Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church, 15^th October 2020]

On the 15^th October in 1815 Napoleon Bonaparte began his exile on the island of St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. He had been Emperor of France and had controlled much of Europe but now he was reduced to living in a damp outpost of the British Empire.

In the mid-sixties my family regularly visited an elderly lady then in her nineties. In her younger years, she had been the matron of the hospital in St Helena. Great Aunt Elizabeth claimed to have known someone who had known Napoleon Bonaparte; arithmetically, it could indeed have been as she said. Not many of us can claim to have some form of link with someone in charge of most of Europe (although corresponding with the deputy-head of the European Commission might be a first step).

Do you know someone who knows someone famous? Perhaps you know someone famous personally, or maybe you are someone famous yourself. What does fame mean? How long does it last?

In the Bible we find the names of many famous people, some recorded as having done what was right in the sight of the Lord, and some who did not. We can also see the names of other people who are mentioned only once, perhaps in a genealogy or as a record of their hospitality. They are not insignificant, they are essential links in the chain of God’s dealings with His people.

In the church we have high profile people but we also have others whose contribution is known only to God (and the admin team). You don’t have to be high profile to be essential – you just have to play your part in God’s plan.

In Psalm 24 David posed the question “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?” and responded “The one who has clean hands and a pure heart.”

The 15^th October each year also happens to be ‘Global Handwashing Day’ – somewhat less famous than other ‘days’, perhaps it will have a higher profile this year when disease control is more important. Yet more important still is the spiritual parallel – have your hands been washed and your heart made pure?
You know where the Fountain is!

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[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during October 2020]

There is an anecdote, probably apocryphal, dating back to one of the periods when Harold Wilson was British Prime Minister. They were times of economic crisis for Britain and, according to this story, it was suggested that it might be appropriate to call the nation to prayer. Wilson is said to have retorted “Things aren’t bad enough for that!”

Things may have been ‘not bad enough’ for Mr Wilson but I was renovating a house in south Wales during his second period in office and I well remember the problems of trying to get a consistent supply of materials. Every time I went to the builders’ merchant whatever I had bought previously was no longer available and its replacement was both different and more expensive. Thankfully, we have a God who is always consistent and none of His blessings are ever out of stock.

Do we measure the need for prayer by how bad things are? Are there things which do not warrant being prayed about, either because we think they are too minor or, conversely, just too big to be covered by the scope of our prayers? Goliath was a big challenge. Did David pray about which stone to use to kill him? The record does not say but I suspect that having already committed the venture into God’s hands he simply got on with it.

Is it a matter of prayer as to whether I finish my restored table in Red Oak or Antique Oak? Probably not, but more important is to thank God for a safe and satisfactory completion of the project. On the other hand, a flat battery just as the car is about to undergo its annual test is a bit more serious. Will it start when the examiner turns the key? An anxious moment – only God can intervene, will He let me down?

Paul wrote to the Philippians “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 4:6-7 NIVUK]

But there is a problem with prayer. It is often easier to talk, or write, about prayer than it is to actually do it. There are many distractions, both in public prayer and in private; our thoughts wander, the connection is broken. Our cry becomes “Lord, teach us how to pray”.

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[Transcript of a midweek message published by Horley Baptist Church on YouTube^[1], October 2020]

Has digital church replaced physical church? What have we gained, what have we lost?

For the last six or seven months we have been doing digital church. We’ve been doing YouTube services, we’ve been doing Zoom home groups and Zoom after-church coffee and it leaves us with that question – what is best, physical church or digital church? What does the future of the church look like? We’re going to be talking a little bit about that over the next few minutes.

^[00:48] I think possibly what we need to do as we unpack this is remind ourselves of kind of our theology of the Church because we say over and over again that the Church is the people, not the building, but sometimes we can forget about that. We mustn’t fall into the trap of Church only being when we’re meeting together in a Sunday service. We mustn’t fall into the trap of thinking that God is somehow confined to a building or a 10:30 service or a worship time when we all meet together. God just doesn’t work that way. God is too big to confine to any box, any building, any physical space.

^[01:33] We have to remember that the Church is the body of Christ. It’s the believers in Christ on Earth who together are united by the Holy Spirit, who together are using their gifts and their talents to work with God in the mission that he has in this place, to bring about the kingdom of God in our place. All of that can be done without physically meeting together on a Sunday morning when we do YouTube services but we can still do things together in terms of discipleship, we can still do things together in terms of evangelism and we can still do things regardless of what we’re doing on a Sunday when it comes to meeting the needs of those in need in our town so don’t fall into the trap that we have to meet physically on a Sunday or in a worship service in order to be Church.

^[02:37] Now often people quote those verses from Hebrews 10 where the writer to the Hebrews says “Do not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing”. Let’s look at why the writer of Hebrews said that. Well he said that by meeting together you can encourage one another, you can spur one another on towards love and good deeds; actually by being together, by being united, you help people grow in their Christian walk. It’s no secret that if you disconnect from the Church and you disconnect from Christ your salvation may be secure but you’re not going to be walking the walk, you’re not going to be talking the talk, you’re not going to be living the life that God wants you to live. You’re not going to be able to be an effective part of Christ’s body.

^[03:38] But we can still encourage one another digitally. We’ve been doing Zoom every Tuesday every week since the end of March and it’s been a real time of deepening our relationships with one another and spurring each other on as we disciple each other. Actually digital has a huge number of positives, a huge number of pros for us as a Church. I just love the way it’s opened those four doors of the church, I love the way that people are seeing who we are and what we do. That’s normally hidden in the four walls. Although people are very welcome to come in they often don’t. They’re able to access our YouTube services or our Facebook page and see what’s happening. I love the fact that we’re able to share the good news of Jesus Christ with with more people than we ever have been able to before. It’s also solved numerous problems with regard to accessibility for people for whom maybe attending a physical service was difficult, maybe due to a disability or anxieties or even just they’ve got children to look after. They can’t get out. Digital Church has made a huge difference, a huge number of positives and I would hate to lose that.

^[05:10] But … a friend of mine was sharing that her niece is a psychologist and she’s doing all her consultations, all her appointments now online via Zoom and although it works, kind of, actually she struggles to get the depth of relationship that’s required in order for her to bring about healing and to bring about change, to move someone towards getting better, getting sorted. Likewise, we are missing something when we don’t meet together physically. Yes we can encourage others, yes we can spur each other on but it’s so much harder when you’re not there physically. Also you can’t minister to someone in love and affection as easily via a screen. It’s difficult to show that love, particularly that physical touch which we are missing so much at the moment.

^[06:13] Digital is great but it is not a replacement, we still need that physical proximity to deepen our relationship with one another. We still need to worship together, lifting our voices together and feeling the Holy Spirit move amongst us and we still need that sense of meeting together which Zoom and YouTube just doesn’t bring. I love digital church and all the opportunities that it brings but, to be honest, I can’t wait till we meet together again physically.

[1] YouTube link: Physical or Digital? The Future of the Church
Bible references: Hebrews ch10 v25

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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 11/Oct/2020]

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. [Psalm 84:10]

Do you miss being in church? Can you recall the formality and informality of the services, the collective raising of voices in praise, the opportunity for undistracted prayer, the encouragement of meeting with like-minded believers? It can be difficult to pray on one’s own and certainly for some people singing is best confined to the bathroom.

The New Testament mentions many times ‘the church that meets in your/his/her house’. For us, house groups might be a relatively recent idea but the early Christians relied on being able to meet in people’s houses. We know something about several of these hosts from details in the Biblical account but others have their name preserved solely as a result of their hospitality. Even now, there are still places where having a dedicated church building is not an option.

Whether it be a soaring cathedral built to the glory of God or a simple place of quiet retreat, it is undeniable that a church building itself adds to the spirit of worship in a way that even the most organised of domestic premises cannot. As we appreciate the facilities that the building itself offers we need to remember that it is a tool to be used in God’s service and to His glory.

Do you recognise the external significance of the building itself? As neighbours see a vibrant congregation they become aware that being a Christian is not some old-fashioned minority interest. It is a visible reminder to the local community that there is a God and that this is where they can make the first steps to meeting Him for themselves.

As we wait to meet again, can you echo William Bullock’s words?

We love the place, O God, wherein thine honour dwells;
the joy of thine abode all earthly joy excels.
We love the house of prayer, wherein thy servants meet;
and thou, O Lord, art there thy chosen flock to greet.

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[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during October 2020]

In 1973 two now-famous musicians released a novelty song with the first line “Window The In Doggie That is Much How”. I was reminded of this song whilst thinking about how this week’s memory verse was announced during last Sunday’s online service.

Your lamp light my feet verse is psalm word a on path one hundred and five for a one hundred and nineteen.

It was at this point that my internet connection went down and I was left to ponder the words as presented.

The devices that we call lamps or lights can be classified into two distinct types. There are lights that are intended to be seen and lights with which we see. Lights that are intended to be seen can be purely decorative, such as Christmas tree lights, but very often they convey a message – this machine is on, I’m here so please avoid me, look out for pedestrians, this an emergency or simply ‘STOP!’

We regularly see this type of light in the skies around Horley; often red or green, they tell us that an aircraft is present. However, if you are at a certain alignment with the runway you will see the other type of light – the bright landing lights that allow the pilots to see the ground. This type of light is not intended to be looked at – it’s purpose is to allow us to look at other things or to check that the way ahead is safe. Here we would include the flood lights that illuminate architectural facades, car headlights, the infrared lamps that help us see in the dark and even the ultraviolet lights that make other materials shine.

In His sermon on the mount, Jesus declared “You are the light of the world … let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” So whether you think of yourself as the type of light that conveys a message or the type of light that shows the way, the instruction is to be visible and distinct.

Of course, a light without a power source is of limited use. It leaves us stumbling around in the dark, at risk of falling and missing what we are aiming for.

Is your power source running down? Are you feeling flat? Take another look at the memory verse – you may find it easier to remember in its original form:

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. [Psalm 119 v105]

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[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during October 2020]

“There’s another soul for whom Christ died.”
“Who? Where?”
“There, in front of us.”
“But there are dozens of people here. In fact, it seems like the whole world is here.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t mean ALL of them?”
“That’s what it says in John chapter 3 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’”
“Whoever means anyone, right?”
“Yes, and eternal life means going to heaven.”
“Seems like heaven has to be a pretty big place, with all these people expecting to get in.”
“You might well think that, but there’s a problem.”
“Which is … ?”
“The same passage also says ‘Whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.’ Condemned means no heaven.”
“Seems quite straightforward. Believe and you get to go to heaven. So why do so many people miss out on the promise of eternal life?”
“Variety of reasons. Some haven’t heard about Christ, some don’t think that He’s relevant to them, some have more urgent things to do first. There are even some who have made a considered decision against accepting eternal life.”
“Why would anyone do that?”
“The same chapter tells us ‘Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.’ So maybe they are ashamed of their deeds but don’t want to change.”
“Seems foolish to let pride condemn you. I’m looking forward to going to heaven, I feel like I’ve been waiting all my life.”
“Not yet, you haven’t. What are you going to do in the meantime?”

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