I Don’t Like Mondays!

Dec 4, 2023

How do we react on a Monday morning, compared to a Sunday?! Many of us work Mondays to Fridays, and there is often the sense of ‘I don’t like Mondays’ after a weekend of pleasurable activities. Mondays represent the everyday life; there is a popular meme which says a retired person is the only one who likes Mondays!
As we prepare for Christmas, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by our jobs’ list and to feel that we are incapable of juggling the everyday demands of life with the additional activities of this period. Parents see the list of non-uniform days, Christmas parties, Christmas movies, Christmas fairs and feel that all they do in this month is hand over money to good causes and ferry their children to different events! Unsurprisingly, this leads to stress and frustration.
But God is there with us, in the everyday and the mundane, in the additional activities and in the frenzy of modern life. The Christmas message is that God is now with us on a full-time basis! Advent gives us the opportunity to pause, however briefly, and give thanks to God. Whether that is in the form of opening an Advent calendar, reading a Scripture from the Christmas story or going to a Christmas event doesn’t really matter. What matters is that we do pause and give thanks.

Once A King In Narnia…

Dec 3, 2023

There are many other Christian allusions in the story of “The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe” by C. S. Lewis. The children – who have been crowned Kings and Queens in Narnia after the battle which sees the White Witch defeated – return home to England. They wonder if it has all been a dream, but the Professor – who himself has been to Narnia as we discover in another book ‘The Magician’s Nephew’ – says, ‘Once a king in Narnia, always a king in Narnia’. He encourages the children to hold on to what they have learned in Narnia. This reminds us that we have an identity in God which the world can’t take away. God said to His people through Moses, ‘you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ (Ex 19:6) Paul told Timothy, ‘if we endure, we will also reign with Him.’ (2 Tim 2:12) We may feel insignificant and unimportant in this world – especially if we are young – but actually, we are all kings and queens in God’s eyes. God says we are ‘a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.’ (1 Pet 2:9) Perhaps, like Peter, Susan, Edmun and Lucy, we need to see ourselves as God sees us.

The Power of Story

Dec 3, 2023

Tonight in our Little Big Church, we looked at the story of “The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe” by C. S. Lewis. All year, we have focussed on stories, looking at the parables of Jesus, and so it seemed fitting to ponder another story tonight!
In particular, we looked at quotes on our banners and how these relate also to our Christian faith. The four children who enter Narnia through a wardrobe are known in the book as ‘sons of Adam, daughters of Eve’, reminding us that we are all created by God and created in His image.
In the book, Lucy meets a faun called Mr Tumnus who tells her that Narnia is under the curse of the White Witch and that it is ‘always winter but never Christmas.‘ Winter is a time of barrenness and bleakness; it’s significant that we celebrate the birth of Christ in mid-winter, for Christ’s coming brings light to those living in darkness. (Is 9:2)
Lucy’s brother, Edmund, meets the White Witch and is seduced by her apparent kindness to him (giving him hot chocolate and Turkish Delight.) The White Witch seems to him wonderful; we are reminded that the devil looks like an angel of light. (2 Cor 11:14) Edmund reminds us that we all have choices to make and that there is a way that appears to be right which ends in death. (Prov 14:12) It’s because of Edmund’s betrayal of his siblings that Aslan, the rightful ruler of Narnia, has to offer himself as a sacrifice.
Aslan is on the move and therefore there is hope:
“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”
Aslan is a lion (one who is not safe, but good, a reminder of God’s holiness and the truth that we cannot control Him but that He is good), and we are reminded that Jesus is known as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. (Rev 5:5) It seems the White Witch has triumphed when Aslan is killed, but that is not the end of the story, for the White Witch did not realise that “when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backward.” Aslan comes back to life, just as Jesus did!

Trusting in God

Dec 3, 2023

Garry spoke this morning from Ps 37:3-4, focussing on the primary need for Christians to trust God. To trust means to have confidence and security in God, to be ‘care-less’ because He cares for us. If we trust a driver, we will not try to be a backseat driver; we may even go to sleep in a car! Trusting God means we don’t have to be in control, because He is.

Trust is not something which we only need to become a Christian, however. God continually challenges us to trust Him more; our trust has to grow and deepen. We can only grow to the extent that we are prepared to trust God. We will never ‘arrive’ at the place of total trust, as God has always got new challenges for us!

The next part for us is to do good (see Acts 10:38). Our trust is manifested in good works, as we act like salt. 1 Pet 2:11-12 reminds us that as we live good lives before those who don’t know God, they can see our good deeds and glorify God. Jesus spoke of ways we can serve Him – by feeding the hungry, visiting those in prison, helping those in need. We are called to be like God so that we don’t just merge into the background but stand out as lights that shine forth.

If we do these things, then God promises we will dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Dwelling in the land reminds us of God’s promises to Abraham which were fulfilled by Joshua leading the people into the Promised Land. It required trust to cross the Jordan river and trust to overcome Jericho. Similarly, in every battle we face, we need to trust that the battle belongs to the Lord (see 2 Chron 20). God is our refuge. When we trust Him, fear cannot stand; fear is banished. Peter could walk on the waves while he trusted Jesus, but floundered when he failed to trust. (see Matt 14:29-30). We need to trust God that He will lead us to our promised places where we can enjoy safe pasture, ‘care-less’ because of His care for us.

 

Advent Themes

Dec 3, 2023

Advent is a time of hope, preparation and anticipation. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and remind ourselves that He is coming again at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, this period of anticipation focuses our thoughts on four key Christian themes: hope, peace, joy and love. Each Sunday in Advent gives us the opportunity to focus on what really matters in life rather than on the fripperies which make up our usual timetables in December!

Hope is the fuel that keeps us going. We look back and see God’s first arrival on earth in the form of a helpless, vulnerable baby. We see the light shining in the darkness and remember all that Jesus achieved through His life, death and resurrection. We therefore have the strength to endure and to look ahead in the secure knowledge that He will come again, just as He promised. Though we do not yet have what we hope for, we learn to wait patiently, just as the child waits to open the Advent calendar. (Rom 8:25)

GIve Us Today Our Daily Bread

Dec 3, 2023

As we journey throughout December towards the celebration of our Lord’s birth, the reason for the season, we are looking at the benefits of daily discipline as represented by Advent calendars. Today’s thought for the day focuses on one line of the Lord’s prayer: ‘give us today our daily bread.’ (Matt 6:11)
The request for God’s provision comes in the framework of daily prayer. This reminds us that we need God every day, not just on special occasions or times of crisis. God is part of our everyday, ordinary, daily lives.
In the wilderness, God provided manna (food to live on) on a daily basis, the only exception being the Sabbath day of rest. The day before the Sabbath, He provided enough manna for two days so that the people could honour the Sabbath and still survive. This reminds us that God is a God of provision and that He enables us to follow His laws and still flourish!
We often like to plan ahead and prepare for all eventualities, but the Lord’s Prayer reminds us of the need for daily trust in God. There is only so much planning and preparing we can do. We will always need to trust God anyway!