Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

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

‘As long as the earth endures, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.’ [Genesis 8:22 NIV]

And so a new month begins. COVID continues its rampage despite the (now forgotten) assertions that the warmer weather would reduce its severity; the return to school looms, as both an opportunity and a threat; and the decimated holiday industry is echoing the lament from ‘Chaplin’ – “Where are all the people?”

“Where are all the people?” also applies to our church congregations. I heard recently one Australian pastor describing ‘pyjama Christians’, those who tune in to watch the church show and then tune out. Just because you cannot go to the Lord’s house does not stop the Lord from coming to your house instead, and are you ready for that?

On the other hand, are we making the most of the breakdown of old, perhaps less inviting, perceptions of church? We have a new culture of thinking differently and some amazing tools available. We must ensure that advancements in technology can also bring advancements in the work that the Church worldwide has been given.

We saw last week that the apostle Peter was called to try something new. In his case, it involved spending time with people that previously he would not have considered ‘saveable’. Without compromising in any way the essentials of the Gospel, Peter was able to share the good news with his audience and, at the same time, to expand the vision of those who had travelled with him.

Do we have a big-enough vision? Or are we waiting for a return to normality and the cycle of predictable events. God reminded Noah that certain predictable events including the changing of the seasons would continue ‘as long as the earth endures’. That introduces the prospect of an eventual end to the earth and puts a time limit on predictability. Despite the expectations of many, and the preparations of a few, the old earth will pass away and be replaced by a new heaven and a new earth. A new normality will be established and the focus of the question has shifted: “Where will you be?”

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This week’s Midweek Message takes the form of interviews with representatives of two organisations helping poorer people in the Horley locality.
– Doug Kilborn, a trustee of the Henry Smith charity;
– Gill Martin, a leader of the ‘Make Lunch’ initiative.
The following link will open an introduction by Martin Shorey, Minister of Horley Baptist Church:

YouTube link: Help Horley

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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 30/Aug/2020]

Two young refugees from Sudan have just tried to paddle across the Channel to England in a small inflatable boat with two shovels as oars. The tiny boat capsized and one of them managed to swim ashore in France, but the other, a 16 year old boy, was washed ashore having drowned. This is another tragic loss of life in the ongoing attempts by refugees to come to the UK.

Now that we have the opportunity to go on holiday, there have been warnings recently in this country about the danger of holidaymakers, particularly children, being swept out to sea in small inflatables by wind and current. When we were on holiday in South Wales, Barbara and I took our two children for a row in a four man inflatable. It was a beautiful sheltered bay, but two boys of about 8 or 9 went out too far and were being swept out to sea by the wind. There was no way I could, or even dare, to try and reach them, but they decided to jump into the sea and swim to the beach. The older boy kept going and reached the shore, but the younger one stopped swimming and cried out for help. I managed to reach him and we pulled him out of the water, then the five of us rowed back to the beach. When we got there the two boys ran off and it was apparent that they were there on their own. What a blessing that I was in the right place at the right time otherwise the younger boy would have drowned.

On a boat trip to Caldy Island a few days later, the boatman told me how he had picked up an inflatable a mile or two offshore and found a terrified boy cowering in the bottom of the boat. When he got to land he took the boy to his holiday home and his parents had not even noticed that he was missing.

On a completely different subject, during the lockdown Barbara’s sister, Joan, was seriously ill and taken to hospital in Harlow, Essex. By “chance” our son-in-law’s sister was in charge of the ward where she was taken for assessment, and because she knew Joan well she was able to tell the doctors that she was normally a strong, bright, elderly lady. Although expected to die, during the five weeks Joan was in hospital she regularly visited her, arranged video calls and even prayed for her, (Joan’s not a Christian). By a miracle Joan was healed and we were then able to break lockdown and look after her at home.

These are three examples that I believe that God arranged for someone to be in the right place at the right time. There are several examples of this happening in the Bible. I can only share one important occasion in the book of Esther. The wicked nobleman, Haman, planned to kill all the Jews throughout the Persian Empire. Queen Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, encouraged her to risk her own life to save their people. He said, “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). They were both in the right time and place. Esther was able to turn the tables on Haman and save all the Jews from slaughter. The Jewish people still remember that to this day in the Feast of Purim.

We may not have the opportunity to save a whole race or even one individual life, but we can be sure that there will be times when God puts us in a place and at a time when only we can help or encourage that person who is in need. We may not feel able to do it but if we are faithful to God in this way, then He will certainly be faithful to help us to do it.

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

Last weekend, Lee reminded us of the account of Peter’s vision in advance of meeting with the Roman centurion, Cornelius. Peter, the fisherman, was staying with Simon the tanner in Joppa, a busy port city. Shakespeare’s Juliet claimed that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Certainly, Joppa sounded sweeter when it became known as Jaffa but I suspect that the change of name did little to improve the smell of a cosmopolitan port. Add to that the effect of a fisherman living with a tanner and it is no wonder that Peter went up on the rooftop, to get some fresh air whilst praying.

This is not the first mention of Joppa in the Bible. Jonah went there to begin his ‘escape’ from God. Solomon used it to import cedar wood from Lebanon to be used in building the Temple in Jerusalem. So why was Peter in Joppa? The answer is found in Acts chapter 9:

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha; she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became ill and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, ‘Please come at once!’

Peter responded and Tabitha was restored to life, and many others found their spiritual life renewed too.

In Acts 10 we read of the message that an angel brought to Cornelius “He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, ‘Cornelius!’ Cornelius stared at him in fear. ‘What is it, Lord?’ he asked. The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.” Peter went to meet Cornelius; once there he found a great number of people gathered to hear his message. The record shows that all those who heard were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Do you notice anything in common in the two accounts? We know that Peter had already become an eloquent preacher (Acts 2) but in both Joppa and Caesarea the opportunity to share the Gospel arose from the activities of those who placed importance on helping the poor. We should not forget that a habit of generosity may have eternal consequences.

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

It’s that time of year when autumn seed catalogues start dropping into our inboxes, encouraging us to prepare for bumper crops of our favourite fruit and vegetables next Spring, but only if we buy from the right company. Each vendor has an idea of what would be ideal for our particular garden; the tastiest tomatoes, the largest leeks or the reddest roses. They all make the same basic assumption – namely, that we have some time and money to spend on our gardens.

Gardens come in all shapes and sizes. Be it the formality of a country estate, the discipline of an award-winning allotment, a back yard plot or simply a humble window box, they all have one thing in common – to be productive they must be tended. In many countries the garden provides food for the family; it’s where they grow the essentials of life and if it is not tended properly then hunger soon follows.

Gardens often have a spiritual significance. For Muslims, paradise is a well-watered garden whilst for Japanese Shinto adherents it is an area of minimalist calm and natural order. In the Bible we see many references to gardens, from the Garden of Eden where it all began to the Garden of Gethsemane where it all began, again. In the NIV Old Testament there are 52 references to ‘garden’; does this suggest that we should spend time in our gardens at least once a week?

Jesus told a parable about a man who was dissatisfied with the produce from his garden.

‘“For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig-tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?” “Sir,” the gardener replied, “leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig round it and fertilise it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.”’ Luke 13 v 6-9

As Christians, we have a relationship with God that needs to be cultivated, tended and maintained. What is the equivalent of “I’ll dig round it and fertilise it” for us? It requires effort and diligence plus the addition of spiritual nourishment. It is not something that we can delegate to a gardener – we have to do it ourselves, with God’s help.

So, at the risk of invoking an annoying little ditty from one’s childhood, “How does your garden grow?”

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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 23/Aug/2020]

I always approach my ‘Yours’ items with a sense of anxiety; what am I going to say? Then I peacefully calm my mind and ask for the word, scripture, topic, whatever is to come. So as you can see, today is the simple things, what of them?

Like many I’m sure there are many items that jump out at you and strike your consciousness, be it headlines or daily quotes, Facebook, text encouragements, scriptures or articles. Some of these can be uplifting, thought provoking, or simply amusing. Yet, it stuck me that it is often those simple little things that touch us. The kindness or thoughtfulness of another soul. A smile or gesture. A card out of the blue, just to say hello. However, what hit me more today, were the simple everyday things that God has created in this world for our pleasure and the simple things we can do to please Him.

I’ve wistfully considered the ‘what ifs’: home, travel, work, money friends and family, yet in the reality of the small simple things I often find the most pleasure, these are what I call God’s everyday gifts. The small things that we can take for granted in our busy, complicated, materialistic lives today. I especially look to nature, flowers, birds, weather!

To be mindful and present in the moment, appreciate the air we breathe, the senses we have been gifted. Take a moment; what do you hear, smell, see, feel and taste? These senses help us understand and perceive the world around us. The silent skies and empty roads, less pollution, smells and sounds; nature reclaimed areas now quieted. I think of those gifts around us. Have we forgotten the simple things from which we can see the Creator’s hand, the things we easily overlook? I give thanks for the slowing down of the days and endless rushing around. Give thanks for the gifts we so readily take for granted. We are so adaptive that we can so easily forget.

How things change so quickly, I recall how strange it was to look and see planes overhead again, how the noise punctured the silence we had become accustomed to. Before we step out to face the next phase that Covid casts our way, what simple things have impacted you? Are they worth recording or sharing or caring about? If so, “give thanks, for this is the day the Lord has made“. (Psalm 118:24). Despite our hardships, there are always some simple things to be thankful for, if we have the mind to consider it. Pray with a thankful heart and joyful mind, no matter the simplicity amongst the grandeur of creation, God wants to hear from us, from you.

In this period of our human history, despite all the negatives, I urge you to consider the abundance of creation and all its wonders. How often do you sit and be thankful for those gifts we have and to fully appreciate each of them?

May God bless you and give you peace and a thankful heart in these uncertain times.

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