When I first became a Christian, I read C. S. Lewis’s books ‘Mere Christianity’ and ‘Miracles’. In the latter, Lewis argues that before one can learn from the study of history whether or not any miracles have ever occurred, one must first settle the philosophical question of whether it is logically possible that miracles can occur in principle. He accuses modern historians and scientific thinkers, particularly secular Bible scholars, of begging the question against miracles, insisting that modern disbelief in miracles is a cultural bias thrust upon the historical record and is not derivable from it. I never had any trouble believing that miracles were possible, so it was relatively easy for me to believe that the miracles I read about in the Bible had actually happened. However, it was not quite so easy to believe that miracles still happened or that they could actually happen to me. Logically I knew there was no difference (same God, after all!), but it all seemed a little too surreal for me to expect.

A miracle is an event not ascribable to human power or the laws of nature and consequently attributed to a supernatural, especially divine, agency. Over the years, I have come to think I possibly placed too much emphasis on miracles in those early years, expecting God to perform them almost like a magician performing endless tricks at a show. Nonetheless, I do still believe in miracles and that they happen. I only have to come to the building on Market Street each week to see a miracle in action. How could a church with £7000 in the bank buy a building costing over £150,000? Only through the miraculous workings of God!

In my own life, too, I have seen God do things that just weren’t possible for me to do. I’ve seen Him make money stretch beyond the normal expectations of financial economics (rather like the widow’s jug of oil in 2 Kings 4:1-7 TNIV.) I’ve seen Him provide jobs in the most bizarre ways. In fact, every job I’ve ever had (four to date) has come about in ways that definitely defy human reasoning! I’ve seen Him heal people. I’ve seen so much of His miraculous power flowing from His heart of love.

Yet still I struggle to believe. I don’t find it easy to expect God to do the unexpected. I am trained in rational, Western living and can come up with countless theological reasons why God doesn’t do as many miracles as He used to! I do believe He’s there in the ordinary as well as in the extraordinary. But I know that there are times when He works in ways beyond my understanding and I’m grateful for the miracles He performs.

‘I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end,
Even when the sky is falling.
I’ve seen miracles just happen,
Silent prayers get answered,
Broken hearts become brand new.
That’s what faith can do.’ (‘What Faith Can Do’, Kutless)
‘What Faith Can Do’, Kutless

This nugget is one you’re all probably sick and tired of me going on about. I have probably blogged on the topic of surrender more than any other subject (see below). However, I’ve found over the years that whilst it’s easy enough to understand what is meant by surrender, it’s difficult to actually do this day-in, day-out.

Blog references to ‘surrender’
29 September 2013
21 July 2013
2 June 2013
14 February 2013
10 February 2013
11 January 2013
23 December 2012
29 April 2012
5 January 2012
21 December 2011
25 October 2011
27 February 2011

C.S. Lewis says, ‘As Christians, we try too hard. In fact, we fail as Christians whenever we attempt to do something under our own power and strength. It is the human condition, yet it is odd. We have available to us the power and strength from the Creator of all, yet we try and do things under our own strength. I am no different. I struggle with this daily. There is a paradox here, however, because just when you think you have successfully mastered the art of relying on God, you have fallen back into the trap. This is why Jesus said that we need to die to self daily. We must be constantly vigilant, but in being vigilant, we fall back into the trap of self-reliance again.’

We all have a tendency to want to run the show, ‘the show’ in this case being our lives. We find it hard to ‘let go and let God’. Paradox and surrender are closely linked; certainly, the key thing is that we cannot reason our way into victorious Christian living. We have to be prepared to risk it all and lose it all before we can gain anything at all.

Surrender is closely linked to paradox. Surrender is, above all, a choice we make, and one we have to make daily. The songs below reflect the ongoing importance of surrender in our worship and in our everyday, daily lives. As we surrender to God, we are effectively allowing His will to be done in our lives and are thus participating in the arrival of His kingdom on earth (Matt 6:10 TNIV).

‘Lay Me Down’, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman
‘White Flag’, Chris Tomlin
‘Live To Lose’, Aaron Shust
‘Takeover’, Aaron Shust
‘Giving You All Control’, Jeremy Camp
‘Surrender’, Jeremy Camp
‘I Surrender’, Hillsong
’Magnificent Defeat’, Wes King

At the family service, we looked at the theme of ‘passing on the baton’, subtitled ‘passing on truth in every generation and to every generation.’ We looked at Moses’s words to the people of Israel:

We also looked at his advice to the people in Deut 11:1-7 TNIV & Deut 11:18-21 TNIV. We each have a duty and responsibility to pass on the truths that God has revealed to us to those around us, who will never have the opportunity to hear the gospel if we do not share with them God’s life and light. We need to consider the questions:

Our spiritual legacy does not have to wait until we die. 2 Tim 2:2 TNIV reminds us of the role leaders have to play in passing on truth, but we all have a responsibility to ‘stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.‘ (2 Thess 2:15 TNIV) We need to value the truth and power of the Bible (see Hebrews 4:12 TNIV) so that we can be sure we are passing on truth and we need to understand that our whole lives are living letters which are read by people (see 2 Cor 3:2-3 TNIV).

Life is like a relay race. In the relay race, there is both individual effort and team effort. The handover of the baton is all-important:

We were urged to stop and consider what fundamental truths we want to pass on to those around us and to the next generation (especially our children and grandchildren.) What core beliefs are shaping our lives? What do we believe is absolutely essential for others to know of God and about us? We were all given a plastic baton to take away.

In the baton was a strip of paper. We were urged to write that ‘one thing’ which summarised all we have learnt of God and want to pass on to someone else and once we have done that, to pass the baton on to another person. In the words of the Bryn Haworth song, ‘Pass it on!’
‘Pass It On’, Bryn Haworth

Passing on the baton was the theme of tonight’s family service. We had a game which involved finding a number of batons hidden in the community room:

Then we had a game of ‘pass the baton’ (think ‘pass the parcel’ with batons…!) When the music stopped, the one holding the baton had to run to put it in the bucket at the front to win points for their team.

There were, of course, prizes to be won:

We also had a birthday to celebrate:

In his sermon on ‘Growing in God’, Garry mentioned a song by Sara Groves called ‘Painting Pictures of Egypt’, which looks at the feelings of the Israelites as they were in the wilderness experience. So often, we are in the ‘in-between’ period when we have heard God’s promises but we have not yet arrived or possessed all that He has promised us. At those times, it feels like we are torn: looking back wistfully at all we have left behind and looking ahead apprehensively at the new things which seem so scary.

“I don’t want to leave here
I don’t want to stay
It feels like pinching to me
Either way
And the places I long for the most
Are the places where I’ve been
They are calling out to me
Like a long lost friend

If it comes too quick,
I may not appreciate it.
Is that the reason behind all this time in sand?
And if it comes too quick
I may not recognise it
Is that the reason behind all this time in sand?” (“Painting Pictures of Egypt”, Sara Groves)
“Painting Pictures of Egypt”, Sara Grove

Garry looked at the topic of ‘Growing in God’ this morning, basing his thoughts on his continuing study of 2 Peter 1:8-9 TNIV. If we are to grow in God, change, faith and risk will all need to be incorporated into our lives.

Growing involves change
To paraphrase The Clash, the question facing us all is ‘should I stay or should I grow?’ Quite often, we tend to prefer the status quo, but we have to let go of the familiar if we are to see spiritual growth. Some people embrace change easily; others feel that ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Whichever camp we prefer, we have to be willing to change if we are to grow. Often, we are resistant to change imposed on us from the outside because we like to feel in control or because we feel that those forcing change on us do not understand the whole situation fully, but God is our ‘constant through the trial and the change’ (‘One Thing Remains’) and definitely knows the whole situation! When God changes things, we have to be able to trust that He is acting out of love and is working all things together for good. We have to be sure and certain of who God is and what He is like if we are to embrace the often turbulent changes He brings into our lives to move us towards growth.

Growing involves pain
Children often experience ‘growing pains’ as they grow, but the pains we face on life’s journey are often just as painful as these physical symptoms. Often, we don’t understand what God is doing when things are changing. As we journeyed towards the acquisition of St Mark’s, there were many setbacks when we did not understand God’s ways, but at those points on the journey of change, we have to trust that He will not give us more than we can bear (1 Cor 10:13 TNIV). Often, when we experience physical pain, our bodies try to compensate for this by minimising what that part of the body has to do, but sometimes we have to push on beyond the pain barrier in order to get to a better place. We want an ‘easier way’, but sometimes the easier way is not the right one (see Matt 4:8-9 TNIV).

Growing involves faith
Without faith to hold on to God and all that He is doing in periods of change, we will give up. So often, we prefer the tangible and visible to walking by faith. Gideon led the Israelites to a great victory, but shortly afterwards, the people succumbed to making idols out of gold (see Judges 8:22-27 TNIV). It’s easy for our hearts to fall back into dependence on material things (see 1 Tim 6:17 TNIV), but we need to let go of our need for independence and control in order to depend on Him. Doing God’s work in God’s way will always require faith.

Growing involves mistakes
With faith comes the possibility of making mistakes. We don’t always get it right! Taking risks is…risky! When we make mistakes, we have to be prepared to admit to these and to repent and be contrite. We have to turn our backs on pride and allow God to guide us, remembering that in God’s faith work, there is no place for ‘lone rangers’. God can speak to each one of us, but there is a need for us to work together (which can often help to reduce the chance of making mistakes.) We desperately seek God’s wisdom in these matters, but someone has once wryly remarked that ‘wisdom is the product of survivable mistakes.’ We need not despair when mistakes are made, but can rely on God’s forgiveness and know that we can start afresh in Him.