This Sunday, Fredrick and Reeba, missionaries our church supports from India, will be with us, sharing more about the work they do and what God is doing in that country. Come along to the evening meeting to find out more!

During November, we will be praying especially for national and international issues:

Pray that God will:

• bless Fredrick & Reeba who work in India. Pray that God will continue to use the tailoring empowerment programme and that He will bring many people to know Him through their ministry.
• bless Steve & Katuska, working in the Bible college in Mozambique. The college needs more teachers and a youth worker for the English speaking community
• meet the financial, practical, emotional and spiritual needs of these missionaries and help their children to grow up in God
• help all in local, national and international government to make wise decisions and handle difficult situations with sensitivity and godly wisdom
• bless local councillors and all who are involved in implementing policies in our area, especially those who are Christians

Ps 67:4 says ‘May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth.’  It’s easy for us to feel there’s little point in praying for national or international issues because these things are too big for us to influence. The Bible is adamant, however, that God is the ruler of this earth and that He is reigning over all. Ps 2 reminds us that the One enthroned in heaven laughs at the schemes of man to overthrow Him; He is in control of world events just as much as He is in control of all that happens to us and we are a people privileged to bring our requests and petitions before Him. Abraham pleaded for God to spare Sodom and saw Him move to rescue Lot from that place. (Gen 18:16-33). James reminds us that the prayer of a righteous person is both powerful and effective. (James 5:16) Let’s approach God with confidence and allow Him to use us to change situations all around the world, even if we never get to leave our homes.

Hope is a fuel that enables us to live by faith and not by sight. Many of us find it easier to languish in despair than we do to live in hope, for despair (which is from a word meaning a lack or absence of hope) is fuelled by the visible. It requires vision and commitment to live with hope, to refuse to believe that what we see with our natural eyes is the final story.

Jeremiah, living at a time of oppression and invasion, bought a field in Anathoth. (Jer 32:1-29)

That must have seemed a ridiculous thing to do, because the Babylonians were about to take over the land and owning property in an occupied country does not seem like a wise investment. Eugene Peterson, in commenting on this chapter, says ‘All acts of hope expose themselves to ridicule because they seem impractical, failing to conform to visible reality. But in fact they are the reality that is being constructed by is not yet visible. Hope commits us to actions that connect with God’s promises.’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘Run With The Horses’, P 174)

He goes on to say ‘hope acts as the conviction that God will complete the work that He has begun even when the appearances, especially when the appearances, oppose it’ (see Phil 1:6, Rom 4:18) and concludes ‘hope is buying into what we believe. We don’t turn away in despair. We don’t throw up our hands in disgust. We don’t write this person off as incorrigible. We don’t withdraw from a complex world that is too much for us.’ (ibid.)

Jeremiah’s action seemed ridiculous, risible, eccentric, incomprehensible. Others around him must have mocked him for his act of faith. People will do the same when we step out in faith, doing things that seem to make no visible sense. But as William Stringfellow says, ‘hope is living constantly, patiently, expectantly, resiliently, joyously in the efficacy of the word of God.’ (William Stringfellow, ‘An Ethic For Christians And Other Aliens in a Strange World’, P 138) The most practical thing we can do is hear what God says and act according to  that word we hear. ‘Hope-determined actions participate in the future that God is bringing into being.’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘Run With The Horses’ P 176) With the benefit of hindsight, we know that the Babylonian invasion was not the end of the story for Israel. We know that Jeremiah’s actions were nowhere near as ridiculous as they seemed. But for us now, living in the middle of our story with God, it requires great faith to hope in God. Ps 42:5 reminds us ‘Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.’ Keep hoping. God’s not finished with us yet.

For those of you who are interested in new worship music, here are the set lists from the Worship Central conference. If you click on the name of highlighted songs, you can listen to these. Many of these feature on the new Worship Central album ‘Set Apart’, which I’m really enjoying.

Friday evening

• O Lord, we seek Your face
• Ready For You
• This is Amazing Grace (Phil Wickham)
• Can’t Stop Your Love
• Beautiful One
• Set Apart
• The Way
• Be Exalted
• All That I Am
• The Same Power

Saturday morning (led by Bryan and Katie Torwalt)

• He Is The Light
• One Thing Remains
• It Was Finished
• Holy Spirit
• Worthy Is the Lamb (MW Smith)
• Nothing But the Blood of Jesus (traditional)
• I See Heaven

Saturday afternoon (led by Martin Smith)

• Great Is Your Faithfulness
• Emmanuel
• One Thing Remains
• The Way
• Waiting Here For You
• Come and Breathe on us (spontaneous song)
• Song of Solomon
• God’s Great Dance Floor

Saturday evening

• Awesome Is He
• Let Go
• Guardian
• Can’t Stop Your Love
• Your Arms are Big Enough (spontaneous song)
• Spirit, Break Out
• Pursue Me
• Worth It All
• Oceans (Where Feet May Fall) (Hillsong United)

There is an old hymn I used to sing as a young Christian which has the lyrics:

‘There is a story sweet to hear, 

I love to tell it too; 

it fills my heart with hope and cheer, 

‘Tis old yet ever new.’

I was reminded of this hymn as I walked around London last weekend, marvelling at how the old buildings were juxtaposed among newly built skyscrapers:

Just down from Tower Bridge (built in the late 19th century) was this modern sea vessel:

Further along the South Bank of the River Thames, a replica of the 16th century galleon Golden Hinde, vessel used by Sir Francis Drake to circumnavigate the globe between 1577-80, is situated in dry dock:

Not far from this, the recently built Shard skyscraper can be seen:

This juxtaposition of old and new can seem bizarre at first, but Christianity has long had to adapt to the times and there is a sense in which we retain the ‘old’ truths of the gospel and yet seek to convey these in a manner that is relevant and meaningful to our modern society. Something of this balance between old and new is captured by John in his first letter: ‘Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard.  Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.‘ (1 John 2:7-8) The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is nothing new under the sun (Eccl 1:9) and yet we continue to find new ways to express old truths. It has ever been thus, and so we should not be surprised to find the new springing up amongst the old, sign of God’s creative spark still at work in His world.

You may well have heard of the Tower of London poppies, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, marking the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. Created by ceramic artist Paul Cummins, with setting by stage designer Tom Piper, 888,246 ceramic poppies will progressively fill the Tower’s famous moat, culminating on Remembrance Day this year. We had the privilege of seeing this during our visit to London:

This is a powerful visual aid to help us focus on the loss of life during the First World War and is a moving tribute to all who died, as well as raising thousands of pounds to be divided between six service charities. At the same time, as I stood amongst the crowds looking at this scene, I could not help thinking of the song ‘At The Cross (Love Ran Red)’:

‘There’s a place where mercy reigns and never dies,
There’s a place where streams of grace flow deep and wide.
Where all the love I’ve ever found,
Comes like a flood,
Comes flowing down.

At the cross
At the cross
I surrender my life.
I’m in awe of You
I’m in awe of You
Where Your love ran red
and my sin washed white.
I owe all to You
I owe all to You Jesus.

There’s a place where sin and shame are powerless.
Where my heart has peace with God and forgiveness.
Where all the love I’ve ever found.
Comes like a flood,
Comes flowing down.

Here my hope is found
Here on holy ground
Here I bow down
Here arms open wide
Here You save my life
Here I bow down
Here I bow down.’ (‘At The Cross’, Chris Tomlin)

As usual, we had various competitions and games during the family service (some of which were more successful than others!) These included a treasure hunt to find pictures of the Simpsons, a competition to reproduce famous catchphrases and a wordsearch. All the prizes had the theme of the Simpsons: