Many believe that the Christian message is illogical and irrational, based only on fuzzy feelings and invisible instincts. Paul, in 1 Cor 15:12-19, refutes that idea, using logical statements to show the Corinthians the fallacy of their belief that there was no such thing as resurrection from the dead. Computer programmers will be very familiar with the idea of ‘if/then’ statements (‘the most basic of all the control flow statements’), and Paul effectively demonstrates to the Corinthians that we cannot approach the resurrection with a kind of pick-and-mix approach, choosing which elements we would like to believe and which elements we want to leave out.

Some people at Corinth were saying there is no resurrection of the dead. But this blanket statement would also inevitably mean Christ was not raised from the dead either, which would have huge implications for our faith – since the gospel is based on the fact that Christ died and was raised from the dead (1 Cor 15:3-8). Without this, ‘our preaching is useless and so is your faith.’ (1 Cor 15:14) Empty, useless, ineffectual, unprofitable preaching and faith cannot save anybody; the implications of the Corinthians’ statement cannot be ignored. If our faith is in vain, then our sins are not forgiven, so death retains its victory and we are actually liars (deceiving others and ourselves) and ‘of all people most to be pitied.’ (1 Cor 15:19) Paul’s logic is clear: since Christ has been raised, resurrection obviously is possible, but if we look at the hypothetical scenario that he has not been raised, the implications are too vast to be ignored.

The Corinthians may well have agreed that Christ had been raised from the dead, but did not see that this necessarily meant that believers would be raised too. Paul shows that Christ’s resurrection is the ‘firstfruits’ (1 Cor 15:13), guaranteeing our ultimate resurrection. That is why belief in the physical resurrection of Christ is ‘of first importance’ to our faith. Christianity is, after all, not a system of philosophy or a moral code, but the declaration of what God has done in Christ. If the dead are not raised, then the whole gospel is a sham and those who preach it are liars. If we only have hope for this life, Paul declares, we are to be pitied and may as well live with the Epicurean philosophy of pleasure as the chief goal of life.

Many people do not seem to think through questions of faith; they prefer not to reflect on matters such as these, even though they are of great importance. The resurrection of Christ has profound implications for us all. An implication is ‘a conclusion that can be drawn from something although it is not explicitly stated.’ Paul wants us to draw the correct conclusions about salvation, death and resurrection and gives us the opportunity to think through clearly what would be the conclusions if Christ had not been raised from the dead. If this fact is true, then the consequences are profound!

Don’t forget the Macmillan Coffee Morning at GPCC on Saturday 24th September from 10 a.m. until 12 noon, when we will be raising money for the Macmillan cancer charity. Home baking appreciated for this event!

If you enjoy going to the cinema, you might be interested to know that the films below will be shown at Dearne ALC on the weekend of 8th and 9th October. Due to support and funding from Film Mobile and United Star People Award (Lottery funding),  the ticket prices have been kept as low as possible (Adult £6.00, Child £4.50 and a family ticket for four £16.50).

8th October

12:00 – Finding Dory

14:30 – Kubo & The Two Strings

17:00 – Pete’s Dragon

19:30 – Bridget Jones’ Baby

9th October

13:00 – The BFG

15:30 – Bridget Jones’ Baby

18:00 – Ben Hur

For more information, phone Ann Toy on 07879 739043 or check out the website here.

Alison gave us interesting information about two things happening at the Salvation Army. From Thursday 6th October, there will be a community choir (run by Claire and Rich Ashby and Joy Moody) practising at the Salvation Army (7 p.m., alternate Thursdays) and from Saturday 15th October, a food bank will be held once a month (9.30-11 a.m.) for working families who are struggling to make ends meet.

For all who are struggling:

‘Hold it all together
Everybody needs you strong
But life hits you out of nowhere
And barely leaves you holding on

And when you’re tired of fighting
Chained by your control
There’s freedom in surrender
Lay it down and let it go.

So when you’re on your knees and answers seem so far away
You’re not alone, stop holding on and just be held.
Your world’s not falling apart, it’s falling into place
I’m on the throne, stop holding on and just be held
Just be held, just be held.

If your eyes are on the storm
You’ll wonder if I love you still
But if your eyes are on the cross
You’ll know I always have and I always will

And not a tear is wasted
In time, you’ll understand
I’m painting beauty with the ashes
Your life is in My hands

Lift your hands, lift your eyes
In the storm is where you’ll find Me
And where you are, I’ll hold your heart
I’ll hold your heart
Come to Me, find your rest
In the arms of the God who won’t let go.’ (‘Just Be Held’, Casting Crowns)

When I type a document in Word, the program has a ‘default margin’ of 2.54 cm, meaning that whatever I type starts 2.54 cm from the top of the page, ends 2.54 cm from the bottom and has a margin of that same measurement from the left and right sides of the paper. I can alter the size of the margin if I need to fit more text onto the page (the ‘narrow’ margin’ is 1.27 cm and I can ‘customise’ the margin to whatever size I deem necessary.) Quite often, in order to save paper, I will use narrower margins than the default setting.

I sometimes think that that piece of paper, covered in writing, is a little bit like our lives. On good days, our lives have neat margins with plenty of space. We have things to do, but not so many things that we don’t have ‘room’ for God. There is a sense of order and balance to our lives: worship, work, rest, play.  But often, our lives can become cluttered; our to-do lists get longer and longer and the only way we can fit everything in is to reduce the size of the margins. We no longer have as much time to sleep and rest as we need. We skip meals or gobble them down while doing other jobs at the same time, feeling proud of our ability to ‘multi-task’, even if our digestion doesn’t agree with our assessment of the situation! And God just gets squeezed out, because we simply don’t have time for Him.

When I was a teacher, I taught pupils of the value of margins so that there was room for my comments and instructions on their work, next to the relevant section of what they had written. Margins function in the same way in our lives; we need to allow space for God to speak to us, guide us and instruct us. That means looking carefully at our busyness and making sure that we have right priorities: ‘seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ (Matt 6:33)

One of the most challenging verses in the Bible is Ps 46:10 – ‘Be still and know that I am God.‘ Being still means having margins, space for God. As we re-order our priorities, we will spend time with God, seeking Him in prayer, reading His instruction manual. We will understand that He seeks to be at the centre of our lives, not just in the margins. We will find that putting Him first, instead of squeezed into the tiniest footnote imaginable, will actually give us ample time to do what is necessary. As Jesus reminds us, ‘these things’ which consume so much of our thoughts and activities will be given to us as well if we concentrate on seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness. It doesn’t make sense to the natural mind, but just as giving God 10% of our income leaves us with more than enough money for what we need, so too giving God time and space and seeking His kingdom first will leave us uncluttered and rested, instead of with a pageful of notes that are indecipherable! Try widening the margins of your life, emptying your time of some of the things which are not so important and exchanging them for time with the God of the universe who loves you and wants to guide you.

‘The vision of heaven is not the promise of anything other than what we have already received by faith; it does, though, promise more, namely its completion.’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘Reversed Thunder’, P 172)

This quotation may well challenge our view of heaven, for we often think of earth as corrupted and stained by sin and dream of a perfection in heaven which seems unreal to us in so many respects because it is so unfamiliar to us. Nonetheless, we have all experienced the beauty of creation, gazing in awe at the perfectly formed flower or majestic mountain, marvelling at the vastness of space with all those stars or watching the swell of a mighty ocean. There is much to be thankful for in this world of ours.

C. S. Lewis captured something of what Eugene Peterson is referring to in the last of his Narnia chronicles, ‘The Last Battle.’ There, many of the characters familiar to us from previous books, are involved in a train accident and emerge into the afterlife, seeing something of the ‘new Narnia’ and ‘new earth’. Jewel, the unicorn, cries out, ‘I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now…Come further up, come further in!’

I believe there will be both a newness and a familiarity about heaven which we can only glimpse in this world. Ultimately, the presence of God will be familiar to us, but at the same time, there will be so much more to discover – further up, further in, far more than we have ever dreamed or imagined!

“And as He spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.” (C. S. Lewis, ‘The Last Battle’)

This is the promise we have, which will guide us through life and through death. We view death as an end and weep and mourn because of this, but actually, though there is grief at the separation which death causes us, nothing can separate us from God’s love and death becomes the gateway to the Chapter One of the Great Story. How we long to be in God’s presence.

We take birthdays so seriously at GPCC that even when members are ill and unable to be present with us, that’s no excuse to miss out on an opportunity to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to them! Thanks to the wonders of technology, we were able to sing to Lorraine, who entered into the spirit of things by wearing a hat!

We also had another birthday to celebrate: