Stephen continued his journey through Genesis last night. After the flood, God established a covenant with Noah and his descendants and we then go on to read the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, his sons, who themselves had sons (Gen 10:1). The account of Japheth’s sons is in Genesis 10:2-5, Ham’s sons in Genesis 10:6-20 and Shem’s sons in Genesis 10:21-31 – 70 in all. God was involved in all this work, but it was not long before men continued to sin.

Genesis 11:1-9 tells us the story of the origin of different languages. Men continued to rebel against God; his pride and his own glorification led to the construction of the Tower of Babel. Essentially, man continued to want to be like God, building a tower to the heavens. God still wanted to be involved in man’s life, but would not share His supremacy with mankind and came down to disrupt their language. This caused confusion and separation since there was now a lack of understanding among the people, who could not communicate properly with each other.

Language is a powerful, unifying tool. When we are able to communicate, to share our thoughts and our feelings as well as basic, ordinary words (‘pass me the brick’), things get done. The confusion of language led to the end of the building project and has led to disunity and division ever since.

We live in a world that has forgotten God and wants to live according to its own rules and plans. Man continues to try to usurp God’s place. Nonetheless, God continues to want to be involved in every aspect of our lives. In Christ, He has made a way for us to be reconciled to Himself and to regain that unity once known in Eden. May we allow Him to be Lord over every aspect of our lives.

We also had a birthday to celebrate:

Mark continued his series looking at different parts of Jesus’s body this morning. Having looked at the face of Jesus and the hands of Jesus, today it was the turn of His feet!

Feet are not usually thought of as particularly glamorous. In our cool British climate, we don’t show off our feet all that much!

With Christmas coming up, though, some of you might be thinking of treating your feet to a foot spa:

On a more prosaic note, Jesus walked a lot while He was on earth. That was by far the easiest method of transport – no buses, trains or trams available then! Jesus walked miles to get from A to B, often with the sole intent of preaching the gospel. His feet were, as Isaiah had prophesied, ‘beautiful feet’ because they brought good news (see Romans 10:15).

Mary sat at the feet of Jesus listening to what He said (Luke 10:39). That kind of sitting indicated submission and a desire to learn. We still need to be in a place where we can hear what Jesus has to say to us and can be in submission to Him.

Jesus’s feet did miraculous things, such as walking on water (John 6:19). We too have miraculous feet, for Jesus gave His disciples authority to trample on snakes and scorpions without coming to harm (Luke 10:19). We have God’s authority in the spiritual realm too.

Jesus, after His crucifixion, showed His disciples His hands and feet (Luke 24:39-40). His feet bore the marks of the cross and showed the depth of His suffering and His love for us. Jesus walked with His disciples through their griefs and confusion (Luke 24:15) and continues to walk with us on our pilgrimage on earth.

Mark then looked at various psalms which talk about what our feet should be like. God preserves us: Ps 66:8-9 tells us that ‘He has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping’ (Jude v 24 reminds us that God keeps us from falling.) God ‘makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights’ and enables us to ‘scale a wall’ (Ps 18:28-33). God’s Word provides light for our paths and is a lamp to our feet (Ps 119:105). He give us spiritual and practical direction to walk in and we too can have beautiful feet as we bring the good news to other people, learning to have our ‘feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace’ (Eph 6:15).

When we buy shoes, we need to know the purpose for which we need them: no point buying wellies for playing badminton, for example! We need appropriate footwear for our spiritual walk, learning to ‘go the extra mile’ (Matt 5:41) for those around us so that we can bring help and comfort to those in need.

God is in control. 1 Cor 15:24-25 reminds us that Christ ‘must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.’ Even death will one day be destroyed. Until then, let’s be those with ‘beautiful feet’, with or without that foot spa!

Last night’s Bible study looked at Romans 12:9-13. This section reads like a bullet point list of imperatives: short, pithy commands that are easy enough to understand but take a lifetime to learn how to put into practice! Garry likened this section to a Terry’s orange, forming a solid whole to look at, but it can be broken into individual segments, all of which have much to teach us.

Paul starts with ‘Love must be sincere’ – the word coming from two Latin words ‘sine’ (without) and ‘cera’ (wax). Apparently during the times of the Roman empire, craftsmen would work with marble and often if the marble got broken, repairs were made using wax. In order to guarantee the quality and authenticity of their work, craftsmen would sign the sculpture ‘sine cera’, indicating no wax had been used and this was the genuine article! Similarly, builders used to mix cement with wax, only to find in the heat of the country the wax would melt, leaving the foundations crumbling, so reputable builders would also sign their work ‘sine cera’ as a guarantee. Our love must be genuine, sincere, pure, unadulterated.

We are to ‘hate what is evil and cling to what is good’. The word ‘hate’ here is ‘abhor’, a forceful word indicating that we need to be repelled, repulsed and revulsed by evil in every form (however attractive it may appear!) God hates evil and we are called to be imitators of God (Eph 5:1). On the other hand, we must cling to or cleave to what is good. ‘Cleave’ is an interesting word, since it can have opposite meanings. Our most common understanding of it is when thinking of a butcher’s knife, cutting (a cleaver is a broad bladed knife like a hatchet which separates… hence our word ‘cleavage’!) But the word can also mean ‘to glue together, cement, fasten together, to join or fasten firmly together’ (rather like a ship’s plates on the hull are stuck together by rivets so that the plates contract and are firmly joined together.) This meaning of the word is the one in the old marriage service, when a husband is said to ‘cleave to’ his wife. We have to be firmly fixed to all that is good – again, just as God is.

We also need to be devoted to one another in brotherly love, honouring or respecting each other above ourselves, following the example of Jesus who served others no matter how tired, grief-stricken or drained He was. Paul gives us practical ways of serving each other, including helping those in need or being hospitable. We are also commanded in this section ‘never be lacking in zeal, but always keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord.’ In order to keep enduring, we have to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, being aware of all He has done for us and therefore motivated to serve out of grateful hearts. We have be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.

Time to put our worship into action in practical and life-changing ways!

We also celebrated a birthday last night!

In our studies of the Apostles’ Creed, we have reached the statement “[He] Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: He descended into hell: The third day he rose again from the dead…”

The Apostles’ Creed tells us nothing about Christ’s childhood and adolescence. It leaps straight from the miraculous conception and birth of Christ to this statement, and in that respect, it echoes the Gospel writers, who give us similarly very little information about Jesus’s younger days (see Luke 2 for what information we do have.) That may frustrate our curiosity, but the Gospel writers were far more interested in the ministry of Jesus and even more than that, they were interested in the final weeks of His life. They knew, without a shadow of a doubt, what is important in this great story and what is important are these key elements highlighted in the Creed.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate is not, in many ways, a key figure in the Gospels. We know very little about him from these accounts, though he is mentioned in all 4 Gospels: in Matthew 27, in Mark 15, in Luke 3 and in Luke 23 and in John 18 and 19. Apart from the Gospels, he is mentioned briefly by the historians Tacitus and Josephus, and there is an inscription known as the ‘Pilate Stone’ which confirms his title as that of a ‘prefect’ (or governor.) Luke tells us in Luke 3 that the ministry of John the Baptist and ultimately that of Jesus started “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas” (Luke 3:1-2). It seems Pilate became governor or prefect in about AD 26 and was in authority for about 10 years. A governor had four main tasks, being responsible for the taxes and acting as the Roman Emperor’s personal finance agent; being an accountant who had to deal with local building projects; being in charge of the army in that area and acting as the province’s senior judge. He features in the Gospels because of his role in the trial of Jesus, which was connected with his role as judge.

Pilate’s authority is invoked because the Jews are following their own agenda and they want the authority to kill this man. Pilate does not seem to want to execute Jesus, recognising that he has done nothing worthy of death. He tries to negotiate with the chief priests and scribes to have Jesus released (Mark 15:9-15), but ultimately he ignores his own conscience which tells him this man has done nothing wrong (John 19:6), his wife’s pleas to have nothing to do with this innocent man (Matt 27:19) and despite his attempts to absolve himself of blame (Matt 27:24), he wants to please the people more than he wants to do the right thing. As such, he is remembered for his part in the death of Christ, giving us a fixed point in history for Christ’s death, showing us that Christ did indeed live on earth, suffer and die under his authority.

He was crucified, dead and buried
In six short words, the Apostles’ Creed sums up how the plan of salvation was worked out. It tells us the method of Jesus’s death: that barbaric death used by Romans at this time, usually to punish slaves, pirates and enemies of the state. Crucifixion was considered a most shameful and disgraceful way to die, and for Jews it was especially horrific for they remembered Deut 21:23 which said “anyone who is hung on a pole [tree] is under God’s curse”. Crucifixion was a painful and terrible way to day, but this is the method of death which our Lord suffered for our sakes. Paul reminds us of the reason behind the Crucifixion in Gal 3:13: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” Paul has come to see that even the method of Christ’s death is significant. No one could get to God through their own righteousness and therefore every single one of us was condemned, because the righteous law said “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” (Gal 3:10, quoting Deut 27:26). Yet as Christ hung on the tree, He was taking the punishment that should have been ours, becoming a curse for us so that we might not be cursed. Paul goes on to say “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” (Gal 3:14).

Jesus really did die. He did not just swoon or faint on the cross, but was fully dead when taken down – the Romans didn’t bungle the death penalty, because they were likely to suffer it themselves if they did! Not only did He die, but He was buried (see John 19:38-42, Matt 27:59-66). Naturally speaking, there was no way out of the tomb!

He descended into hell
This phrase is probably the most controversial in the Apostles’ Creed, mainly because there are different interpretations as to what is meant by ‘hell’. One writer says, “To some, the descent into hell represents the physical agony of death upon the Cross. It was hellish in its pain. To others, the word hell means Hades or Sheol, the collective abode of the dead, divided into Paradise or Abraham’s Bosom–the state of God-fearing souls–and Gehenna, the state of ungodly souls. Thus the descent into hell may suggest that the Son of God carried the sins of the world to hell; or the Son of God carried Good News of deliverance to the godly dead such as Lazarus the beggar and the repentant thief. A third-century Syrian Creed speaks of Jesus, “who was crucified under Pontius Pilate and departed in peace, in order to preach to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the saints concerning the end of the world and the resurrection of the dead. Others believe that the descent into hell accounts for the problem of God’s justice by providing an opportunity for all mankind–in eternity as well as in time–to hear the message of redemption from the Word Himself. ” (http://www.creeds.net/ancient/descendit.htm) These are the range of beliefs commonly held about this phrase in the Creed, derived from passages such as Matt 12:39-40, 1 Pet 3:18-20 and Ephesians 4:9-10.

Jesus is Lord of all and His proclamation to imprisoned spirits indicates the triumph of the Cross. (Col 2:15)

On the third day he rose again from the dead
Peter told the crowd on the day of Pentecost:
“This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” (Acts 2:23-24)
The resurrection of Christ was a real, bodily, physical resurrection. Christ appeared to His disciples on many occasions and as Paul expounds in 1 Corinthians 15, without the resurrection of Christ our faith is in vain. The resurrection shows us that Christ’s sacrifice for sin was acceptable to God and gives us hope that death does not have the final word. Christ the Lord is risen today!

“Love’s redeeming work is done, hallelujah
Fought the fight, the battle won, hallelujah
Death in vain forbid Him rise. hallelujah
Christ has opened Paradise” (Aaron Shust, ‘Risen Today’)
http://christianjukebox.blogspot.com/2011/10/aaron-shust-risen-today-official-lyric.html

Dave preached this morning from Luke 1:5-22, 57-66, on the story about the birth of John (getting us ready for Christmas, five weeks today!) Zechariah was a priest, a descendant of Levi and had been chosen by lot to offer incense at the daily sacrifices, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Zechariah’s turn of duty was more amazing than most, for the angel Gabriel appeared to him and told him that his heart’s desire was about to come true: he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son at long last.

So incredible was this news to Zechariah that he didn’t believe it! He had been disappointed for so long that he didn’t dare hope this could be true. He doubted the message (and by implication God who had sent the message) and as a result was struck dumb.

It was not until the birth of his son all those months later when Zechariah’s silence was ended. Having been told by Gabriel to call his son John, a fact he obviously communicated to Elizabeth, he confirms her choice in writing to the priests and immediately was able to declare praises to God.

Those months of silence were not so much God’s punishment, however, as God’s way of preparing Zechariah for the job he had to do. In those months of silence, fear was turned to faith and resistance was turned to worship. Times of silence can give way to insight and creativity. We have to heed the Psalmist’s command ‘Be still and know that I am God’ (Ps 46:10) and must stop running long enough to listen. Elijah, in 1 Kings 19, does not hear God in the wind, the earthquake or the fire, but in a ‘gentle whisper’. Activity and productivity are not synonymous; instead, we need time and space and silence to reflect, to wait on the Lord and listen for His ‘gentle whispers’.

If we learn to do this, we find:
(1) new strength (Is 40:31)
Our weaknesses are exchanged for God’s strength and we can rise up on wings like eagle and find the energy to run again.
(2) a better perspective (2 Cor 4:18)
We press the ‘pause’ button, biting back our first reactions and learning to wait on God to find His perspective on situations. Proverbs tells us that ‘a gentle answer turns away wrath’ (Prov 15:1) and we often need the time to see things as God sees them, rather than from our limited vantage point
(3) we deepen our determination to persevere (Ps 27:14)
God whispers encouragement to us as we wait on Him and we realise afresh that the Lord is strong and mighty.

Silence is not a curse; it’s an opportunity. We need to use it to listen, to pray for others, to hear from God. Those of us who are so busy we feel we never have time for silence need to be intentional about listening and take the time to stop and listen. We need more than one ‘silent night’; we need to take time out daily to listen to the voice of God.