It struck me again how important it is to share with each other our experiences of faith- the encouragements and the difficulties of life. The Christian life is not all plain sailing – Jesus himself said that “In the world you will face troubles.” (John 16:33) This was certainly true for His life and ministry and the life and ministry of the disciples, and so we should not be surprised that we experience this as well. But we must tale heart in the words Jesus continued with “But take courage; I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33)

In Christ there is always the hope of victory over sin, sickness and death – we may not experience it fully in this life, but we know that we will experience it fully in the next life. Sometimes we can find that having gone through a difficult experience, we can later help others who are going through the same experience. St Paul speaks of this in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.

But in order for us to be in a position to give and receive comfort from others, we must learn to share with one another – to take the risk of trusting each other with the deeply personal things of our lives – we may find that we can help others, or that they can help us too.
As an old chorus puts it:
Let us open up ourselves to one another, without fear of being hurt or turned away.
For we need to confess our weaknesses, to be covered by our brother’s love, To be real and learn our true identity

For we are all a part of one another, we cannot hope to live life fully on our own.
We each possess a precious part of our Father’s nature, and together we’ll become that perfect whole.

Perhaps we sometimes get a bit too comfortable in doing the same things each week and talking to the same people. How about sitting in a different pew for a change and making an effort to talk to two people in church you do not know very well, and listening to their experiences? I believe it is as we share and open up to one another that God will reveal His will for us as individuals and as a church. There is no such thing as a solitary sheep flock!

As the chorus finishes
So help us understand each other in a new and living way, not just accepting words spoken in themselves.
But by speaking more freely and listening more clearly,
We shall understand the spirit that’s within.

In Christian love

Paul

On 5th October it is one of my favourite saint’s day in October – St Francis of Assisi I am very fond of St Francis and his story – all the more so since I have started going on retreat to a Franciscan Friary in Alnmouth. It is good to remind ourselves of the lives of the great saints and how they struggled with issues of life and faith as we did, and they inspire us to follow their example. St Francis had heard all the Christian teaching as a boy, but had lived the life of a rich merchant’s son and part-time soldier. But suddenly the call of God came to him to leave this lifestyle, serve the poor and be a force for renewal in the church. Unlike the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22, Francis left everything and followed Jesus, believing Jesus’ promise that
“Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life.” (Mat 19:29)
Francis took a ‘Leap of Faith’, - he entrusted everything to Jesus and believed that Jesus would guide and sustain him in the purpose for which God had called him. His fervent prayer was to repeat the phrase “My God and my all.”

I can identify with this because 30 years ago, I felt God’s call on my life. I had become persuaded about the truths of the Christian faith and greatly admired those who had faith. But I remained on the outside for a while, until on Wednesday 28th November 1978, I knew God was calling me to take a ‘Leap of Faith’. I knew that many people I knew and admired had taken this step; I was intellectually convinced that God was there and Jesus was real; however I was scared in case it turned out not to be true after all. In the end, I committed everything to Christ, and the rest is history.

On our family holiday, we visited Center Parcs in Longleat, Matthew persuaded me to take part in a climbing event called the ‘high wire’. In this event, we put on climbing gear – hats, buckles and belts, and then we were connected to a support rope attached to one of the instructors. We were then asked to climb up a 30 foot vertical pole, then stand up on a platform, then jump and try to catch a bar that was hanging a few feet away. It was called the ‘Leap of Faith’ and I could see why. I knew that if I missed the bar, the supporting rope would catch me and I would be safe – I had seen this happen a few minutes before with a fellow participant. I knew that the equipment had all been thoroughly checked and was safe. I knew that the instructors were all competent. But whilst this ‘head-knowledge’ was useful, I still had to make the ‘Leap of Faith’ myself – I had to say to myself “Having come this far, I just cannot come down, I must do it, one, two, three, go!” I must add here that I missed catching the bar, while Matthew managed to catch it and he won’t let me forget it! But I was held up by the rope and was reminded of the scripture that “ Underneath are the everlasting arms!” (Deut 33:27)

This episode was a very valuable lesson in how we can put faith into practice in our lives, and a reminder of the various steps – or ‘Leaps of Faith’ that we have to make in our lives. Some of these are dramatic ones- like my conversion, or my offering of myself to the ordained ministry. Others are much smaller and known just to us, God and perhaps a few close friends and family. Perhaps certain principles from these stories can help us when we feel a call of God on our lives, and know that God is calling us to make a “Leap of Faith”:

a) Check the circumstances – does the call resonate with the experience of the saints and the church? Does it resonate with the teaching of scripture? Have others had the same experience and did they act as you have felt called to do?
b) Check with those around you – speak to those in leadership, whose judgement you trust. Do they think it is a right action for you in your circumstances?
c) Check within yourself – are your heart motives right, is this for God’s glory? Remember that God puts right desires in our hearts.
d) Lastly, having considered all things, take the “Leap of Faith”. Believe that God will hold you up, even if you fall.

You will never know something is right unless you actually jump and take the “Leap of Faith”. As a book title once put it, based on Matthew 14:25-33, “If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat!”

In Christian Love

Paul

I have also had a more than usual amount of pastoral work recently – often visiting and reassuring people of God’s love for them in their difficult times. I have not had anything especially new or startling to say to these people – only that God loves them and that Jesus died for them, and I have had the privilege of seeing the comfort and relief that these thoughts and simple prayers have brought to troubled hearts. All I have done is to pass on the comfort of God that I have already received from Him. Some of the experiences I have been through have convinced me of the love of God in all circumstances, and I want to be able to share that good news with others. This is confirmed in 2 Corinthians when Paul says
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. (2 Cor 1:3-4)

We sometimes make evangelism much too complicated- as if we need to have extensive bible knowledge and training before we can start to do it. This is nonsense- if that were the case Jesus could not have sent out the disciples to preach as he did in Luke 10. Evangelism is nothing more than sharing something of what we know of God with others – as one commentator has said “ Evangelism is nothing more than one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread!” All of us can something like “I have found this to be true in my life,” and personal testimony like this is so powerful because no-one can say it is untrue. All we have to lose is our fear of what others might say.
The people I met on mission were glad to have someone come and talk to them about faith – one man said he had been waiting to ask a certain question for years, and another woman had been carrying burden of guilt and pain for 30 years. All we have to do is to trust that God has gone ahead of us and prepared the way, and then trust Him to guide our words and thoughts, and then when we have spoken, trust Him to take the best of our words and use them. God is just looking for people who are willing to be used in this way, to speak His words of comfort and strength to a hurting world, and in His grace he has chosen you and me to do this.

Will you, with me commit yourself to being open to share the love of God you have known with others?

These words can be used as a prayer to help us.

Jesus, confirm my heart’s desire to work, and speak, and think for Thee;
Still let me guard the holy fire, and still stir up Thy gift in me.

Ready for all Thy perfect will, my acts of faith and love repeat,
Till death Thy endless mercies seal, and make the sacrifice complete.

In Christian love

Paul

Both of these activities have confirmed to me that churches have to make much more effort in meeting people where they are if we are to spread the Christian message and share the love of God with them. On the Mission, I saw so many churches that were full of very committed people doing great work to keep their churches going in the face of aging and declining congregations. All of them complained that they did not seem to attract people to their services, and some looked back to the days when their Sunday Schools were full, but sadly many of the churches had just concentrated on maintaining their existence and were all looking inwards. As a consequence, new people were not sought out to replace those who had died or moved away and the churches were in decline. A service I went to last Sunday was particularly sad – ten people present- apart from the mission team, the organist and the service leader, were all over 65. There was no minister, the worship appeared tired, and it seemed like the church would inevitably have to close if nothing further was done. Yet 200 yards down the road was a lively, vibrant church that was growing; probably because its congregation was committed to mission and prayer. I just wish some of the enthusiasm for mission from this church could be transplanted into the church I visited, for that was its only realistic hope of survival.

I know that change is difficult for many people and we all know that it is a rapidly changing world. In the face of such change it is tempting to seek to want to withdraw and retreat into what is familiar and comfortable. However it is God’s world and I believe that He wants us to fully engage with it and meet people where they are. The method of evangelism was very different on this mission than when I first started doing missions 17 years ago – we were much less direct and more conversational this time, and we used art and an exhibition to draw people in and discuss their feelings about life and faith- although the basic message of the gospel did not change. It is my view that we need to be bold and take risks and embrace new ways of worship and outreach that the people around us can relate to, and at the same time maintain our existing style and message that is so dear to us. This is not an easy task, and it is one that the Worship and Liturgy Group are grappling with over the next few months. Margaret Doyle and I are both doing a course starting in September on ‘Mission Shaped Ministry’ and we hope to present some of these new ideas to the Church in due course.

I am really encouraged that St Andrew’s is looking outwards and focussing on mission, and I think we can be justly proud of our efforts. But we must not be complacent and must keep up our efforts if we are to be faithful to our Lord’s commands to ‘go into all the world and preach the gospel.‘

A song I love – I had it at my licensing service five years ago – can be used as a prayer.

I, the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard My people cry;
All who dwell in dark and sin, my hand will save.
I, who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright.
I will speak My word to them. whom shall I send?

Here I am, Lord. is it I, Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if You lead me;
I will hold Your people in my heart.

In Christian love

Paul

There is much in the New Testament teaching likening the church to a body (e.g. 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4) and that we all have an important part to play in it. In 1 Cor 12 it says “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”

When we think of the word “members” in this sense, we do not mean members of a club who pay a subscription, elect a committee, and enjoy the facilities – although I hope we do feel we can enjoy being part of St Andrew’s! No, this word “members” is defined as “members of a body” - a hand, a foot, an eye, an ear, a vital organ. As Paul writes in 1 Cor 12, a body only functions well if all its members are in harmony with “one another” Some parts of the body are visible, others more hidden, but all have their vital part to play, and the body is so much the poorer if one part is not functioning properly. If we take the body as an analogy of the church as Paul means it, then it has some important implications for the way we relate to each other.

a) We must be inclusive rather than exclusive – everyone should feel that they belong, and are valued just for who they are
b) We must be an organism, not an organisation – The church is a living network of relationships rather than a grouping based on structures and committees. All of a body’s parts are interdependent – so it is with the church. Any organisation or club exist to benefit its members or stakeholders. However the church is different as it is a living organism created to give glory to God and to draw others in. As Archbishop Temple has said “ The Church is the only organisation he knew that existed primarily to benefit its “non-members”!
c) We must be complementary and not competitive – No one person can do everything – my job as vicar is not to do all of the ministry, but to ensure that the ministry gets done. That is why I have always believed in working in teams and in “every-member” ministry. We should rejoice in each others ministries and not be jealous of their success.
d) We must ensure that there is diversity and not uniformity – In Ephesians 4v12 it shows the wide variety of ministries – apostle, preacher, teacher, administrator, pastor, evangelists; all with a common aim – to “equip the saints for the work of ministry and to build up the body of Christ” Unity comes from using the gifts that make us distinct rather than uniformity. We are all special in God’s eyes and have a unique part to play.

The question for all of us is “ What is our calling within the body of Christ?” This is not always an easy question to answer now, but as we grow in our relationship with God and with “one another”, then the way forward is shown – one step at a time. In John 15, Jesus uses the image of the vine for himself and us as the branches. We are connected to Him and to each other, and as we abide in Him, then we will grow and bear much fruit. Let us use this song – based on John 15 as our prayer and grow in our love for Him and one another.

You are the vine, We are the branches, Keep us abiding in You.
You are the Vine, We are the branches, Keep us abiding in You.
Then we’ll grow in Your love, Then we’ll go in Your name,
That the world will surely know That You have power to heal and to save.

In Christian love

Paul

It is at times like these that we discover where our security is – is it in material wealth (or some other finite matter) or is it truly in the infinite God.

Jesus issued a challenge to us all in our attitudes to wealth and faith – as to where we are putting our true trust when he said:
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:31-33)

In last month’s letter I said the following
“ by praying we are turning away from relying too much on our own understandings and thoughts, and trusting instead for God to show us the right way forward.”

I have been reading Psalm 27 lately and this illustrates this principle perfectly.
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? …For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. (vv1,5)

He has faith- he looks to God first, and finds his security in Him. Therefore his first response to trouble is prayer.
“Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, LORD, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!” (vv7-9)

This prayer is not just a passive resigning of oneself to fate, but an active seeking and wrestling with the issues and putting the matter firmly in God’s hands. In this active seeking and trusting, the Psalmist receives the assurance that God is with him in his difficulties.
“I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! (vv13-14)

Our faith must always be put into practice in active, dynamic trust to gain the reward of assurance in difficult times.

As you know from last month’s letter, I am convinced that God is calling St Andrew’s Church to prayer to seek His face for its future and we will be holding a “Day of Prayer” to be held on Saturday June 14th (see later details) as one way of engaging with this.

We may face uncertain times ahead, but God is with us – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) Let us show our faith is real by committing ourselves to pray more this month, and then let us receive with joy that assurance that we have all we need in Him.

In Christian love

Paul

Our Church motto is “We want to know Christ” which comes from Philippians 3:10-11 “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
In these verses, Paul is acknowledging his weaknesses and sufferings, but is asking that God gives him the power of the resurrection in the middle of them, so that his own life, and the lives of those around him, can be transformed by Christ. Paul does this by making his relationship with the risen Jesus Christ a priority in his life. This is why we pray “Your Kingdom come, your will be done” – we are praying that the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ be applied in our lives, so that God’s purposes and plans can be brought about by our actions, having first focussed on God –“Our Father in heaven”

The question for all of us is:
Are we prepared to make our relationship with Jesus Christ a priority, and are we prepared to open up our lives to the power of the resurrection, knowing that this might also lead us into the sufferings of Christ?

On 20th April, we will be having our Annual Parochial Church Meeting, where we will be looking back on the events of last year, thanking God for His faithfulness but also looking forward to the next year- with all our hopes and plans, including plans for the next phase of the renewal of our church building. But if our plans are human in their origin – just focussed on ourselves – then they will not succeed. However if we are prepared to open ourselves up to God’s plans – looking outward to the needs of the many needy people in our parish, our town, our country and our world then we are guaranteed to succeed because God is always faithful to those who honour Him. To help us make the journey from inward, looking selfishness to outward looking mission, we need, as Jesus said, to deny ourselves, take up the cross and follow Him. When we do ‘die to ourselves’ , we find that He gives us the power of His resurrection , even in the midst of our sufferings.

My prayer is that each of us will accept Jesus’ call to want to know Him better, and to ask for the power of His resurrection in our lives to give us new life and hope in the year to come. Hopefully at the 2009 APCM we can look back with thankfulness at the mighty acts that God has worked in us through Jesus’ power of resurrection- if we are prepared to ‘die to ourselves’ first.

This Easter song can help us as we pray:

Now the fear of death is broken, love has won the crown.
Prisoners of the darkness listen, walls are tumbling down.

Christ is risen! Christ is risen!
Death has been conquered. Death has been conquered.
Christ is risen! Christ is risen!
He shall reign for ever.

In Christian love

Paul

However it is also clear from the reaction to what +Rowan said, that many fears and angers were stirred up, and much has been said about this issue in the press and media- most of it by people who have not actually read the lecture or the interview! It reminds me of Nicodemus’ comment to the Pharisees who were condemning Jesus
‘Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked,
"Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?"’ (John 7:50-51)

My main concern over this incident is what it has shown up about our reactions to something we do not understand and secretly fear. Most psychologists agree that a great deal of the emotion of anger comes from unresolved fears – fear of the unknown, fear of loss, fear of humiliation etc. When we are angry, out thinking is clouded and we often lose all sense of perspective – hence the old adages of “Count to ten before replying” and “ least said, soonest mended” The problem is that when we are in this sort of mood, we often say things that we later come to regret, and sadly sometimes it is too late to put things right – it is like the toothpaste that is out of the tube and cannot be put back!

The Letter of James speaks very clearly about the power of the tongue.
“If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.” (1:26)
“How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. (3:5-6)
Jesus also spoke about the perils of judging others
Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? ( Matthew 7:3)

In this season of Lent, traditionally people give something up, chocolates, alcohol etc. Although some find this helpful, I have never found that it had any lasting effect in my life. However, I believe that if we gave up something else more close to our hearts – the judging and criticising of others without knowing all the facts – then this would have a lasting impact on our own lives, and the lives of those around us.

Isaiah speaks of a true repentance and fasting in Isaiah 58, unlike the meaningless fasts that the people had been undergoing. He says
If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, (then), then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday (and) The LORD will guide you continually.

As the old saying goes – “ If you clench your fist to point one finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you!”

My prayer for this Lent is that we will be “quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger;” (James 1:19) and that we will give up criticising others for Lent,- and hopefully for a long time afterwards as well!

In Christian love

Paul

We have also just had the Building survey (see letter) and we will be examining the responses to this and presenting them in April, so that we can together seek the right way for the building of St Andrew’s to be best equipped for the mission God has given us.

Later on in the year, we will be setting up a P.C.C. Worship Group Subcommittee to look at all aspects of our worshipping life, to try to discern what God wants of us, and where God is leading us as the worshipping community, and therefore how this should be reflected in our public acts of worship. This Group will probably be meeting in the Spring and Autumn, and we will of course be again asking for your views on this matter.

I also believe that God is calling us as individuals and as a church to pray more for the life and work of St Andrew’s, and to this end I will be praying in the Choir Vestry at 7.00 a.m. each Wednesday and I invite as many as possible of you to join me

It may seem strange for some to spend time looking at ourselves, but unless we take time out of our normal routines and lives to do this, we run the risk of just continuing as we are and possibly missing out on all that God has for us. If the time we devote to something, shows how much we value it; then how much more does the time we devote to God show how much we value Him. Spending time on cultivating our relationship with God, and then seeing how that relationship is to be worked out in the company of our fellow-Christians is not selfish, it is actually the most important thing that we will ever do, because by doing so we are equipping ourselves for service in God’s world. This is why I believe that it is right for us to be spending this time apart with God. By doing this we are following in the steps of our Lord Jesus who had the busiest of lives and experienced all of the world’s pressures, and yet it says “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” ( Mark 1:35)

So I would encourage us all in the time of Lent to spend some extra time with God – in prayer as individuals, in the company of others in the Lent group and as a church. If you are really brave you could join me for the Church prayer meeting at 7.00 a.m. each Wednesday in the Choir vestry! Please see this time as an investment in your spiritual life – it will always pay dividends in the end.

As one writer puts it “An unreflected life is a wasted life.”
In Christian love
Paul

This is, of course, as well as the ‘normal’ round of church life throughout the year – although life as a Christian is anything but ‘normal!’

What is ahead of us for 2008? There are of course, the ‘normal’ round of events and services, however it is my view that our work and opportunities for mission and witness will grow and develop over the year.  I believe that God has great things ahead for us as a church and I am very excited about the future.

Our Church weekend in November – led by Brian and Vera Snelling - highlighted our situation as a church – both in terms of where we are now, and the direction in which we should be moving. In his talk on the Saturday, he spoke on the Church as described in the Book of Acts.

• Before the Day of Pentecost, the church was doing all the right things - praying, worshipping, reading scripture and being together,( the ‘normal’ round of things) but their growth was limited.
• After the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit had come and filled the disciples, the church continued doing the same things praying, worshipping, reading scripture and being together (Acts 2:42), however 3000 were added to the church in one day (Acts 2:41) and “Day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47)

The difference was the transforming power of the Holy Spirit which led to growth in numbers and in witness.

My prayer for 2008 is that we, as a church open ourselves up more and more to God’s leading through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit. A scripture has come to mind for a Church motto for 2008 from 2 Corinthians 3:17
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
This prayer, taken from a song, can help us as we confidently look to the future in 2008 and beyond.

Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Holy Spirit, we welcome You.
Please accomplish in me today, some new work of loving grace, I pray;
Unreservedly have Your way.
Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, we welcome You.

In Christian love

Paul