pass from him.

His disciples slept, but his mission was fulfilled.

We pray for courage

Lord, hear us

and renew our zeal.

In this place your Son Jesus Christ accepted the cup of death

and looked forward to the new wine of the Kingdom.

We remember those persecuted for their faith and for all who have died in the peace of Christ.

------------------

Being in this Garden, a filled with grief, burden and failure, turmoil and struggle, not a happy or plesent place to be but a place where we do find ourselves sometimes.

-------------------

And this is just the morning of the first day in Jerusalem.

Marathon Updates

2011-05-01T22:55:00.002+01:00

Our Parish Team are setting off to walk the marathon, hopefully via twitter we'll have updates on how things are progressing during each leg of it.

Watch the twitter feed to the right hand side of this post and we will let you know once the batton is passed on!

and our official finishing time!

Daniel

2011-05-01T22:46:00.001+01:00

A sermon preached at Choral Evensong, Sunday 1st May 2011 in St. Columbas

Daniel and the Lions Den ... another Childhood Bible story, a serene comic book story

Daniel at his window praying
King ordering Daniel into a den of lions
Lions being like pussy cats
King being shocked in the morning when Daniel is still alive

I just wonder do we need to re-discover the horror of this story, the sacrifice which Daniel faced, the faith which was bold enough to stand up to Government, the wisdom of choosing the battles to fight, where we need to witness to our faith.

Daniel was living at at time of great upset for the Jewish People, people who had been carried away into exile by Babylon and now living in what was Persian exile after the conquest . Under the regime of King Darius. However Daniel had risen through the ranks and had kept his faith in God, despite ridicule and persecution .. he had interpreted Dreams for previous kings, he had interpreted the handwritting on the wall, he had been thrown into the firey furnace with collegues for not recognising and worshipping the King Nebuchadnezzar as God.

Daniel had been through all of this and still had found favor with the king. He had risen to heights within the Persian Empire

So we see he had seen much through his life ... Ups and Downs but God was remaining faithful even in the most desparate of circumstances.

How could he make sense of all of this?

He was faced with lions ... sure and certain danger and death

He knew what it was to face fire, he knew what it was to face an angry king, he knew what it was to speak to royalty, he had been prepared by God.

From this story, and from most, if not all stories in the Bible there is a continuity, a gradual learning to deal with situations, of learning, of taking what has happened in the past and build upon it in order to face the future.

Think of David as a Shepherd, rescued sheep ... to being the rescuer of nations
In the new Testament The disciples from fishermen to fishers of men

I am sure there would indeed have been terror in Daniel mind thinking about what was going to happen to him, but there would have also been a memory of how God had been faithful in the past - through other experiences.

One of the privelliges of parish ministry is chatting with people about their experiences of God today, of hearing in the happy as well as the darkest moments of life. I am convinced that God is a God of experience, of learning, of allowing us to experience stuff in our own time. I know over the past two years in particular there have been situations I have faced which 4 or 5 years ago I would not have coped with the same way but God has been equipping me to deal with those situations.

The same is true I believe for all of us here ... what has happened in our past, God uses for Good, perhaps so that we can understand and support others going through the same. There is a great verse which I love

1 Cor 10:13 ... No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Daniel was called to withstand a great temptation, to give up on praying ... in fear of his Life, he didn’t give in to that temptation but rather relied on his God, took God’s promise to heart and dared to believe.

I wonder when we are faced with anykind of challenge, opposition, circumstance Which all of us will be at some time or another, do we have enough experience of God to rely upon to get us through, do we have that dependancy upon God that will sustain us.

Are we prepared to pray in the good times as well as the tough times, are we prepared to allow God to guide us to do what his will is in the less scary times, in the ordinariness of life and then depend upon him when the winds blow and the storms of life do come.

Let us pray

In darkness and in light, In trouble and in joy help us O Lord to focus on your word and be about the things which help us. In Jesus name we pray Amen

Baptism / Easter Sermon

2011-05-01T12:15:00.003+01:00

An All-Age Sermon preached in St. Columba's on Sunday 1st May 2011

Father, as we explore your word today, help us to think about it and to put it into practice. In Jesus Name. Amen

While I bring my props into place take a listen to this piece of music ...

\

Over the course of the next few minutes I am going to test your general knowledge with a set of questions - The answer you give will either be true, false or don’t know.

Seeing we are in church I am going to trust you to keep your own score ... Like good anglicans we are going to do a good bit of sitting down and standing up

If your answer the statement I read is true ... I want you to stand up

If your answer the statement is false ... I want you to sit down

If you don’t know and want to pass then sit in the middle ... neither up nor down!

If you are right you get 2 points, If you pass you get 0 points and if you get it wrong you get 1 point taken off!

1. The American inventor of the deep-freezing process was a Mr Birdseye?

2. Sideburns were named after a prominant wearer, a General Ambrose E Burnside?

3. Scotland Yard was originally the name of a medieval house used by Scots Kings visiting London?

4. The Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race has never ended in a dead heat?

5. The first non-white British MP was elected over 100 years ago?

6. The Queen holds UK Passport No.1?

7. 3 times more people were killed in the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake than on the Titanic in 1912?

8. Humphrey Bogart never said “Play it again Sam” in Casablanca?

9. A granny, a sheepshank and a bowline are all parts of chimney?

10. You can still be* executed for certain crimes in England?

* Time has run out.. but I’ve started so I’ll Finish!

1. True

2. True

3. True

4. False (it did in 1877)

5. True (in 1892)

6. False (she doesn’t have one)

7. False (It was reversed)

8. True

9. False all are types of know

10. False

This is a Baptism Service, a Service where there are lots of questions, In a few moments I am going to be asking lots of questions to the Harry’s parents, to his God Parents, Questions for all of us as a congregation ...

Serious questions as to what we believe, what we hold to be true in our Christian Faith. In church lots of questions are asked and how we answer them is crucially important, actually when we take the answers to heart they should have life changing consequences for all of us.

In our baptism service we are asked do we believe in God, in our confirmation service we are asked the same questions and we take ownership of them.

In our wedding service we are asked will we love, honor and keep our spouse until death do us part ...

They are not General Knoweldge questions, but questions about our specialist subject, questions in the baptism service are about ... faith in God ... about what we believe as Christians.

In this service we are going to be asked certain questions do answer them, do think about them.

In our reading this morning which Helen read for us we read about Thomas, who is forever known as the doubter, he was saying “I don’t know”, until he saw, until he came and Jesus showed himself to him.

Thomas that day turned his whole life around, from doubt to faith, from I don’t know to, yes it is true

We we are asked in the Baptism Service Do you believe in God? may we be able to testify I believe in God

But may it not end here in church but may we take the answers out and when people ask us in work, in the shops, at home, at school, Do you believe in God may we be able to say Yes and indeed be able to give reasons for our beliefs ... our world needs to know!

When we come to the questions in the Baptism part of this service, the bits that the congreation have to answer ... do think about them and what they mean for you

The bits which parents & sponsors are answering on behalf of Harry ... think about your own baptism and how you are fulfilling those answers.

Let us pray

Maundy Thursday

2011-04-22T00:21:00.001+01:00

A sermon preached on Maundy Thursday 2011 in St Columba's Parish Church at 1030 Holy Communion

May my words and our hearts be always acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our redeemer.

Here we are on Maundy Thursday, a day when we remember what Jesus commanded, we follow his example as we celebrate communion.

Do you know where the word Maundy originates from? ... I didn’t, until I prepared for this sermon

It is a powerful statement - Loving one another as Jesus loves us. This speaks about a sacrifical love, a love which is reaches beyond what is expected, it is a love which goes the extra mile.

It is love that is at the very heart of our faith... When I was ordained as a deacon, The Bishop reminded us that Service and Love is at the very core of all ministries of the church ... we See Jesus modelling it and we are reminded in our reading today that we are all called to serve God and each other humbly and without regard for our status.

If we look carefully what Jesus did that day ... he took a towel, he took a basin and he washed his disciples feet ... now these I am sure were not previously washed feet, they were not feet which had socks and enclosed in comfortable clarkes breathable shoes ... but rather they were undoubtably dirty, smelly feet which had been on the go from early morning, they were dirty, walking through city streets which wouldn’t have had the benefits of Belfast City Street Cleaning, nor Northern Ireland Sewage System!

The great thing about Jesus is that he is not afraid to deal with the muck, with the dirty things of life, he was display a wonderful example for us.

It is so humbling, so amazing when we think ... here is the creator of the universe ... as a servant to all.

He is instructing us that we need to have the same attitude.

In our society we see people pushing themselves forward, fame, glamour, profit ... however our attitude has to be the same as that of Jesus ... Humble, Loving, service.

Over the past few days I have been sitting in Knock Methodist church at lunch time listening to people we may well recognise ... Paul Clark from UTV, Chief Constable Matt Baggott and ... from ... they were speaking on what the Cross means to them in their walk ... it was great to hear from people who have influence on all of us saying that they are humbly walking with their God day in and day out... and it was also great to see how they genuinely spoke to those leaving the church ... conversing with them as Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Isn’t that so true ... its not always what is said but what is done that counts

As a church we aim to try to display these characteristics love, joy kindness ... we try to show love by our welcome, by our concern for all parishioners, by our visiting ...all of us are called to display these characteristics as we go about our daily lives.

A few years ago I was in Africa, a similar custom to that of feet washing was in operation ... the lowest in the household ... a child, or the youngest would have got out a basin and a towel before every meal, they would have gone around and made sure that each of us were able to wash our hands before the meal, then they would have offered us a towel.

At one particular meal in a school the Bishop of the Diocese which we were visiting saw that the bowl and jug had not been passed around so he set about doing this... it was a wonderful illustration of this story. The idea of servant leadership. The idea that all of us are called to serve each other. After that illustration members of our team then began to ask the locals if they could bring the bowl around to serve them.

There is a challenge here for each one of us

Firstly ... what jobs do we not like doing?, what people do we not like speaking to? ... are there things we don’t think we should be doing? ... all of us are called to step out in humility and grace and go the extra mile!

Secondly ... are there areas where we don’t think God should be in our lives? he washed the dirtiest, the messiest, smelliest feet ... why not allow him into those areas of our lives to clean them up and to restore them to fullness

On the verge of Holy Week

2011-04-16T14:48:00.001+01:00

In the church it is traditionally a very busy week, a week of services marking the run up to the events of Good Friday and Easter Day.

The seasons of the church's year provide a structure where all sorts of emotions are expressed. In this week of weeks see all sorts of emotions expressed. From the joy and adoration of Palm Sunday, through the betrayal of Jesus by a close friend, to the denial of Peter, from the Agony in the Garden, to the celebration of the last supper, the trial, to the pain on the cross and then the Hallelujahs which will ring out on Easter Morning.

This year as a parish we are going to be celebrating Holy communion Sunday to Thursday in church, in nursing homes and in homes of the housebound. At Lunch times we are going to be hearing what the cross means to individuals in our community

As I/we prepare for this week under the shadow of the cross we do so in an environment which knows much about suffering, which knows a lot about the need for the cross. It is my prayer as we hear again the familiar stories of the events of this week we will come afresh to the story and find in it a sure foundation for faith a ground of hope and the expression of God's Love for us.

Knowing God ... Week 5

2011-04-12T08:55:00.003+01:00

A blog of random thoughts prepared in advance for Study Group in St. Columba’s Parish Church on Wednesday 13th April 2011. (Week 5, Chapter 3 of J.I Packer’s Knowing God)

One of the most basic questions we can ask ... and what lies at the heart of all human life is the question what is our purpose?, what is the meaning of life?... and here is the answer right at the top of this Chapter!

This is where those who grasp this will see fulfillment in life, upon which all other things hang and upon which all other things come.

“Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life’s problems fall into place of their own accord”

What a profound, truthful statement.

But that is not enough, we need to know what “knowing God” involves

we can know someone in front of us ... “Oh Yes i know Trevor!” we may say or we may “know french” to a greater or lesser extent. through learning, through experience, through relationship.

But how do we dare to say we know God?

Packer points out the idea of Covenant partner

“The relationship in which sinful humanuty knows God is one in which God, so to speak, takes them on to his staff, to be henceforth his fellow workers.”

Knowing God Packer says involves

Listening to God’s Word
Receiving it as the Holy Spirit interprets it in application to oneself
noting God’s nature and character as his word and works reveal it
accepting his invitations and doing what he commands
recognizing and rejoicing in the love that he has shown

How do we know Jesus?

When we think of how the disciples knew the living breathing Jesus... they knew him by his teaching, by his claims, by his actions.

However there are differences today

His Presence with us is spiritual not bodily thus invisible to the physical eye
The Christian, building on the new testament witness, know the complete story

Knowing Jesus remains very much the same as for those disciples as for us.

Hearing his voice and responding to it is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Packer then goes through the personal nature of knowing God

Knowing God is a matter of personal dealing
Knowing God is a matter of personal involvement
Knowing God is a matter of grace

Being Known by God

We need to know that not only do we know God but also that he knows us

When we take this truth under our thought then things do indeed get exciting.

“There is unspeakable comfort!”

Not merely that we know God but also that he knows us.

questions comments welcome from all readers of this blog ... comment on blogger, on facebook or via email

Regards

Vestry Commissioning ... The Joy of Love

2011-04-11T13:38:00.004+01:00

A short address at St. Columba's on Sunday 10th April 2011 Compline Service

Let us pray

May my words and our hearts be always acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our redeemer.

Seaside Rock - the minty sweet which is a tradition in the UK to bring home and share with loved ones - Rock Usually a red case white centre and lettering contained within which has its location right through it .... cut Blackpool rock anywhere and you see blackpool ... unmistakably through it.

What is at the centre of seaside rock defines what it is, where it is from ... no questions as to its origins.

It is impossible once it is set to remove what is at the heart of Rock Candy

In our lenten series we are looking at the theme ... rediscovering the joy of coming to church and today we are looking at the Joy of Love. I would suggest that at the heart of church has to be love

I wonder do we display that quality of love in all circumstances ... right to the core of our being. Is our church, our lives defined by love.

Love is an amazing gift which the church can share with the world. We are called to live unconditional love in our lives.

Love has to be one of the values which underpin our personal lives, our relationships with friends, family, it has to be the value which underpins our discussion at vestry, in our staff meetings, bible study, youth group.

Love is expressed in what we say and how we say it.

Things go horribly wrong when love is replaced with negativity, with hatred, suspicion.

To define what Love is one simply has to look at 1 Corinthians 13 ...

I read this from a contemporary Paraphrase The Message

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Love doesn't strut,

Doesn't have a swelled head,

Doesn't force itself on others,

Isn't always "me first,"

Doesn't fly off the handle,

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn't revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end

The more I hear of and experience St Columba’s today it is great to know that we are indeed a church which does have love at the centre of all that we do. Having said this we cannot be complacent

Our love is centred around what happens at worship every sunday, at Holy communion, morning and evening prayer, compline, all age worship.

But doesn’t end there - it extends by each of us loving those we come in contact with day in day out, it is there when the stranger enters our building and receives a welcome, it is there in homes right through the week, it is there in how we interact with each other, in clear communication, it is there when we meet at vestry, it is there at choir practice, mums and tots, ladies guild, mothers union

Love has to define who we are day in day out.

We are called to love God first and foremost

and then we are called to love others as a response to how God has loved us.

It is my prayer that we may always be a community who love God - by doing this we find the joy of love

We come here this evening as we commission the vestry it is my hope and prayer that mutual love and affection which has defined who we were in the past year will continue to grow and continue to define who we are as vestry members, as parishioners this coming year. Not just love between us, but love which reaches out, which looks after our whole parish.

The vestry do set the tone for the parish ... If our business is carried out in love that will be evident for all... We are called to be a family looking out for each other, encouraging each other in love. The kind of love which is genuine, serving others as our Gospel reading reminds us to do day in day out.

We are called to spread that love in all that we do, in all that we say and all that we think. When we replace the centre with anything other than love and care then we are in danger of going down some really unhelpful and complicated side roads.

May we be people who keep love for God first and foremost and then love for all at the very core of who we are individually and corporately as a church.

May the vestry, and this church as a whole be a church where people, wherever and whenever they encounter us see our love for God and for them as the defining marks of everything that we do. May we continue to Grow in God’s Love and Share that love with others

Let us pray

Holy Week Services ... for Reference Purposes!

2011-04-05T23:31:00.003+01:00

St. Columba's has lots on over Holy Week this year. We are working in partnership with Knock Methodist ... Our services which have just been posted on our part of the diocesan site look something like this! They are posted here for reference purposes! All are welcome of course :-)

Palm Sunday 17th April

8:15 Holy Communion

9:30 Family Communion

10:30 Morning Prayer -

Preacher The Revd Dr. Ron Savage (Minister Emeritus of Stormont Presbyterian Church) “The Joy of Forgiving”

7pm - Joint Service in Knock Methodist Church

Monday in Holy Week

10am Holy Communion

1.15- 1.45pm Lunch time service in Knock Methodist. Speaker Paul Clark (UTV)

8pm Evening Prayer Preacher The Revd Dr. Inderjit Bhogal - “An Empty Tomb”

Tuesday in Holy Week

10am Holy Communion

1.15- 1.45pm Lunch time service in Knock Methodist. Speaker :To be Announced

8pm Service of the Word P

reacher The Revd Dr. Inderjit Bhogal - “A Group of People”

Wednesday in Holy Week

10am Holy Communion

1.15- 1.45pm Lunch time service in Knock Methodist. Speaker Stephen Baxter (Manager of Crusaders Football Club)

8pm Late Evening Office

Preacher The Revd Dr. Inderjit Bhogal - “A Story”

Maundy Thursday

1030am Holy Communion for our housebound parishioners

1.15- 1.45pm Lunch time service in Knock Methodist. Speaker Naomi Long MP

8pm Holy Communion according to the Methodist Rite

Preacher The Revd Dr. Inderjit Bhogal - “A Meal”

Good Friday

12-3 The Three Hours Devotions

Conductor: The Rt Revd Harold Miller

8pm Reflections for Good Friday Evening

Preacher The Revd Dr. Inderjit Bhogal - “A Power”

Easter Day

8:15 Holy Communion

10:30 Holy Communion Preacher Rev’d Canon Ken Smyth

7pm Holy Communion

Knowing God ... Week 3 (chapter 2) Before the study group

2011-03-29T12:14:00.003+01:00

This Blog entry is written as I read this chapter in preparation for the Group on Wedensday night.

"... for I've known God"

some people do have conversion stories - once they were in darkness and now they are in light ... some dramatically others simply prayed a prayer, others still have grown in faith and cannot remember a time when they never "knew" God.

Knowing God does not make us immune from "disappointments, heartbreaks ...etc" and the world needs to know that Christians are Human beings.

Knowing v's Knowing about

Packer is quite hard on his tradition of the church

"the gaiety, goodness and unfetteredness of spirit which are the marks of those who have known God are rare among us"

how?

One can know a great deal about God without much knowledge of him

This certainly is true in the Academy amongst scholars where they are able to reel of facts. figures, bible verses, debate theologians and other things but where knowlege of him is rare.

one can know a great deal about godliness without much knowledge of God

It is amazing how much information we can have ... especially in this age of the internet, access to books and all the rest. We can listen to sermons, we can read books but none of these help us to know God. Knowing is about relationship

having said these things ... what does someone who knows God look like?

Great energy for God
Great thoughts of God
Great boldness for God
Great contentment in God

As I look at these qualities I know I am challenged to ask ... what ways in my life do I have these things and what areas of my life do I lack these?

I do love the quote:

Lord, it belongs not to my care
Wether I die or Live
To love and serve thee is my share,
And this Thy grace must give

If life be long, I will be glad
That I may long obey
If short - then why should I be sad
To soar to endless day?

It is great to know that we can get to know God better and Packer plots the course for this adventure...

We must recognise how much we don't know
We must seek the Saviour.

This for me is where the excitement is ... where we are able to delve in and find out how wide and deep the love of God actually is.

I do look forward to wednesday evening and find out others views on these things

Sermon ... Testimony!

2011-03-28T13:22:00.012+01:00

a sermon preached in St. Molua's Parish Church on Sunday 27th March 2011 at 10:30

May my words and our hearts be always be acceptable to thee O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen

[[Intro & Greetings ]]

This morning we turn to our Gospel reading, a reading which speaks of our personal responsibility to share what God is doing in our individual lives.

growning up in Banbridge, which has a tradition of liturgical worship there is a word which never really entered in to my vocabulary untill my late teens ... it is a word which I certainly only associated with other christian traditions ... but it appears here in this reading ... the word is testimony.

It is a legal term, a term which presumes a witness to a particular event. It is a term which nobody can argue with - you either saw / heard something or you didn’t. In our particular tradition the idea of testimony doesn’t feature highly in our worship services. That said, it is something which is so vitally important in our world.

Personal story, personal encounters with God need to be shared, we need to be open to share what God means to us, we need to be open to share the hope we have in God.

One of the great things about my job is that I get to have conversations with so many different people both when I am “in uniform” or undercover! Just this week I was chatting to a member of this congregation over a cup of coffee. We struck up a conversation and we got chatting about the changes in the world over the last 10 years

Also a couple of months back I was buying a fish supper in the local chippie and once the person behind the counter saw I was a new church of Ireland minister we got talking about what the local churches were doing ... He handed me a leaflet about Christians against poverty and said he had heard that many of his customers had been in debt and he saw the change in them. The church doing practical things and telling others about them.

[[ a wee bit about CAP ]]

How we share our story, how we talk about our faith, our church is so important.

We could on one hand be so negative - consentrating on all the problems - awwh all the church is doing is looking for money, there are very few young people these days coming to church ... or whatever the negative quote of the day is

Or we could look at the age we are living in with optimism, with opportunity, using what is good in our society shouting about the love of God, the strength and purpose which Christ provides, serving those around about us, participating in random acts of kindness for people we know and those we don’t. Buying a random stranger a cup of coffee, smiling and saying hello to someone, shouting about the good stuff that is happening - CAP, diocesan appeal for food.

I began by asking about witness - what have you or I got to witness to?

We could witness to the support of this community - the love and the care

We could witness to the various groups which make up st molua’s

We could witness to the unconditional love of Jesus for everyone rich or poor, young or old

We could witness to the peace that passes all understanding

We could witness to the healing power of Jesus

The forgiveness of sins

The Samaritan woman had a choice - she could have gone back to her village and said nothing, just sat and got on with her life

I know that is what we all do day after day - I am as guilty of it as anyone else - doing nothing BUT we are called to take what we have been given and share it with others

Whoever calls themselves a Christian we are called to bring good news to whosoever we come into contact with.

I have met people who need people to speak truth into their lives, speaking about God, about church, about community. In a world which knows much secularism, loneliness, depression. We need to be people telling a different story - a story of hope, purpose, healing and eternal life.

Let us pray.

Sermon ... Dare to Share

2011-03-28T12:52:00.003+01:00

A Sermon preached in St. Columba's Parish on Sunday 27th March 2011 at 7pm Evening Prayer Service

May my words and our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen

The theme of our services today in St. Columba’s is, rediscover the joy of sharing ... wether that be sharing things in common or even sharing the faith we hold in common.

Sharing our faith ... This morning I was looking at the reading in St. Molua’s of the Samaritan Woman and was speaking about the fact that after her encounter with Jesus she went and told her village about what she had seen and heard. She “testified” to what she had heard and seen.

In our tradition, we are quite unfamiliar with the word “testimony” I suspect, I certainly was as I grew up in Banbridge but the word testimony is a legal term, it is used in court with witnesses who testify to what they have seen and heard. A testimony is simply a statement of experience ... what somebody saw, heard or felt.

In our reading from Joshua this evening we hear a testimony - of the Lord speaking to Joshua powerfully, he is commissioning him to lead, he is giving him a vision of what is possible, he is commanding him to keep on, keeping on.

That is Joshua’s testimony

God speaking into human lives, God equipping his people, God providing a bigger vision of what is possible.

A question this evening ... what are your passions?, what are the things you most enjoy?, what is on your heart?, if you could do something to change others circumstances what would it be?

Joshua’s longing was to get to the promised land, Jesus’ passion in the story we have just read was to rid the temple of the unjust practices of profiteers in the temple courts.

God uses our passions, our talents, our strengths and our weaknesses to do bring about the kingdom of God ...

Therefore, we are all called to do what we can for his kingdom ... each and everyone of us ... no matter our age, our bank balance, our skin colour or whatever else defines who we are.

Ahh ... but I have a good excuse! well do you?

Look at the people God used ...

Noah was a drunk;
Job went bankrupt;
Abraham was too old;
Isaac was a daydreamer;
Jacob was a liar;
Leah was ugly;
Joseph was abused;
Gideon was afraid;
Sampson was a long haired womanizer;
Rahab was a prostitute;
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young;
David had an affair and was a murderer;
Elijah was suicidal;
Jonah ran from God;
Naomi was a widow;
John the Baptist ate bugs;
Peter denied Christ;
the disciples fell asleep while praying;
Martha worried about everything;
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once;
Zaccheus was too small;
Paul was too religious;
Timothy had an ulcer...AND Lazarus was dead!

All of us are called to share in the mission and ministry of God in this place. It doesn’t matter who you are - all of us can do something ... all of us have something to bring

Imagine if Joshua had given up ... would the story have ended by the people going back to Egypt. But he didn’t he remained faithful.

All of us have been commissioned to share the good news, to make disciples, to make learners. That is not just the call of ministers or Bible study leaders, that is the call of the whole people of God, you and me.

whatever the excuse ... it can be answered. When my gran read my wee article in this new edition of The columban she said ... you are getting very serious about people excuses of not coming to church!

As a church we are indeed getting serious about engaging with those on the fringe of the parish ... each one of us has our own story ... which will undoubtably entail questions and problems about faith, church, the Bible but by being open and honest and by telling others why we come to church we might just encourage others to find answers, encourage others to come along.

All of us can share in our own way who God is and what he has done for us... the challenge is do we dare to share our faith with those whom we me this week, next week and beyond.

Let us pray ...

Knowing God ... after week 2

2011-03-23T21:23:00.003Z

It was great to get into more discussion about J.I Packer's book this evening at our Bible Study Group... as before these are simply a few of my thoughts please feel free to email, to comment to discuss

We discussed the purpose of Theology and why we should know even begin the journey.

After thinking about what words come to mind - many of them had negative conotations ... Professors, university, tough, closed, brainy.

The idea of simply looking at the definition of "God Talk" or "talking about God.

I love the Spurgeon sermon quoted at the beginning of the book which describes the subject of Theology

It is a subject so vast that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects can

compass and grapple with; in them we fel a kind of self content and ho our way with the thought "Behold I am wise" But when we come to this master science , finding that our plumb line cannot sound its depth, and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought that vain man would be wise ... No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind, than thoughts of God ...

We also looked at the five foundation principles which form the basis of this book on page 18 (which I paraphrase here)

God has spoken his word to the world - the Bible is his word and contains all things necessary for salvation
God is Lord and Kind over all of creation - his purpose is that all things may honour and glorify him
God is Saviour - Jesu came to rescue and redeem us from the power of sin through the cross
God is Father, Son and Spirit - Three in One and One in Three
Our Christian lives are a response to knowing God - lived out in trust and obedience, faith worship and prayer. For a fully lived out, purpose-ful life we need to live under theguidance of Scripture in the power of the spirit.

Without the structure of theology these principles are in danger of being skewed.

Each one of us is called to share what we believe with those around about us ... the world needs to know why.

The example I shared this evening was about a police officer. When you see the uniform you expect that the person is doing what they are doing for a reason.

You expect that they have thought about the law, the common good. You expect them to behave and conduct their affairs with certain values and traits because of what their morals, theory and practice have done.

You expect them to respect those above them and those whom they serve.

The structure, the rules are there for them to follow and they do understand that.

How much more for us as Christians, we need to understand our code of behaviour, our ethics, our theology. That is what we are indeed about in this study.

The other thing that was mentioned tonight was the idea of witness, the idea that each of us are called to share what we believe with others. I have been doing a lot of thinking about this in preparation for my sermon on Sunday Morning. The Idea that we are all called to "witness" to what God is doing. My example is a local business person - I don't know if he goes to church or not but he was telling me about the amazing changes he has seen in peoples lives through an organisation which we as a church support. Christians Against Poverty ...

Take a look at just one story of a life changed by this organisation ...

Our theology has to be grounded in our walk - not being balconeers but rather pilgrims on a journey.

Wee question to ask yourself after you watch the Christian's Against Poverty Video

This is one way that the church has taken its theology, its understanding of God and made it practical in the local community ... what other things can you identify that are rooted in theology that we are doing in this church. What other things do you think we could be doing?

Over to Africa...

2011-03-23T19:07:00.003Z

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Below is a copy of the sermon preached at the Installation of Archbishop Albert Chama. ++Albert was Bishop in Northern Zambia while I was a student in Dublin and completed a placement in his Diocese. Some very important things in this for all involved in church leadership

Homily at the installation of the Archbishop of Central Africa

Today marks the beginning of a new era in the life of the Church of the Province of Central Africa. Against all odds, an Archbishop was elected and today he shall be installed according to the laws of the Church. The journey from September 2007 has been long, rough, painful and uncertain.

Prophets of doom never thought this Province will be properly ordered again to enable the complete structure to be in place but today we meet together in triumph. Several Dioceses were vacant and elections were contested in a number of instances, resulting in long periods of litigation. Even though we still have serious problems in two of our Dioceses in the Province where parishioners are being persecuted, we should pause and praise God for today’s achievement. The focal point and the centre of unity in the Province is being installed. We should only thank God for taking us this far.

Leadership is complex and leading leaders can be very challenging. It is not about titles - today we have one of our bishops who shall be referred to as the Archbishop and Primate, your Grace and the Most Reverend and your name shall be prefixed by two crosses instead of one. How wonderful and impressive but the real work is enveloped in these titles. One theologian once said, “Titles are given but what is critically important is one’s character.” I shall refer to character again a little later in my homily.

As far as we are concerned today is a result of an election but to God this is a result of His calling. “Here I am, send me,” (Isaiah 6:8b) so said the prophet Isaiah as he answered God’s call. One wonders how many responses of “Here I am, send me”, God received from bishops on the day of the election. However, it is crystal clear today that it was Albert’s voice that was loud and clear. It is therefore important to go back to basics and explore why are called into these positions of leadership. We need to understand our calling in order to understand who we are leading. The temptation of possessing what is not ours is very real. Leading God’s servants who have also been called to lead God’s people in their respective Dioceses. This is not a position of power but that of responsibility and accountability. It calls for humility; remembering that “Humility does not mean considering ourselves of little worth, or thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less. It is where you place the word “less” which is important. Not less about yourself but thinking of yourself less. Remember Paul’s advice to the Philippians (2:3), “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” (NIV)

An election happened and there were contestants, and not adversaries. Never think that those who might have voted for other candidates thought of you any less worthy. It was a simple difference of opinion.

Always remember that it is not about those who voted for you but about the Almighty God who calls through Christ, the Head of the Church. The major problem is that we have made ecclesiastical elections to secular that God stands aside and watches the drama from the sidelines. No wonder we have numerous problems in the Church of God. The mandate is to tend His sheep in the Church of the Province of Central Africa. John 21:15-19 says, “Feed/tend my lambs /sheep” (NIV) and this is a weighty responsibility. Four distinct nations, numerous cultures and languages in one Province. Fifteen Bishops of varied persuasions! It is always important to remember that ecclesiastical elections are just a means to a desired end. It is a visible process through which God appoints leaders for His Church But we must always take heed to what Proverbs 19:21 “... It is only God’s plan that prevails.” (NIV) We met and made our unanimous decision through an election. Our hope is that God was involved in this process.

Secondly, you have been called to Christ: to take the character of Christ – the character of Christ’s humility. Take a cue from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, particularly Chapter 2:7 which says in part, “ ... but made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant.” (NIV). That nature (of Christ) is already in you and it is up to you to use it for the greater glory of God’s Church.

Thirdly, you have been called to love. Take a look at your Episcopal bench and see what you have got. You might even think that some of us are not going to support your ministry, others will be outright stubborn and a lot more are going to be passive participants. Still some will continue to think they could have been better Archbishops. Pity you cannot change the team! What you see is what you have got, and you have to make the team work! But you are commanded to love as Christ loved even when it is impossible to love. Matthew 5:43 could help but we do not expect you to have enemies. If that fails use one of the “Three C’s” effective team leadership called Chemistry. The secular world would say, “the team must gel or must bond” and you are now the glue that must make this happen. By your example, we shall love one another. “People do what they see not necessarily what they hear.

Fourth, you have been called to suffer. The Christian journey is about suffering for the sake of others. You have to continue with the responsibilities of your Diocese, Northern Zambia and the Province too! In some of the Dioceses there is no peace and now that they know an Archbishop has been installed, they will expect ‘instant solutions to any problem. That is where leadership gets complicated and becomes painful. That is when one begins to understand the emotions that enveloped Moses as he struggled to lead the people of Israel to the Promised Land when he said, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favour with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favour with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” (Exodus 33:12-13 NIV) On verse 16 Moses is so bold as to challenge God’s authority. He was simply demanding accompaniment from the sender, God Himself. It will be important that you take Moses’ example seriously - in most instances you will be well advised to demand God’s company.

Fifth you have been called to obey. Obedience is the very basis of our faith. It is the hallmark of the love that makes Christ a cut above the rest. Christ triumphed and drew the whole world to himself because he obeyed His father. The best leaders in this world have been the best followers. Follow Christ and we will follow him too. John 14:23 is one of many guides, “If you love me obey my command…” Obey Christ and we will obey Him too. However, if you decide to follow someone or something else, we are not going there with you!

Sixth, you have been called to serve. “The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you.” What Jesus said is well known to you “….. must be a servant “and worse still, …… slave of all.” (Mark 10:43) The double crosses should always remind of double blessings, double burdens or double portion (Isaiah 61:7). Be warned that as your brother bishops we shall be tempted to refer all the difficult problems to you and get all the credit where we succeed!

Lastly and in conclusion, you have not been called because you are qualified but because you are suitable material to qualification… only if you let Him. We do not deserve some of the titles and honour that we carry; as lay ministers, clergy, bishops and archbishops. It is only through God’s grace that we are honoured this way. Remember that if you must succeed as God’s appointed servant in this Province the three “Cs” are important.

Character is important as lapses in character create problems with far-reaching implications. A breakdown in character tends to breed mistrust and alienates team members and de-motivates the leader. Remember that trust begets trust, love begets love and the opposite is true.

Competence is important but unlike character it is possible to learn to be competent. You have a team of bishops with a variety of competences, use them. You cannot possibly provide a solution to every problem. Nobody can!

And as I mentioned earlier, Chemistry is critically important. Through love, knit the team into one to the glory of God. Jesus requested this Chemistry from the Father, “…that they may be one, even as we are one. (John17:12 RSV))

I might also add the fourth ‘C’ which is Consistency. A leader with integrity is expected to be consistent in his/her principles. What you say today, repeat tomorrow, at night or in broad daylight. Stick to it until it is proven wrong. Your decisions should never be dependent on the type of audience. Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’.

May the Almighty God who has called you to serve His people with love and long suffering give you the power to obey as He qualifies you for this ministry.

Amen.

[Editor's note: Abp Chama is the first Zambian Primate of the Church of the Province of Central Africa]

A Did you know ...? Blog

2011-03-20T23:01:00.003Z

In a chance conversation with a friend this evening about renewable energy ... For those reading this blog from Northern Ireland ... Did you know that NIE allows you to change your bill so that instead of purchasing electricity from fossil fuel power stations you can opt to have your electricity now from renewables...

Interesting! Check out ... http://www.nieenergy.co.uk/index.php/my-home/products-and-prices/eco-energy/

one must also give the classic BBC disclaimer that Energy is available from other suppliers

Past, Present & Future

2011-03-20T14:12:00.001Z

A Sermon Preached at St. Donard's Parish Church, on Sunday 20th March 2011

Help us Lord to have ears, minds and hearts that are open to your word and will.

In Jesus Name amen.

It is great to be with you this morning, here in St. Donard’s. The last time I was in this hall was when we were playing your Bowling Team - and I can’t remember the score but it was a good night of fellowship and competition!

This morning, as I mentioned in my children’s talk the reading at first seems quite complicated with things like Being Born Again but it also contains good news such as God’s love and eternal life.

For us in Northern Ireland we are very familiar with these verses, we see them on lamp posts, we see them on notice boards outside churches, we see them on sandwich boards in towns and cities ... Ye must be born again, at football matches we see people holding up notices 3:16

We are surrounded by them.

I would like to conscentrate on 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Remote Control

On a remote control for a DVD player there are certain buttons which control the thing

The Rewind

Play / Pause

The Fast Forward

This morning I would like us to pause where we are and look again at the John 3:16 Verse, to focus our attention on the riches contained in it.

We are here in St. Donard’s, One of the things which is great about church is that we can come together, with all the stuff that has been going on behind our front doors, in our lives over the last week, month and year and bring it to God, to gain his perspective on it, to get strength to carry what we need to carry, to deal honestly with the things that need to be dealt with.

So this verse:

The first bit is a rewind from where we are to the past (Jesus is looking at what has happened in the past)

The rewind is a review of what had happened up till now - It is a summary of the Bible. Yes it skips over all the detail, but encourages you to discover how God loves the world. There are so many promises in the pages of scripture which re-iterate God’s love and his provision for his people

God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son

Everything that has happened up ‘till now has been an expression of the Father’s love for us. When we grasp that we are well on the road to realising the potential future he has for each one of us.

Whosoever believes in me

This is where we come into the story, you and me are part of the world God loves, part of the story. We already know that sin mars what we do, what we think and what we say but we are called to be different, we are called to live lives which are different, we are called to believe - Believe and trust in him. Living out each day for him - in the Lord’s prayer

Skip Forward

Will not die But have eternal life

This is where it gets exciting - Yes we know that God Loves us, Yes we know that we are living in the present but then we dare to contemplate that this is not all we have .... we do have a future... we do have the promise, through believing in God, in trusting him that our future is bright, the future is not orange but rather the future for all who believe in God is eternal.

For me as a pastor, as someone who deals with the pastoral concerns of parishioners day in day out, as I draw alongside people who are walking through darkness in the present, for them to catch a glimpse of what the future is great

As Christians once we know that our future is secure, once we know that God has forgiven our sins, once we know that he has a plan for our lives - “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you a hope and a future” then the things which the world throws at us become managable.

Life may not be easy, but we have a saviour who is able to help us cope, who is able to put things into their proper perspective.

As I prepare to hit the play button again, As we prepare to go from this place back into the world - into the situations each of us find ourselves into today

If you are a Christian, a disciple, a person who believes in God - know that your future is secure, trust in him, work for him, talk about him, share this good news with your family, friends ...

If you are unsure wether or not you are or want to be ... talk to trusted Christian friends, give Ken a ring and say that you would like to chat about John 3:16!, Ask God, Chat to me after the service ... do whatever but do something.

Being a Christian is easy and difficult - It’s easy because all we have to do is ask him to strengthen us but it is difficult as we do have to cut out those things in our lives which are destructive, which are contary to his word. That is the balance

In a nutshell - it is my prayer that each of us here today may know the great news that God loves the world, that he loves you and me no matter what we have done, no matter what circumstances we are going through he will as long as we take the step to believe and trust in him. Amen Lets get on and press play!

Tomorrows Sermon cloud!

2011-03-19T23:31:00.002Z

This evening I was playing around with a new site to me ... Wordle.net ... I stuck in the text of tomorrow's sermon and heres what it came up with ... quite interesting!

Another flash mob! ... brilliant!

2011-03-19T11:00:00.000Z

Knowing God - After Session 1

2011-03-16T21:24:00.006Z

Tonight, our Bible Study Group got started on the J.I. Packer book Knowing God ... it was a very good session on the why and therefore of the topic.

One of the things I, as Curate love about these sessions is that I can come in hoodie and as a fellow Disciple rather as group leader ... and then listen and contribute to the group as a participant.

May I welcome those in the Bible Study to "My Wee Blog :-)" my personal wee corner of the internet which dates right back to 2005!

I hope to provide a wee account of the sessions we have covered - with questions which have arisen as well as charting our journey through the book Knowing God.

I promise to those who come along on a Wednesday night that no names will be used.

We began at the very beginning ... a very good place to start ... when you read you begin with ABC, when you read a book you begin with the front cover! :-)

We were challenged to look at the cover and see what we could come up with meaning -

For me Road conjures up journey, with life and adventure
Cloud - thinking about guidance, glory God?
Horizon - the unknown as well as the expected

It was a very good place to start

We then got talking about Christian Basics the principles, the non-negotitables about who God is and what he has done for us.

When we talk about who God is we are limited to language - how do you describe the indescribable? - It is difficult! however we must do something! if we are to get to know God we must use words to describe him.

We looked at what he is ... and what he isn't

immortal, invisible, God only wise, in light, in-accesible, hid from our eyes ...

one hymn writers example of who God is!

As I write this I also wonder how you would describe God? ... here is one preacher's summary (without notes!)

We had a great discussion about the question:

Do we need theology?

My Lecturers in the past, fellow ministers as well as our Bishop will be glad to know that we came up with the answer "Yes" however it was after a bit of discussion about complicating something which is in essence simple.

We looked at how we could get to know God - the image I used was the idea that if we were to go to the International space station we would catch glimpses of the Globe - we would never see the whole earth because of the size and shape of it but we could build up a picture of the globe by taking snapshots of it!

The same with God, we get we bits and pieces - we can concentrate on one picture (attribute) but one is not all of God we need know that there is more to God than simply one wee picture - God is Love yes! but he is also Just, he is forgiving and he is father ... we could go on and on!

In the theology we also looked at the idea that there are Big Questions which the world is throwing out to Christians today and we need to be able to give some sort of answer, some sort of thought out rebuttle to the questions which society is asking.

No longer can we simple "hide under the duvet" but rather we need to be in the marketplace discussing why we believe what we believe. Theology gives us a framework, a way to discuss these things - and that is exciting as well as Challenging.

Theology is challenging because we might get asked difficult questions, our own faith may be stretched bit as we hear others opinions, we may have to stand up for some of the fundamentals of our faith.

We do come as fellow travellers, not as those who stand aloof - as one member of the group reminded us, that we need to grow as disciples. Keeping to, and always returning to the basics but also having our minds stretched by the God who is Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier.

It is an exciting journey, a journey which hopefully will make us more aware of why we believe what we believe :-)

During the Study we were chatting about hymns which meant so much when we talk about God, for some it was the focus on the cross ... for me it has to be this one ...

Before we ended there was reassurance that even after 3 years of studying theology there are many many many questions still unanswered and will remain unanswered but as I said before we all can get to know God better and step forward on the journey.

I Look forward to next week and chatting more about God ... as ever if there are others in the parish who would like to join us on our journey of knowing God ... you would be more than welcome - chapter 1 next week :-)

Bible Study Group ... Now looking at "Knowing God"

2011-03-13T21:48:00.005Z

Our parish Bible Study Group which meets on a Wednesday Night is looking through the J.I. Packer book ... Knowing God

Trevor (our study leader) comments "Knowing God follows on naturally from our last study on prayer. In prayer we make room in our lives to spend time to talk or have dialogue with God. We get to know him and invite Him into our lives. We pray His will be done so that his wishes for his world and all that we do in ours should become one and the same.

This study 'Knowing God' over the next months will deepen this relationship and help us know God's will so that we serve him more faithfully and transform every task we do to ensure that it is done for his glory. Trevor"

Over the next few months I hope as part of my preparations for it to add a few thoughts, questions and general observations before and after the studies. Please do feel free to add comments on the Blog or on my facebook page or email me! I hope that this will also provide a way into the book for fellow group members who are finding it tough going.

Here Goes:

Chapter 1 is entitled - The Study of God

From the opening quotation we see that the study of God, for the Christian is so vitally important, to get to know our Father. It is such an enormous subject. The more we know the more we don't know - the more we struggle with studying God the more our minds are able to cope with other things. The Study of God is the study of creation, of reality of everything.

Who needs theology?
Theology conjures up, certainly when I started in Dublin ... Dusty Books, old professors and the weighty tombes of long forgotten theologians.

Packer reminds us that it is however -"the most practical project anyone can engage in. It is crucially important for the living of our lives". Theology gives meaning to our lives.

We need to be clear why we want to know about God - Gaining theological knowledge can't be the end in itself ... NOPE! Our aim has to be to get to know God better.

We need to turn Knowledge about God into Knowledge of Him.

So often in Church we hear but don't take to heart
we know the stories but don't make the journey from the head to the heart

As we go through this study of Packer's Book may we remember that theology - "God Talk" is all about talking about our Heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit and how he interacts with the world and the implications of that for us today.

Questions from the Back of the Book (paraphrased)
1. What comes to your mind when you think about Theology
2. What does a person mean when they say - "there is no pathway to know God"
3. How Comfortable do you feel about the 5 Themes?
4. what should be our ultimate aim in studying God
6. What does it mean to meditate on God

Why is the study of God important?

Dr Helen Roseveare

2011-03-13T20:00:00.001Z

I love the quote "You should give the whole of your life to serve the Lord, there's nothing else worth doing and when you get to the end, nothing else will count except what was done for HIM!"

The Lost Sheep

2011-03-13T19:53:00.001Z

a Short address for Late Evening Office - St Columba's Sunday 13th March 2011

If I had to pick one reading which excites me from the Bible, a reading which sums up the gospel in a nut shell it has to be our reading this evening ... The Lost sheep.

It speaks of the shepherd who is concerned with the individual as well as the group, concerned with the outsider, the one who for whatever reason has wandered away, who may be hurt, who may be thinking that they are a failure, the one who is hungry, who feels that they have been neglected, the one who is struggling.

The shepherd goes to great lengths to reassure, to seek out, to find his precious sheep.

It is a nice story with a happy ending. A story for us today as we begin Lent.

I believe it has an enormous amount to say to us -

Firstly linked to our two initatives which we are running in Lent -

Rediscover the Joy of church. There are so many people across our parish which need to know that the church, and God through this church is reaching out to them, that they do have a place to belong to, that we are missing them.

The the diocesan shopping trolley initiative - of doing something practical for those who are suffering poverty in our community - reaching out and finding people who need to know that there are people who they can turn to for practical help.

Secondly, there is a need to reach out beyond the bounds of this parish, every single one of us knows people who have become disillusioned with church, turned off God for one reason or another. But they may want to chat, they may confide in us that they feel like a lost sheep. We need to realise that God might be putting us in a position where we can help bring the harassed and helpless back to the shepherd.

In a nation which is undergoing major budget cuts, big questions are being asked about purpose, meaning and God. Each one of us are called to be lights in the darkness, we are called to search out those who are hurting. To do what we can where we are. Who this week can you and I encourage

Finally and most importantly, we need to know that we all - each of us -need the good shepherd in our lives, without him we cannot do anything - without him we are lost sheep struggling around on our own - without purpose, without meaning.

We are at the beginning of Lent - a time traditionally when Christians take a look at the important things of Life. On Friday Night, in our youth Group we had a visit from Julie Currie, our diocesan youth worker - She brought down seven pictures which she asked the group to rank from 1 to 10 of wether we could give them up for lent. where 1 was not a problem and 10 was couldn’t do with out it at all.

Things like crisps, chocolate, Television, Computers, Mobile Phones - nothing bad about them at all but she went on to describe that sometimes things like TV could be a distraction from God, and time spent with him.

I wonder do we realise the enormous privilege it is to be Sheep and to have a shepherd who cares for us.

As a reflection and a prayer I would like to read for you a letter which someone has prepared, they have taken various promises found in the pages of Scripture and put them together in what they describe as a love letter from God.

My Child ~
I know when you sit down and when you rise up ~ Psalm 139:2
I am familiar with all your ways ~ Psalm 139:3
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered ~ Matthew 10:29-31
For you were made in my image ~ Genesis 1:27
In me you live and move and have your being ~ Acts 17:28
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book ~ Psalm 139:15-16
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live ~ Acts 17:26
You are fearfully and wonderfully made ~ Psalm 139:14
I knit you together in your mother's womb ~ Psalm 139:13
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love ~ 1 John 4:16
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you ~ 1 John 3:1
Simply because you are my child and I am your father ~ 1 John 3:1
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could ~ Matthew 7:11
For I am the perfect father ~ Matthew 5:48
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs ~ Matthew 6:31-33
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope ~ Jeremiah 29:11
Because I love you with an everlasting love ~ Jeremiah 31:3
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore ~ Psalm 139:17-18
And I rejoice over you with singing ~ Zephaniah 3:17
I will never stop doing good to you ~ Jeremiah 32:40
For you are my treasured possession ~ Exodus 19:5
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul ~ Jeremiah 32:41
And I want to show you great and marvelous things ~ Jeremiah 33:3
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me ~ Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart ~ Psalm 37:4
For it is I who gave you those desires ~ Philippians 2:13
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine ~ Ephesians 3:20
For I am your greatest encourager ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you ~ Psalm 34:18
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart ~ Isaiah 40:11
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes ~ Revelation 21:3-4
And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth ~ Revelation 21:3-4
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus ~ John 17:23
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed ~ John 17:26
He is the exact representation of my being ~ Hebrews 1:3
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you ~ Romans 8:31
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled ~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you ~ 1 John 4:10
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love ~ Romans 8:31-32
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me ~ 1 John 2:23
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again ~ Romans 8:38-39
Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen ~ Luke 15:7
I have always been Father, and will always be Father ~ Ephesians 3:14-15
My question is ~ Will you be my child? ~ John 1:12-13 Love, Your Dad, Almighty God

The worst author ever?

2011-03-10T22:10:00.003Z

One of the things I continually love about ministry is that I get the chance, the privellege of hearing people's stories, stories of lives and what has happened in the past as well as their ambitions and dreams.

For me Thursday nights are a time to relax and do something different (usually). After a friend & Parishioner from Banbridge posted on facebook that she was having the first reading of a new play that she had written in Larne, I enquired of the place and time and headed for a wee trip up.

The title of the blog may seem a bit of criticism ... but this is about the character in the play rather than my friend Doreen McBride the playwright!

Tonights reading of "The Funeral's Off" was held in the Larne Museum and Arts Centre. The script once refined will be performed in the Linen Hall Library in Belfast later on this month. 23rd of March at 7pm when Roma Tomelty will be playing Amanda.

The story a fascinating mix of absurdity, frustration, ambition and dealing with all of life's issues through the eyes of a wannabe author who thinks she is God's gift to the literary world. The author in question, (I must admit I never heard of her), is Larne born, Amanda Kitterick Ros

She is so famous, she even has her own article on Wikipedia!

To give you a sample of her work ... here is the opening to her poem "Visiting Westminister Abbey"

Holy Moses! Have a look!

Flesh decayed in every nook!

Some rare bits of brain lie here,

Mortal loads of beef and beer,

Some of whom are turned to dust,

Every one bids lost to lust;

Royal flesh so tinged with 'blue'

Undergoes the same as you.

When one follows through the various linkages of authors we encounter Tolkien and CS Lewis as readers of her handiwork

Her novels provided the entertainment at gatherings of the Inklings, a group of Oxford dons including Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien who met from the 1930s to 1950s. They competed to see who could read her work aloud for longest before starting to laugh!!!!

Anyway getting back to this evening, Doreen McBride has in this monologue been able to combine the humour of Ros with a bit of study of somebody so awful that I certainly came away feeling a wee touch of sadness that she wasn't successful, another bit of me thinking but it really is bad, and another thinking that there may have been reasons for the writing.

All in all the audience that were there this evening were mostly Larne Locals who knew something about this local (in)famous figure who was remembered in a recent exhibition - so it was great to hear about a local literary figure who is remembered to this day.

So while we may judge Amanda as being bad, her work, her writing still live on well beyond her.

Thanks Doreen :-)

From the BBC in 2006 under the title ... Is this the world's worst Author

Literary critics and readers are being invited to judge if a Northern Ireland woman is the world's worst writer.

Amanda McKittrick Ros, who was born in 1860, has been accused of delivering some of the worst passages of literature ever written.

Described as formidable, she rejected her critics as being the "auctioneering agents of satan".

Now Culture Northern Ireland has challenged "lovers of awful literature" to see if they can read the longest passage from McKittrick Ros's work while keeping a straight face.

Her expectation was that she would "be talked about at the end of 1,000 years" and the organisation hopes the unique nature of her verse can match that.

David Lewis, director of Culture Northern Ireland website, said: "Any writer who is proud of 'disturbing the bowels' of her readers and can describe critics as 'auctioneering agents of Satan' is worthy of praise in my book.

Mocking Angel! The trials of a tortured throng
Are naught when weighed in the balance of future anticipations.
The living sometimes learn the touchy tricks of the traitor, the tardy, and the tempted;
The dead have evaded the flighty earthly future,
And form to swell the retinue of retired rights,
The righteous school of the invisible,
And the rebellious roar of the raging nothing

Irene Iddesleigh (1897)
Amanda McKittrick Ros

"Ros was an inveterate social climber, claiming to be descended from King Sitrick of Denmark. She even changed her name from Ross to Ros, linking herself with the old family of de Ros.

"In fact, she was a school mistress who married Andrew Ross the station master at Larne Harbour."

It was he who published her debut novel, Irene Iddesleigh, as an anniversary present.

It was the story of a marriage doomed from the first moment by unrequited love.

Sections of the literati in London established special societies which held gatherings to read her verse and Tom Sawyer author Mark Twain, Brave New World author Aldous Huxley and war poet Siegfried Sassoon were said to be fans.

McKittrick Ros, who was born near Ballynahinch, came top in a book entitled In Search of the World's Worst Writers by Nick Page.

Beneath me here in stinking clumps
Lies Lawyer Largebones, all in lumps;
A rotten mass of clockholed clay,
Which grown more honeycombed each day.
See how the rats have scratched his face?
Now so unlike the human race;
I very much regret I can't Assist them in their eager 'bent'

The Lawyer Poems of Puncture (1912)

He described her as "the greatest bad writer who ever lived".

Frank Ormsby, editor of Thine in Storm and Calm, an anthology of Ros's work, said "she alliterated obsessively".

He added: "Even if one has forgotten her work for a few years, you only have to read a few paragraphs and you find the smile broadening on your face.

"You begin to realise why her work had such an appeal."

While her critics were many and often acerbic, the County Down writer is still held in great affection by her fans.

She was recognised by the people of Larne, who erected a plaque in her honour in the local library.

Amanda McKittrick Ros died on 3 February 1939

Poverty

2011-03-10T16:50:00.003Z

This Lent in our parish we are concentrating on 2 major Biblical themes - and being very practical about it

The first is an imperative to re-engage those on the periphery of our parish and inviting everyone to re-discover the joy of coming to church. We are doing this by looking various aspects of joy

. Belonging, family ... We look forward to welcoming visiting preachers coming and challenging us

The second is something which we are doing as part of a whole diocese initative ... of engaging with poverty here in our neighbourhood ... in our city. I suppose I would like to ask the question of anyone reading this blog

How can the church, especially in leafy sub-urban city areas engage with poverty which is usually hidden?
How can we support social services who know where there is much need?
What sort of poverty do you experience?

We are called to help the poor ... but practically how? would love to hear readers views ... please do email me, leave a comment on blog or facebook!

Regards

Ash Wednesday

2011-03-09T17:45:00.002Z

So here we are at the start of another Lent.

This morning we celebrated Ash Wednesday in St. Columba's with a Holy Communion Service.

For those who have not been to a Church of Ireland Ash Wednesday Service it is quite a solemn act of worship. It follows a slightly different structure than our normal Holy Communion service

The Introduction to the service - describes what is happening very well

Brothers and sisters in Christ: since early days Christians have observed

with great devotion the time of our Lord's passion and resurrection. It

became the custom of the Church to prepare for this by a season of penitence and fasting.

At first this season of Lent was observed by those who were preparing

for baptism at Easter and by those who were to be restored to the

Church's fellowship from which they had been separated through sin. In

course of time the Church came to recognize that, by a careful keeping

of these days, all Christians might take to heart the call to repentance and

the assurance of forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel, and so grow in

faith and in devotion to our Lord.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Lord to observe a holy Lent,

by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial;

and by reading and meditating on God's holy word.

What are you doing for Lent?

Social Networking consequences?

2011-03-08T08:49:00.003Z

We are living in a strange new world with twitter, facebook, blogger etc etc

In June I am running another set of "surfer" sessions in our parish ... last time it was silver surfers but this time it is open to all. One of the issues we are going to discuss is the use of social networks.

Over the course of the next few months I aim to fire in a few wee mini articles into my blog about some of the uses of these technologies as they are used by friends and colleagues building up a picture of the good, the bad and the ugly of this tech.

What sparked these articles off was my email inbox suddenly becoming alive with the subject "XX commented on a photograph of you" where XX were names in my long distant past. When I clicked on the linked contain therein there was a picture from a local newspaper - and lo and behold there I am ... standing where I always stand in pictures ... right at the back :-)

This Photo was taken in Primary 4, but it is more than that - this photo being on facebook also allows instant communication with those in the photo ... when we stop to think about this ... it is so amazing. How many of us have a tin of old pictures in a drawer, or a photo album and take it out from time to time and wonder what XX is doing now.

Connecting old school friends ... advantage?

... want to see the picture?

maybe I'll repost! maybe I wont! ;-)

Up and Down the Mountain

2011-03-06T21:40:00.002Z

Sermon preached on Sunday 7th March 2011 at St Columba's 7pm Choral Evensong

Today is the Sunday before lent, as we progress through the churches year we highlight various aspects of the Christian Life through the calendar and lectionary the readings.

Today we have changed the colours from Green to white - as we are remembering one of the highpoints of the church’s year - the Transfiguration of Christ. An event which Jesus brought Peter, James and John up a mountain, and then he appeared talking with Moses and Elijah. The Three witnessed this amazing display of God’s glory, they saw just how amazing Jesus is ... the impact of this is truly remarkable

Moses - The reluctant leader who lead the people out of slavery into the promised land, which he just glanced before he died, he was the one who proclaimed the 10 commandments

Then Elijah - the prophet who bore witness to mighty acts of God’s power and provision

How amazing it was for the 3 disciples to witness this unique event in history and to hear God’s voice saying of Jesus - “This is my beloved son, with him I am well pleased ... listen to him”

Our gospel reading this evening follows on from this experience ... they come down the mountain and are faced immediately with the trials and tribulations of everyday life.

It is quite remarkable how often we go through the same thing in our lives... of how we are on a high - perhaps celebrating some achievement and then in the next breath we encounter something which brings us down to earth with a bump ... perhaps bad news or a negative experience of some kind.

One of the tensions have have found as I progress through life is the making sense of this. The mountaintop highs and the valley lows.

For us in our lives of faith - High Times could be those spent with God, in prayer, in studying the Bible, in worship ... and then in the same day we may meeting up with people who have problems of all sorts, we may encounter problems with friends where our faith is challenged, where we fail to grasp what God is saying - it is always a tension between ...

How do we practice what we preach

How do we be the same on monday as we are on sunday

How do we combine sacred with secular

How do we practice the presence of God as we go about our daily lives

How do we communicate with a world which is hurting

There are no easy answers - but what we expenience in church, in our own home devotions and Bible Study has to empower us to reach out to those who need our help, impact those who do not know God.

Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains.

Encounters with God empower people to do things for him

The Disciples, Moses and the Burning Bush, Saul who became the apostle Paul.

Countless Saints down through the ages ... and even in the lives of Christians today

We probably won’t see a burning bush or be blinded for days but we may hear God saying “follow me”

we may be impacted by a cause which we know which needs supported,

a person we think could do with a wee bit of love

we may see injustice in our world

we may hear the call of God step out in faith some how.

It is good to worship, it is great to sing songs and to come to this place ... we as Christians do need to encounter God

But we also know that we need to go and face the valley, the people, the situations which are difficult. It is up to us to be God’s hands, feet, voice in others lives.

It is a difficult call but it one which we remember that we do not face alone - but God is with us, and that is the great news. We don’t worship a God who lives in a building or a temple, we have the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us, empowering us to do the things that Jesus did and much more besides :-)

MP3 Ministry

2011-03-03T15:31:00.004Z

Right, This is the first normal blog in a long time... I've been doing a lot of simply copying and pasting of sermons, however, today I have been doing a lot of desk clearing, writting for our magazine and thinking about things coming up in the next couple of months as well as preparing a sermon for sunday.

One of our exciting things which as church we are looking to do over the next while is developing a ministry to the housebound, in terms of Recording our services and providing them online legally... there are various "hoops" to jump through as far as copyright, permissions from participants and practicalities of sorting out a team who will actually do this, as well as providing hosting etc etc.

However on my blog, it seems a good idea to explain why a church might want to record their service and make it available over the internet.

One of my passions is to see the church at large, use and embrace technology to further the kingdom of God, to connect with loads of different sorts of people. One of the most important things for me to say at the outset - it is not being considered because I think our parish needs a new gimmick or because we are better than anyone else - NOT AT ALL.

This idea has come from my pastoral visits, of meeting parishioners in their own homes and who have lamented that they now due to health reasons are unable to come out to church on a Sunday Morning. These same people have been faithful members of the church week in week out for most if not all of their lives. It is from this starting point that I set about looking for a solution to allow them to tune into a church service.

This will NOT become a way for people to "skip church" If I hear of that happening I will be extremely saddened. However it could become useful, if people are unable to come to church on health grounds for various services .

I have, over the years had various experiences of ministries to the house-bound - Tape ministry, CD's ... and it seemed to me that there was indeed a need to develop this ... the next natural step is MP3's

I know many churches have an MP3 ministry for their sermons alone I feel that the whole worship service does need to be available - hymns, liturgy, sermon ... the lot.

We are not there yet ... there are still some hurdles to overcome but it is an adventure ...

The vision presented to vestry was something like this ...

what if we could reach out to those who are not able to come to church by providing them with an audio recording of our service ... beginning to end announcements, hymns, prayers, sermon etc etc the whole sunday service?

what if this was available free of charge to them ?

what if they had a computer and within 10 mins to an hour of the service finishing this was uploaded and available from our website ?

what if they didn’t have a computer but we were able to provide them with a player which a parishioner to could bring to them on a weekly basis - so that they get a visit from someone - what if they were able to follow along with hymns / prayer books ?

what if they are in hospital and from the bedside internet phones they are able to tune into st columba’s service just 10mins / hour after the service had finished?

what if we were able to train up a rota of volunteers to record, edit(if necessary) and upload these to the web sunday by sunday ?

what if we are able to sort out the copyright of hymns* easily?

what if this could be another way to engage with those who are not coming to church?

So what are the implications of this for vestry?

Firstly, permission is sought from vestry to bring in recording equipment to church ... which we already have access to -ie. I have a wee mp3 recorder which will do the job in the interim

Secondly we will need to get permission from preachers / musicians to record

Thirdly there may well be a cost implication to the copyright - as we have to purchase a licence.

Fourthly for those who don’t have access to the internet we would provide inexpensive mp3 players

There is no church that I am aware of that is currently doing this and I firmly believe that it could make a real difference - connecting our services to those who cannot get out for whatever reason. We also through our website can provide people with a copy of the pew news, the liturgy used for the particular service they are listening to.

This, coupled with our parish website, youth website, Silver Surfer classes and the Church of Ireland worship section hopefully will provide those who another way to engage with St. Columba's

worst case Scenario ... don't worry

2011-02-27T12:32:00.002Z

Matthew 6: 25-34

This sermon was preached at Holy Communion in St. Columba's at 10:30 on Sunday 27th Feb 2011

May my words and our hearts be always acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

In our Gospel reading this morning we are called not to worry.

I wonder what you worry about? ... A few years ago I was given, by a friend a copy of The worst Case Scenario survival handbook for travel ... just before heading away by myself to Africa.

A look at the contents page alone is enough to worry a solo traveller

How to stop a car with no brakes
How to survive a riot
How to survive when you are lost in the jungle
How to climb out of a well
How to deal with a Trantula

My favorite which illustrates the stupidity of this book is
 How to control a Runaway Camel ... in 5 easy steps

Hang on to the reins - but do not pull them back hard in an attempt to stop the camel
If the camel has a head halter and sturdy reins pull reins to one side to make camel run in circle
If the camel has nose reins - just hang on tight
Hold on untill the camel stops - the camel will sit down when it grows tired
When the camel sits - Jump off!

Worst case scenario - things we worry about. Perhaps you have never worried about how to control a camel but we do worry about lots of other things and unfortunaely there is no guide book about what to do in all circumstances we find ourselves in.

Perhaps we worry about our exams, or if we are a parent we worry about our Kids exams

Perhaps we worry about ourselves, our friends, our families health

Perhaps we worry as we look at TV News about our world

Perhaps we worry about the worries of our friends.

As we look at these or other worries and concerns that come to mind. Let us pause for a few moments, and realise that this is very, actually crucially important.

Elsewhere in the gospel there is a story of the Wise and Unwise builder

we all know that the wise man built his house on a rock with a firm foundation
the unwise man decided to go for the quick option and got the house up without much trouble.

However both faced storms one was much more worried than the other. Both I am sure were worried about the storm but the wise one knew that his foundation was sure and steady. The other didn’t

Our foundation is the thing that is so crucially important.

All of us at sometime or another are going to have to face trying or testing times - either ourselves, our loved ones, our friends. What foundation are we building to help us cope with the stresses and strains of life.

The Great News of today’s gospel is that on offer to all of us is the surest foundation for life

That which God provides - It allows us to say that individually we each are loved by God and called by him to live for him.

Yes each one of us are going to face trying times but how amazing, how awesome it is to know that God is with us - through medical tests, through operations, through therapy, through school, though university, every single day at work, every morning, every evening, every day we are awake, every night we are sleeping - God is with us.

Now what excites me even more than simply knowing God is there with us with me is that he provides

he provides our strength, our wisdom, our guidance, sustenance.

Whatever happens ... God is sovereign ... he working his purposes out.

How am I going to face x, y or z this week, this month ... whatever your worst case scenario is ... the solution I have found, from personal experience and from listening to the stories of countless christians in the past and present ... the only thing to do is to take it to God in Prayer ... hand it over to him ... to say God I can’t handle this but I am prepared to walk with you through it ... you are all I need

This is not complicated ... We are allowed to, we are called to be be honest with God and to allow him to speak truth into our lives.

Remember he is father & he wants us to know that he loves us.

Let us take a moment to be still and recollect the things which worry us this morning

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care
take it to the Lord in prayer

Heavenly father, each of us have our own concerns, worries. Help us to walk with you, to remember you are our father, you are the one who provides help us to see your perspective on our problems. We pray this in your name. Amen

Imitating God

2011-02-21T11:38:00.002Z

A Sermon Preached in St. Columba's on Sunday 20th February 2011 at 7pm Service

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be now and always acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our redeemer.

This evening I would like to look briefly at our Episitle reading, from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians which you have in front of you.

The first word from this portion of the letter is “Therefore” and in college we were always advised to ask of the text when we see this particular word ... what is it there for!

in other words we need to ask what comes before it.

In our case this evening ... it is linking a description of new life in Christ - which has great advice for those who have become new members of the Ephesian Church.

There is just before this passage an imperitive to cast away the old nature, former things and to put on a new person created in God’s Likeness - righteous, holy and true.

Paul does not beat about the bush in this letter - he says in the last two verses of Chapter 4
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words as well as all times of malicious behaviour - instead be kind to won another, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you.”

We see in this passage in front of us we have to take this prior advice and get on with it

we are called to be imitators of God as beloved Children - I know when I was growing up one of the ways I learnt to do things was by copying my parents and grand parents.

Back in Banbridge, my grandparents had a big vegetable garden and grew all sorts of things - loads of people from our local area came to buy lettuce, beetroot and lots of the other veg in season. In that garden I learnt so much from dealing with people to planting carrots. but a lot of it was learnt by copying what my Grandad and Granny were doing. Using the same words, the same actions.

Children pick up so much from the adults around them, their words, actions and values.

We all are called to be imitators of God

This morning in our Gospel reading we were challenged by the words - Be Perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect - that is a huge ask for any of us. However this evening this is broken down into a little bit of an easier step.

We simply have to imitate God as children imitate their father.

So what does that look like?

A few years ago - there was a fad going around with young people who went to church - they would wear wee bracelets on these was the letters ... WWJD which stood for ... what would Jesus Do? - the idea is that when faced with any circumstance they would ask the question ... what would Jesus do if he found himself in my shoes today.

It is a challenging question to ask ourselves.
Each one of us here this evening will face decisions this week which will challenge us to think about right and wrong

Perhaps simple choices, perhaps life changing choices

We are all called, every single day to decide where we go and what we do, what our attitude is, what our reaction will be.

Should we forgive?, should we make allowances for sombody’s mistake?, should we go where we know that we shouldn’t go? ... what should we do?

We are called to cast off the darkness and instead be people who are open, who are loving, who are imitators of God.

The word Christian began as a derogitory word from the romans which means “Little Christ”

May we by our words and example imitate Christ by all that we think, say and do this coming week.

AMEN

Be Perfect ...

2011-02-20T13:15:00.002Z

A sermon preached in St. Columba's, Knock on Sunday 20th Feb 2011 at 10:30pm

Jesus, in the sermon on the mount presents us with huge challenges. Any quick glance through Chapter 5 of Matthew’s gospel highlights HUGE areas of life which we are called to be working on/

The beatitudes call us to be peacemakers, they also tell us that we will be persecuted

We are called to be salt and Light to the world

Keep the commandments

Not to get angry

Be reconciled with Brothers and Sisters

we are called Radical purity in terms of our thoughts and deeds, last week we had in our Gospel reading if your eye or hand causes you to sin ... which when we were discussing it on Wednesday evening at Bible Study proved to be quite horrific at the thought of such things - but basically that bit is about the causes of sin in each of our lives and removing that temptation from our lives.

We are called to Love our enemies

go the extra mile

Then at the end of today’s gospel reading we are called to Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect!

We are called to be perfect ... If I am honest this morning that bit of the reading I have struggled with all week ... what is Jesus saying/commanding?

Keeping the commandments... most of them are OK

Being reconciled with Brothers and Sisters ... yeah!

Purity of thoughts and deeds ... still working on that

Not getting angry ... most of the time that is OK ... but I know I loose my temper sometimes.

But being perfect... I am sooo far away from that it is unbelievable.

We need a way into this passage, we need to know that Jesus has hopes for his disciples, he has dreams for those who are listening, he is calling them to a radical life, a life which will change them, a way for them to see amazing things, a life which will see them do amazing things. A topsy turvy life which will turn their values on their head - the last first, the first last. A life which will call them to deny themselves, a life which will see them in the world but not of the world.

I am sure that there is not one of us here today meets the standard which Jesus sets out Be Perfect

Which is great, it is a great leveler - from the youngest here to the oldest, from teachers or students, rector or visitor, curate or choir member, vestry person ... who ever you are this morning.

We are in loads of ways we are messy - perhaps we do have immaulate houses or not, perhaps we are wealthy or not BUT under the surface we undoubtably have weaknesses we have messed up - all of us if we are honest are messy ... people who need to be made less messy

But the exciting thing is that whoever you are, whatever your role is we can all begin a journey, a journey with Jesus, finding out more about him, finding out more about ourselves.

As Disciples we are all called on a journey through life of sanctification ... of becoming more like Jesus, day by day.

yes we have and will mess up

yes we will do stupid things

yes we will say stupid things

The great news is that we can succeed at this, we can, if we let God change us do amazing things, we can strive to do better.

Three weeks ago the Rector looked part of the sermon on the mount as a kind of MOT for us, looking at things which could be better.

I wonder as we read through today’s reading is there anything we could pick up as things which could be improved upon?

perhaps in certain things we need to go the extra mile
perhaps in other things we need to discover love for those we do not like, or indeed love those who we actually hate the sight of.

A warning has to go out with all of these illustrations about our view of God.

He is not a policeman ready to catch us out, or a ticket warden ready to slap a ticket on us

but rather as heavenly father who has our best interests, who is willing us to do the right thing, who is ready to forgive when we get it wrong -as long as we learn from those mistakes and try better next time, he is ready to help us pick up the pieces and begin again.

We are all called to a radical lifestyle, showing our culture that there is much more to life than meets the eye, more purpose than simply making money, more love, more power, more adventure in a life dedicated to God.

The church, us, you and me are the hope for our nation, for our world - but we, each one of us has the power first to transform ourselves and then to transform our workplaces, community. This is the great news which we have contained in the pages of scripture but we need to be transformed ourselves.

But we do need to get rid of the mess ... offer the mess to God and get on with living life ... mess free

Amen.

Less Messy!

2011-02-20T12:13:00.002Z

This sermon was preached as a Kids Talk in St. Columba's - Sunday 20th at 9:30 Family communion

Father God we thank you that you call us all to serve you, help us to change to be like you in Jesus Name Amen.

In the curatage I have loads of books Big thick books, wee thin books, Books about God, the world, computers, and books of fiction.

Today I would love to tell you about a great character, one who is one of my all time favorite fictional hero’s ... Mr Messy ... this contains spoilers ... I hope you don’t mind

Mr Messy lives in a messy house

which has a messy Garden

but he is quite content with his messy life

Until he meets a couple of people

Mr Neat and Mr Tidy who are sorting out the garden of a neighbour

They offer Mr Messy their Services

Mr Messy reluctantly agrees

They tidy his house, his garden and basically show him that things can be different

Now the last thing that they do is sort Mr Messy out with a bath

and then Mr Messy at the end of the story laughs and says to Mr Neat and Mr Tidy that he shall have to change his name as he is no longer Messy.

Mr’s Neat and Tidy were able to show Mr Messy that there was a different way to live

When Mr Messy saw this he was able to try and live less messily

Turning from the Mr Men Story to the true story of Jesus

Throughout the Gospels, the Good News of Jesus

Jesus shows us ways in which we, who are messy, - all of us wether we are kids, young people, adults every single one of us

Remember we do wrong things, think wrong things or even when we don’t do what we should

But there is Good News we, like the story of Mr Messy, can change, when we look at God, when we try to be like him then we can indeed clean up our lives, when we get help from the Holy Spirit and from Christian Friends we can change and live lives which are more like him.

So the Challenge today is to ask ourselves ... where are the messy parts of my life? where are the parts I would l would like to do better at?

With these questions, and acting on the answers we can start to be more like Jesus!

Youth Website is now Live!

2011-01-30T13:48:00.003Z

Youth Website

Yes! St. Columba’s now has its very own youth website and contains a wealth of resources please do use it.

It has been designed to be as useful and friendly as possible. We are updating it weekly with information

What can I find on the site?

If you are a young person We have various “columns”

why do we do what we do ?- (updated monthly) is a column dedicated to what we do in church week by week. It eventually will answer questions like:

Why do we come to church anyway?
Why do we have different colours/seasons in church ?
Why do we sing hymns?
Why do we celebrate Holy Communion?

N:gage with Sunday Mornings (updated weekly)- is a column dedicated to engaging with Sunday morning worship. It provides readers with tools to help them prepare for worship. Informing them of the type of service it will be for the 10:30 service, explaining the reading and looking at a bit of the service.

We also have partnered with Scripture union and you can find Daily Bible Reading Notes there on the site!

We also hope to host guest interviews with various people in and around the church and beyond.

we also have split the website up dependent upon the age group with games, video clips, links.

For our older teenagers and above we have set up a facebook group.

All of our updates will be highlighted on our twitter account - if you happen to have a twitter account - please do follow us @stcolumbasyouth

Whilst this is a youth website - all are welcome check us out: www.stcolumbasyouth.org

If you are happy and you know it ...

2011-01-30T13:39:00.000Z

A sermon delivered at the 10:30 service in St. Columba’s Parish church on Sunday 30th January 2011

While going to sunday school, I remember distinctly learning the wee chourus

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands

If you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it

If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands

So often we get caught up in the pressures of life - in balancing accounts, in meeting work deadlines, in flying from one thing to another that we push the things of God from the centre where they should be to the periphery of life. We get caught up with the details that we forget the bigger vision of what life is all about. We know all too well that depression and anxiety is on the rise.

Throughout this year we are working our way through the Gospel of Matthew at the Morning Services. Our reading today is the first part of the first major teaching block of the Gospel known as the Sermon on the mount.

Jesus opens his sermon by emphasising what the blessed or happy life looks like

Jesus here is emphasizing the values produced in Kingdom Men and Women by the Holy Spirit. Values which stand in stark contrast to the values of the world back in his day as well as values which are all to common today.

JB Philips has rendered the Beatitudes that apply to the kingdom of this world like this

Happy are the “pushers” for they get on in the world

Happy are the hard boiled for they never let life hurt them

Happy are they who complain: for they get their own way in the end

Happy are the blase for thy never worry about their sins

Happy are the slave drivers for they get results

Happy are the knowledable men of the world for they know their way around

Happy are the trouble makers for they make people take notice of them

Happiness is a concept which I am sure we all strive for, economists tell us that it is one of the goals of the decisions we all make with our finances - not simply working and making decisions to increase wealth but asking questions as to how we spend our money, our time to get happiness and fulfillment out of life.

This week, amidst all the usual news stories two stood out for me...

BBC Breakfast took on the challenge of seeing if people could learn to be more happy though various tasks and challenges.

Also the chief of the Bank of England Mervyn King in a speech quoted the Ken Dodd song

King said: "When it comes to measuring success, don't count money count happiness. The advice of Ken Dodd in 1964."

Within the Beatitudes we have a concise list of Kingdom values - which will be mediated on through the remainder of the gospel

Poverty, mourning, meekness, hunger for righteousness, purity, mercy, peacemaking and persecution.

To those on the outside - who are searching for happiness in our world today these values may seem quite alien but actually by meditating on each of them in turn is quite useful and gives us a picture of True kingdom life. Life which Jesus himself promises us elsewhere in the Bible - Life in all its fullness

Time only allows me to look at a 3 of the examples but if we look at these you will see a pattern emerging

“Happy are the meek” becomes “Miserable are the arrogant”. The meek will inherit the earth, but those who bully others can only take: they are not *given* anything.

“Happy are the merciful” becomes “Miserable are the merciless”. People who bear grudges, who refuse to forgive, and who take revenge, are the real prisoners. They are prisoners of their own hate, and it eventually poisons all their relationships.

Happy are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” becomes “Miserable are those who have no spine”. It isn’t always easy to stand up for what is right — yes, we can wind up persecuted. But who will ever trust us with what is truly important if we don’t have the inner strength to hold on to it in the first place?

The others ... why not take the reading sheet home with you and see what Jesus was getting at through them

If you are happy and you know it and you really want to show it

If you are happy and you know it Go and ...

Do not be afraid to to show that you do not have everything
be meek
fulfill your hunger for doing what is right
show mercy
be pure
make peace
don’t be afraid of what others will think of you

Do all of these things because God has called you to do them! - The world is waiting for Men and Women, Young and Old to show what true happiness is all about

February ... Knock Knock

2011-01-30T13:30:00.003Z

Below is an article published in the February edition of our Parish Magazine

Knock Knock its the Curate ...

I can’t believe February is here, it doesn’t seem that long since I was writing for the December magazine way back in the middle of November. Now Christmas has past and we are now embarking on a new year.

January this year for me has been a very “techie/geeky month” which has been great. In addition to the regular visiting, meetings, services and all the other things which go along with my role as Curate, my computers have been out and about on lots of occasions for various “Silver Surfer” events. I have been very encouraged by the enthusiasm of the many parishioners through the doors of the sessions as well as the patience and skills of those who signed up to help. Thank you all very much.

On the other part of the techie work, (if all goes according to plan) we should, by the time the magazine goes to print have a Youth Website (www.stcolumbasyouth.org) which makes use of the latest technology and social networking, helping us to link up with young people and their parents to interact with the parish on-line. This will allow us hopefully to communicate our message to a generation who are living through one of the greatest revolutions that the world has ever seen.

My passion for the church has always been and always will be - that we are able to communicate what the good news of the gospel is, and what it means to all ages.

Silver Surfers has been a place where we get together, learn together, chat and laugh together and help each other in community. The same is true with our new Youth website a place where as a parish we can share resources, ideas and communicate with each other in new and creative ways ... that surely is at the heart of Christian Community.

In Christ

Robert

PS A huge thank to all who sent cards, gifts and Christmas wishes to the curatage over the festive period, they were all greatly appreciated.

2011-01-09T21:04:00.002Z

Our Identity - A short address prepared to A Late Evening Office St. Columba’s Parish Church Sunday 9th January 2011

I continue to be amazed with the ways in which businesses, banks and government have to find out if we are who we say we are. Passports, bio-metric data, pin numbers, micro chips, finger prints, reference numbers, passwords, usernames, numbers, survey forms, our credit history, plastic cards, key fobs ... and all the rest

We are increasingly told that we are to protect our identity from being stolen - we are to shred documents, not to share pin numbers and to protect our plastic card.

Just last week I went in to register to rent out a DVD - I had to go in with my Passport, utility bill and sign a form

Our identity is crucially important.

We are complicated beings - we may be brother or sister, husband or wife, friend to some, mother or father, granny or grandad, we may be in charge of some others, we may be under the charge of others at work, we may be owners of cars, we may be tenents, we may be customers of this or that store. Each person we meet on a daily basis may have different expectations of who we are and what we are about.

In our Gospel reading this evening we have skipped over 30 odd years from where we were last week - from the Christmas story to Jesus beginning his public ministry. We see in this reading how crucial Identity is.

God the Father, in Jesus’ baptism identifies who Jesus is and what he thinks of him

His identity was confirmed...God's son.

He was identified as the focus of God's love.

He was identified as being very pleasing to God.

Before Jesus does all the amazing things he did in his ministry the base, the foundation is founded upon his Baptism.

There are huge problems in our society today when people, young and old forget about their identity - or who try to make a new identity for themselves.

Core to all who have been baptised is that we have been given an Identity - we have been given a Christian Name, we have been identified as the focus of God’s love and we have been identified as being very pleasing to God - that is the very core of Christian teaching.

But we need to own that truth, we need to trust that truth and we need to put it into practice.

Who are you? You are a child of God, the focus of his love and with you God is well pleased.

Yes we do stupid things, Yes we let him down time after time but we also are a people who believe in forgiveness and Grace. Thanks be to God. Amen