Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[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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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 04/Oct/2020]

I was having a conversation with someone a few weeks ago. The discussion drifted to things about church. It transpired that in childhood, she had really enjoyed going to Sunday school. Many years later, she took her daughter along to the local church, but found it very cold and unwelcoming. They didn’t attend much longer after that.

It set me thinking about what other people’s reasons for disengaging with the church are. How many people have we inadvertently pushed away?

10 commandments were given to the Jews by Moses. By the time Jesus came, they had increased them to over 600 rules. He spent a lot of time admonishing the Scribes and Pharisees for making it difficult for people to get to know God.

Jesus opens His arms and welcomes all who come to him. He says in John 6 verse 37 that “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away”.

We, however, seem to find ways to make it difficult for people to come to Him. We seem to prefer that people earn the right to know Him by conforming to a pattern that we determine, forgetting that Christ accepts us just as we are. Paul puts it like this in Romans 5 verse 8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

We have just finished a sermon series on Jonah and I know that I, like Jonah, have sometimes felt that there were some not quite as deserving of God’s grace. Perhaps because of the way they were dressed, the way they looked, the way they…… well, sometimes for no good reason at all.

It brings to mind a poem told to me by a patient many years ago:

I dreamt that death came to me the other night, heaven’s gate swung open wide. An angel with halo bright, ushered me inside. And there to my astonishment stood people whom I had judged and labelled as quite unfit and spiritually disabled. Harsh words rose through my lips, but never were set free, for much to my surprise, no one it seemed, expected me.

With the challenges and restrictions because of the coronavirus, people are struggling in various ways and need to know Jesus’ love and the peace and comfort He gives. Jesus came to build a bridge between us and God, not to widen the chasm.

Let us emulate him. Let’s build bridges and welcome others with open arms. Let us pray for His grace to do help us do this.

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

In a world where there seems to be no absolute truths, and anyone can offer alternative facts, is it really possible to know what is true?

I don’t know if you have been following the presidential race in the States. Maybe you stayed up late and watched the debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. I didn’t stop and watch it but I really enjoyed watching the highlights and hearing the commentary. Already there’s various theories going around about Biden having a hidden headset implanted into his skull or Trump heading up some elite task force. There’s fake news, there’s alternative facts and it seems particularly in the States but also in the UK as well that truth is a flexible concept where it finds its foundation not in evidence but in popularity – how many times a fact, a truth is shared on social media.

^[01:14] Truth is no longer set in stone; it’s just based on cultural perceptions, on cultural acceptability, by a person’s views or opinions. So much so that what is truth inside the UK is not truth in North Korea or even what’s true for you is not true for your next door neighbour so how can we know what the truth actually is? Well, what I think we need is some sort of external measure, some standard by which we can measure all statements and find whether or not they are true. It’s almost as like we need something like the sun with regards to time and seasons or the French metric system which is based on one metre being one ten-millionth of the distance between the equator and the north pole. These are things that aren’t movable, they don’t change and will always be the same. Can we have that sort of external immovable, unchangeable measure for truth?

^[02:40] Well, for followers of Jesus Christ, for Christians, we do believe that we do have that measure, that standard unaffected by the prevailing winds of culture and society, steady and immovable. Peter, who was a disciple of Jesus and later one of the main leaders of the early Church, wrote a letter in which he told told those followers of Jesus that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone.

^[03:16] Now a cornerstone was a large block of stone where all the angles were at 90 degrees, it was set in place at the start of the building and all other stones were laid in reference to that cornerstone to keep the building straight and true. Peter says that Jesus is that cornerstone but it’s been rejected by the world and yet, as followers of Jesus Christ, as the Church, we are living stones built in reference to Christ. Actually, Jesus himself told his disciples that he’s “the way, the truth and the life” and although he was going to go away he would ask his Father to send a spirit of truth, his spirit. The Holy Spirit rejected by the world and yet for those that follow him, those who follow Jesus Christ it becomes a lens through which we view the world society culture. It’s the way we view our lives, it’s the lens through which we view our relationships. It’s even the lens through which we read the Bible. It’s how we understand what is going on around us, it’s the truth upon which we reference everything else.

^[04:44] Now of course that can cause a few difficulties, a few problems because it means that as follows of Jesus Christ we are basing truth on a reference point which is different to society’s. We understand what is right and what is wrong, not by what is popular, not by what is posted on social media or told on the news channels. We base what is right and what is wrong on Jesus Christ and unfortunately that puts us at odds with popular opinion, or at least it should.

[1] YouTube link: What is the Truth?
Bible references: 1 Peter ch2 v6-7

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

This week I have started restoring an old drop-leaf table. It dates from the 1950s and suffers from creaky joints, scratches and scrapes, and its former rich colour has faded. Maybe some of us of a similar age can identify with that assessment.

The project starts with an examination of the table’s current condition. Is there any woodworm, are there any broken pieces that need to be replaced, is the hardware serviceable? In addition, we need to record how all the pieces fit so that we can put it back together again. Plus, of course, there is the inevitable sample of Wrigley’s finest, left by some obnoxious juvenile who is no doubt now grumbling about the distasteful habits of the current junior generation.

We could just give the table a lick of paint; that would cover its faults and make it look good – for a while. But this is not a utility table; it is destined for one of our reception rooms and a quick cover-up won’t make the grade. So the table is being taken apart and each piece sanded, varnished and polished, and then the table will be rebuilt. We are not aiming for perfection. In Japan there is a tradition of repairing items in such a way that their history is honoured. The cracks and patches tell a story of their own, and this adds to the value of the object.

There is, of course, a spiritual parallel. Have you made a realistic assessment of your current condition, are you content with what you see? We all go through periods in life when we feel down and we need something to freshen us up a bit. Could a superficial change make us feel any better when what we really need is restoration?

The apostle Paul wrote of a persistent ‘thorn in the flesh’, without defining what (or even who) that might be. Several times he asked for it to be taken away but God’s response was “My grace is sufficient!” Paul’s failure to be specific means that we can claim the same promise whatever our circumstances. Your experiences of life are diverse and unique, and they leave their marks upon you. God can use those experiences for your benefit and for the benefit of those around you.

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me”. [Psalm 51 v12]

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Online at https://roaf.org/sth/selah183/