One Day At A Time

Oct 22, 2023

Mark Burgin spoke this morning from Matt 6:25-34 about the need to live ‘one day at a time, sweet Jesus’ (in the words of the old song.) We can often spend much time making plans, but in this passage, Jesus tells us ‘do not worry about tomorrow.’ Each day has enough trouble of its own, and we do well not to take on additional worries from other days.We can easily get distracted about tomorrow and can even be obsessed with what will happen, to the detriment of enjoying today! The Lord’s Prayer reminds us that we ask God for our daily bread, what we need for today. God provides for our daily needs.

Todays society seems very selfish, with everyone thinking about themselves (‘you’ve got to look after number 1′.) We spend time saving and storing for tomorrow, but tomorrow is not guaranteed for anyone. Luke 12:16-21 reminds us of this truth, for the fool in that parable kept on building bigger barns and was not prepared to meet his Maker. Money is not able to buy us a guaranteed future; Ps 118;24 reminds us that we should rejoice in today, for the present is God’s gift to us. Life can seem a battle, but we are required to work in the today that God has given us and then we can be amazed at what can be achieved with God.

A Life of Service

Oct 20, 2023

When we were looking at 1 Samuel 16:14-23 last night, we saw how David moved from being the youngest in his family looking after sheep to being in the service of Saul the king. Service is a vital part of the life of faith. Jesus said, ‘Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ (Matt 20:26-28, see also Mark 10:43-44) Philippians 2:5-11 chronicles Jesus’s own servant lifestyle and how this was crucial to God’s blessing of His life and ministry. We cannot hope to be great or greatly used by God if we are not willing to be a servant. This will always involve things that we may not necessarily enjoy or want to do, but reflect a heart that is wholly committed to God. It seems David was willing to get on and do whatever was necessary; he was a biddable, teachable person.

Living as a servant means that we can make a difference – David certainly made a difference in Saul’s life! People in whom the Spirit of God lives can make a difference to others. We can make a difference. ‘For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?’ (2 Cor 2:15-16) The aroma ‘redolent of life’ brings relief, hope, comfort and encouragement to people. We really can help others by serving!

The Power of Music

Oct 20, 2023

In our Bible study, we looked at 1 Samuel 16:14-23, a passage that shows us David entering Saul’s service after his anointing by Samuel. Saul at this point is a troubled man; the Spirit of the Lord had left him because of his disobedience and rebellion and he was tormented by an evil spirit. HIs servants recommended music therapy to him, and David was singled out as being someone who was not only musically skilled but was also blessed by God.

The power of music to soothe the spirit and help with both physical and mental illness was known even then, it seems, and modern scientific studies have confirmed these truthsListening to (or making) music increases blood flow to brain regions that generate and control emotions.[1] The limbic system, which is involved in processing emotions and controlling memory, “lights” up when our ears perceive music.[2] The chills you feel when you hear a particularly moving piece of music may be the result of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that triggers sensations of pleasure and well-being. As your brain becomes familiar with a particular song, your body may release dopamine upon hearing just the first few notes of the song. Just as Pavlov’s dogs learned to associate food with a ringing bell – and eventually began drooling at the sound of a bell, even when no food was in sight – our bodies actively anticipate pleasure upon hearing familiar notes. Interestingly, music can affect our mood even if we can’t recognise or replicate the notes and rhythm. Science has documented numerous instances of people who suffered brain injuries and lost their ability to distinguish melodies but retained the ability to recognise the emotion conveyed by music. Researchers noted that these patients had sustained damage to the temporal lobes of the brain, a region involved in comprehending melody; their frontal lobes, which play a role in emotional regulation, were unaffected.

Singing is also recognised as a valuable means not only of enhancing lung capacity but also of improving mental alertness, memory and concentration, as it involves focusing on multiple things at once, engaging many areas of the brain in the process.

David’s musical ability, probably honed whilst he was tending the sheep, was of great benefit to Saul at this time, and we are indebted to it as he was the author of many of the Psalms. We know much about David’s inner life with God from these prayers set to music, and the Psalms continue to inspire songwriters today. One of the most famous (Psalm 23) reflects his experience as a shepherd and his knowledge of God as the ultimate shepherd. Many psalms urge us to sing and make music to God (see Ps 33:1, Ps 13:6, Ps 96:2) Worship of God is at the heart of a life well lived; David is our example in this.

 

[1] Singing My Dad Back to Me. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/13/well/family/singing-my-dad-back-to-me.html?fbclid=IwAR1sMO0jS1lb7Knnzw9o6tf1YP1ldnhkZ7kuYzBD3EQK-rxvgsMWaPzg-6Y

[2] Jäncke, L. (2008). Music, memory and emotion. Journal Of Biology, 7(6), 21. doi: 10.1186/jbiol82. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2776393/

Prosecho! – but not the wine!

Oct 15, 2023

Garry urged us to ‘keep watch!‘ tonight, echoing Jesus’s words in Luke 21:34-36, with the subtitle ‘be prosecho!’ The Greek word ‘prosecho’ (not the sparkling wine!) can sometimes be translated ‘be careful‘ or ‘take heed’ or ‘be on the watch’ and indicates a state of alertness. We live in difficult times, with the aftermath of the pandemic affecting our economy, the war between Russia and Ukraine adding to our anxieties and now the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict has reared its head. We are bombarded daily with bad news (climate catastrophes, crime, cost of living crisis etc.) and often feel as though we are swimming with clothes on, weighed down with care, unable to see any way forward.
Sometimes we deal with this situation by trying to ignore what is happening, but this does not work long-term. Jesus told us we must be careful and watchful, rather like the work of a watchman (or night security guard.) Ezek 3:16-19 echoes this theme, reminding us that we must be responsible for our own hearts. Jesus wants us to be wise about events and situations and people, learning from our mistakes. Wisdom comes from following the instructions of those wiser than ourselves; God Himself wishes to instruct us in how to live.
Eph 6:10-18 reminds us that we are in a spiritual battle and have spiritual armour from God which enables us to stand (and not drown under the barrage of bad news.) His truth tells us how things really are; His righteousness is available to us so that we can live in right relationship with Him. We are prepared (for He has spoken many warnings about the future) and are shielded from the enemy by faith. Salvation means we have access to God and the Word of God gives us the insight and help we need.
We need to be watchful (prosecho!) and on our guard. We should neither be weighed down with cares nor overwhelmed, for we are taught by God and have the armour we need to protect us. We can stand in the power that He gives and can overcome.

Divine Encounters

Oct 15, 2023

This morning in our series ‘The Miraculous & The Mundane’, we looked at Philip’s remarkable encounter with an Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-40). Here, we see how an angel of the Lord directs Philip to a specific road and a specific chariot and how after this divine encounter, which leads to the salvation and baptism of this important official in the Ethiopian Treasury, God takes him away to continue ministry elsewhere.
It seems that the God who made the world by speaking the word wants to be in partnership with people, involving us in His work and speaking directly to us in various ways. It takes time and practice to discern the voice of the Shepherd, but Philip shows us what happens we are prepared to let God interrupt us. Miracles happen when we allow God access to our everyday lives!
But for all that God worked in clearly supernatural ways, Philip’s role was simply to explain the Scriptures and introduce the man to Jesus. There is nothing particularly spectacular about this; we should all be reading the Bible on a daily basis and letting its truths inform us and direct us, so that when an opportunity comes our way, we are ready. Peter says, ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.’ (1 Pet 3:15) We need to be ready and willing to give our testimony, praying for opportunities to explain the hope we have and living in such a way that others are attracted to God through our lives.
This incident with Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch shows us how the miraculous works alongside the mundane and how God uses ordinary people to do His work. Once again, we see how privileged we are to be called co-workers in God’s service! (1 Cor 3:9) All that is required to be involved in the miraculous is a willing heart, listening ears and obedience. So often, we look at stories like this one and feel that nothing this specific or spectacular will ever happen to us. But as we wait before the Lord, He will speak to us, guide us, lead us, direct us and bring about God-encounters which have eternal significance.

Letting Go of Anxiety

Oct 8, 2023

Dave spoke tonight from Philippians 4:6-8, where Paul urges us not to be anxious or overtaken by worries. When we surrender to God and to His plans, our worries can also be released to Him.
THis is done firstly by prayer, by talking to God about the things which worry us. The Message version of these versions says, ‘Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.’ God is not interested in formulaic prayers but wants to hear our heart’s cry. He knows our needs anyway, but in articulating these needs, we often can then let go of our worries. We are to cast our cares or anxiety on the Lord (1 Pet 5:7) and to ask God for what we need (see James 4:1-2), Prayer is a great way of banishing worry!
Secondly, Paul urges the Philippians to pray with thanksgiving. As we learn contentment (1 Tim 6:6), we can be thankfull for all things (see Eph 5:20, 1 Thess 5:18). He urges the Philippians to get control of their thought life, focusing on what is good, true, noble, right, pure and praiseworthy. Our thoughts will either lead us towards God or they will lead us away from Him, towards a deeper relationship with Him or to a shallower relationship. If we learn to focus on God, then we will draw closer to Him and will find anxiety’s grip lessened in our lives.