On the last Sunday in July, John spoke on the subject ‘How clean is your crib?’, using Proverbs 14:4 TNIV as a launch: “Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests.”

The work of the oxen is synonymous with increase and opportunity, but there is a contrast because if the crib is clean, there is presumably no increase. It might look tidy and clean, but if there is no fruit and multiplication in the church, there will be no growth. We have to accept, though, that increase comes with disruption and (at times) dirt! John 15 speaks of our fruitfulness (as a result of our connection to Chris) bringing glory to God and oxen give us insight into how we can live well for God.

The ox played an important part in Jewish life. The ox was used for drawing wagons, for carrying burdens (1 Chron 12:40 TNIV), for ploughing, for treading the corn, for sacrifice and for food. Numbers 7:3-5 TNIV and 1 Sam 6:7 TNIV give examples of the ox in Old Testament narratives. Ploughing was perhaps the most important task carried out by oxen. Without ploughing, there could be no sowing and without sowing, there could be no harvest, but ploughing is hard, physical work which requires commitment and endurance (the sluggard doesn’t plough, Proverbs reminds us, and therefore has to go begging at harvest time!) Jesus reminded His disciples “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62 TNIV) We have to be committed to God and plough a straight furrow (a phrase taken nowadays to indicate honesty and integrity and reliability of character, all characteristics of God’s chosen people).

Jer 4:3 TNIV and Hosea 10:11-14 TNIV give further spiritual parallels about ploughing. We are required to break up the unploughed land and do what is right. Prov 14:12 TNIV reminds us “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” If we plough wickedness and sow iniquity, we will reap destruction. Righteousness exalts a nation (Prov 14:34 TNIV) and we need to persevere in breaking up the unploughed land in our own hearts and in our area if we are to live well for God.

Oxen were also used in sacrifices as burnt offerings and peace offerings. Paul exhorts us to present our bodies to God as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1-2 TNIV) and 2 Sam 4:18-25 TNIV reminds us that sacrifices cost us something. We need to understand that God requires us to give Him total control of our whole lives. Sacrifice is a necessary part of our Christian experience – not something we always enjoy, but something which reaps great rewards! (and the oxen had its own reward for its work in ploughing, since it was not to be muzzled – see Deut 25:4 TNIV, 1 Cor 9:9 TNIV).

If we want to see increase in the church, there is a lot we can learn from the ox. Its characteristics – tenacity, perseverance and service – need to be ours too. Then we can bear burdens and be fit for God’s service.

A number of people will be on holiday throughout August, but church services on Sunday will be as usual. A Communion service is held every Sunday morning, starting at 10.30 a.m. and an evening service is held at 6 p.m. The family service on Sunday 4th August will be on the theme of ‘Home and Away’, and an evening Communion service is held on the second Sunday of each month (11th August).

There are, however, no midweek meetings during August and no youth club or Parent & Toddler group throughout the rest of the school holidays.

Coffee mornings continue to be held on Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. until 12 noon.

If you want any further information, Dave is the man to contact!

Having a balanced and Biblical view of God is something we should all aspire to. Last night’s Bible study continued looking at the subject of anger, but this time, instead of looking at our anger, we looked at God’s anger – something we would often rather not think about!

God is often described as being angry. Words such as ‘wrath’, ‘furious’ and ‘jealous’ are common in the Bible, but it’s important not to imbue these words with an understanding of our imperfect anger which we then transfer to God. God is holy and incapable of our petty, capricious, fickle temper tantrums. His anger is measured and just, never pique or selfish indignation.

Proverbs 6:16-19 TNIV looks at things God hates, such as a proud heart, lying lips, wicked behaviour and (more unusually as far as we are concerned) behaviour which stirs up dissension among brothers. God is angry when we refuse to believe and refuse to obey Him. Think about how His anger burned against Moses (Exodus 4:10-14 TNIV) only when Moses refused to obey and asked ‘send someone else.’ A lack of faith and a stubborn refusal to obey are things God hates.

Deut 29:14-20 TNIV shows us how easily Israel turned away from God and persisted in going their own way. The wilderness wanderings (described vividly in Psalm 78 TNIV) show us a people who were lacking in gratitude, quickly forgetful of all that God had done for them and both stubborn and stiff-necked. They fell at the same hurdles time and time again (often complaining about the lack of food and water and imagining they would perish in the wildernenss instead of possessing the land as God had promised.) Hebrews 3:7-19 TNIV offers a commentary on this behaviour, talking about how they hardened their hearts and were led astray by their sinful, unbelieving hearts and by sin’s deceitfulness. It is this inner attitude, manifested in outer actions, which angered God and caused many to die in the wilderness.

Some people often think of the God of the Old Testament as wrathful but claim that Jesus reveals a new, loving face of God. It’s not wise to believe there are two separate Gods: the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. There is one God who does not change! In the New Testament, we see that Jesus got angry too. Mark 3:1-6 TNIV is one such example, when He was angry and deeply distressed at the Pharisees’ stubborn hearts and their unwillingness to see a man healed on the Sabbath. They preferred the rules of religion rather than the benefit of God’s love. He was furious at shallow rules which did not reflect God’s heart; as G. K. Chesterton wryly remarked about Puritans, ‘a Puritan is a person who pours righteous indignation into the wrong things.’ When Jesus cleared the temple of money-changers (John 2:13-16 TNIV), His anger was measured and controlled (He spent time making a cord of whips before He drove out the money-lenders), but was nonetheless a declaration that God does not want us to cheat the poor and wants to be accessible and available to all. (A modern-day parallel has been in the news lately with the Archbishop of Canterbury speaking out against the high interest rates of companies like Wonga.com which entrap and cripple poor people – see here for more details.)

God’s anger is holy, moral and an expression of His righteousness. It is a measured response to the sinfulness and stubbornness of men’s hearts. Psalm 7:11 TNIV tells us God expresses His wrath every day, but Psalm 30:4-5 TNIV, Micah 7:18 TNIV and Psalm 103:8-9 TNIV also remind us that God is slow to anger and rich in compassion. He doesn’t bear grudges and doesn’t stay angry for ever, but is merciful and forgiving and pardoning (1 John 1:9 TNIV). We need to be aware that it is indeed a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God and thus live before God with reverence and humility, but we can also be confident that we find love and mercy in God’s Father heart.

When I’m on holiday, I love looking round old churches and chapels. The variety of architectural styles and the history behind these buildings fascinate me. I am well aware that the church is far more than a building, but the splendour of some of these buildings does indeed point to the magnificence of the God we worship in them!

Last week we visited chapels in some of the Oxford colleges.

The Harris Manchester College Chapel is a Pre-Raphaelite jewel. The stained glass windows were all installed by the firm of Morris & Co. of Merton Abbey. The cartoons of the individual lights were designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones and made by William Morris.

Keble College Chapel is a large chapel, unusual in its images showing Christ reigning in majesty above the altar, rather than focussing on the crucifixion.

I love how stained glass windows tell Bible stories and also how the light shining through them reminds me of the glory of the Lord:

The side chapel at Keble College houses Holman Hunt’s famous ‘Light of the World’ painting, showing the artist’s interpretation of Revelation 3, where Christ stands at the door knocking:

There are two lights shown in the picture. The lantern is the light of conscience and the light around the head is the light of salvation with the door representing the human soul, which cannot be opened from the outside. There is no handle on the door, and the rusty nails and hinges overgrown with ivy denote that the door has never been opened and that the figure of Christ is asking for permission to enter. The bright light over the figure is the morning star, the dawn of the new day, and the autumn weeds and fallen fruit represent the autumn of life. The writing under the picture, which is rather hard to read, is taken from Revelation 3 ‘Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me.’

As I wandered around churches and chapels this week, I was reminded of the description of the new Jerusalem, the bride of Christ, found in Revelation 21 TNIV. In that chapter, we read of the Holy City shining with the glory of God, ‘its brilliance… like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.’ Charlie Cleverly says of this description “When we look up to God in worship, colour and beauty and delight can and should invade our world. The choice to worship daily is to glimpse eternity, colour, glory, beauty. It is a choice to see heaven open, to be re-envisioned and to be re-energised; to be involved in Jesus’ building of his Church on earth.” (Charlie Cleverly, ‘Epiphanies of the Ordinary’) This vision sparkles with colour: twelve jewels named, all different in hues. Talk about Joseph and his multi-coloured coat, the church is a multicultural, multicoloured community.

Just as in these buildings the stained glass windows allow light to shine through, God is building a bride full of ‘light, openness, purity and harmony.’ (ibid.) It might not yet seem like that to our natural eyes, but that is why we desperately need a vision of God that unites heaven and earth:
“There’s only one desire in the heart of Your redeemed
To step deeper in the place where earth and heaven meet.” (‘Rushing Waters’, Aaron Shust)
‘Rushing Waters’, Aaron Shust

The prayer topic for August is about political influence in our land. Paul says, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2 TNIV) and reminded the Roman Christians: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (Romans 13:1 TNIV) We may feel we know little about politics; many of us may feel we are not interested in the subject or feel powerless to effect any real change in this area in our country. Nonetheless, we have a clear duty of prayer for those in authority and Christians have often been at the vanguard of change over the years.

Pray for Christians working in Parliament, that God will influence their thoughts and cause them to speak out from a Christian viewpoint.

Pray for more Christians to be elected to Parliament.

Pray for God’s protection on Christian MPs against the devil’s attacks on them, their families and homes.

Pray that God will help all MPs to be morally led and to fight against injustice in our land.

Pray for David Cameron, that he and his cabinet will make wise decisions and promote good legislation.

Keep praying against the Gay Marriage bill.

Pray for Christian organisations working in this field (eg CARE (Christian Action Research and Education), a well-established mainstream Christian charity providing resources and helping to bring Christian insight and experience to matters of public policy and practical caring initiatives.)

Friendship can be hard to define, but is wonderful to experience. Sometimes we are friends with people who are similar to ourselves, finding in another a kindred spirit: as C.S. Lewis once commented, “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” ” Sometimes we are friends with people who are completely different to us; as people often say, ‘opposites attract.’ Friendship offers us acceptance, support, unconditional love and a feeling that we are not alone in the world.

Igor discovered some new friends in Oxford:

When I was a child, I had an ‘autograph’ book for people to write in words of wisdom. One person wrote out a poem on friendship:
“Make new friends, but keep the old
Those are silver, these are gold
New made friendships, like new wine
Age will mellow and refine.

Friendships that have stood the test,
Time and change,is surely best.
Brow may wrinkle, hair grow grey
Friendship never knows decay.”

The Bible has much to say about friends:
“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24 TNIV)
“A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.” (Proverbs 16:28 TNIV)
“The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” (Proverbs 12:26 TNIV)

Having good friends and being a good friend add to the joys of life. Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do what I command.” (John 15:14 TNIV) Being a friend of God is a privilege indeed!
‘Friend of God’, Israel Houghton