Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This reflection by Dazz Jones was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 20/Aug/2023]

I like to think that involvement in the church community is a source of fulfilment, usually marked by collective worship, community and camaraderie, and a large part is also service. However, as you immerse yourself in various serving streams and activities, a question arises: Can you really serve wholeheartedly and still find the restful solace of observing God’s Sabbath principle, or ‘taking a rest’? In this article, I mostly want to highlight the difficulty of achieving a balance between dedicated service and the sacred rhythm of Sabbath within the context of church life. Let’s be honest, we tend to place all of our ambition for God to do His ‘spiritual stuff’ into our 2 hours on Sundays … but is that realistic?

Your commitment to service is an embodiment of your faith in Jesus and following his example of helping and serving other people (or so says my inner idealist). Inspired by Jesus’ selfless example, you generously share your gifts and talents to positively impact the lives of those around you. I hope Horley Baptist Church provides you with abundant opportunities to serve – serving drinks and welcoming people, leading or contributing to worship, mentoring and leading in Sunday School, engaging in community outreach, and extending a compassionate or practical hand to those in need, and other smaller or larger scale things I have undoubtedly missed off. Yet, as you invest yourself in these endeavours, there exists a potential black hole: the risk of becoming consumed by your tasks, overshadowing the equally important need for the restorative embrace of ‘Sabbath’.

Striking that balance between investing your energy in service and embracing ‘Sabbath’ becomes a delicate art you would do well to aim to master. I feel we all struggle in this area, though not through lack of trying. I would suggest we all flip and flop somewhere between ‘serving our hearts out’ and ‘I need to temporarily check out’. Since the pandemic, across the whole world from what I can tell, people are struggling or reluctant to commit to things mid-long term and I wonder if we have had our ‘balance preceptor’ sent haywire. We struggle more than ever it seems to find a balance. In church we have seen people stepping down, yo-yo-ing on and off rotas or not wanting to join teams for feeling unable to commit properly. We have thrived nonetheless! (Please do not mistake this reflection as a passive-aggressive complaint, you would be misreading me.)

Sabbath is more than a mere break from routine; it’s a profound spiritual practice. Rooted in divine commandments since the dawn of creation, it offers a chance to rest and rejuvenate. Just as God rested after the act of creation, you are beckoned to pause, reconnect with your Creator, and find renewal in His presence. It’s also a call to worship, reflect on His teachings, and shed the burdens accumulated throughout the week. Yet, the reality for some of us is that this does not happen on a Sunday, we’re on too many rotas or we’re supporting others to attend or engage with service and therefore finding it hard to connect with God ourselves. I don’t think, perhaps controversially, that this means we need to pull off any or all the rotas. It might mean that we need to find another day to Sabbath and reconcile in our minds that Sunday is the day on which we serve. I anticipate resistance here, I know for many people it’s not as neat and tidy to do ‘God stuff’ on more than one day a week (and I’m only being a little facetious here) but it seems to me that Jesus was doing ‘God Stuff’ each and every day so we can squeeze a bit of Sabbath in somewhere else if we need/want to.

The task is to find the balance, this might mean we need to step out of the ‘God speaks to me best on a Sunday’ boat ?

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Resources:

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

~~~~~~~~~
Horley Baptist Church online
HBC main site
Confidential prayer link

Link to Recent Reflections
.
Link to Index of Bible Passages
 
Last week’s reflection: Lessons From A Car by Helen Ruffhead
 

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during August 2023]

To date, my entire experience of visiting the USA amounts to about 90 minutes in Hawaii. It was a refuelling stop on the route between Brisbane and Vancouver. It was uneventful visit and largely forgettable.

For many people during the past week, their time in Hawaii has been anything but forgettable. Significant areas of the islands have been caught in a series of wildfires that have destroyed homes, hotels, municipal buildings and local landmarks. There have been reports of people having to jump into the sea to avoid the flames.

We must not belittle the suffering of who are going through these experiences. There has been loss of life. Many residents have lost all they possessed. The ambitions and efforts of several generations have been reduced to dust and ashes.

However, these experiences are not unique; the photographs of the stricken areas of Maui are very similar to those of other parts of the US, southern Europe, Australia and elsewhere. Do they remind us of a war-zone? Some photographs from Ukraine look very similar.

In Greek and Egyptian mythology the phoenix was a bird that symbolized resurrection and immortality and was associated with the prospect of life arising anew from the ashes. For us, resurrection, immortality and new life come through our faith in Jesus Christ. This does not guarantee us security against earthly loss or death, but it does allow us to face them positively.

An Old Testament prophet conveyed a promise from God. These words have been quoted many times but familiarity should not be allowed to undermine their message:

‘For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’
Jeremiah 29 v11 [AMP]

It may not be appropriate to simply repeat those words to someone who is suffering adversity but does your faith allow you to be a beacon of hope to them? Are you, like Barnabas, known for your spirit of consolation and encouragement?^[1]

In the book of Daniel we read of three friends who endured a trial by fire. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had proven themselves worthy of their appointment to senior administrative positions in the Babylonian government but they refused to renounce their faith in God. By defying a directive to worship an image of the king they were condemned to be thrown into a blazing furnace. They told the king that they believed that God could save them but, irrespective of the outcome, they would not comply with his order.

The records show that the three friends did, indeed, survive and that the king ordered that their God should be honoured throughout his dominions. Could it be that their witness became a factor in the king’s eventual repentance and recognition of God?^[2]

Is your faith a flame that gives light to those around you or is it smouldering amid the ashes?

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Resources:
[1] Acts 4 v36
[2] Daniel 4 v34, 37

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

~~~~~~~~~
Horley Baptist Church online
HBC main site
Confidential prayer link

Link to Recent Reflections

Link to Index of Bible Passages

Last week’s reflection: Is Anybody There?
 

[This reflection by Helen Ruffhead was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 13/Aug/2023]

‘Recently I swapped my old car for a newer one. As a technophobe, who finds driving stressful, I had been putting this off for months, until a frozen left shoulder forced me to trade in my manual for an automatic.

When I first sat in the new car and saw all the unfamiliar gadgets, a feeling of pure panic swept over me, tempting me to give up driving and make good use of my bus pass. Then I remembered the lesson learnt nearly 50 years ago when I had CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy): if you force yourself to stay in a stressful situation the feeling of panic will eventually pass and the more you face up to your fears the easier it gets. This has proved true for me in so many situations, although some fears still persist.

Learning a new way of driving has reminded me how difficult it is to replace old habits with new ones. Usually I remember that I am driving an automatic, but in times of stress, like having to brake suddenly, my left foot will still stamp on the non-existent clutch and my hand reach for the gear lever.

In our Christian life, when we try to replace old habits like impatience with godly habits like patience and love, it is in times of stress that the old habits rear their ugly heads and remind us how far we still have to go.

One of the hardest things to get used to in the new car is the parking sensors, especially when getting the car into my small garage. Although I carefully chose a car that was no bigger than the old one, having the parking sensors shriek at me makes me much more aware of the tiny gap when getting the car through the garage door. I could perhaps turn off the sensors or just try to ignore them, but I know that they serve a useful purpose and I need to work with them.

They reminded me of the way our conscience works, making us feel uncomfortable when we are in danger of going astray. Like the parking sensors, these feelings are unpleasant and it is all too easy to try to ignore them, or even switch them off altogether, instead of using them to guide us.

The Bible says:

By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made shipwreck of their faith.
1 Timothy 1 v19 [RSV]

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Resources:

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

~~~~~~~~~
Horley Baptist Church online
HBC main site
Confidential prayer link

Link to Recent Reflections
.
Link to Index of Bible Passages
 
Last week’s reflection: Be Still – A Great Awakening? by Brian Alton
 

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during August 2023]

Towards the end of last month, NASA lost communications with the Voyager 2 inter-space probe. The BBC reported that “Voyager 2 is more than 12.3 billion miles from Earth, where it is hurtling at an estimated 34,390mph through interstellar space – the space between the stars”.^[1]

Apparently, someone sent an erroneous command which caused the craft to venture off-course. This resulted in the antenna being misaligned and not tuned to the commands from Earth. Obviously, the probe was not acquainted with the advice that Moses gave to the Israelites:

So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Deuteronomy 5 v32 [NIVUK]

The earlier verses of this chapter include a restatement of the Ten Commandments. Why did God instruct Moses to repeat them here? Did he know that we would be likely to veer off onto our own course?

Do you send up prayers only to get no response? All your words seem to disappear into empty space. Is all you hear just white noise and static? Do you wonder, “Is anybody listening, is anybody there?”

Do you get the feeling that God is like the probe – miles out into space and looking the other way? Perhaps another part of his creation is occupying his attention. Maybe Eliphaz the Temanite was on the right track when he said “Is not God in the heights of heaven? And see how lofty are the highest stars … Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us as he goes about in the vaulted heavens”.^[2]

?️

NASA has not abandoned the spacecraft even though it does not respond to the messages that have been sent to it. Voyager 2 is not dead; it continues to send out signals some 46 years after it was launched. There is a hope that it will soon resume full contact and can be brought back on course.

Have we abandoned God? Does he seem too remote and no longer on the same wavelength? Why is he not communicating with us? Have we given up listening?

God has not abandoned us even though we do not respond to the messages that we have been sent. He is waiting patiently for us to get in touch so that he can steer us in the right direction.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3 v9 [NIVUK]

?

Just as I finished writing these thoughts the news came through that contact with Voyager 2 has been re-established. It was achieved using a technique known as an interstellar shout – a powerful signal that demands attention. Will God have to use an ‘interstellar shout’ to get through to you?

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’ Isaiah 30 v21 [NIVUK]

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Resources:
[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-66371569
[2] Job 22 v12,14

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

~~~~~~~~~
Horley Baptist Church online
HBC main site
Confidential prayer link

Link to Recent Reflections

Link to Index of Bible Passages

Last week’s reflection: Missing the Message
 

[This reflection by Brian Alton was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 06/Aug/2023]

‘What is standing between us and a sweeping move of God, is not us proving to God that we want it bad enough, as if we’ve got to talk God into our agenda … of course, God wants Awakening far more than we do. Every great move of God throughout history has occurred when a community perceived what God was up to and got in on it.’ Tyler Staton.

For the last couple of months our homegroup has been reading through ‘Praying like Monks, Living like Fools’ (PLMLLF) by Tyler Staton, a pastor in America, heavily involved in 24/7 Prayer. The book has had a profound affect on my prayer life, and quiet time discipline.

Staton suggests that recognising God’s voice when He speaks helps us perceive God’s plan (1 Samuel 3); and that we learn to recognise this by practising listening in stillness as a spiritual discipline.

‘Many confuse stillness with waiting for revelation… But that’s not the purpose of stillness. The purpose is consent. It is the daily practice of consenting to the work of God’s Spirit, which is deeper than understanding or words.’ (PLMLLF, ch2)

Pete Grieg says in The Prayer Course (session 7) ‘It’s important we build time for quiet, reflection, retreat and contemplation into our daily, weekly, and annual rhythms. Because those are the times when we can hear God’s still small voice a bit better’.

Staton says ‘Resist the urge to decide if this practice of silent prayer is ‘working’. Don’t evaluate if you’re getting anything out of it … Practice silence as a sacrificial offering to God … It’s about giving something of yourself to God, not getting something from God’. (PLMLLF ch2). Trying to do this has transformed my experience of prayer.

I’m soon going to start wearing hearing aids, to the relief of many! Regaining lost capacity to hear will hopefully make me less distracted, and more involved in the things going on around me. Similarly, I’m praying that I also get better at hearing when God is speaking to me – with the spiritual hearing aids of stillness and quiet.

One scholar has said ‘everything God speaks to you until your sixties is preparation – if there’s fruit that’s a bonus’. There’s still time!

So, what is God saying to me, and you? How can we join in and partner with Jesus? Where will the next Great Awakening be? Why not in Horley? Why not at HBC?

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10

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Resources:

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

~~~~~~~~~
Horley Baptist Church online
HBC main site
Confidential prayer link

Link to Recent Reflections
.
Link to Index of Bible Passages
 
Last week’s reflection: Were Not Our Hearts Burning Within Us? by David Makanjuola
 

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during August 2023]

During the past week I heard a television interviewee referring to “fires of Biblical proportions”. This seemed unusual – as a general rule when people talk of cataclysmic events of ‘Biblical proportions’ they are thinking about floods, in some vague recollection of the story of Noah. The epithet is not commonly used for fires but those people who are experiencing the current wildfires first-hand can, quite understandably, feel that the end of the world is near.

The impacts of earthquakes, floods and fires are not limited to the moments of their passing. These events are not only life-threatening but, for those who survive, the outcome can be life-changing – in my case, a flood in 1980 led to me moving to a different country. For many people, the aftermath can be more severe; the lost of family members, treasured possessions, livestock, homes; everything that perhaps several generations have worked for.

We would do well to pay attention to the words of Jesus:

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, … but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, … . For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6 v19-21 [NIVUK]

Where is your treasure? Will it survive fire, flood or earthquake? Can you repeat the words of Job after he had lost family and fortune:

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised. Job 1 v21 [NIVUK]

With the exception of the first three chapters, the book of Revelation is not an easy book to understand; it can make for confusing and uncomfortable reading. In previous years it provided the basis for many hell-fire sermons but preaching from it seems to have become unpopular in our times. Parts of the book are describing events that are, many believe, still at a safe distance in the future but in doing so it has to use the vocabulary of many years ago. Does this combination of confusion and complacency justify our ignoring it?

John, the recorder of the book of Revelation, included a vision of the future:

A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone Revelation 9 v18 [NKJV]

Many people have attempted to give a modern interpretation to the ancient terminology, with varying degrees of success. Perhaps we can understand smoke as including the sandstorms that have spread beyond their usual location in desert areas whilst brimstone reminds us of the impact of volcanic eruptions.

This particular chapter comes to a conclusion with an observation that is depressing yet unsurprising:

The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands Revelation 9 v20 [NIVUK]

We are called to be messengers but if people will not heed the messages from natural events how can we get our message heard? Perhaps there is another way:

Speak through the earthquake, wind and fire
thou still small voice of calm.^[1]

In a world that is mesmerised by the pyrotechnic display around us there is still a place for a quiet whisper.^[2]

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Resources:
[1] John Greenleaf Whittier (1872)
[2] 1 Kings 19 v11-12

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

~~~~~~~~~
Horley Baptist Church online
HBC main site
Confidential prayer link

Link to Recent Reflections

Link to Index of Bible Passages

Last week’s reflection: Missing Ewe