A Starry Journey
6th January in the Western church is known as Epiphany, the day when we celebrate the arrival of the wise men with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the baby Jesus.
With the help of our children, we looked at this story, found in Matthew 2:1-12:
Our star (in a snowflake costume…) led the wise men with their gifts on a long journey to the tune ‘Follow The Star‘:
Unfortunately, the route was not all plain sailing, and the wise men ended up visiting King Herod, who was not at all amenable to the thought of a new king… He discovered the birthplace of the king through his own advisers, but despite his apparent cooperation, was actively planning to get rid of the new king.
When the wise men finally arrived at the house to worship Jesus (probably considerably later than the shepherds, despite our Christmas cards’ scenarios!), they brought significant gifts which spoke of what this baby would become (though these were not the kind of gifts given at a baby shower nowadays!) They brought gold, symbol of wealth and kingship:
They also brought frankincense, a kind of perfume that was used by priests when they worshipped God made from the resin of a tree. Jesus was not only a king; he would grow up to be like a priest who would offer himself as payment for all the wrong things people do.
Their final gift, myrrh, was used as a burial spice (as well as being used as an antiseptic on wound and ingested to help with indigestion, ulcers or to treat coughs and colds). The myrrh the wise men brought is a symbol to us that Jesus was born to die for our sins.
These wise men remind us each year that we worship a baby who grew up to be a man who died for our sins, but who is also ‘God with us’, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Calling Us Out
Dave spoke this morning from Matt 14:22-33, where Jesus walks on water and Peter steps out of the boat in faith! So often, we feel that a life of faith should always mean plain sailing, but the disciples here were being fully obedient to Jesus in getting into the boat (after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand)… and yet still found themselves in a storm. Seeing Jesus feed the five thousand was a miracle beyond their wildest dreams, but even after this miracle, the sight of Him walking on the lake was terrifying to them. We don’t really know why Peter said, ‘Tell me to come to you on the water’ (Matt 14:28), but the fact that he stepped out of the boat on Jesus’s command shows us how the impossible can happen when we obey God.
The problem only came when Peter took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the waves around him. Even then, when he called out to Jesus, Jesus saved him and the storm died down immediately. Peter realised his complete need to depend on God wholeheartedly.
Life is full of adventures, encounters, accidents and experiences. In all of these things, even if we are certain we are doing God’s will, we need to rely on God’s strength rather than our own, for without Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5) We have to let go and let God work His will in our lives. This requires us to adapt to change and resist the temptation to doubt and falter. God invites us to trust Him to fulfil the promises He has made to us, but we have to keep our gaze firmly fixed on God. Doubt and defeat are not part of God’s vocabulary, so we can go forward confidently and boldly in the new year, secure in God’s ability to do the impossible, even in our lives and situations.
New Year’s Resolutions
I’ve always been wary of New Year’s resolutions. The theory sounds great – reviewing, analysing, making positive decisions and launching forth into new activities – but all too often, I have found myself making unrealistic promises to myself that become another rod with which to beat myself when I fail to live up to those promises. Setting more realistic goals is a better option, but even then, there is a fine line between a realistic goal and setting the bar so high that even an Olympic high jump champion would struggle to surmount it. I don’t need diets and fads; I need an alternative way of eating, for example. I haven’t got hours to spare to work out like Mark Wahlberg (who reputedly rises at 2.30 a.m. to fit in a workout before the start of the day), but even if I had, I often still have places to go at 8 p.m. (when he retires to bed,) I am not criticising anyone else’s routines, but am very aware that if I tried to emulate that one, I would fail on Day 1.
I think some of my disquiet about New Year’s resolutions lies with the fact that they are more often than not associated with doing or not doing (learning a new skill, taking up a new sport or hobby, giving up alcohol, giving up certain foods) and not often associated with being. It’s so much easier to focus on doing than it is on being and becoming.
Every year, I start again at Genesis 1 in my Bible readings and come face to face with the fact that God created the world in a flurry of divine activity that was manifested in speaking. I also come face to face with the fact that at the end of six days, He rested. He didn’t need to in the way I do (because He was exhausted, overtired or at the end of His tether!), but in resting, He showed me the value of stopping. He gave me a model to follow: sleep at night, instead of striving continually (see Ps 127:2); rest one day a week, secure in the knowledge He doesn’t slumber or sleep (Ps 121:3-4) This ‘abdication’ of activity doesn’t sit well with me, but the Biblical pattern puts God, and not me, on the throne, and that has to be a good thing.
What if my goals for 2019 were more focussed on resting, on listening, on being and becoming than on achievements, success and ticking off another language learned or another hobby perfected? (Not that there’s anything wrong in those things, I hasten to add.) What if I focussed more on who I am than on what I do?
The Puritan work ethic which I have imbibed since birth shrieks at me that this is a passive attitude which will not lead to the furtherance of God’s kingdom, that God has got good works all lined up for me to complete (Eph 2:10) and that I could not possibly see fruit from this focus on being. I am struck by how Jesus answered the devil’s temptations in the wilderness with calm certainty. The devil came with the sly phrase ‘if you are the Son of God’, but Jesus had no need to prove his identity to the devil or manipulate God in any way. The time He had spent with His Father in those hidden thirty years meant He was so soaked in the word of God, He had the answers He needed all ready. (Matt 4:1-11) Only as we spend time with our heavenly Father will we have the direction, energy and resources we need to do the will of God in our day, in our place, in our world. We serve not out of duty or resolution, but from the place of being loved and knowing who we are in God.
Acts of the Apostles
In our Bible studies this year, we will be looking at the book of Acts, one of the most exciting books of the Bible, telling us the history of the early church and showing us how the works of Jesus continued even after His ascension to heaven.
For many, this book charts the birth of the church, showing how the gift of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost turned the disciples from fearful followers to bold evangelists, how Jesus can turn even the most hardened opponent (Saul, who breathed out murderous threats against Christians, believing them to be misguided and heretical) to the most radical of apostles (Paul, whose missionary journeys form a large part of the book and whose letters make up a large part of the New Testament.) It’s a book of miracles and healings (but also one of persecution and hardship, reminding us that the Christian journey requires faithfulness and endurance), a book of mission and a message that literally changed the world. For many, it’s a blueprint of what the church should be like, though the underlying reality throughout is that God’s will will triumph, even when our imperfections – which are told with total candour – get in the way.
Acts is the second part of Luke’s accounts of the works of Jesus (the first being the Gospel bearing his name) and is told with passion, authority, authenticity and vigour, reminding us that God is sovereign over all. If we want to learn how to pray, worship, serve and evangelise, all in the power of the Holy Spirit, there is no better place to look than this book – so do join us for Bible studies on every alternate Thursday, starting on 10th January at 7:30 p.m.
New Year’s Gifts
Joanne presented Garry and Julie with gifts at the party, though whether we really want to be known as ‘grumpy old man’ and ‘miserable old woman’ is debatable! The calendar based on the Psalms is reminiscent of our recent Bible studies, however!
Don’t forget our first prayer meeting of 2019 is on Thursday 3rd January at 7:30 p.m. Join with us to pray for our church, our community and our world.
New Year’s Day Party
As we have done for many years now, we started the New Year with a party in the afternoon. We had lots of lovely food as always:
As we ate, we pondered on a quiz about 2018…
Dave’s team emerged triumphant!
We had a game of ‘Scavenger’, where people had to bring different items out…
We also had fun with props singing the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’:
We had to deliver Christmas mail (perhaps a bit late?!)
And it wouldn’t be the New Year’s Day party without charades, with even our youngsters joining in!
Thanks to all who came, brought food, played games and tidied away afterwards! See you all on Sunday!