What can we learn from Mary?

Luke 1:26 – 38; 46 - 55

  

Despite being central to the Christmas story, we often don’t speak of Mary.

Mary provides a model of the character and faith of a Growing Disciple of Jesus.  “You have found favour with God” (Lk 1:30)

With God the impossible becomes possible – “For no word from God will ever fail” (Lk 1:37).

When was the last time you faithfully and obediently responded completely to the call of God?

Mary demonstrated humility

Mary dared to believe that God had chosen her

Mary saw it as a joy to be used by God to fulfil this task

Mary recognised that this was the responsibility of God

Today, God still sends messages that can be both disturbing and wonderful at the same time, occurring right in the middle of our life plans.  How will you respond?

Ministers Desk 18 December 2011

As this year comes to an end, it’s safe to say that this has not been easiest of years for many people.  Many people have carried burdens of grief and loss, others have lived with anxiety on behalf of others, some have struggled with health issues and the increasing burdens of growing older.  This year has also seen great celebrations, the birth of children and grandchildren, significant milestones of starting or finishing school, starting new jobs, celebrating significant birthdays and anniversaries.  For most of us though, the year has been both good and bad.  There have been high points and low points.  There have been experiences that we would never miss and times that we’d give anything to have avoided.

Whatever this year has been for you, I want to encourage you to “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good his love endures forever” (Ps 107:1).  Our growth in discipleship enables us to praise God and thank him in both the good and the bad that we have experienced.  We praise God because he has blessed us with the reasons to celebrate.  We thank God that he has journeyed with us in the times that have not been so good.  We praise God and thank him that we always have something good to look forward to.   

I believe that this has been a good year for our congregation.  We have seen God’s blessings in many different ways.  Some of my highlights include the increasing number of people offering to serve in leadership areas of our church, the increase in people participating in an Explore group, the establishment of the Boys’ Brigade company in Noro, the running of a youth Alpha course, the commitment and engagement that members of our congregation showed to ensuring the purpose we had identified was God’s purpose for our congregation and the great support that enabled Stephen to have his cochlear implant surgery.  This is not to ignore many other great but “ordinary” activities that have taken place as groups have continued to meet and undertake their activities.

Thank you for your contribution to our shared life together.  None of what we have done could have been achieved if it had not been for people willing to respond to the call of Jesus Christ and follow him his example of selfless service for others and commitment to the will of God.

My prayer for you now is that you will have a celebration of Christmas in which you are amazed again at what God will do to bring about reconciliation between himself and humanity.  As you experience again the wonder of Christmas, may you be challenged in your response to the God who gives himself to you.  In 2012 may you be filled with new life, experiences and blessings as you live your life closer to God.

The joy of the Lord

Luke 1:26 – 38; 46 - 55

 

The birth of Jesus Christ demands a reaction from us.  What is yours?

Mary’s response was one of joy.

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour.” (Luke 1:46, 47).

Joy not happiness.

Happiness depends on the world around us. 

Joy comes directly from the Holy Spirit.

Experiencing joy requires the ongoing transformation by the Holy Spirit – it is a journey.

Mary fled from the outward things that robbed her of joy.

          What things in your life rob you of joy?

She went to the place that would bring her joy.

          For a Christ follower this is in our relationship with God.

                   Psalm 146:5; Psalm 142:3a; Psalm 30:10, 11

          Where do you find your joy in God?

                   The bible

                   Prayer

                   Serving

                   Worship

Ministers Desk 11 December 2011

Jesus tells us “whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24).  These words tell us that being a disciple of Jesus is not a life a pleasure and ease.  There is a call to service, a call to hardship, a call to sacrifice.  Many Christ-followers struggle with how to interpret the call that Jesus makes on their life.  There have been people who have worked themselves to the point of collapse, exhaustion and burn out.  They have become so involved in their church activities that they have ignored family and friends.  They have believed (wrongly) that the future of the church relies on them.  Others have taken an easy route and avoided or minimised their service in the church.  They have wasted the gifts and opportunities that God has given them and arrogantly thought that the church can do without them.   

When we talk about Growing Disciples who Embody we want people to find the area of service that God calls them into, and do no more than this and no less.  As the example of Jesus shows, service to God is never without its hardships, and can come at a significant cost.  One of the questions that this raises is how to know when to pull out of serving, and when to push through.  An answer that I have found helpful is to ask whether something is doable hard, or destructive hard.

Doable hard is that which whilst it’s hard, gives us life, captivates us, causes us to want to continue giving and developing and growing.  Despite the hardness we want to continue because we believe passionately in what we are doing, we are gifted and talented to do it, it’s what God wants from us at that season in our life, we have control over what we’re doing, we have challenges before us that we want to achieve, we can see the results of our efforts, we have support mechanisms around us. 

Destructive hard on the other hand are those things that are soul destroying.  We get no joy out of them, they’re a drudge, they are destroying the work of being a new creation that Jesus is making in and through us.  They are destructive hard because we’re not gifted or talented, we’re not supported, we’re not committed, we’re not passionate, it’s too easy for us, there’s no challenge.

When we serve in an area that is doable hard, we grow as a disciple of Jesus because we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to get us through.  If you are wondering whether something is too much for you, I encourage you to try the following exercise:

1.      Get out a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle and write down the reasons why something is doable hard and destructive hard and decide for yourself which one it is.

2.      If it’s doable hard talk to someone who can provide support, give you encouragement, reflect on the good news, build you up.  If it’s destructive hard, talk to someone who can help you manage a way out of that ministry.  Not just throw in the towel straight away, but in a timely, appropriate, non-destructive way, move away and find something new.

Ministers Desk 4 December 2011

During the week I had my haircut.  The hairdresser opened up the conversation with “have you got plans for Christmas?”  My immediate reaction was to talk about the family activities we have (or don’t yet have planned), to speak about the pressure of multiple parties and end of year activities and to talk about the present I have to buy.   I know that if I had gone down this conversational track, we would have talked about the stress, pressure and expense of Christmas.  It’s a familiar conversation that many people have in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Instead of this conversation, I chose to have another one.  I told her about the plans I had for the Christmas services and the way that my Christmas morning would be structured around going to church.  I told her how much I was looking forward to it, and the things that I appreciated about worshipping together with my family on Christmas Eve.  She told me about her memories of church services from when she was growing up.  The conversation didn’t go much further than that, but it provided an opportunity to present a different message about the Christmas season.

The message of Christmas, indeed of Christianity, is counter-cultural.  It therefore calls for us to stand against the culture of our society and present a different message.  We believe that in the birth of Jesus God acted decisively in this world to change it for the better.  In the weeks of Advent we reflect on the themes of hope, love, joy and peace.  These are not just words to be repeated in church, but themes that define how we live and interact with other people.  Therefore we don’t need to let the world tell us that Christmas is a stressful time or that it’s all about presents, parties, end of year events and get togethers. 

Instead of allowing the world to tell us how to respond to Christmas, we should allow the Holy Spirit to transform our thinking.  In this way we can see that Christmas is about love that overlooks and heals any troubles we’ve had this year; it is about joy in knowing that in Jesus we have a gift of eternal life; it is about peace that supports us through the complexities of life and hope that looks beyond the present circumstances and to the new thing that God is doing in our world. 

As you engage with friends, family acquaintances and other people this Christmas season, I encourage you to think of the ways that you can speak about the Christmas message and bring the light of Christ into this world.  This could mean that we speak about our most favourite aspect of Christmas.  We could speak about the 200 people our church is supporting with our Christmas Hampers.  We could speak of the gift of hearing that Stephen from the Solomon Islands (not Christmas, but still a good news story).  We could talk about the difference that the birth of Jesus makes to this world, or you could get personal and speak of your faith. 

Through Jesus Christ the world is changed.  As we continue to grow as his disciples, we find new ways of showing that.

Disturbing our peace

Isaiah 64:1 - 9

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before you!

As when fire sets twigs ablaze
and causes water to boil,
come down to make your name known to your enemies
and cause the nations to quake before you!

For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,
you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.

Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

You come to the help of those who gladly do right,
who remember your ways.
But when we continued to sin against them,
you were angry.
How then can we be saved?

All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

No one calls on your name
or strives to lay hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us
and have given us over to our sins.

Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.

Do not be angry beyond measure, Lord;
do not remember our sins forever.
Oh, look on us, we pray,
for we are all your people.

 

When do you cry out for help in frustration?

Looking for God’s intervention in their world requires:

• Looking back to the powerful deeds of God in the past (v 3-5)
• Confessing their rejection of God (v 6-7)
• Surrendering to the work of God in their life (v8 – 9)

What do you call on God to do in your life, the lives of others and for the whole world?

As you call out, are you willing for God to act in a decisive and earth shattering way in the world and life?

Jesus continually confronts us with radical ideas

Matt 5:44; Matt 10:35; Luke 18:22

Growing Disciples are people who pray earnestly and often that God will rock their world in ways that they cannot ever hope to imagine. 

Spend some time considering how open you are to God transforming your life and world in ways that you can’t control?

Ministers Desk 27 November 2011

As you have probably noticed, much of the church building has been painted in recent weeks.  This is part of a long term maintenance schedule that ensures proper stewardship of our building and equipment.  My thanks are expressed to the numerous people who have been involved in many aspects of preparation work.  People would be amazed at the many jobs that were necessary so that the painters could do their part.  I particularly want to thank Trevor Battley for coordinating everything that has happened.  It is a tribute to his work that an excellent job has been done and with little inconvenience or disruption.  In future years the remainder of the painting will be completed.

Now that the building has been freshened up, it is our responsibility to keep it looking as good as possible.  We can do this in four ways.

First, is to ensure that we respect and protect the building.  We do this by not taking it for granted, but minimising the normal wear and tear that any large, often used building experiences. 

Second, is that we take personal responsibility for maintaining the cleanliness and tidiness of the building.  Put things back to where they belong when you have finished with them and throw rubbish away. 

Thirdly, we can share together in maintaining the building by being part of the cleaning roster or grounds roster, or by joining the Thursday working group, or by taking on a particular job.  These are not onerous or time consuming tasks, but they are essential.  In less than two hours I am able to vacuum the church. 

Fourthly, we recognise that the maintenance work that has been undertaken in the last couple of years has eaten significantly into our financial reserves, as was intended.  However, we now need to enter into a time a rebuilding those reserves.  Please continually consider your financial response to God’s grace and remember that the financial support of the congregation is our responsibility.

In the book of Exodus we read of instructions that God gave the Israelites regarding the building and equipping of the Tent of Meeting.  Time after time we read of people who gave generously of the best that they had, both in materials and time.  They gave because they responded to a God who had called them to be his own people.  Admittedly, the church building does not play the same role in our faith as the Temple/Tent of Meeting did for the Israelites.  Yet, it is a sign of our response to God that we steward the resources that have been entrusted to us to fulfil God’s mission.  Our building and equipment are tools to use for mission.  They are tools that have been passed onto us by previous generations, in turn we are to pass them onto future generations.  Please share in this task in the ways that God calls you.

Ministers Desk November 20 2011

Last week I wrote about some of the steps we’re taking to help us better engage with families who present their children for baptism.  We offer baptism in response to the instruction of Jesus to his church, and as a sign of God’s inclusive grace into the Body of Christ, which is the church.  As we are aware in our own lives, the grace of God revealed to us in Jesus Christ calls from us a response.  This is the life of discipleship into which each one of Christ’s followers must continue to grow.  Hence our purpose of Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore Embody, Engage. 

For some families who present their children for baptism, the response to discipleship is beyond what they are currently prepared to commit.  To provide a meaningful choice for parents the church also offers a service of thanksgiving for the birth of the child.  This takes place during a regular Sunday service.  The parents and child are presented to the congregation and prayers are offered on behalf of the family.  These are prayers of thanks for the birth of the child and prayers of blessing for the child and the parents as they build a future for themselves.  What is absent from this service is any question of a commitment or a response from the parents for themselves or on behalf of their child.  This is a time to celebrate and give thanks to God for the birth of a child. 

Making use of this service allows parents to authentically respond to God’s goodness in the birth of a child, without having to make promises that they may not be in a position to fulfil.  Parents also make use of this service where they wish to allow their child to make their own decision about faith in Jesus Christ.  These parents present their children in church, seeking God’s blessings on their efforts to raise their children in the life and faith of the Christian church.  Some regular worshipping members of our congregation have chosen this option for their children. 

A service of thanksgiving can take place in addition to a baptism.  We encourage families to have their child baptised in their local church, to facilitate the building of the relationship that is implicit in baptism.  Yet, the family may also want to present their child in worship at Emmanuel because they have family members or past connections here.  A service of thanksgiving would be an ideal way of maintaining connections with Emmanuel, whilst fully honouring the meaning and purpose of baptism through a growing connection with a local congregation where the family can grow as disciples.

I encourage you to continue to think how we live out and practice our faith as people who grow in the love and grace of Jesus Christ as his followers.  Many times this will require that we look again at our practices of the past and evaluate whether they are authentic reflections of Christ’s will for his church.  Where they are not, they take courage and resolve to align ourselves with his plan to grow disciples for his kingdom.

Is God violent?

Matthew 5:38 - 42

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.  And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.   If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Noah’s Ark - Genesis 6:9 – 9:29

A favourite children’s story,

but what is the full story?

Many Old Testament passages portray violent acts of God

Ezekiel 9:5 – 7
          Jeremiah 51:20-23
          Isaiah 13:9

Why can’t we ignore it?

God’s character does not change, the capacity of humans to understand God does change.

Jesus - “the image of the invisible God...... for God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.”                        Colossians 1:15, 19

Through Jesus we see what God is like.

Matthew 5:39

Matthew 5:40

Matthew 5:41

How does seeing God through the life and person of Jesus, affect the way you understand God’s character?