This morning’s sermon looked at the happenings in Exodus 14 and 15, particularly looking at Exodus 15:11 TNIV: “Who among the gods is like you, LORD? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” When we see God move in power and majesty and might, our whole lives are changed and we can ‘let that confidence in God seep into the very depths of our hearts and minds, forming a holy confidence on the inside of us.’ (Matt Redman)

The story of Exodus is rooted firmly in history and is a story of deliverance. It’s a story that unfolds over years: the chapters leading up to these events have shown us the providence of God in protecting Moses, ensuring he was brought up as a ‘prince of Egypt’ and commissioning him to do God’s work. God’s ‘hand of providence is guiding us through choices that we make… is reaching out to help us on our way… has been our best defence, though His ways are sometimes hard to understand.’ (Michael W. Smith, ‘Hand of Providence’)

At this point in history, Israel has seen the deliverance of God in getting them out of Egypt through the Passover, but things do not look so rosy now. Pharaoh has come to regret his decision to let them go and he is now considering what to do to recover his slave labour (Ex 14:5 TNIV). The Israelites are now terrified and see only disaster ahead. They feel God has only brought them this far to die in the desert and can only see death ahead (either by drowning in the Red Sea or through slaughter by the Egyptians.) Moses encourages them: ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.’ (Ex 14:13-14 TNIV) There are many times in our lives when there is nothing more we can do and we need simply to trust in God to make a ‘third way’ for God can come up with solutions which are completely beyond our comprehension or imaginations, beyond our wildest dreams. (see Ephesians 3:20-21 TNIV)

Exodus 14:16 TNIV shows us God’s miraculous solution by which the Red Sea was parted and the Israelites walked through on dry ground, only to see the Egyptians subsequently drowned as the waters came crashing back down. This was obviously a miracle (‘a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is considered to be divine’), but one that was witnessed by the people. They saw with their own eyes first-hand what God could do and their response was a song of praise (see Exodus 15:1-11 TNIV). When we see God’s deliverance, providence and provision, our response is awe and wonder and praise. We felt this way in 2010 when we finally got the keys to this building. How could it possibly be that a church with just over £7,000 in the bank could move into a building valued at over £160,000? How could it be that a secular funding organisation, CRT, would give us a grant of £150,000 not once, but twice, after we’d been forced to give it back to them because of the timescales? How could it be that a church with a congregation of our size could move in to this building and renovate it so quickly? How could it be that a church like ours could cope with the everyday, long-term running of the building and pay back everything we owed even before the building on Beever Street was sold? When we were asked about the long-term viability of the project by CRT, it was difficult to answer their questions because we did not really know how we were going to finance the everyday running costs, but here we are, over three years later and we see that even though we have spent about £11,000 this year on the renovation and refurbishment of the building in providing a new kitchen, a new boiler and other works, we have more than £1000 more at the end of the financial year than we did at the start, and that’s not even mentioning the £5000 or so we have given away to missionary work! How can it be? Our only answer is that God is majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders and we are simply part of this amazing work that He is doing!

Whatever else God has done for us, His love has come down to us. He has called our names. He has drawn us to His heart through the cross. He has washed all our shame away. He has made a way for us just as He did for the Egyptians. Because of that, we can open up our hearts and pour His praises out. Matt Redman says ‘there is a reason behind our rejoicing. There is substance to our shout. Joyful worship is the freedom cry of a rescued soul.’ Let’s sing and shout to the God of wonders, for He has done wonderful things. ‘I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.’ (Ps 71:6) We sing because of all God is and all He has done. We shout because we have seen His right arm made bare. He is our King of Wonders and praise and worship are our response to who He is and what He has done and continues to do in our daily lives.

Tonight’s Bible study looked at 1 John 1:7-10 TNIV. Here, we read about ‘walking in the light’ and the benefits this brings. ‘Walking’ is often used in the sense of ‘living’, having a moral sense indicating the habitual course of life, outward and inward (see also Mark 7:5 TNIV, Acts 21:21 TNIV). The benefits of this are that we have fellowship with God (in the sense of association, communion and joint participation with), fellowship with other Christians and purification from all sins. The verb ‘purifies’ is in the present continuous tense, indicating that not only has Jesus cleansed us, this is an ongoing work available to us every day, giving us ‘unimpeachable purity’. In chemical situations, it is very hard to achieve total purity (think of the ‘traces’ of other substances in bottled water, for example), but Jesus is able to purify us totally and utterly.

This cleansing leads to a change in our behaviour; we do not wish to continue in the same sins, but want to grow in our understanding of what it means to walk in the light. It’s like the first gleam of dawn, becoming brighter as the day goes on (see Proverbs 4:18 TNIV). However, John is realistic about the fact that sin is still present; to claim otherwise is to deceive ourselves and to make God out to be a liar. We need continual purification because we continue to be contaminated by sin! God has made provision for all our sins to be forgiven – and at such a cost, the price being the blood of Jesus – but we need to confess our sins in order for this forgiveness to be realised and made effective in our lives. If we do not avail ourselves of the forgiveness which is freely offered to us by confessing our sins, we do not receive the forgiveness for which Christ paid. It’s like having a gift voucher for a certain shop – the voucher is only effective when redeemed. If we do not confess our sins, we are effectively ‘going it alone’, acting as though we do not need the forgiveness of Christ and therefore as though His sacrifice is not sufficient. When we confess our sins, we find He is faithful and just and will forgive us all our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Not only is there forgiveness for individual sins, there is an ongoing cleansing from everything which would make us unrighteous.

In this first chapter of John’s first letter, we have seen how ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’ is urging us to walk with Jesus, knowing fellowship with Him and with other Christians and living in the light. The fellowship and benefits of this life encompass far more than just the forgiveness of sins, but the cleansing Jesus brings to our lives enables us to ‘walk tall’ with Him, knowing cleansing and forgiveness in our everyday living.

Social justice will always be something which is hotly discussed in government, charities and churches. The Government’s policy document ‘Social Justice’ is subtitled ‘Transforming lives’ and says its vision is based on two fundamental principles: ‘First, prevention throughout a person’s life, with carefully designed interventions to stop people falling off track and into difficult circumstances. This starts with support for the most important building block in a child’s life – the family – but also covers reform of the school and youth justice systems, the welfare system, and beyond to look at how we can prevent damaging behaviours like substance abuse and offending. Second, the strategy sets out our vision for a ‘second chance society’. Anybody who needs a second chance in society should be able to access the support and tools they need to transform their lives.’ (‘Social Justice: Transforming Lives’ document)

Throughout history, God’s people have been at the forefront of social justice, working to relieve poverty and ensure justice is done. John and Benjamin Cadbury were Quakers whose beliefs shaped their business ventures. Manufacturers of tea, coffee, cocoa and ultimately confectionery, they developed their factory in a new suburb south of Birmingham and loyal and hard-working workers were treated with great respect and relatively high wages and good working conditions; Cadbury also pioneered pension schemes, joint works committees and a full staff medical service. ‘Bournville’, the town that they pioneered, reflected their beliefs: they were particularly concerned with the health and fitness of their workforce, incorporating park and recreation areas into the Bournville village plans and encouraging swimming, walking and indeed all forms of outdoor sports. Even today, the company’s vision is of a ‘peaceful and equitable society, free from discrimination and based on the principle of social justice for all.’

The mills at Cromford with their powered machinery, large workforce and factory village became models for others throughout Britain and abroad. For the Victorians, who learnt so much from his example, Arkwright earned the accolade ‘Father of the factory system’, but he also did much to help his workforce, building many houses for workers and developing the village of Cromford to give them a place of security to live. Conditions may seem positively barbaric to us today (whole families were employed, including children as young as ten and workers received one week’s holiday a year), but at the time, this was almost a luxury! Arkwright may have been aggressive and self-sufficient and was obviously concerned with his own personal wealth to a large degree, but he was also fuelled by a vision to help others and the strong Methodist influence of the time can be seen in the number of Methodist churches built in the village of Cromford:

Vision will always determine action. What we believe will always fuel what we do. I am not qualified to comment on the Government’s policy documents, nor do I believe that ‘transforming lives’ is something which can be done by politics alone. I do believe, however, in the power of each individual to shape and change the culture around us. Individual Christians, fired by the power of the Holy Spirit, envisioned by the Father-heart of God, modelled on the servant King and motivated by love, will always have an impact on relieving poverty and working towards social justice, for these are issues on God’s heart. The prophet Amos railed against religious hypocrisy and urged people to have right priorities: ‘let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!’ (Amos 5:24 TNIV) Similarly, Isaiah spoke against fasting which did not include right living and justice: ‘Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?’ (Is 58:6-7 TNIV) As God’s people, we need to be convinced of God’s stance in these issues and be open to His leading and directing. We may feel overwhelmed at times by the statistics, unsure as to what we should do or could do, uncertain as to how best we should direct our energies. We cannot do everything, but we can do something, as we agreed last week at the meeting with the Salvation Army. May God lead us and direct us so that we can help our communities and can show others that lives truly can be transformed by the regeneration and power of God with us, Emmanuel. After all, we firmly believe that God is the God of ‘second chances’ and long to see others knowing the power of forgiveness and the freedom life in Christ can bring.

Life is often likened to a race. Hebrews 12:1 TNIV talks about running the race marked out for us. Paul talks about running in such a way as to get a prize and not running aimlessly (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 TNIV). He writes to the Galatians about running a good race (Galatians 5:7 TNIV).

If I’m honest, I don’t much like this analogy of life as a race, for I don’t like running. However, I do like walking. I don’t walk quickly, but I don’t mind walking for long distances, especially if the scenery is worth looking at and the company is congenial. I find it easy to pray outdoors when I’m gazing at the wonders of creation and it’s easy to appreciate the grandeur of God that way.

Garry and I recently walked along the High Peak trail from Cromford Canal to Middleton Top. The trail follows the trackbed of the former Cromford and High Peak Railway, which was completed in 1831 to carry minerals and goods between the Cromford Canal wharf at High Peak Junction and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge. Cromford is a fascinating village, home of Sir Richard Arkwright who was a leading entrepreneur during the early Industrial Revolution who invented the water frame (a machine that produced a strong twist for warps, substituting wooden and metal cylinders for human fingers) and patented a rotary carding engine that transformed raw cotton into cotton lap. In Cromford, you can visit the Arkwright Mills:

The Industrial Revolution also saw the development of railways and Arkwright developed both the canal and the Cromford and High Peak railway as a means of transporting the textiles he was manufacturing. Undaunted by the undulations of the Peak District, engineers such as Josias Jessop built a railway which could transport goods. Towering a thousand feet above the southern trans-shipment point at Cromford Wharf was the limestone barrier of the High Peak. With a canal across the moors impractical, an early ‘iron railway’ was proposed which, to reach its northern terminus at Whaley Bridge, would have to climb the hill and then descend it. It was a triumph of ingenuity, featuring nine steep inclines and, at Gotham, an 80 degree curve which was the tightest on the railway network – just 55 yards radius. This railway track is now disused, but the High Peak trail allows walkers and cyclists miles of access to the beautiful countryside.

Starting at High Peak Junction:

Going through tunnels (and grateful there’s always light at the end of a tunnel!):

Each incline was equipped with a stationary steam engine – to haul and lower the wagons – whilst horses did the donkey work on the flatter intermediate sections.

We walked as far as Middletop Top, which houses the restored steam engine house built in 1829 by the Butterley Company to haul wagons up the Middleton incline and also has a visitor centre.

Obviously, by following the railway route, there are some steep inclines on the walk. These are given as 1 in 8 gradients and certainly keep you warm even in the cold November weather! But I was particularly struck by this sign at Middleton Top:

We had just walked up a 1 in 8 hill to reach the top with the visitor centre and lovely views over the hills. The rest of the walk was 1 in 1056, apparently. In other words, not very steep at all! I felt there was a parable in that. Life sometimes seems extremely hard work, rather like walking up a steep hill. Your heart knows it’s working! You breathe more deeply; sometimes you feel out of breath by the time you reach the top of the hill. Often, you want to give up and what keeps you going on those steep inclines is the knowledge that it won’t always be like that; there is an end to the climb with scenery worth seeing at the top! But sometimes life is not quite that difficult; it’s more like walking on the flat, not as demanding or challenging. Each kind of terrain is part of life’s scenery. Interestingly, whilst it is difficult walking up a hill, walking down is also not without problems; there was a ‘crash pit’ at one point in the walk where wagons were allowed to crash into a pit rather than run on to the bottom of the hill and destroy things at the junction! Cyclists were constantly advised to dismount when descending the hills and walkers needed to be careful not to trip or slip on leaves. Life can be equally fraught with dangers (the ‘many dangers, toils and snares’ mentioned in Newton’s hymn ‘Amazing Grace’), but Habakkuk 3:19 TNIV reminds us ‘The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.’ May we know His strength whether we are on a steep incline or walking on the flat; may He enable us to reach the heights!

Lest you were thinking that Igor has been conspicuously absent from the blog since August, you will be pleased to know that he too enjoyed the Derbyshire countryside recently.
Camouflaged on the driveway to Willersley Castle

Willersley Castle

Cromford Canal in the autumn sun

Willersley Castle from the top of the Sheep Pasture Incline

Panoramic view of the Derbyshire countryside

How many of you remember the Women’s World Day of Prayer events held on the first Friday in March? Women’s World Day of Prayer is a global, ecumenical movement of informed prayer and prayerful action, organised and led by Christian women who call the faithful together on the first Friday in March each year to observe a common day of prayer and who, in many countries, have a continuing relationship in prayer and service. This year’s service was held locally at the Salvation Army and was on the theme of ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me,’ written by women in France.

Obviously, a great deal of organisation and planning has to go into a service which is written by Christians from one country and then taken and adapted by Christians in the rest of the world. Each country has a national committee made up of women from every denomination and they meet regularly to pray and to plan. Next year’s service is on the theme ‘Streams in the Desert’, prepared by Christian women in Egypt and will be on 7th March 2014. But further ahead, services are being planned for 2015 and beyond.

Recently, Garry and I had the opportunity to take a break in Derbyshire, staying at the lovely Christian Guild hotel Willersley Castle. To my immense surprise, this was also the venue for one of the planning meetings of the National Committee of the Women’s World Day of Prayer! The committee were on their annual retreat, planning the service for 2015, written by ladies from the Bahamas! They were working on looking at every aspect of the service, including the songs, prayers, children’s activities (featuring sand beads, apparently!) and sermon outlines. It was a privilege to be able to eat with these ladies and discuss the finer details of their work and also to get a glimpse into the ‘behind-the-scenes’ work which goes into that annual service.

With their permission, here are some photos of the National Committee, ladies from all denominations who work tirelessly to foster good relationships between churches and who are real prayer warriors. Please pray for them and for all involved with this day of prayer.

Val Mylechreest (Salvation Army), Christine Miles (English speaking churches in Wales), Angela Almond (Baptist)

Eileen Rhodes (United Reform Church), Nola McCormick (Congregational Federation), Joan Cheetham (Roman Catholic)