In our alphabet series, ‘The A-Z of Christian Faith’, tonight we looked at ‘J is for Jesus.’ Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, the pioneer and perfecter of faith’ (Heb 12:2), the ‘Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End’ (Rev 22:13), is the common thread running throughout the whole of the Bible.

Recently I’ve been making a lot of chutney, and I have no hesitation at all in saying that the essential ingredients in making chutney are vinegar and sugar. I’ve made a lot of tomato-based chutneys (tomato & apple, tomato & courgette, tomato & chilli and green tomato), but tomatoes are not an essential ingredient of chutney. The acidity of vinegar prevents growth of bacteria, moulds and yeasts, and sugar acts as a setting agent and a preservative, and it’s these two ingredients which give chutney such a long shelf life and make it very useful if we want to use fruit or vegetables which would otherwise go off quickly. In the same way, there are many peripheral things connected with Christianity, but without Jesus, we would have no faith. He is the essential ingredient to our faith!

Jesus is God’s Messiah, His ‘anointed one’, His ‘Christ’, His rescue package, sent from the throne of heaven by God the Father to walk among the darkness of earth. John 1 claims that Jesus is the eternal Word, God himself, who created everything that exists, and says that in time He became flesh and dwelt among us. Philippians 2:6 makes it clear that he is God (‘being in very nature God’), and that he set aside the use of some of his attributes to take on the form of the human, and die for the sins of the world. Titus 2:13 equates Jesus with God. Romans 9:5 describes him as God, who is blessed forever. In other ways, Jesus is also God.  Heb 1:3 describes Him in this way: ‘The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.’

At the same time, the Bible affirms that Jesus is also fully human. Only God is strong enough, holy enough, pure enough to save us. But God cannot die. Therefore, Jesus had to take on human flesh and become like us so that He could save us and live up to the meaning of His name (Jesus means ‘Yahweh is salvation.’) Jesus took on our humanity so that He could offer Himself as a pure, spotless sacrifice for sin and once and for all bring us back into the relationship with God for which we were created. Jesus ‘as to his earthly life was a descendant of David’ (Rom 1:3). Heb 2:14 tells us Jesus shared in our humanity, and in the rest of that chapter, we see that He Himself suffered as a son and can help us when we are tempted (see also Heb 4:15).

Jesus, by living life perfectly, by fulfilling the law perfectly, by offering himself willingly (‘I have come to do Your will, O God’ Heb 10:7), could not be touched by the demands of the law or by the enemy himself. Hebrews 10:14 sums it up in this way: ‘by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.’ Jesus, come to save us from our sins, accomplished that through His death on the cross and because that sacrifice was acceptable to a holy God, He rose again from the dead on the third day, never more to die again, living always and interceding for us! (Heb 7:25) As the hymn says, ‘Hallelujah, what a Saviour!’ (‘Man of Sorrows, What A Name’)

The prayer said in Anglican churches today (Stir Up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent) talks about asking God to stir us: “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

God is the greatest stirrer of all! If we think about stirring as the means for change, we have to admit that God is often more eager for change than we are. God wants to stir us up so that we don’t settle down into familiarity and complacency and indifference. Sometimes, His stirring doesn’t always seem pleasant: the Old Testament tells us He stirs up leaders to bring about His purposes and sometimes that involved judgment, which is never easy to take (see Jer 50:41, Jer 51:1, Amos 6:14). When God starts to stir us up, it can be unsettling; we can feel uncomfortable, not really sure what to do. God often asks us to move beyond our comfort zones: to give something up, perhaps, which we like doing or to go and talk to someone we don’t know and we think ‘oh, I can’t do that!’ But if we say ‘yes’ to God – ‘I desire to do Your will, my God’ (Ps 40:8) – we’ll be surprised at what God can do in and through us.

We need God to stir up our wills, because it’s there that our actions are shaped. We do what we want to do, what we determine in our hearts to do, what we are determined to do. If we’re not determined, we’ll soon give up when the going gets tough. But if we are determined to do what God says, if we hide God’s word in our hearts so that it directs our paths and actions at all times, then we can do far more than we imagine and the result will be the bringing forth of the fruit of good works, for after all, ‘we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ (Eph 2:10)

Whether we stir up our own Christmas puddings or not, God is able to stir up our wills and breathe new life into us so that we are constantly being transformed into His likeness. (2 Cor 3:18)

Those of you who have been to Church of England services at this time of year or who are fans of the Radio 4 programme ‘The Archers’ may know that today is Stir Up Sunday. Stir Up Sunday is the name given to the last Sunday before Advent, and it’s traditionally the time when Christmas puddings were stirred and made. Nowadays, when so many Christmas puddings are bought ready-made from shops, we’ve perhaps lost this tradition of making our own puddings, but it always used to be the case that families would make their own Christmas puddings on this date and the whole family would be involved in stirring the pudding mix before it went into the oven. Parents would teach their children how to mix the ingredients for the pudding and then, as everyone took a turn in stirring the pudding mix, they made a wish for the year ahead. (Don’t forget in the days before food processors and other equipment to help with mixing ingredients, stirring was hard work and so it was a good idea to get as many people involved as possible!) Often, silver coins and other things were added to the pudding mix – the coin represented wealth and prosperity for the year ahead; buttons represented the fact that a single person would stay single for the year ahead and a ring represented the fact that a person would get married. Of course, these things were a potential choking hazard (or could break a tooth and mean a trip to the dentist’s), so they’re not encouraged these days, but the whole idea of Christmas puddings is a British tradition that goes back hundreds of years.

The reason this Sunday is called ‘Stir Up Sunday’ is because in the Anglican church, one of the prayers that is said on this day starts with the words ‘stir up’; the prayer is from the Book of Common Prayer, first written in 1549, and says “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” It’s thought that when the women in church heard those words, it reminded them they were just five weeks left to Christmas and they needed to get on with the pudding making!

Of course, there are good stirrers and bad stirrers…! Often, when we talk about someone being a stirrer, we mean it negatively, saying that that person likes to cause trouble (often through what they say about others.) The Bible has plenty of warnings about gossip (see Prov 16:28, Prov 20:19) and James reminds us we need to keep a tight watch on our tongues (James 3:1-10). Paul tells the Ephesians, ‘Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.’ (Eph 4:29)

A stirrer can also be someone who ‘makes waves’ or ‘rocks the boat’, and this can be both a good thing and a bad thing. But we’re all called to be one kind of stirrer, for Paul told Timothy to ‘fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands’ (2 Tim 1:6) and in some versions of the Bible, that command ‘fan into flame’ is rendered ‘stir up the gift of God which is in you.’  God has given each one of us gifts; when we become Christians, He puts His Holy Spirit within each one of us and the amazing truth is that each Christian is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19), but there are times when it feels like the fire God puts inside us is in danger of dying out or we are not using the gifts and talents God has given us, and so we feel tired and listless, lacking energy and enthusiasm. In those times, God urges us to ‘stir up the gift of God which is in you.’ Fan into flame His gifts; ask Him to breathe again His life and Spirit onto us and into us.

When we are full of His Spirit and on fire for Him, we can stir others into action as well. Paul told the Corinthians, when he was talking about them raising money to help the poor in Jerusalem, ‘For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action.’ (2 Cor 9:2) When we see people who are on fire for God, who are radiant with God’s glory, who are enthusiastic about what God is doing and excited about the privilege of being used by Him, it stirs us up as well! Enthusiasm, zeal for God, passion and faith are infectious! We all know about the negative side of infection: how easy it is to spread germs around and catch illnesses, but there is a positive way of infection, that other people will be stirred up to action themselves by seeing our faith and love for God. This is the kind of stirrer God is looking for!

‘With God all things are possible.’ (Matt 19:26)

As we prepare for Christmas, the arrival of a Saviour by impossible means (a virgin giving birth), I’ve been listening to Chris Tomlin’s new album ‘Never Lose Sight.’ So far (bearing in mind, I haven’t listened to it all yet, so this opinion is liable to change!) my favourite track is ‘Impossible Things’.

Today has been a day for celebrating the diversity and variety of people’s creative talents. At the Furlong Road Methodist Church’s day of prayer, the focus was on Advent, looking at different Biblical passages and meditating on these at different ‘stations’ of prayer. Station 1 looked at Gabriel’s announcement to Mary and encouraged us to reflect on our hopes and dreams. Station 2 looked at Advent preparations and how we prepare for the coming of the King.

Station 3 looked at the fact that Jesus was born in a manger and how people can often be cruel and unkind and how we need to forgive and be forgiven. Station 4, in considering the shepherds on the hill, reminded us that God chose to share the news about Jesus with people who were not considered important and encouraged us to pray for those marginalised in our world. The wise men were guided by a star, and at Station 5, we were encouraged to think about the guidance we need, using star shapes to articulate our prayers. The last station looked at being thankful and encouraged us to use colouring, art and writing to express our thanks to God.

At the Hope House Arts Festival, there was opportunity to think about the many varied ways people use the arts to express their ideas, hopes and dreams. There were a number of craft items to look at, including how yarn is actually spun:

There were also a variety of paintings and artwork to enjoy, including some from GCSE art students at Hope House School and from pupils at a local primary school, as well as photographs.

One artist had a number of portraits, so amazing in their accuracy that they almost looked like photographs!

There were Christmas decorations that were exquisite in their intricacy:

… as well as embroidery, knitted items, clothes and patchwork quilts (a reminder that life is often apparently made up of random different facets which actually are woven together to form a unique identity by God):

Bark ornaments from walks in nature were also seen:

… as well as heart and light shapes recently used in a church wedding:

It’s heart-warming to see so many talented people from our local area, to see how art therapies can help the vulnerable and abused (BSARCS had a stall about this, as did a local group which offers a befriending service) and to realise the great creativity God has placed in each one of us.

In 1 Cor 16:5-12, Paul discusses his plans with the Corinthians, plans which included overseeing the administration of the collection they were making for the church in Jerusalem. It’s clear from 2 Corinthians that these plans didn’t work out exactly as he anticipated! His Plan A was to travel to Macedonia, winter at Corinth to help them and then go to Judea with the collection. Plan B was to go to Corinth and then travel through Macedonia and returning to Corinth before going to Judea with the collection (2 Cor 1:15-16). Plan C meant he didn’t spend as much time at Corinth as he’d wanted (and for which he was criticised.)

The fact that Paul acknowledges plans have to be flexible (‘perhaps’, ‘I hope’, ‘if the Lord permits’ feature in this passage!) reminds us that all our plans may come to nothing, but this is not the end of the world. If God is in control, then even obstacles can become opportunities! James teaches us what our attitude towards planning should be (James 4:13-17) and Paul reminds the Ephesians that we need to live ‘not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.’ (Eph 5:15-16) Prov 16:3 offers us wise advice: ‘Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. [Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place.] (Prov 16:3)

When planning, we need to pray much, seeking God’s guidance and help. We also need:

• flexibility (if God stops us, interrupts us or re-arranges our plans, we have to ‘go with the flow’ – see Acts 16:6-10)
• good communication (Paul’s relationship with the Corinthians was damaged because of his change of plans – good communication can overcome these obstacles)
• an understanding that God is the owner of our time as well as of our possessions.
• an understanding that setbacks can actually be propellants; obstacles can be stepping stones