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?

Ministers Desk 13 November

Over the space of five months this year, the Elders spent time considering how we may better include baptism families into the life of this congregation.  Through our discussions we affirmed some core beliefs our congregation holds about baptism.  These are that in baptism we believe:

·         in the grace of God that reaches out to us before we are aware of him and which is available to all, as a free expression of the mercy of God. 

·         that baptism is a sign and symbol of this mercy, and that it is available for all, both adult and child.

Baptism is about incorporation into the Body of Christ, which is the church.  It is therefore about relationship and connectedness with Christ, his people and his church.  We see this each time we have a baptism through the promises and responses that are made.  When the Elders met to discuss, study and pray about this matter we sought to find a practice that honours our beliefs and maximises the opportunity that is presented to draw baptism families deeper into the fellowship of the church. 

To do this we are asking families to join with us in worship in the weeks leading up to the baptism.  This allows them to build relationships with other members of the congregation, and to become familiar with what happens in the service.  Greater familiarity will provide a more meaningful baptism experience for both the family and the congregation. 

We will also be spending more time with the parents in pre-baptism preparation.  At present we meet at least once with the parents to discuss the meaning of baptism and what happens in the service.  We will spend more time with them, helping them to have a greater understanding and ownership of the promises that they will be making in the baptism service. 

Following the baptism the Elder assigned to the family and others will be more intentional in maintaining contact with the family.  This will include making invitations to attend groups and activities.  The work of the cradle roll will continue with cards sent on the anniversary of the baptism, and an invitation to attend Kidzone issued when the child turns three years of age.

We hope to achieve two things through this.  The first is a stronger relationship between the church and the family.  This has always been our hope with baptism.  However, in very few instances have we seen this come about.  Now, we are trying something more intentional to see if it will bring about a different outcome.  The second is that it is part of our purpose of Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore, Embody, Engage.  Baptism is not just a once off ritual that takes place and is forgotten.  It represents a stage of spiritual growth for the parents and child and we want to maximise this opportunity.  We partner with the Holy Spirit so that we he may bring about further transformation and growth in Christ’s disciples. 

Ministers Desk 6 November

We have a clearly defined purpose!

 Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore, Embody, Engage.  

It is our belief that God has led us to this purpose, and that as we live it out more fully God will bless us more fully, both as his church and as his people. 

This purpose provides a simple path for growth in discipleship by placing before us four key disciplines.  These disciplines are regular and frequent participation in worship (exalt); membership of a small group (explore); at least one area of service that stretches us to a God only place (embody); and sharing our faith with someone believing that in Christ they will come to own their own faith (engage).  The important part of these disciplines though is the spiritual growth we achieve through them, not in doing them alone.  If we were just to focus on doing this, they would become merely works of righteousness, and Jesus has plenty of words to condemn these types of practices.  If we see them as disciplines to lead us to a deeper relationship with God and reliance on his grace, they become activities of joy and pleasure that bring light into our lives.   

Why these disciplines?  Firstly, we can see them in the life of Jesus and the early church.  The daily devotions that we used during August highlighted the biblical basis for these disciplines.  Secondly, they are consistent with the character of our church.  There is nothing new in these, except the emphasis we’ll place on them as means of growth.   

Whilst the purpose is simple, it is in no way easy.  To truly follow Jesus in the way that he calls us is more than we are able to do in our own strength.  We must and will rely upon the Holy Spirit to empower us to move forward.  At the same time, we will be aware of the grace of Jesus Christ that forgives us for those times when we haven’t been willing to follow him faithfully.  We will also know the comforting embrace of God who accepts us wherever we are on our spiritual journey.  We will become more aware of the life of Christ in us we loves us as we are, but loves us too much to leave us that way and provides for us the way into his future. 

I said at the meeting last week that this purpose is not just something that the church will do.  It is about who we are becoming.  That means that it is up to each one of us to embrace and live it out.  Many people in their feedback expressed the view that this purpose gave them accountability and a clear path forward in their spiritual lives.  They recognised that mature believers in Christ take responsibility for their own spiritual growth.  The leaders of our congregation will provide the framework around which we are able to grow, but ultimately it is up to each one of us to use the resources and disciplines that are provided and continue to grow in our faith and relationship with God.  It is only as we do this that we will be able to say that we are living out our purpose and that it is a “success”.

Together in faith in Jesus Christ and the future he calls us to, we move into our new purpose as each one of us commits to being Growing Disciples who Exalt, Explore, Embody, Engage.