The Pig Incident

Aug 20, 2023

This morning we looked at quite an unusual miracle recorded in three gospels (Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:26-39) which shows us Jesus delivering a man from a legion of demons by means of sending the unclean spirits into a nearby herd of pigs, resulting in the deliverance of the man and the death of the pigs. Though there are variations in the stories, the key elements remain the same, and leave us puzzled as to why Jesus acted in this way.

It’s clear that individuals matter to God, and in this case, the sanity and healing of one man mattered more than the wealth produced for Gentiles by two thousand pigs. Before meeting Jesus, this man was in a hopeless position, living in tombs, without clothes and self-harming. His violence and aggression meant he was shunned and feared by people, but once delivered from the legion of spirits by Jesus, he is seen dressed, in his right mind, and willing to tell of all God had done for him to his community. Mission starts at home, and this man obeyed Jesus faithfully. We do well to do the same, remembering that we all have a personal story/ testimony to tell.

This miracle divided opinions. Many were amazed and astonished at what Jesus had done and the transformation wrought in this man. Others were less enthusiastic, Luke tells us they were overcome  by fear. (Luke 8:37) Despite their mistrust and lack of control over the man previously, they were not reassured by the fact that Jesus was in total control of the situation, giving permission for the evil spirits to enter the pigs, but fully in control of what was happening. Miracles will always divide opinions, but we can be confident that Jesus is in control and therefore can have hope in every situation, even those which seem so dark and evil to us. Nothing is more powerful than Jesus.

 

 

Who Am I?

Aug 19, 2023

Dave spoke last Sunday from 1 Peter 2:9-10, famous verses declaring who the Christian is in God’s eyes.
Christians are God’s chosen people. Chosenness is a beautiful thing, not determined by our goodness or ability, but by God’s grace.
We are also pitied. God has shown mercy to us. He saw us in our sinful, fallen state and felt compassion for us. Not only that, but He did something about it! We have been shown mercy, we are “mercied” people. We get our identity not from our actions, but from being acted upon — with pity.
We are also God’s possession (see also 2 Cor 6:16). We belong to Him; we are His people. As a result of this, He also calls us His holy nation – set apart for God, no longer belonging to the world. We are a royal priesthood, no longer needing anyone else to mediate between us and God but called to priestly service. Our identity lends purpose to our lives. Peter says that purpose is so “that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”
Who am I? Who are you? You are a God-chosen one, a God-pitied one, a God-possessed one, a God-sanctified one. The very language of our identity in this text necessitates that God be included as the one who acts.
Our identity is not an end in itself, but for the sake of priestly service, which Peter defines as proclaiming the excellencies of the One who called us out of darkness into His marvellous light. What a purpose!

God’s Great Party

Aug 11, 2023

On Sunday 6 August we welcomed 75 people into our family service. At the ‘Churches Together’ family fun days we have been looking at the parables of Jesus and in particular over the summer at the lost sheep, lost coin and lost son (Luke 15). In each of these stories, we saw that there is a party in heaven every time someone comes back to God, so we decided to throw our own party to celebrate God’s goodness and kindness to us.

We sang a song about the shepherd looking for the lost sheep, searched for lost sheep in the building and heard a story about Cecil the Sheep by Andrew McDonough.

We played Pass The Parcel and enjoyed party dancing with bubbles and disco lights.

 

We had party food, because a party without food just doesn’t seem right, and God talks about that great party in heaven by comparing it to a wedding banquet!

We also had fun on the Bouncy Castle and on the Nerf Shootout provided by Alison Taylor-Fellows. All in all, we had a great time!

God’s New Creation

Aug 10, 2023

Tonight in our Bible study we read Revelation 21, where we see God making a new heaven and a new earth (see also Is 65:17-18, Is 66:22, 2 Peter 3:13). The imagery is of the church, God’s people, as a bride and as a city (see also Is 54:5, Eph 5:26-27). with God’s trustworthy and true promise being that He will dwell with His people forever.
The imagery in this chapter is of beauty beyond our wildest dreams (with the streets paved with gold and beautiful jewels adorning the walls and the gates made from pearls.) God takes our brokenness and is building us into something beautiful; Peter reminds us that we are living stones (see 1 Pet 2:9-10). His new creation will be a place of perfection, with no more sorrow, death, mourning or sin; those whose names are in the Lamb’s book of life will inherit all God has promised, whereas nothing ungodly will ever be found there again.
The brilliance of the city comes from the light and glory of God. We are promised light, eternal satisfaction ‘without cost’ and a glorious inheritance. This hope fuels us in this present darkness and reminds us that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Rom 8:18)

Living In The Light of God’s Promises

Aug 6, 2023

Garry spoke this morning from Genesis 47:28-31 on ‘living in the light of God’s promise.’ Jacob, Joseph’s father, shows us that the promise of God determined how he thought and lived; he lived his life in the expectation that God would fulfil His promises to him. If we live without God’s promises, our lives are full of dread and darkness, but with God, we are given discernment and the ability to judge situations (as the men of Issachar demonstrate, they understood the times and knew what Israel should do (1 Chron 12:32).
God gives us spiritual insight through His Spirit (see 1 Cor 2:16); we have ears that need to hear what the Spirit is saying (as Revelation 2 and 3 make plain.) We must, as Karl Barth said, read our newspapers in one hand with the Bible in the other, for it is God who interprets what is happening in our world.
It can be hard to know how to live in a world that ignores God or is even hostile to His ways (see Romans 13:1-8, Ex 1:15-17, Dan 6:6-10). The apostles made it plain that ‘we must obey God rather than human beings’ (Acts 5:29). Nowadays, so much of what governments approve is against God’s law; we must learn to live in the light of God’s promises, be they conditional or uncondtional. Where God’s promises rest on our obedience, we must strive to obey, but so many of His promises are unconditional and rely on His faithfulness alone. We should not fear what the world fears, but should rest in God’s sovereignty and let His promises direct our living and our hope, no matter what.

God’s Great Party

Aug 6, 2023

Every morning I read through a passage in the Old Testament, one in the New Testament and one from either Psalms or Proverbs. I use the Bible In One Year reading plan (https://bibleinoneyear.org/en/) and find it extremely helpful to get this broad overview of Scripture rather than just reading favourite passages over and over again. All Scripture is God-breathed, we are told (2 Tim 3:16-17), and so it is useful for us, equipping us for every good work.
Today’s Psalm was Psalm 91, a very well-known and much-loved psalm. I read it today in The Message version, and was struck by the ending in this version as I prepare for our special party service at church this afternoon:
“If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God,
“I’ll get you out of any trouble.
I’ll give you the best of care
if you’ll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;
I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I’ll give you a long life,
give you a long drink of salvation!” (Ps 91:14-16, The Message)
Why are we having a party service today, complete with traditional party games, party food, bouncy castle and inflatables? How can this possibly be called ‘church’?
All throughout Scripture, we see a God whose love for us is lavish, generous, abundant. Luke 15 shows us Jesus telling three stories about lost things – a lost sheep, a lost coin, a lost son – and each time the lost item is found, there is celebration and a party in heaven.
So often, we think of God as a killjoy, someone ‘out to get us’, someone who positively smirks when we fail. That is so far from the truth. God is a God of celebration, of lavish love, of welcome. Parties are God’s idea; He speaks of the ultimate celebration when we are reunited with Him as a wedding banquet. (Matt 22:1-14) Everything we love about parties – food, singing, dancing, games – is a reflection of the joy in God’s own heart when we live in right relationship with Him.
So today I am grateful for the party-heart of God!