Can We Find Security?

[Modified transcript of a midweek message published by Horley Baptist Church on YouTube[1], March 2020]

When life is falling down around us, can we find security?

Hi, I’m Martin, I’m one of the ministers at Horley Baptist Church.
I was just wondering – what are you up to? How are you using your time of social isolation? Maybe for some of you’re having a great time, time to get work done, time to sort out the garden, but I’m sure that for many of you are facing numerous challenges. I don’t know what they might be – maybe for you it’s boredom and loneliness; maybe for others of you you’re trying to manage work from home. Maybe like me you are trying to entertain children and teach them as well, or perhaps your needs are practical – you’re just trying to get food for you to eat.

00:50I was chatting the other day to some parents at the school gates whilst picking up my kids and they were sharing some of the challenges that they are facing during this difficult time. One mum I spoke to, her husband has work, has a job but isn’t being paid at the moment. Another, a dad I spoke to, he’s had his hours reduced and actually the future of the company is looking bleak and another mum, her husband is facing redundancy because of the virus. We live in a world where so much is built on our wealth, our jobs, our health our social lives and in just a matter of weeks this virus has undone all of that; perhaps you are looking at your life and wondering ‘what on earth am I going to do?’

01:56 In the nineteenth century a pastor of a church in Horsham, not far from Horley, penned some words which became a hugely famous hymn. I’m just going to share with you the first verse and the chorus, this is what it says “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ my righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly trust in Jesus’s name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand”. See, unfortunately we have discovered these past few weeks that life is unpredictable and those things in which we have placed so much security aren’t as solid as we once thought and yet, as that writer of the hymn wrote, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand”.

03:08 See, as a follower of Jesus Christ, I believe in a God as revealed through Jesus who is eternal, who is unchanging but who is secure and completely reliable and in a world where everything is shifting sand, where nothing lasts for ever and where those things in which we find security aren’t as secure as they once were I would encourage you to find your security in Jesus Christ, our rock and our firm foundation.

03:48 Before I go I’d love to pray for all of you who are struggling at this time, be it because of social isolation or difficult with work or financial instability. Let’s pray.

Lord God we just lift up to you now all those who are struggling, all those who are insecure in their life because their foundations have been swept out from under them. We just pray for them as they live with so much fear and uncertainty at this time. I just pray that you will give them what they need for every day. Lord God, we thank you that you love us and that you are intimately involved in our lives and you want what’s best for us and I just pray in the name of Jesus Christ that you will help all those who are struggling at this time. We pray particularly for those who are struggling with their health and we just pray for our medical services that they will be able to cope with the upsurge in people needing healthcare and, Lord God, we just pray for all those who are struggling that they will find in you a rock and a firm foundation and that they will find eternal security in you. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

Thank you.
If you have a prayer request please email prayer@horleybaptist.org.uk

[1] YouTube link: Can We Find Security?

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Contributor: Martin Shorey
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I’m from Missouri …

[This Reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 22/Mar/2020]

People from Missouri in the U.S. have a reputation. For a long time, folk have portrayed them as being too simple to believe anything they can’t see with their own two eyes. The saying goes: ‘I’m from Missouri; show me!’

Over and over again in Jesus’ ministry and throughout the book of Acts, we SEE amazing ‘signs and wonders’. THEN people are ready – no, DESPERATE to HEAR the good news! In Romans 1:16 Paul declares ‘… I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to every one who BELIEVES…‘ He can say that because it’s TRUE; the gospel has totally transformed him. AND EVERYONE CAN SEE IT!

Tim Keller says: “The opposite of ‘ashamed of the gospel’ is not ‘proud to be a Christian’. The opposite of ‘ashamed of the gospel’ is ‘passionate to spread the gospel’“.

If I use the excuse that ‘I’m too self-conscious’ or ‘I’m not very out-going’, could it be that I’m afraid people might want to see past whatever words I’m struggling to find? Am I afraid they might be asking, ‘Show me!’?

In prayer recently, the Holy Spirit said he wanted to lead us into radical HONESTY. A place where we let him take off our Christian masks and become brave enough, humble enough and REAL enough, to let folk around us see us as we are, faltering yet faithful. Then there’s a good chance people from Missouri (or Horley) will say, ‘Okay. NOW I SEE!
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Contributor: Dennis Ginter
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Fear or Faith

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 15/Mar/2020]

“A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.”

Job 14:5 NIV – God determines how long I will live.

Working in the NHS at this time it is very easy to become paranoid that every patient I come into contact with has coronavirus and to wash my hands raw. It is easy to become fearful each time I hear a cough. This is exacerbated when I read a newspaper or watch the news. There is a conflict with in me – do I go the way of the world and live in fear or do I have faith in God that He determines my days?

Many are praying Psalm 91 at this time:

“I will say of the Lord , ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he
will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”

Psalm 91:2-3, 7 NIV.

Of course I am praying that this disease will stop and praying protection from it for those I love. However, can I really expect that I will not be touched by this virus, that no-one I know will be ill or worse still, die? Is that how it works? That I can I hold onto these verses as a talisman and claim protection? It didn’t work against having miscarriages or against cancer or against heart disease or against dementia, all of which have touched my life or the lives of those around me.

However, what I can say is that God has been with me through all these times and He has sustained me. That He will be with me and you through this time and He will sustain us if we hold fast to Him. The verses I do hold on to are:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God
will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 – God is with us.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling.”

Psalms 46:1 – 3 NKJV – God is present with us IN our troubles.

“I heard and my whole inner self trembled; My lips quivered at the sound. Decay and rottenness enter my bones, and I tremble in my place. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, for the people (or virus) to arise who will invade and attack us. Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive fails and the fields produce no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls. Yet I will [choose to] rejoice in the Lord; I will [choose to] shout in exultation in the [victorious] God of my salvation!”

Habakkuk 3:16 – 18 AMP.
And like Habakkuk, I will choose to rejoice in the Lord, whatever happens.

And, of course, I will still wash my hands!

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Contributor: Fiona Witherden
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Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 08/Mar/2020]

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realised that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.

This story is relevant to most churches, where there are numerous jobs to be done and not enough volunteers. Usually there are a few very committed people who will fill the gaps by taking on far more than they should, but they can become burnt out or resentful of those who do nothing. Their children (and spouses) can also resent the time they devote to church activities, as I remember all too well. My father was deacon and organist and my mother taught Sunday school every single week for 35 years, as well as both of them taking on numerous other church jobs. When my sister was small she made a house of bricks and said “That’s church, where Daddy lives.”

Of course, some people have very little free time due to work and caring responsibilities, while others have health problems. Yet I believe the story of the widow’s mite applies to our time as much as our money. A very busy person may only be able to take on one small job, like helping in a children’s group once a month or joining the rota for teas and coffees or putting out chairs or giving lifts to church, but God will bless the little we can offer, just as he blessed the boy’s offering of his lunch and used it to feed 5,000.

If someone is feeling overburdened, perhaps the time has come to lay down a task, even if there is no-one else to do it. Sometimes it is right for things to come to an end. Jesus said “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matthew 11 v 30.

Jesus also said “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9 v 37, 38. As we pray that prayer may we be willing to be part of the answer.
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Contributor: Helen Ruffhead
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Created Through Him

[This Reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 01/Mar/2020]

I didn’t watch the recent Brit Awards, but I did see an excerpt on the news where the rapper Dave repeatedly accused the Prime Minister of being a racist. I must admit that I have no idea what Boris Johnson said or did to be a racist but I did read that the Home Secretary, Preti Patel, who is of an ethnic minority said, “I know Boris Johnson very well, no way is he a racist.” When I was young it was quite acceptable to make comments that were racist.

At ten years old at school I sat next to a lovely Indian girl whose name was Phyllis. One day when walking with my parents I met Phyllis and spoke to her. My dad asked afterwards who she was and I told him she was my friend, Phyllis. He replied,” You didn’t tell me she was coloured.” That thought had never occurred to me. To me she was a nice little girl that I liked a lot.

I am glad that it is no longer acceptable to make racist remarks, although in another sense perhaps like the rapper this has swung the other way. I remember reading of a senior nurse who was leading a training course for the NHS. When a number of participants hadn’t turned up after lunch she accidentally referred to it as being like the “Ten Little N…… Boys”, a play that had been performed for many years on the London stage. She was accused of being a racist and had to resign her post. Similarly, a vicar who wrote an article for his parish magazine was talking about it being winter and that there was, “a nip in the air.” He was accused locally of being a racist because they said that he was referring to Japanese soldiers who had been hung after the Second World War. I always thought that the expression related to, “Jack Frost nipping at my nose” as the song says.

I am glad that we belong to a church where racism is not a problem. It is good to see that we all come from various ethnic backgrounds and yet we are one family in Christ. That is because when God created us He made us all in His image, there is no difference between us. This is emphasised in Colossians 1:16. “In Him (Jesus) everything in heaven and on earth was created, not only things visible but also the invisible orders of thrones, sovereignties, authorities, and powers: the whole universe has been created through him and for him.”

When Jesus comes back again as He promised, I do not know whether our resurrected bodies will continue to show our ethnic backgrounds as they do here on earth. I hope so, because then I will be happy to see that the majority of my brothers and sisters who like me trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins will be of a different race from my own. Will it make a real difference? No. When we are shining with the glory that Jesus is going to give us in His new kingdom then, like me and my friend Phyllis, we shall not notice the difference.
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Contributor: Michael Goble
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Being Thankful

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

When I reflect back to how I started to contribute to the ‘Yours’ back page, it was because I wanted to share the following (apologies if you’ve seen this before, however I believe it’s a good one to air again).

I am thankful …

  • For the teenager who is not doing the dishes, but is watching TV, because it means he is not on the streets.
  • For the taxes I pay, because it means that I am employed.
  • For the mess to clean up after a get together, because it means I have been surrounded by friends.
  • For the lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and the gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home.
  • For the parking spot I find at the far end of Tesco’s car park, because it means I am capable of walking and that I am blessed with transportation.
  • For the huge heating bills, because it means that I am warm.
  • For the sister who sings out of key behind me in the church service, because it means I can hear.
  • For the pile of laundry and ironing, because it means I have clothes to wear.
  • For the weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I am capable of working hard.
  • For my family, for although we do not always agree, they are there for me when I need them.
  • For the alarm that goes off in the early hours, because it means I am alive.

(Author unknown)

I was recently introduced to Charlie Mackesy and his book: “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” (I think it’s a lovely book with thought provoking comments and flowing illustrations). There is a wonderful section that goes: “Is your glass half empty or half full?” asked the mole. “I think I’m grateful to have a glass,” said the boy.”

I am happy to have a glass! What a wonderful response. How we respond to a situation and how we assess our predicaments can and does indeed impact our mood and outlook.

So, as you reflect on this, wherever you are reading it and in whatever emotional placed you find yourself, I encourage to you to find something, even just one thing, you are thankful for. Be thankful for the glass, because someone else may fill it for you.

Thank you for bearing with me and reading this. 😀

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Contributor: Nancy Aldred
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