How would you enact Christmas in mime, without using stars, wise men, shepherds, sheep and cattle, mangers or "no room" signs on the Inn? And while you're at it, throw in the whole purpose of Jesus' coming and finish off with his returning to the Father in heaven. All in a simple mime.
And it must only take a few minutes.
Can you think of anything? Could you do it?
Jesus himself did it.
In John 13...
"Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel round his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped round him. ... When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place."
Brilliant! The eternal Son of God, robed in glory from all eternity, 'took off' that glory like a robe to be born a human. One no different to look at than any other human. And not born lowly so that he could to rise to greatness (He'd already stepped down from there!), but to serve. To serve in the most lowly way possible. Only the least of servants washed people's feet. But Jesus came to earth to serve as no other could, to "give his life as a ransom for many (Matt 20:28).
Christmas can be enacted with one simple gesture, taking off one's "outer clothing" in order to wash feet. Christmas is a celebration for those who've known this Servant's 'washing' (the forgiveness of their sins) and who worship him as the one who, having served, has again taken up his robe and "returned to his place".
Gordon
On Tuesday we gave thanks for the life and witness of a beautiful Christian woman. Helen had been a member of this church for many years, a committed follower of Jesus, a person who knew the truth of the gospel and lived it out.
Her family paid wonderful tributes to her as a wife and mother and woman. Over the last seven years many of us have seen another side of Helen. We have seen a character formed by suffering. Helen's resilience, faithfulness and trust in God have made a contribution to the life of St. Alban's that will be hard to measure. Some of us have been matured and tested just by having to cope with her presence in this body. Others have found new gifts as they have ministered to her. Many have had to face their own fears of suffering and death, and wonder how they would cope in similar circumstances.
Many of us have a better insight into Paul's belief " that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:3,4). Helen was a woman of hope (as all God's people are). Her hope was not disappointed because, although she wasn't healed physically, each day the Lord poured his love into her heart. This experience of God's love was a continuation of the love he first showed when he sent his Son to die for helpless sinners.
Not only do God's people know God's love as they believe that Jesus' death was for them; and not only do they know his love and presence each day; but we have a hope that one day we, like Helen, will see God face to face.
It is this hope which gives meaning to our life. Sometimes at funerals people have no hope. Death is an unmitigated disaster. And they try to make sense of the death by making much of the wonderful life the person had. But while this helps in one way it is worse in another, because it shows even more starkly that death has interrupted life. Life cannot give meaning to death. Nor does death give meaning to life. Only the end or goal of life gives meaning to a life.
That is why Christians look forward to the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life. Those who trust their lives to Jesus know that just as he was raised from death, never to die again, so they too will be raised up by him on the last day. They will see God face to face. They will be transformed into his glory and likeness. That was always their destiny, that is their hope. It is that glorious destiny that gives meaning to their life. That is what their life was always heading towards. It is in the light of that glory that they decide how to live now.
Dale
What makes someone an evangelist? Why do some Christians seem to be able to share their faith with everyone they meet, while the rest of us are still thinking about what to say when the opportunity is long gone? Since we're all called to be witnesses to Christ, why do many of us find it so difficult?
I used to think it had a lot to do with personality. If only God had made me an extrovert, I told myself, then I'd be out there talking to everyone about Jesus. If only he would answer my prayer and give me greater boldness, then it would be much easier.
Recently I've realised that what has been lacking isn't boldness or the gift of the gab. It's love.
Love kindles and shapes evangelism in three ways.
First comes God's love for us. If we've never experienced God's love, what do we have to offer? An interesting philosophy on life perhaps, an insurance policy maybe, but not a life-changing encounter with a person. If we witness out of a sense of duty, we shouldn't be surprised if all we share with people is our embarrassment. We need to be confident of God's love for us and for others.
Then comes our love for God. The more time we spend with God and the better we get to know him, the more likely we are to talk about him to others. I don't have to pray for boldness before mentioning my husband in conversation - because I love him and spend a fair amount of time with him, he tends to come into the conversation quite naturally. The disciples couldn't stop telling people about the Jesus they knew and loved. They only prayed for boldness when they'd already been threatened with imprisonment for talking about him.
Finally there's our love for others. What, except a lack of love, would prevent us from sharing the gospel? Having experienced God's incredible generosity towards us, and seeing others in need, why would we hold back from telling them about him? Love will ensure that we do so with gentleness and respect (1 Pet. 3.15). I don't have much of that sort of love yet, but God has seemed more willing to answer since I stopped asking for boldness and started asking for love.
Stella
Last Monday the team that is planning to work amongst street people heard from Charles and Sue Slack about some of the dimensions of addiction and how Christians could minister to people with addictions.
One of the things Charles said was that when people in recovery come into a church meeting or fellowship they need to hear the gospel. They need to hear it without it being watered down. Of course that applies to everyone. A watered down gospel is not much use to anyone. Jesus' call is clear and demanding. He wants absolute obedience, and as Sue said on the night, he doesn't do deals with people to allow them to come in on their own terms.
The other thing people need to hear is testimony of changed lives. Not necessarily out the front public testimonies, but at least testimonies in conversation about the changes Jesus has produced in our lives. These testimonies don't necessarily refer to when we became Christians but should be about our ongoing relationship with Jesus. Is he continuing to change our lives? Is he setting us free more and more each day? Are we winning battles against our own vices, addictions and chronic sins? These testimonies of God's power changing our lives is very powerful for those struggling to see change in their own lives. Well, that means all of us. This is not a matter for occupying hte moral high ground, but of acknowledging our need for God's transforming work to continue in our own lives.
Another aspect of church life for those who are in addictions is to demonstrate that Christians do not do drugs, they do not get drunk, they are not workaholics, and that Jesus is the reason they don't.
Change like this doesn't come easily. As people in 12 Step programs know it comes as a result of a thorough moral inventory. Or a ruthless Spirit directed self examination. It is the result of honesty with ourselves before God. That is one reason Prayer Ministry is so effective. It allows people to be honest before God, to repent and to seek God's grace to make changes in their life.
St. Alban's has been characterised by changed lives over the years. Let the change continue.
Dale
How many things in life require us to keep learning, training and developing skills? Athletes, even "naturals" have to train hard, many professions require constant in-service training, parenting, even gardening and cooking! Things that we can do by 'second nature', perhaps after years of working at it, are a prized commodity in life.
Is being a godly Christian one of those things? Can we ever get to a point where being godly is second nature? Where it's not so much about "training" as just "doing"? Where the hard work of studying the Bible is behind us and now we just 'put it into practice'?
God's answers to these questions is simple; "Not in this life". Consider the following;
°train yourself to be godly. (1 Tim 4:7) The word "train" here is from the word we get "gymnasium" from. Paul wasn't expecting godliness to come without what someone has called 'spiritual sweat'!
°Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed&emdash; not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence&emdash; continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, (Phil 2:12)
°Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last for ever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. (1 Cor 9:25-27)
What happens if we ever feel that the 'training' or 'hard work' of being a Christian is finally behind us and we can more or less coast along? " Don Carson offers these sobering words;
Healthy Christians are always "in training". So, as Paul said,
train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
Gordon
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I was at a meeting this week where two people who had been at Amsterdam 2000 reported on this international meeting of evangelists organised by the Billy Graham organisation.
Amongst many startling things they reported was the amazing growth of the church in Africa. Growth that is happening in the face of Islamic persecution. One of the causes of this growth is the large number of evangelists employed by churches. People are sent out with a small allowance to be evangelists in the villages and towns of a parish. This seems to be hard work, but it bears fruit nevertheless.
One person at the meeting asked whether it was not easier for them to do this sort of thing than for us. Given the poverty and the aggressive form of Islam in Africa, it is doubtful whether it is easier for them. They just think it is the way people will be brought to Christ. And the data supports this view.
So should we be looking for Honorary Staff Workers who will do the work of evangelism? Or should we be employing evangelists? Putting money into people with the gifts and job description to proclaim the gospel outside the church? Except that we believe that all of us should be sharing the gospel and looking for people to come to Christ. Might employing people diminish this work? It might. On the other hand it might greatly stimulate it. And anyway we don't need to choose.
All of us should keep on evangelising our friends and acquaintances. But maybe we should look for the gifted evangelists and release them for the task as well.
As for the money. How could we afford it? My theory is that there is plenty of money out there. It just needs to be released for strategic Christian work. And the first step is not to get the money, but to find the strategy and release the workers.
Another pipe dream? Maybe. Unless God is calling you to be an evangelist. Or you know someone who needs to be helped to do the work.
Dale
Change is the constant feature of life, so much so that many people feel unsettled if things stay the same for too long. But change is also unsettling, because it is hard to understand the meaning behind the change. Increasingly change does not happen for reasons that can be understood, or for ends that can be approved. Some change is driven by greed, or the attempt to manipulate us for the ends of others. Some change seems to happen just because change is what happens or what people like.
Perhaps it is also a symptom of a search for something better. An indication of an internal restlessness that is not satisfied with things as they are. Christians are caught up in this change as much as anyone else. It affects our church life, our understanding of our future and our satisfaction with things as they are now.
Christians do have one advantage over others. We have a world view which includes God and his purposes, and which is teleological. That is our world view works back from the end or purpose or fulfilment of what is happening. We make sense of our life in terms of its ultimate purpose and fulfilment. Such a view of the end of things also helps us negotiate change. Indeed it helps us implement change. Not change for its own sake but change for God's sake.
Christians know God is carrying out his great purposes to gather together a new humanity under the headship of Christ. They know they are part of this plan since they are the messengers God has sent to call people into the fellowship of Christ's body. But it is possible to lose this perspective and forget this call.
In the face of constant change our anxieties and confusion can send us in search of some stable human structure to reassure us that we will not be lost. Family and church are two obvious sources of comfort. Unfortunately both are subject to fierce change. But they have also become the focus of the desire for security. Many transfer on to them unrealistic hopes for comfort and stability in the midst of change.
Church and family can provide security. But church also needs to be involved in such change that will bring many to put their trust in Christ. For that is where true comfort is to be found. Those who trust their lives to Jesus as their Lord know a divine comfort which leads them through the change, indeed makes them pioneers of strategic change and at the same time preservers of the still point where comfort and security can be found.
Dale
Born again adults spend on average seven times more hours each week watching television than they do in spiritual pursuits such as Bible reading, prayer and worship, according to George Barna, a Christian researcher in the USA. His research shows that they spend about twice as much money on entertainment as they donate to their church and spend more time surfing the net than they do in prayer. It is interesting to look at our own Parish Directory and see the dramatic rise of mobile phones in our phone lists over just a few years - and to wonder at the enormous amount of money applied to this new technology.
Some years ago Jacques Ellul wrote a book called The Technological Society, in which he argued that what he called "technique" was now the thing that ruled our lives. By "technique" he meant something like the principle of operation that lies behind technology. Not technology itself so much as the idea of technical, mechanical, scientific methods, and that these were the way we should live our lives. Indeed that this technical method was now ruling our society.
Some weeks ago Gordon introduced a sermon by asking if we could imagine anyone begging us to take their money. My immediate thought was that the various forms of gambling have people lining up wanting to donate their money. Technology is another cause which we line up to donate money to, begging the shareholders of companies to accept our money for their use in exchange for the latest and most colourful tools.
Don't misunderstand me. I am not a Luddite. It is a matter of choice and priority. Because it is possible we want to do it. In this way our tools become our masters. But not everything has to be done, nor necessarily in the latest fastest way. We live in a very seductive society. A society that lives on seduction, and pretence and false hopes. We honour what is faster, higher, stronger, more colourful and beautiful, but sometimes mistake the creature for the creator, and submit ourselves as servants to the wrong masters.
It is a matter of world-view, of understanding what our life is for. Or who it is for. Tools, servants, idols, masters - an object can transform itself from one to the other while we are using it. Unless we are clearly and ruthlessly devoted to the service of one Master only.
Dale
A few weeks ago the Men's Ministry Action Group met to discuss ministry among men at St Alban's. The group is the result of the parish consultation, which saw a strong desire to see such a ministry grow.
Our first meeting discussed some of the possibilities open to us, things like evangelistic breakfasts, dinners, social events, mentoring programs and so on.
But as we discussed these great ideas, one thing became clear, something that many other churches who are pursuing men's ministry have realised. All the programs and the events in the world will be at best, good for a while, and then fade out if they do not arise from the solid ground of a church with men who are growing in their own love and knowledge of the Lord. Without this, evangelistic events will have fewer and fewer outsiders at them, social events will have little appeal, and the model on offer in a mentoring program will be greatly lacking.
So we have decided to begin with three things. Encouraging all the men of St Alban's to meet regularly in church, to be a regular member or a home / Bible study group, and to meet regularly with one or two other men to pray, especially for friends who are not yet saved.
If these three things seem a big ask, we can see the difficulties we'll have with trying anything else (ie events and programs)!
But if we can agree that these three are basic to Christian discipleship, and set ourselves to make the time needed for them, the potential of what will follow is exciting. We'll become more aware of opportunities to talk about Jesus, friends who need praying for, and we'll be setting examples worth following.
Men's ministry (any ministry for that matter) begins with the heart &endash; the hearts of those who will be doing the ministry. And so we trust God to work in us and through us, which will mean praying.
So the Men's Ministry Action Group invites any men in the parish to meet together for one hour on the first Sunday of each month, to pray for the men of St Alban's, and the future. Our next meeting will be on Sunday November 5, from 3 to 4 p.m.
Gordon
One of the major challenges facing churches is the rate of change we are experiencing. In all aspects of our life things are different. Change is now the constant. What was a good idea or method last year may not be appropriate this year.
Richard Kew is an Anglican futurist, the author of Towards 2015. In a recent email list he suggested we should
- 1. Work with the assumption that all structures are interim and provisional
- -- church, organizational, and within society as a whole.
- 2. Recognize that all previous strategies need to be radically reviewed and
- remade.
- 3. Realize that we do ourselves more damage if we do not take risks than by
- being prepared to be risk-takers.
Churches have trouble with these ideas not just because they are established institutions but because they are made up of ordinary people who want security and stability in their life. Particularly for parents who are rightly anxious for the future (and present) of their children, a safe and stable church community is a great prize.
But the way ahead means we need a paradoxical approach to church. On the one hand we have a rich and valuable heritage which has the potential to enrich and strengthen all of us. We need to adapt this so that it is able to be used. On the other hand we must keep on changing and inventing new strategies as we adapt to changed conditions in our society.
Christians should be the most free to be risk takers. For us the risks should be least, since we serve the Lord of all. But risk taking for its own sake is for the loony fringe. Christians take what look like risks because they want to carry out Christ's commission to make disciples of all the nations. Risk taking may not be the best way to say it. It is partly about imaginative attempts to bring the gospel in ways we haven't tried before, and partly about changing or abandoning or running in parallel with old and loved ways of doing things.
Retro reactionary action is typical of times of uncertainty. But it may be better that we locate our security in our relationship with God and his people and become adventurers for the gospel. Or adventurous missionaries.
Churches have choices. Most of the crucial choices are small but cumulative. Together they form a strategy that is designed either for comfort and security ( a false hope), or for adaptation, mission and risk. I think a lot hangs on our choices. All churches are choosing churches. The question is which choice.
Dale
In his very helpful book, "Christians in a Consumer Culture", John Benton asks the question, "How are Christians meant to be different in today's society?"
He suggests that "although Christian character is a fixed goal, in the sense that we all aim to become like Christ who is the same yesterday, today and forever, yet ... it will be different aspects of Christian character which will particularly stand out against the background of the world at different times."
He gives as an example Christians living in Nazi Germany, whose love and acceptance of people would have been a stark contrast to the violence and racism around them. But in the West today, everyone is in favour of 'love and tolerance' at least superficially. This aspect of Christian character doesn't stand out so much. So he goes on to suggest one thing that is at the cutting edge of a distinctive Christian lifestyle...
"We live in the age of consumerism. There is a continual concern for higher and higher standards of living, even to the detriment of the ecology of the planet. We are exposed to a vast and sophisticated advertising industry which continually and deliberately seeks to massage discontent. It tells the individual constantly, 'You need more.' In an age in which the whole direction of people's lives is dominated by climbing the career ladder, acquisition of material goods and never being satisfied, for a Christian to be able to honestly say, 'I am fine as I am, I don't need anything,' is a tremendous and glorious shock to the non-Christian's system. It is the cutting edge. To be known as an able colleague and yet to have no greater ambition than to be content in God, is so astonishing, it makes people sit up.
It is as shocking as finding an old, imprisoned and neglected apostle of a despised religion, and finding that he is totally at peace and aglow with a heavenly joy despite all his circumstances. No wonder news of Christianity spread throughout the palace guard in Rome (Phil 1:13). ... To make that kind of impact on our neighbours and colleagues in our consumer culture, a heart filled with Christian contentment is the key.
...contentment will make an impact for Christ. By contrast, to be concerned to be rich will not only lead you into spiritual trouble, but will convince the world that you are no different from them."
Gordon
So there was no cultural cringe at the opening of the Olympics. Various icons of Australia's traditional self-identity were included in the ceremony so that those who have grown up in Australia could feel pleased that their heritage and tradition was expressed and honoured.
Although our current multi-cultural mix was acknowledged our future was not really part of the display. Perhaps the closing ceremony will be prophetic. On the other hand the games themselves are an indication of the changes that are happening to nationalistic boundaries and self-identity. The international sports such as basketball and soccer show most clearly the impact of globalisation. At the Olympics people are playing in their national teams (a kind of state of origin team) against opponents they normally play with on the same team in Europe or America.
The Olympics raise the commitment to one's own nation but increasingly loyalties are determined by money and opportunity. That terrible song "I still call Australia home", is a good example of the confusion - describing the sentiment of an expatriate who no longer lives in their home nation.
So how important are national loyalties? Australians have only had a short time to develop strong national loyalties and identity. As recently as the 1950's part of our identity was strongly related to England. And at the beginning of the century it was largely unweaned from England. Our recent attempts to establish a mind-set that is truly Australian have been hampered by cross-currents from the cultural invasion from the United States, from immigration from non-European countries and their different religious outlooks, from a strong humanistic and anti-Christian agenda at a national political and media level.
At the same time communication has shrunk the world and globalisation has made it one market place. It is no wonder there was a strong and positive reaction to the opening ceremony's expression of Australia's identity. But while there may be longing for a definable identity the reality is that we will continue to face confusion about where we belong and who we are.
But does it matter? Why not be people of the world rather than of Australia? A pessimist may think that we have to choose between the twin terrors of tribalism and globalisation. But nations are a gift from God. They should benefit their citizens. And we should continue to strengthen our nation to be a good and godly community. God has put us in this nation so that we will seek after him. Christians should aid and abet their nation in such a search.
Dale
(or, Ten ways that I have been encouraged!)
* Pray for people. Prayer isn't a cop-out or a last resort. It's what distinguishes Christian compassion from human sympathy. Pray not just for a resolution of the person's problems, but also that their faith would be strengthened.
*Be prepared to pray with people. A simple "would you like me to pray with you?" is unlikely to cause offence, and leaves the person free to say yes or no. (A "no" doesn't prevent you from praying for them privately.)
*Learn to listen. Listening doesn't come naturally to most of us. We have to learn to give people our full attention. Listening to what the Holy Spirit might be saying at the same time also takes practice, but we can learn to do both.
*Get to know the people who sit near you in church. If one of them has been absent for a week or two, call them and ask if they are okay.
*Invite someone from church to share a meal. It doesn't have to be a dinner party - if you usually eat beans on toast for lunch on Sundays, invite them to a beans on toast party after church. Forget about cleaning the house. Pray for the gift of hospitality instead.
*If you know that someone has the 'flu or a bad back, or sick children, visit them. Perhaps take them a meal (something that will freeze in case they don't need it that day), offer to babysit or do some shopping. If you're not a very practical person, ask the Lord to show you what you can do. Let others know (especially their home group leader).
*When someone in your home group has an important event coming up (an exam, a doctor's appointment, an interview), call them later to see how they went.
*When you see someone doing a good job, tell them.
*Know what each of the "helping ministries" of the church does - home groups, prayer ministry, prayer counselling, the healing team, VMTC counselling, the pastoral care worker. Encourage others to use these ministries, as well as using them yourself.
*If someone has problems that you can't deal with, ask the Lord to show you where to direct them. It may be towards a more mature Christian or someone with a similar background or experience. Every member of the church is a member of the pastoral care team.
Stella Budrikis
If a friend told you that he'd just bought a new house, you'd expect to hear all about it. You'd be a little surprised if he told you that the front door is so magnificent that he hasn't bothered to look at the rest of the house. If he asked you to come and look at the front door, but never invited you in, you might even think he'd lost the plot.
Jesus' death and resurrection are the door to a new life in God's house. There is no other way in. God himself gives us the key, which is repentence. It's understandable that when we first see that wonderful door, and find that the key we've been given will open it, we're overcome with amazement and gratitude.
But it would be sad if we never explored the rest of the house. Forgiveness of sins is only the beginning of our Christian life, glorious as that is. Look at some of the things we've been given:
No wonder Paul prayed that "the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe" (Eph 1.18).
Stella Budrikis
Anyone used to hearing phrases such as "God is love" must feel shocked when they read the story of Nadab and Abihu, (Leviticus 10). What sort of God would consume two men with fire just because they carried incense burners into his presence without his authorization?
The same God, presumably, who accepted Abel's gift of the firstborn of his flock, but rejected Cain's hard-won firstfruits of the soil (Genesis 4). The same God who ordered the Israelites to kill every living thing in the towns they conquered. The God who felled Uzzah when he reached out a hand to steady the Ark of the Covenant (2 Samuel 6). This God is holy, harsh and frightening. How could we safely worship such a God? Would we want to? 4
Some would argue that God is not like that at all. "Look at Jesus", they say. "He shows us what God is really like - compassionate, gentle, loving and forgiving. Forget the Old Testament. People back then just didn't understand God properly".4
But is Jesus of the New Testament really so different from the God of the Old Testament? When Martha complained that Mary wasn't doing enough work, Jesus left no doubt as to which sister's offering he preferred. The fig tree which didn't bear fruit when he wanted something to eat felt the full force of his dissatisfaction. The money changers in the temple fled in fear as Jesus, whip in hand, drove them out. Even after the resurrection we see Ananias and Sapphira struck down just as abruptly as Nadab and Abihu. No wonder the writer to the Hebrews repeated the Old Testament warning, "Our God is a consuming fire".
Jesus did not come to mellow our impression of God's holiness. Most of the Bible's words on hell come from Jesus lips. It is precisely because God is holy and unapproachable by sinners that Jesus' death and resurrection were necessary. Without them, we would have no hope of knowing God.
And yet it is because God is loving, compassionate and gracious that he sent his Son to die on our behalf. We mustn't imagine Jesus as some poor sucker, bullied by his Father into taking the rap for rebellious human beings. Jesus said "I and the Father are one". On the cross we see God himself paying the price of our rebellion. On the cross we see a God who is, and always was, both loving and holy.
Stella Budrikis
At a conference recently, the speaker (Peter Adam) asked everyone a question. "What do you believe about the Bible?" People then called out the answers we all believe. Things like,
Infallible Clear Sufficient
True.
These are all true statements, but as we look at them, they appear rather static, because they are propositions. The Bible comes off sounding like a good reference manual, a solid foundation for knowledge about God. But that's about it.
Then he asked a different question. "What does the Bible say of itself?" And a very different set of answers came back;
Sharp Penetrating
Judges thoughts & attitudes
God-breathed Useful Powerful Effective
Difficult Must be fulfilled
Testifying to Jesus
(The list could go on...)
At once we see the difference. This description is not static but active, relational. It tells or implies a story, a life, a promise, a relationship with God.
And the story doesn't end there. When we consider what the Bible says of itself, we realise that the Bible achieves what it promises.
Reference manuals can be memorised or referred to when necessary. But the Bible calls for more than this, and promises great things when give it. As the writer to the Hebrews puts it,
Gordon
What a fantastic meeting last Sunday! There must have been nearly 90 people present. There was a lot of energy and enthusiasm. We felt like a group that really wanted to break some new ground as well as develop and improve what we are already doing.
We were also a diverse group in that different people had an enthusiasm for different kinds of work. This is a great strength especially since we seem happy to let others get on with what God is calling them to do without all of us having to be in everything or have control of everything.
Someone commented to me a few days later that they thought we had many people who were very able in organising themselves and especially in listening to each other. We should praise God for the marvellous gifts he has given us in this body.
The meeting was also encouraging because people were able to voice concerns and doubts they had about starting new church congregations. I hope we will be able to keep on talking about this because such concerns are valid and real. In some cases we should be prepared to go slower, or not to act at all in the light of what is really another way of seeing how the church can grow. In other cases we have to keep going while supporting and encouraging each other in a time of change.
Some of our concerns will change when clearer information is available about what church plants might be proposed and what the detail of them looks like. Sunday was an early stage in the process and the general picture is still quite confused.
For three of the potential new ministries the next stage is to set up planning teams which can research and investigate whether and how new ministries might become viable. All of these three have the potential to be church plants, some have the potential to be a complex of ministries that would feed new converts into existing congregations. The planning teams will have to work out proposals about how to start. Other ministries are ready for action teams to start work.
Let us keep praying for this process. Some of what we have started to talk about will result in strong new ministries. Others will not get off the ground. No matter. Our aim is to keep on strengthening the church and making disciples. There are thousands who can be reached with the gospel. We should keep having a go as the Lord directs us.
This morning I was reading the story (in John 4) of Jesus' conversation with the woman of Samaria. At one stage in their conversation Jesus said "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." She doesn't really understand what he means. In fact we have a fair bit of difficulty understanding some of this. Does he mean running water, or water that gives life.
Jesus goes on to say, "... whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
Water is a metaphor for something. Literal water won't do what Jesus said. Unfortunately Jesus lets the matter hang and seems to change the subject to a discussion of her husbands. She attempts to divert it to a discussion of the place of worship. The changing of the subject is more stark because the woman has asked for the water he spoke about. Does he give it to her? What is it anyway?
At the end of the story we are told that many believe in Jesus. "And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.""
Perhaps this is the water. Perhaps he gave her the living water by speaking the gospel to her and leading her to the eternal life that comes from believing in Jesus.
It is a very human story, full of humour, gentleness and subtle wrestling. It is also a good example of friendship evangelism. Not that Jesus was the woman's special friend. But acted towards her as a friend. It was within a friendly relationship that he was able to tell her about eternal life.
Friendship evangelism doesn't have to depend on deep friendships. Most people have few deep friendships in their lifetime. Rather it is about establishing relationships that are friendly. Friendliness and regular contact or meeting will provide opportunities to offer living water to people who would rather not keep on drawing water from wells that keep them thirsty.
Next Sunday all the members of the three congregations (or at least a representative of each family) are invited to come together to consider some new ventures and priorities for the next few years.
Our priorities are determined by our overall mission; which is to serve the King, build up the church and make disciples of the nations.
St. Alban's is a church which has attempted to share the ministry and decision making. Rather than being run by a priest or pastor or a small oligarchy, we have attempted to broaden the base of leadership. We have instituted a flat model of leadership whereby teams and congregations have real responsibility and authority to pursue their ministry.
We have also tried to share leadership. So we have tried to set up new ventures with teams of people rather than just a lone enthusiast directing traffic. Of course the practical reality is more complex and dynamic than a few words can describe. However we are a church which works together in fellowship.
That is why the consultation next Sunday is so important. In 1995 we talked and prayed and dreamed, and from that period of goal setting some major new ministries emerged as well as a bunch of smaller ones. Some of those ministries are now well established. So why don't we just keep on doing better what we are already doing? We could certainly do that and in fact the consultation on Sunday week may decide that that is the best thing to do.
However this is a church that wants to see many people won for Christ. One of the main reasons for starting new ministries is so we can provide many entry points for people to find Christ and join his church.
Furthermore we are not blind or deaf. We see around us many groups with great needs - like sheep without a shepherd. Godly compassion has woken us up to the possibility of bringing Christ's love and gospel to new groups and making them his disciples also.
Times have changed and at the moment it is more straightforward to bring people to know Christ in ways that are appropriate to their culture rather than through the traditional church culture. That means inventing new ways of planting churches amongst sub-cultures that are different to the dominant St. Alban's culture.
So please pray, and come prepared to discern what God might be calling us to do to further his mission.
Talk about what the church should be like sometimes tends to overshadow the question of what Christians should be like. Both questions are important of course.
In a strong church culture it is easy to think that church life is the same as Christian life; that only church ministries are important; that the rest of life is a secondary affair.
A way through this tension is to think about our calling or vocation. Calling is a biblical idea with a variety of focuses. All of our life comes under the umbrella of calling. What has God called us to do in particular? We are called to follow Christ, to live a life worthy of being his disciples, to be holy. To be part of his family and live worthy of that calling.
But we also have a calling to work and serve. Not only our ministry in the church can be thought of as a calling, but our work life also. It may be helpful if we reverted to the old fashioned language that described our work not as a job or a career but as a vocation, a calling.
Has God called you to be a teacher, or doctor, or engineer, or student, or parent? Is your work not his gift, and the talents you have to exercise it a result of his grace? And if he has called you for the time being into that sphere of service, how does he want you to conduct yourself while you are at the task he has given you?
If it is his task, his calling, then your calling will also have his purposes as part of it. It will benefit yourself by providing a livelihood, and it will benefit others in your community in some way. But you also will benefit others. Not just the job but the servant. Christians are salt in the world. They are transformers. Some of us will have significant roles in transforming or preserving our communities. Others will be agents of grace amongst work friends and colleagues.
God is interested in all his creation. He is not just interested in what goes on in church. He has his agents scattered throughout the world to do his work and minister his grace. Some of us will have our major ministries in the world rather than in church. What we do in the body will be small scale encouragement and help. But like everyone else the body should be the place to be nurtured, built up, equipped for godliness and supported.
Some tensions and paradoxes emerged at the recent Anglican Millenial Conference. on the one hand there was a lot of energy for changing the way Anglicans do things. Some of this arose from frustration at not being able to adapt to a changing society. Others probably just wanted their own agendas and view of Christianity to have more freedom or expression.
On the other hand there was a strong movement to do things completely differently. While this did not have very clear expression it was a different agenda to merely tinkering with the present forms and structures.
I think this was a hopeful sign. Starting new things rather than trying to reform the old is a way forward. That way the new and old can run hand in hand. Some people expressed this in terms of going out to the non-attenders rather than seeking to bring them in to what already exists.
I was greatly encouraged to see that other churches were attempting the kind of church-planting ministry that we have tried. The idea of going out to non-attenders is old style outreach language, but it focuses on the idea that we may have to invent new wineskins for new ministries to people who will not easily enter the present forms of church life.
Another way to say it is that we need to open more doors to allow a two-way traffic into people groups which are not at present represented in our church fellowship.
Why should we do this? Because the Lord Jesus has commissioned us to bring the message of his Lordship to all the nations. Because we have a great desire to see many people drawn to know God in Christ. Because we are enthusiasts for Jesus and his gospel.
There is an urgent need for radical change in the church - not least St. Alban's. It is a change of mind-set which is needed first. A change that rescues us from evaluating church life in terms of our own comfort and transforms us into missionaries to our own cultures.
One of the panelists at the conference said what was needed were people who would say YES to the mission, YES to the change, YES to having a go at new ways of reaching out with the gospel to new groups of people.
My vision for St. Alban's is a church with many doors, maybe a vine with many branches, that is able to express its life in a variety of forms appropriate to a variety of sub-cultures. It is a church which will meet in different ways; with many leaders and ministers sharing both the evangelism, the care of the needy and the building up of the faithful. A church passionate for Jesus.
What a fantastic set of responses we contributed to the first stage of the process of reassessing our priorities. You can read the full set of responses on the notice board or take a set for yourself from the back table. Inside the Bulletin are some statistics showing a return rate of about a third.
So where do we go from here? As well as the complete set of raw data, we are providing a summary of the responses. This will take the form of outlining our agreed criteria for ministry and the values we want to maintain and affirm. As well we will summarise how we evaluated the importance of our current ministries. Some of the ideas put forward will be passed on to the teams responsible for those ministries.
We will also identify major new ministry developments. These proposals will form the main agenda for a parish consultation on August 13. At that consultation we will aim to identify our major new priorities for the next few years.
There are also a number of smaller ministries which we will encourage people to sign up for.
After the consultation day we will set up planning and research teams for any major new ministries we agree about. These planning teams will report back with specific proposals about how to establish the new ministries. After that we will look for volunteers to be part of the mission teams to establish the new ministries.
Please keep praying for this process. What we are doing is attempting to discern the major priorities for time, energy, people and finance for the next four or five years. When we did a similar thing in 1995 we were able to begin the 6.30 church plant, begin a process of evangelism that led to the Alpha course starting and other evangelistic events which have followed in its wake. We have begun some ministry in Northbridge and also employed a second staff member to assist in ministry to younger people. So we have seen some good fruit and strategic decisions from our last attempt.
Not everything we plan to do in August will come about. But some things will. Judging by the responses there is a lot of energy for reaching out with the gospel as well as nurturing and improving the ministries we have now.
As well as praying please consider the feedback paper carefully so you can contribute your discernment, enthusiasm and ideas on August 13.
One of the marks of the consumer culture is choice. Those who sell to us capitalise on our freedom of choice by trying to persuade us that their slightly different product will be a better choice than another.
We who consume are sometimes frustrated and immobilised by the bewildering variety of choices. But mostly we are glad of it. Choice brings with it a certain power. It makes us feel as though we really are in charge of something. Our apparent freedom of choice tells us that we have power.
But power of this kind can be a slavery. When and why did we agree that we should choose at all? When the street sellers of Bali ask us whether we would like this one or that one, we may say we don't want either. But in Hay street or Galleria it may not be so easy to say we don't want to choose. Because that means we don't want to consume.
There is an assumption about consumption which gives the power to choose its energy. Advertisers want to persuade us that buying itself is good. Well, we don't usually need too much persuading. But that may be because we are already captivated by the idol.
Apart from the disfunction of consuming to meet inner needs of depression, loneliness and frustration, there is another important issue for Christians.
Choosing can delude me into thinking that I make the decisions. It can massage my ego (as the sellers will try to do), and tell me that I am the one who determines what is good for me.
But Christians do not believe that. At least they shouldn't. But I think many do, because the idolatry of choice shows itself not only at Galleria, but at St. Alban's. A significant trend in the last decade has been that Christians are making more conscious choices about the degree to which they will follow Christ. People always made these choices, but I think that now they are more conscious. Of course choosing is an act of an obedient servant. But is can also be the act of a rebel who does not submit their will to their master.
Servants do what their master tells them to do. Consumers pick and choose according to their perceived best interests. Giving one's life for others is not a consumer choice. But it is a disciple's choice.
Choice itself can be an idolatry which like all idolatries masters and consumes us. Humility, meekness, obedience, service and love for the Lord are its opposites.
What things come to your mind when you reflect on the forgiveness of your sins? What are the implications, or applications that flow?
The issue of the removal of guilt and the forgiveness of sins by the One True sacrifice for sin is brilliantly dealt with in the Letter to the Hebrews. The writer gives a profound and detailed argument as to the uniqueness of Jesus' person and work, and the once-for-all nature of his sacrifice for sins. In a verse that sums up the monumental turning point in salvation history, the writer says,
"Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. (Heb 10:17-18).
After this he gets down to applying the forgiveness of sins to the Christian life (answering the question I asked above). And his answers may surprise us.
He offers three applications that begin with the exhortation "Therefore ... let us..."
The first application is,
"let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith" (Heb 10:22)
If sin no longer stands between us and God, and God created us for relationship with himself, then let's do what we're created for &endash; draw near in faith!
The second application is,
"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess" (Heb 10:23).
If Christ has removed our sin and guilt, what can prevent us finally approaching God after this life? Nothing! Assurance is another application.
Both of these applications have been suggested earlier in Hebrews, and I'd imagine that most of us would have suggested them as applications of the forgiveness of our sins. But it's the third application that seems to come from left of field,
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another&emdash;and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Heb 10:24-25).
Gathering together regularly and frequently and not giving up, considering before I get there how I'll spur others on to love and good deeds, is as much an application of the forgiveness of my sins as my drawing near to God in faith.
Were you expecting this application? Are your sins forgiven? Then "let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds [and] not give up meeting together."
Gordon
A major change has happened in world Christianity since World War II. From being dominated by European and western churches, Christianity in the latter part of the twentieth century has become centred in Asia, Africa, and South America. After the collapse of colonial rule and the withdrawal of colonial protection and sometimes of missionaries, local indigenous churches have flourished.
At the 1998 Lambeth Conference 224 of the 735 bishops were from Africa compared with only 139 from UK and Europe. There are 2.8 million baptised Anglicans in the United States but 17 million in Nigeria alone. 700,000 protestants in China in 1949 have grown under communist persecution to between 12 and 36 million by the end of the century. African Independent Churches, founded in Africa by Africans for Africans now number more than 7000 independent indigenous denominations. A Pentecostal group known as the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God begun in 1970 now has 800 churches with two million worshippers in South America.
In reporting this amazing change Dana L. Robert in the International Bulletin of Missionary Research (24.2 April 2000) says "What at first glance appears to be the largest world religion is in fact the ultimate local religion." Everywhere Christianity has been indigenised, not without problems, but so effectively that large numbers are turning to Christ every day.
So what does this have to do with us? The research shows clearly that it is younger churches that are growing. So where does that leave a 112 year old church? Well youthfulness is in the deed and the mind. Young churches have a passion for the gospel. They have a willingness to try forms of evangelism and church life which correspond to their culture. They are willing to critique their culture from within. They are willing to live radically according to Bible principles and to be directed and empowered supernaturally by the Holy Spirit.
Could St. Alban's be a young church? Or perhaps plant more young churches? Church life in Australia generally is pretty slack and unmotivated. Ought we not be aiming with zeal and enthusiasm to see many people brought to Christ , many churches planted (whether Anglican or not), and new forms of church life invented for modern Australians?
What would it take for that to happen? To start with it might need about 60 people prepared to give up their own interests, a large amount of their time, energy and money in order to plant new churches in Perth. That's just this year. Who knows after that. Feeling young? Or old and tired?
Just what are we doing in church today?
Finish this sentence: "We have come together today to ... "
It's not unusual for us to finish the sentence with something like "to minister to others", or "to praise God". The prayer book suggests things like "to give thanks for the good things we have received at [God's] hands, to offer the praise that is his due, to hear his holy word, and to ask what is necessary for the body as well as the soul."
All of these things are important, and without them we could hardly be called a church.
But there is a more fundamental answer to the question, "What are we doing in church today?"
Think of a married couple that you know.
Now, in your mind, what are they doing?
I'd guess they're not doing anything in particular. Married couples do many things together, eat, sleep, talk, holiday, write notes, raise a family etc, etc. Without doing those things you'd hardly call it a marriage. But none of those things define the marriage. When you thought of the married couple, did you just think of the two people? That's what the marriage is; a relationship, two people together, committed to each other for life. The "doing" of things is the outworking of the relationship. But without the relationship, all the actions in the world won't make it a marriage. Their relationship together is an end in itself.
And it's the same with church. What we are comes before what we do. If we picture a church, essentially we should simply picture a group of people, with Christ in their presence. It's a corporate relationship. Without that, all the "doing" in the world won't make it a church. The relationship itself is the chief purpose.
When we meet around God's word, we are the church. If we don't meet, we're not the church, because it's when we meet that we express our relationship together with Christ.
It's important that we work out the implications of our relationship together (ie Jesus' command to "love one another"), but it's also liberating to remember that primarily we are his church when we gather. This relationship is an end in itself, and the relationship we're expressing here today is an eternal one!
We're here in Church to be the church, gathered together in Christ's name around his word.
Gordon Killow
Imagine a church that was always being extended or renovated or altered. A church in which the builders were always present. Such a church would be a bit of a mess (if you were here in 1995 when the hall was extended you will remember). It would also hardly have a tradition. Nothing would remain the same long enough for people to remember the way it was. Or else there would be little bits that stayed the same while other bits were added.
Not many people would like to use a church like that. It would be very unsettling. And yet in the animal and plant kingdom life is always like that. Living organisms keep growing and changing and never stay the same. Mature human organisms often regret this change but can do little to prevent it.
The church which is the body of Christ is like that too. People from outside its fellowship are always being built into it. It is always changing. And some of its members are unsettled by the change and try to resist it. But Paul thought that one of the reasons the church existed was to be the place into which new believers were built. It exists as a flexible changing building always being extended because it is the body where people are brought near to God.
If the church is being modified all the time it is quite likely to be unsettling for those who value the church as a stable entity. But the church's stability is not based on an unchanging set of members. It is based on the stability of its foundation and its occupant. Whether we think things are changing depends on what we are looking at. If we look at the people in church and their preferred practices then we should always see change. That is what we should expect and look for. Our security in life should not be based on stable arrangements with people in church and their practices. Rather our stability depends on the church being founded on Jesus himself. And on the presence of God the Holy Spirit in our midst.
This is another way of saying that the stable point of life is not centred on me as an individual but on us as the corporate body in Christ. It is the body of Christ which is secure and stable even though it is continually changing. Such a perspective allows us to be rock-solid secure while at the same time embracing the perpetual church extensions that are part of seeing people added to God's building.
In heaven there is a vast assembly of glorified saints. People who have trusted God to be merciful and whom God has declared to be righteous. People like Abraham and David and others who have known the blessing of not having their sin held against them.
This great assembly of the holy ones, also includes believers on earth in a certain way. Paul thought that not only had we been raised from the death of sin, but we had also been raised up with Christ to sit with him in the heavenly places (Eph 2.6). It is this great assembly that we have come to by being in Christ (Heb 12.22).
And it is the same assembly we join each Sunday as we meet here on earth. Our weekly assembly is the earthly counterpart and experience of that heavenly church (Eph 2.14-22). This is how we belong to the one church of God while we are still in the flesh. Assembling with others is not merely a gathering of individuals with some common interest in Christianity. It is the way we meet as the heavenly and eternal church for the time being. This gathering we are part of is the eternal group. This is the family of God, his temple and household. This is the only group that will last for eternity. When we meet we are not part of the church, we are the church in its local manifestation.
And we are his church. Jesus Christ is its cornerstone, the apostles and prophets are its foundations. We are the church of the living God. We neither own it, nor support it. The church depends for its life on the word of God and meets in the presence of the Spirit of God. We do not invite God to be present - he has called us to meet with him. We are his temple in which he dwells by his Spirit.
No wonder the writer to the Hebrews warned us not to refuse him who speaks. No wonder he urged us to be thankful because we are to receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Heb 12.25-29).
How glad we should be to meet with fellow saints in anticipation of the heavenly assembly. How precious this meeting to which God himself calls us by his Spirit. What anticipation we might have knowing we are meeting with the people of the living God, in the presence of his Spirit and within sound of his word.
I've been reading two books lately, both about men who grew up in the Roman Catholic church, but about 400 years apart. I can't help but be struck by their similarities, and contrasts. One is Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, the other is "Here I Stand", a biography of Martin Luther.
This is how McCourt remembers himself at 15,
He was convinced that he was the worst of sinners, beyond forgiveness as it was offered in the Catholic church, but ever conscious of his sin; "I still have the sin in me, the abscess, and I hope it doesn't kill me entirely..." Sadly, the only peace he seems to find by the end of the book is the peace of denial, rather than of forgiveness.
Similarly, as a young man, Luther was also convinced that he was the worst of sinners. He also couldn't find forgiveness in what he was taught. But he turned to the Scriptures to find a solution to his problem, and in 1525 could write,
The gospel is such good news because it is for all "worst of sinners", as the Apostle Paul had discovered too,
Gordon Killow
How could a church be part of its local community? Or how could a church serve as a focus for its community?
In the olden days the people who attended the church were the local community so the two entities were inter-related. But that is less so these days and much less so in a church which gathers its people from a wide area.
Perhaps a more fundamental question is why would a church want to be part of or a focus for its local community. My answer is that it would want to do that because it had a love for the people in whose community it met; because it wanted the gospel to transform that community; and because it wanted to advertise and promote the fame and glory of its Lord.
In recent years we have seen more people belong to St. Alban's who live in the local area. We have also had more to do with the local community. How can this increase? One church uses its property for a local market day - people hire a table and set up their wares for sale. The church provides coffee etc and has its own stalls. The aim is to bring the community together. In Highgate the local precinct group has begun to use our hall and some of St. Alban's people havce attended the meetings. Soup kithcen has been running for twelve years now. Some of us are interested in finding our more about what other needs could be met at St. Alban's or through ministries based here.
One of the difficulties with Highgate is that it is socially a very mixed area. It also has no real focus - there is no place that acts as a centre for the Highgate community. St. Alban's has its own difficulties in that a majority of our people are not part of this community.
So is there the possibility to connect with our community at all? Yes I think so. Those with a call and vision for it will have to start somewhere small and pray for the conversion of more local people who can then continue the ministry in the area. In fact we have already started and have more than one base for growth.
So please pray as we look into this further.
In The Bulletin dated April 25, Archbishop Carnley wrote an Easter message which has been the source of some controversy over the last week. His argument was that only via the victim can we be saved.
He argued that in Acts 4.12 (Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.) it was the Jesus the people in Jerusalem had crucified, their victim, who was now the source of their salvation. Their victim was now offering them forgiveness. He extended this argument to suggest that salvation was mediated to us by our victims (passive or active victims) when they also offered us forgiveness instead of vengeance.
Now of course salvation at a human level is mediated to us whenever someone we have wronged forgives us. Mutual forgiveness is a marvellous element in human relationships. But it is confusing if we think this is the same as God forgiving us for what we have done against him. As though the human mediation was God's salvation itself. It may be a consequence of it but it is not the same thing.
Furthermore not any victim will do. Dr Carnley qualified the kind of victim by saying, "Only a living victim, restored and vindicated, in other words can be the bearer of forgiveness..." His article omits any discussion of how a victim might be restored and vindicated - except for Jesus of course. That is one reason that salvation is found only in him, not in any victim but only in this victim because God has vindicated him.
But what is it about a victim that saves us? Is it merely that they no longer hold against us the wrong we did? The death of Jesus is more than that. He was not just a victim of human hatred and neglect. He willingly offered his life in place of ours. The judgement that hung over us was taken by him. He died as a sinner with our sin on him suffering our condemnation in our place. So victim does not quite tell the whole story. He was a sacrifice for sin. God put him forward as a sacrifice of atonement, a propitiation.
And God raised him from the dead. The power and name of Jesus were not only the source of healing for the crippled man in Acts 3, they are also the only name and power to save anyone into a living relationship with God.
If we want to understand the great mercy of our saviour Jesus in dying for the whole human race we have to understand why he died. When Adam broke God's command in the garden of Eden and ate the fruit he was told not to eat, he condemned both himself and all his descendants to everlasting death. This was exactly what God said would happen when he told Adam not to eat the fruit in the middle of the garden.
So Adam and his descendants became mortal, they were cast out of the garden, they lost the favour of God and were like lost sheep. They continued to disobey God. In this state there was no way the human race could deliver itself from eternal death or from God's judgement. We could not pacify God's anger by offering sacrifices, nor could we keep God's law perfectly so as to turn away his judgement.
But when all hope of righteousness was past on our part, when there was nothing we could do to achieve our own salvation then Christ the son of God came down from heaven to suffer for our sake. He was condemned to death, he took upon himself the penalty for our sins, he gave his body to be broken on the cross for our sins. As Isaiah said "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:4,5, NIV.
So the cause of his death from our point of view was our sin. At his birth he was named Jesus because he would save his people from their sins. John the Baptist called him the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. We are the cause of his death. Christ the perfect son of God who never committed any sin came from heaven to give his body on the cross for our sins. Was this not a clear indication of God's great displeasure towards sin? Does it not show how much God detests sin - and yet look at this great sign of God's love. He gave us his one and only son, we who were his mortal enemies, so that by his blood shed on the cross we might be cleansed from our sins and made righteous in his sight.
But how can we benefit from Christ's death? Only by faith, that is by a sure trust and confidence in the mercies of God. A trust that believes God will forgive our sins, that he has accepted us into his favour, not because we deserve it but because Christ died for us. So let us put our trust in our saviour Jesus Christ.
A simplified paraphrase from the homily for Good Friday (1563). Click here for the full text of the homily for Good Friday.
Epitaphs are out of fashion now. But in the past they served a valuable purpose of summarising what was good or notable in a person's life. Writing an epitaph is a good way of focussing the central values of a life.
Epitaphs could be written as we progress through life. They could summarise the heart of a stage of life. For some of us this would be helpful because it might allow us to acknowledge what was good in that period and move on to something else.
The same applies to churches. Churches move through different era's. The further in the past the fewer people remember and value what was good then. Epitaphs of an era can summarise and celebrate what was good and valuable in God's work in the church in that time, and remind future generations of their heritage.
The day will come when the final epitaph for a church will be needed. But it won't be written because it will be spoken as God's judgement on that church. How the builders have built will be revealed by fire (1 Cor 3.13). When that time comes and all the Christians who have ever served in St. Alban's see the result of their ministries over the years - what will we hope to hear and see?
What are the great values and aspirations we hold dear at St. Alban's? What will we hope to hear said about St. Alban's on the last day?
I hope to hear that St. Alban's was a church united in love for Jesus and for each other. I hope to hear that we were a church that showed practical compassion to the poor and needy. I would like to hear that we were people who were enthusiasts for Jesus and his word, who weren't seduced by the world's values but stood out as disciples of King Jesus. I would like to hear that we were a church which passionately urged people to obey and trust Jesus. I hope that we were never famous, but that God was renowned because of his work in and through us. I hope to see millions of people in heaven who came to know Christ through the ministry of St. Alban's and its people.
What are the great things you would like to see revealed on the other side of the fire?
This year in the UK Christians around the country are planning to invite the whole nation to supper. They are doing this in order to encourage them to join an Alpha course. This nationwide strategy follows a national Alpha initiative last year when 4.5 million invitations were distributed and 1700 billboards carried Alpha posters.
May will see a similar national initiative in Australia. Publicity and invitations will aim to draw many people into Alpha courses.
St. Alban's has been running Alpha since 1996. Our first course for this year is half way through, and we are getting ready for the next course which starts on May 3 and which will be part of the Alpha2000 National Initiative.
Alpha has had an amazing growth around the world especially since about 1995. In 1998 nearly half a million people attended an Alpha course.
So is it a magic bullet? No. It is an imperfect tool that God is using to enthuse Christians and to bring the gospel to others. It won't last forever but at the moment it connects well with some of the life habits of a middle class target group. So in my opinion it is worth making the most of it along with other tools of evangelism.
How to make the most of it? Alpha really works on the basis of forming relationships. So inviting friends along is a good place to start. But you don't have to take people - in fact it is better to have few Christians and mostly people who are inquiring about the Christian faith. At St. Alban's we invite Christians to be part of the team and provide them with some training. The Alpha course has a way of balancing the number of team with the number of attenders so the team doesn't out-number the others. People can be encouraged to attend with the knowledge that they will form good friendships with others on the course.
So I want to encourage you to pray for this next Alpha. Come and pray on April 8, pray at home and in your triplet. And also look around for people who may be ready to check out the Christian faith - maybe for the first time, maybe to brush up on things they learnt as a young person. In fact you may be such a person. May be Alpha could be for you.
The wickedness of men is often attributed to bad examples, bad company, peculiar temptations, or the snares of the devil. It seems forgotten that every man carries within him a fountain of wickedness. We need no bad company to teach us, and no devil to tempt us, in order to run into sin. We have within us the beginning of every sin under heaven.
We ought to remember this in the training and education of children. In all our management we must never forget that the seeds of all mischief and wickedness are in their hearts. It is not enough to keep boys and girls at home, and shut out every outward temptation. They carry within them a heart ready for any sin; and until that heart is changed, they are not safe, whatever we do. When children do wrong, it is a common practice to lay all the blame on bad companions. But it is mere ignorance, blindness, and foolishness to do so. Bad companions are a great evil no doubt, and an evil to be avoided as much as possible. But no bad companion teaches a boy or girl half as much sin as their own hearts will suggest to them, unless they are renewed by the Spirit. The beginning of all wickedness is within. If parents were half as diligent in praying for their children's conversion as they are in keeping them from bad company, their children would turn out far better than they do.
The common arguments against public-school education appear to me based on forgetfulness of our Lord's teaching about the heart. Unquestionably there are many evils in public schools, however carefully conducted. It must needs be so. We must expect it. But it is no less true that there are great dangers in private education, and dangers in their kind quite as formidable as any which beset a boy at public school. Of course no universal rule can be laid down. Regard must be had to individual character and temperament. But to suppose, as some seem to do, that boys educated at public schools must turn out ill, and boys educated at home must turn out well is surely not wise. It is forgetting our Lord's doctrine, that the heart is the principal source of evil. Without a change of heart a boy may he kept at home, and yet learn all manner of sin.
Bishop JC Ryle Comments on Mark 7 (1857)
Last Sunday at 9.30 we had a great time of praise. For those of you who were not there it happened after the sermon before the prayers.
It took the form of people being given the opportunity to speak about answers to prayer or other acts of grace God had done in their lives.
Lots of people spoke about how God had answered their prayers. Some told how God had done this in a dramatic or unexpected way. Others described God's strength and support in times of difficulty, and others talked about how God had helped them during a long time of struggle. And so on.
Some would have described this as a kind of testimony time. But it was a time of praising God. I suppose that is what testimony is anyway.
The kind of praise we heard was not directed at God but to other people. God was a listener to the praise but the primary audience was other believers. This is a classic form of praise, being characteristic not only of the great hymns but of much of the Psalms. It is a way of declaring to all who will hear how great God is. God is praised by this because his fame and goodness is spread abroad. It is a close cousin to evangelism which has similar content but a different audience.
In the Psalms there are different kinds of praise. Some is directed to God himself, some is about God but directed to other people. Both of these are real praise. They are accompanied in the Psalms by exhortations to praise the Lord sometimes with reminders of what God has done in the past.
Our praise time last week was a great encouragement. Talking about how good God is is always encouraging. It was also encouraging because it reminded me that praise takes many forms. Sometimes formal as in a prayer, sometimes musical in a song, sometimes about God, sometimes to God. Whether public or private or in conversation with another person all this praise glorifies God because it declares his wonderful works and his majestic being.
Let us keep on talking about him and speaking to him. Whether we get anything out of it is entirely secondary. We may be encouraged or stirred to love and trust God more. But that is not the main game. God is to be praised because he is God. This is not centred on us. It is for him.
It is unsettling when people appear to give up the Christian faith. How are we to explain this? Often the people who appear to have stopped practising as Christians were once very keen. They may even have been in leadership. Not all drop out of church of course - it is possible to have people who no longer believe still exercising ministry.
But there are degrees and shades in this. Part of the explanation is that some unbelief is temporary - a period of time during which a person has been side-tracked or enticed away.
For others the depth of their belief was shallow. In the old days of missionary work there was a category known as "rice Christians" - people who became Christians - outwardly at least - in order to gain material benefits. This phenomenon still exists where people join church and make a profession of faith because they benefit from the social environment - or in some other way.
Shallow faith also shows itself with "chocolate Christians". These are the ones that melt in the heat - who choose not to stand firm when the pressure mounts. In our culture there are strong pressures to give ourselves to other priorities. Life is just too demanding to be fair dinkum Christians.
So are these people really Christians at all? It is easiest to answer that question for oneself. Am I devoted and submitted to and trusting of Jesus in all parts of my life? Is he really the Lord who determines my priorities and upon whom I depend for my life? Do I have a divided loyalty - either in terms of another lord I obey or another source of life I look to? Am I living in obedience or rebellion?
As for our friends who may appear to have abandoned Christ - their perseverance in discipleship is the only outward indicator we can see. That is the fruit of a godly life. Where that appears to be absent we should pray, encourage, exhort and generally apply the scriptures as they are appropriate. However we must not confuse roles. We are not God. we cannot bring them back. That is God's work. Were it not for the grace of God none of us would last a day. So we must call out to God for his grace in their lives. Neither are we the other person. We cannot make their choices for them. In the end we have to accept that they are responsible for their on choices - and some will choose to turn away from Christ.
The author of that great acrostic poem Psalm 119 seems to have had a reading problem. He could read but not see what was there. There is a different kind of problem when a person can read and think they see what is there but really can't.
Anyone who has learnt the basic skills of reading can read a text in their own language. But most of us have had the experience of reading something and being able to make no sense of it. We can read all the words but cannot fathom the meaning. This often happens when we read a technical text that is outside our experience or training.
Some of us have also had the experience of reading a letter or article and interpreting its meaning quite differently to everyone else. Sometimes we were red faced and other times our self-esteem multiplied.
But the problem the Psalmist faced was deeper than this. He was able to read texts and understand a meaning in them - in the same way that anyone else can. But he knew there was something to see in them that could not be perceived with the natural mind. That is why he prayed,
' Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.' Psalm 119.18
When we read the text of scripture we are reading at two levels. At one level we are understanding a written version of our language. How well we understand it depends on our language ability. But at another level we are reading a spiritual communication from the living God. This text can only be understood spiritually. The words are the same but the meaning is only accessible to those who can see spiritually.
To see spiritually is a divine gift. That is why the Psalmist prays that God will open his eyes to see. This is always the case with the Bible. We must not confuse language ability with spiritual insight. Always we must depend on God to help us see what he has caused to be written. Only the humble can come at this because it requires us to acknowledge that we have no ability to see in this way. We are utterly dependent on God's grace.
So every time we read the bible or hear it read or explained we should pray that God will enlighten our minds. Or as Paul said it.
'I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.' Ephesians 1:18,19.
Henry Lawson tells a story (The Bath) about a man who at the end of a hard day made great preparations for a long bath. He covered the bath with a sheet to keep in the heat, laid out his book and pipe, had a cup of tea at hand, poured in plenty of hot water, and then ran the cold to get the temperature right. However when he stepped in, the bath was cold - he had forgotten to put in the plug!
Christmas is one of those few times in the year when we make long and detailed preparations for a great event. Buying presents, cooking, planning, inviting family together, decorating trees and rooms. Mostly it pays off. There is a sense of satisfaction in a well-prepared occasion. There may be an element of catharsis in it too. A kind of happy exhaustion that all the rush and stress is finally over for another year.
Such an investment of time and energy usually pays off in allowing friends and family to relax together. Normal fights and dislikes are put aside for the day.
Usually that is. Sometimes not even Christmas can overcome the dislocation of relationships. Sometimes the conflict is merely papered over, so that there is an underlying sadness and tension beneath the Christmas peace. While some of us have really happy Christmases others know they have a plug missing.
In Henry Lawson's story the man merely forgot the plug in his anticipation of a fine bath. Some people know there is no plug and press on anyway. Others know there is no plug and don't try any more. What should we do about the missing plug? Henry Lawson's character gave up his attempt to have a bath and went to bed.
For some of us the plug is more important than the bath. Indeed without the plug we cannot have a bath. Plugs don't seem very important, indeed they are virtually useless - unless one wants to have a bath.
But the enjoyment of relationships, the fulfilment of life does depend on something greater than the outward bonhomie of a great occasion. The festivity of Christmas cannot actually provide what is needed for a happy life. But it does point to its source.
Many things give us a glimpse of a greater, as CS Lewis said,
"The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things - the beauty, the memory of our own past - are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshippers. For they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have not visited."
In the friendship and fun of family and friends being together we have a glimpse of the greater reality of God and us being together. What we long for and enjoy (sometimes) at a human level has been made possible at the divine level by the birth, death, and resurrection of the Son of God.
There is little use continuing to set up great events at a human level if the "plug" of the divine is not in place in our life. It is our relationship with God which gives ultimate meaning to life, and satisfaction to human relationships - and provides for their healing and transformation.