Ascension Deficit Disorder?

 A brief sermon for the Ascension 

Look away now if you are coming to church tonight (St Giles, Dallington, 7:30pm, Thurs 18th May)

Acts 1:1-11 (p1092)

Luke 24:44-end (p1062)

 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

It’s so easy to be distracted or pre-occupied, isn’t it?

 

Perhaps we live in an especially anxious age.

And maybe TV and social media have destroyed our attention spans.

But these dangers of distraction and pre-occupation seem to have afflicted the Apostles too.

They are very much part of life in 21^st Century Britain, but they are also part of the human condition.

Indeed, if we wanted to risk being corny, we might say that we are in danger not only of attention deficit disorder but of ascension deficit disorder.

Perhaps the ascension can help us if we feel distracted or preoccupied.

 

First, the disciples seem distracted.

They have a pressing question for Jesus in Acts 1v6.

It’s on page 1092 if you want to look at it and you’ve lost it.

The disciples ask Jesus, 1v6, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

That’s their big question.

Jesus has been speaking to them about the kingdom of God (v3), and they have a question about the kingdom of Israel.

Maybe they hope to see a proper king of Israel restored and the Romans booted out.

Perhaps they think still in nationalistic terms, whereas Jesus is going to send them to the ends of the earth.

We know that the disciples competed for the top jobs in Jesus’ kingdom:

They wanted to sit on Jesus’ right and left when he came into his kingdom.

Perhaps they’re still hoping for earthly power and prestige.

They are going to receive power from on high, but maybe not quite the sort of power for which they hope, and maybe not for the purposes which they imagine.

Jesus’ disciples, perhaps, still have much to learn.

And no doubt, so too, do we.

Jesus’ ways are not often our ways.

He might surprise us, as he often seems to have surprised his first disciples.

 

Jesus tells them, in effect, to mind their own business – not worry their heads with these matters.

V7, Jesus says to them, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.”

Don’t worry, he tells them, God the Father has it all under control.

He has his plans and he doesn’t necessarily want to tell you the schedule or all the details you’d like to know.

But God also has a plan for you: a purpose, a mission.

V8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

That’s the programmatic verse of the book of Acts which we see playing out in the following chapters and in the rest of human history.

Jesus doesn’t give his disciples all the answers, or all the information they’d like.

He doesn’t satisfy their curiosity.

But he does give them a job to do.

He tells them what they need to know to do it.  

And he’s going to give them the power to do it – the supernatural power of God the Holy Spirit.

 

So Jesus’ ascension challenges our priorities.

It might encourage us to ask new and better questions:

To change our focus and our hopes:

To look to the Kingdom of God and the Word of God, rather than our own hopes and plans.

 

Jesus then ascends to heaven and is hidden from their sight (v9).

It’s hardly surprising that, v10, they stand there looking intently up in to the sky.

No doubt they’re amazed and preoccupied.

If they had questions before, perhaps they have even more now.

Who knows how long they would have stood there looking up into the sky if the angel hadn’t intervened.

The angels ask them why they are standing there looking up into the sky (v11), and it’s not hard to say why:

We’ve never seen anyone ascend to heaven before!

Suddenly Jesus is gone.

It takes some getting your head round.

They have to sort out their ascension deficit disorder.

 

But the angels speak of the plan of God:

V11: “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you in to heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

 

Maybe they are distressed and confused by Jesus’ going.

The angels want them to think too about Jesus’ return.

 

Jesus had spoken to them about the kingdom of God.

Jesus was God’s king.

When Jesus came he announced and inaugurated the kingdom of God in a new way.

His death and resurrection secured his kingdom and demonstrated his kingship.

Now Jesus’ ascension is his enthronement as king.

It was very nice of the UK to arrange a coronation as a helpful small-scale illustration of the enthronement of the world’s true king.

 

And one day the king will come again as judge to bring in his kingdom in all its fullness.

As the disciples set about their mission to be witnesses for Jesus in the whole wide world, they must keep in mind that second coming of Jesus.

That is the great event to which all history is now moving.

They are to urge people to get on board with the way the universe is going, to be ready for what’s coming:

To be ready for who is coming, because Jesus the risen king will return in glory to judge the living and the dead.

 

So as Jesus’ disciples, we are to be neither distracted not pre-occupied.

Rather, we too share in the Apostolic Mission to be witnesses to Jesus the King to all the nations.

He now claims their allegiance.

And God the Holy Spirit will empower us.

 

Jesus the King has come.

Jesus reigns as king.

Jesus the king will come again.

 

If we are distracted or preoccupied, perhaps the ascension can help to heal our disorders.

 

So let us be about the business of the King.

Let us give ourselves to His Majesty’s Service:

Confident of his rule and equipped for his service.

 

And so to God the Father, God the risen, ascended Son, and to God the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory and power, for ever and ever. Amen.  

(The phrase “ascension deficit disorder” was taken from a cartoon seen on Facebook)

Parish Magazine Item for the Coronation II

From The Rectory

 

As I said last month, I’ve long been an enormous fan of the coronation service. I was glad that my favourite bit about the Bible as “the most valuable thing this world affords” remained in. And for all my love of traditional pageantry and so on, I think the desire to make the occasion seem more inclusive was, on balance, understandable and probably well done.

 

If you’re interested in reading more about the service, I enjoyed Tom Holland’s Comment is Free piece in The Observer / Guardian which you can find free online: ‘Our bronze age coronation rites seem to speak to a modern love of the sacred’ - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/30/bronze-age-coronation-rites-seem-to-speak-to-a-modern-love-of-the-sacred

 

The order of service was on The Church of England website and in particular there was a version with commentary which is worth a look - https://www.churchofengland.org/coronation/liturgy. (As I say, I draw your attention to the presentation of the Bible towards the beginning).

 

I’ve also been giving out a slim book by Roger Careswell from 10ofThose called God Save The King! I’m afraid we’ve used up all our stock, but you might even get it at a much better discount now if they’re not all sold out! - https://www.10ofthose.com/uk/products?q=Coronation

 

Though I thought I was quite familiar with the service, I admit I was a little rusty on the royal regalia. We all think we know about the crown jewels, of course. But who knew about the significance of spurs, one glove and bracelets? I’m still not sure what the redemption of the sword was all about.  

The orb remains a powerful symbol, I think. The globe is under the cross. Christ is the king. And the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of God and of his Christ.

 

As we marvel at the King’s regalia, we might think of the regalia of Christ and of the Christian.

 

Jesus was crowned with thorns. His wounds are the trophies of his victory. We may glory in the crucified and risen Messiah.

 

And the Bible has much to say about the Christian dress code. It speaks of what we out to put off (all sin) and what we ought to put on.

 

One of the most striking images of the coronation was Charles divested of all his royal robes. As he stood in a simple white shirt, the humanity, weakness and frailty of us all was proclaimed. Even the best of men are only men at best. God sees our hearts. And all of us have things which we ought to put off: sinful attitudes from which we need to turn.

 

We are to put on Christ (Romans 13:14). We are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 3:12). The believer is not to lounge around in her pyjamas but is to put on the full armour of God. A look at The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, chapter 6 would show us the Christian also splendidly arrayed for a life of real meaning and significance. Here we are dressed not for the ceremony of court but for a real fight.

 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 

If the apparel of the King at his coronation matters, so does what we put on and put off each day.

 

As we pray for King Charles, let us also pray that we would be clothed with Christ by faith and by all his virtues which would adorn our lives. In the title of the coronation service, we too are “called to serve” Christ the King and all people as made in the image of God. May we more and more reflect the likeness of Jesus, crucified, risen, ascended.

 

The Revd Marc Lloyd 

The Revd Marc Lloyd

Parish Magazine Item for May on The Coronation

 

From The Rectory

 

Recently we have heard all sorts of speculation about the plans for the coronation of King Charles III and some facts are now known. As I write, the order of service has not yet been published.

 

It is still possible to watch the coronation of her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II online. Britain in 2023 is quite different from Britain in 1953. It may be that changes to the monarchy are long overdue. But I for one hope that we will see a thoroughly Christian service which retains some of the ancient ceremonial of former times.

 

Some elements of the service used in 1953 may jar with King Charles and indeed with the public. Some of the coronation vows might seem sectarian and it is debatable what they could mean in practice. For example, the monarch might be asked:

Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel?

Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law?

Will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in England?

And will you preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of England, and to the Churches there committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges, as by law do or shall appertain to them or any of them?

For myself I am all for these things, but it is clear that we need to make the case for them again. Even to many in the Abbey they will seem meaningless and unfair. It is no longer clear to most of the great British public that the C of E is a good thing.  

 

Which brings us neatly to the next part of the service, my favourite: the presentation of the Holy Bible to the monarch with these words:

Our gracious Queen:
to keep your Majesty ever mindful of the law and the Gospel of God
as the Rule for the whole life and government of Christian Princes,
we present you with this Book,
the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom;
This is the royal Law;
These are the lively Oracles of God.

I hope these words will be included in the coronation service. Let us pray that millions will ponder them and give the Bible another look. If we did, we would find there great wisdom for our own lives and for the lives of nations. Not only that, but we would find the very words of God, God speaking. There could never be anything more important for his creatures than attending to his voice.

 

As the Bible itself says about the Bible:

 

The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.

They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.

 

(Psalm 19).

 

Take up and read! And God save the King!

 

The Revd Marc Lloyd

How To Preach

 I see that Pastor Someoneorother is praying, according to his Tweets, that you might preach as if eternity is at stake, sin is killing souls, you are filled with the Holy Spirit and God is worthy of all our worship. 

I agree. All this is true. 

Your preaching should be serious not frivolous, weighty not lightweight, earnest not flippant. It should be prayerful and look to the Spirit to do great things through your words, which are to be the Word of God faithfully proclaimed and applied such that the voice of the preacher communicates the very voice of God.

However, the preacher should have many tones of voice. There are all sorts and conditions of hearers. There are many times and seasons. There are many texts of Scripture, many aspects of the gospel. 

We cannot and should not always preach with a crisis intensity. Okay, it is always momentous to hear God speak and to meet with the Living God. The Sunday morning sermon is very special. But a father must address his family in all sorts of ways, even in this more formal setting. He will want to speak kindly and gently and patiently instruct and so on. He speaks as a man to men as well as from and for God. He will want to sympathise with his hearers and encourage them as they seek the grace of God together.  

Much of life is ordinary. There should be passion and vision and purpose and so on. But there can be ordinary sermons by ordinary preachers for ordinary people too. Pray. Open your Bible. Speak. Try to love God and love your people and give yourself and them a bit of a break sometimes. 

Is the C of E out of touch on gay marriage?

 BBC Radio 4 Any Questions asked if the Church of England is out of touch on gay marriage.

The answer is undoubtedly yes, in the sense that the church's official traditional teaching differs from the prevailing attitudes of society.

But the same is also true regarding heterosexual marriage and sexuality in general.

And indeed with respect to the creation of the world, miracles, the divinity of Christ, the resurrection, heaven and hell.

The thing is that if the church merely reflects the prevailing attitudes of society there is no need for society to listen to the church. It will have nothing distinctive to say.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001h614

 Discussion from 19:38

Parish Magazine Item for February 2023

 

From The Rectory

 

I wrote last month about the Diocesan Year of the Old Testament. As part of that, some of us have been spending some time in the opening chapters of the book of Genesis. These ancient texts are in many ways strange to us. We come to them, perhaps, with a whole host of modern scientific questions, which I guess never really entered the minds of their first readers. Whatever we think the Bible means to assert about such questions as when the earth come in to being, it seems to me obvious that Genesis means to tell us, above all, about God, his creation, and humanity’s place within it.

You might think that Genesis takes some believing in 2023. It’s not at all obvious that modern atheists have better answers about the origins and significance of the universe. As someone has said, Christians believe in the virgin birth of Christ; atheists believe in the virgin birth of the cosmos. In a way, atheists embrace a bigger miracle: something out of nothing, order out of chaos, apparent beauty, truth and goodness without any objective basis for these things.

 

If we think for a moment only of Genesis chapters one to three, we can notice at least five great truths which give a radical basis for a Christian understanding of life on planet earth, and which go on to shape human history and biblical theology. 

 

(1) God created the world. Therefore the world belongs to him. And is accountable to him. It does have meaning and purpose. And a God given destiny. Life is more than random chance. You are more than a chemical machine. You have enormous dignity and significance.  

 

(2) God created the world good. The ancients were sometimes very suspicious of matter. And Christians too have had their issues with the stuff of life and of sex. But the bible teaches the original goodness of the created cosmos. And holds out hope for it. Our bodies and this world are gifts to be enjoyed, to be received with thanksgiving. When our hearts stir at a sunrise, the intuitions we have of being a small part of some grand design are true.

 

(3) God made men and women to live in the world under his loving rule. Genesis gives us a delightful picture of harmonious relationships between God and humanity, human beings and the world. We were intended to be stewards of the creation, in friendship with God and with one another. And yet we know that we live in a far from perfect world. The Bible can explain all the brokenness and pain we see around us:

 

(4) Human beings rejected God’s loving rule. All of us, in one way or another, want to live in God’s world, and receive his good gifts, but to please ourselves. At the heart of the human problem, is the problem of the human heart. We don’t want God as our God. We would rather be our own gods, decide for ourselves, or invent gods we can control, who won’t trouble us too much. Human beings fight with God and with one another. We see the battle of the sexes. And the abuse of the created world.

 

(5) God goes on loving human beings. God doesn’t give up on us, or the world he has made. If we looked at the detail of Genesis chapter three, we could see the judgement of God, certainly, but also his mercy. The Bible doesn’t end after three chapters. Yes, the good world has gone wrong, but God means to put it right.  

 

These five points, then, set the scene for the coming of Jesus. The world was made through him. And he came to redeem his own. He always lived under God’s perfect loving rule. And he takes all our mess and confusion on himself. He undoes the consequences of human rebellion and failure, so that God’s plans for the world can at last be fulfilled. Jesus means to bring us back to a new and better Eden. The Bible begins with a garden; it ends with a garden city. In a way it is a love story: it begins with the marriage of Adam and Eve and it ends with the marriage of Christ and his church. Jesus is the true faithful human being, the only perfectly good person. We can know the love of God, for which we were made, by trusting in Jesus.

 

These great principles, this story line, could transform how we think and live. God invites us to live as part of this story of his rescue and renewal of our fallen world.

 

Why not take some time this month to read and reflect on Genesis chapters one to three? You can easily find them in a modern translation online at biblegateway.com, if you don’t have a bible handy. These few pages of Scripture, if we took them to heart, might transform everything.

 

The Revd Marc Lloyd

TSP prayers

 

Teaspoon TSP Thank you, Sorry, Please Prayers

January 2023

 

In our church primary school collective worship this week, we reflected on prayers we knew: The Lord’s Prayer, Our School Prayer, the grace we say before meals (and the school birthday song).

 

We can use set prayers written by others or we can talk to God anytime, anywhere in our own words.

 

If we don’t know what to pray, we might use “teaspoon” prayers as a guide, drawing on the abbreviation “tsp”, thank you, sorry, please, thinking of things to talk to God about under each heading.

 

I invited our church primary school to write some ideas for prayer in groups of three. Some staff and parents took part. And my input may have had some influence. I said they could write anything they wanted, but also that they might think about what Jesus might want them to ask for. I encouraged people not to write anything they wanted to keep private. I thought you might like to see the responses (in so far as I could read them):

 

In no particular order:

 

Thank you for…

 

Family (10)

Mummy / Parents

Friends (6)

Amazing people

For people who play with me

Food (13)

Water

Air

Cool toys

Life / my life

All life on earth / the world

For happiness

Our school (2)

Football and farming

Football (2)

Dogs and cats

Rabbits

horses

Pets

Beds

Home

PS4

Dr Who DVDs

Brighton 3 – Liverpool 0

Looking after the world

Every day which comes along – it is a blessing

Yoghurt

Games

Sports

For Christmas presents (3)

For parrot painting

Books

Farming (2)

Lack of struggles

For all good things (2)

For people who love me

Chocolate (2)

Prayer

Harvest

Cake

Good health

For always caring

Everything

 

Sorry…

 

Sins

Bad behaviour

For eating my Dad’s chocolate

For being naughty (3) / unkind / mean (2)

For upsetting other people / hurting people’s feelings

Doing something wrong / my wrong actions

For pushing people

That sometimes we can’t do it

For not saying thank you

We didn’t win the Premiership football

For not believing in you

When I have been rude or lied

Rudeness

Hate

Stealing

Lying

Cheating (3)

For doing bad things

Fulham 2 – 1 Brighton

For being grumpy at times as I should think that there are a lot of people worse off than me

For greed

Bad language

For being very annoying

For things that are bad for animals or life

For eating too much sugar

Being ungrateful

For not being patient

Fighting with my brother

Going to bed late on a school night

That some people have no food

Not phoning my family more

Selfishness

Global warming

 

Please… (things we might ask God for, for ourselves or others)

 

Help us to stay safe and warm during the winter

A good life for all my family

Good health (2)

I pad

Can I be a millionaire farmer

1, 000, 000, 000 and a PC

Billionaire

A million dollars

Pasta

Enough money to go to Texas

A millipede

A new wardrobe

Help us to stay helpful and healthy

A racing car

Can you help me to be the best footballer ever when I am older

Please can I have enough money for football stickers, chocolate bars and food

A really nice Pokémon card

Hamster

A dog

My hamster to get better

House

Can England win the world cup (3)

Pet unicorn

New Brighton Hove Albion football kit

Help me in school on topic, maths, science and English

Help me to be good / kind

More playtime (and less “lurning” (sic))

More friends

A big TV

PS5

Putin dies

Money (2)

End war (4)

Peace (3)

Hyperjar

Go pro

TV

Gaming chair

Dirt bike

Help me to be more helpful (2)

A big chocolate bar every day / infinite amounts of chocolate

Help us to work with other people

Help us to enjoy life

Safe journeys

Stop all the rain

Fun

Help me to be happy and nice everyday

More snowmen

Please help me to mend the roof

“Please can I not go to school for the rest of my life and be a million air!”(sic)

 

+ / ? – anything else?

 

Love mummy

I am looking forward to my friend’s party

 

Some people also contributed pictures

On writing and sermons

We sometimes speak of writing sermons. 

But sermons are primarily spoken. Better to prepare to speak. 

Many will do this by writing the sermon out in full. And some will then read it out. 

Writing a sermon is very unlike writing a novel. A serious novel takes at least a year to write. Probably two or three years. 

The best sermons have something poetic about them because the best sermons and poems both seek to speak of the infinite. 

The preacher must have something to say every week. In this he is like the newspaper columnist. Both have their deadline and a typical word limit. 

Both preacher and writer will probably want to draft and re-drift. They must both afix themselves to their study chairs until their work is ready for the public.

Likely the preacher and the newspaper man both want some angle, some way in, some conclusion. Both will give attention to form and structure. They will want to say their piece as well as they can - colourfully, memorably, movingly. 

Does the columnist seek to educate, inform and entertain? Perhaps he wants to persuade? He wants people to read him. He wants his fee. 

The preacher too hopes to command interest. But his aims are rather different. He speaks for the glory of God. To convert, to edify. And he has a text or texts from which he ought to speak. His message is not his own. He speaks as one speaking the very words of God. 

For all the similarities between writers and sermoners, it is perhaps worth dwelling on the differences. 

Plough Sunday

 One of my parishes tends to observe Plough Sunday on the second Sunday in January. 

I have often been off for the first Sunday in January, so it might be my attempt at New Year in church. It is a kind of Back To Work Sunday. The Baptism of Christ also connects up to the idea of the beginning of a great work and to vocation. 

We ask God to bless our agricultural and other work. 

There are many Bible passages one could choose which have something to do with farming or growing. 

One way to preach is:

(1) Our Work - the hard working farmer, the necessity of sowing etc. 

(2) God's Work - the power of the seed which grows in secret whether the farmer wakes or sleeps he knows not how and produces a crop 30, 60 or 100 times what is sown

These lessons relate both to our material and spiritual life. We work for both, but both are utterly dependent on God's work. We cannot make ourselves live for another second and neither can we make the spiritually dead live.  

Love is...

 Our society makes much of love. But arguably it hardly knows what it means. 

All human loves are disordered. 

And my little corner of conservative evangelicalism (a bit middle class and buttoned up and so on) has perhaps been a bit shy of love. It sounds a bit emotional. So we have often wanted to say it isn't that. Or not just that. We have rightly said that love is much more than a feeling. 

In marriage, we have rightly said that love is not just about being in love. It is a promise and a commitment. 

When it comes to God, we know that love leads to obedience. Love and sin cannot properly go together. 

And when we speak of loving the church family we have stressed practical acts of service which seek the good of others.

 Secular British society could learn something, I reckon, from the preceding paragraphs. 

My bit of the church might do well to study The Song of Songs. It has much to say about the love of Christ for his church, and vice versa. And also plenty to tell us about human love. There is more longing, intensity, passion, delight than we cold fish might sometimes care to embrace. 

If we are scared to call love an emotion, call it an affection, then. That sounds a bit more 17th Century, and we like it there. Yes, love with mind, will and hand. But also with some heart. And if your heart is a little cold and you don't feel a lot of love for God or for others, that too is something to pray for and seek. It is not the only thing. It is not to be made an idol of or obsessed about. Sometimes we won't feel very loving and we still ought to love. But let us pray for a consistent heart-felt love.   

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart."

Tom Parsons, The Radiant Dawn

Quite a few people from our benefice and from a number of local churches and chapels have been reading

 Tom Parsons, The Radiant Dawn: 25 Daily Bible Readings Luke 1-2 for Advent (10Publishing, 2018). ISBN: 9781912373918 pb, 55pp

They are very reasonably priced from 10 of Those, especially if you order them in bulk. 

Each day has a couple of pages of accessible comment on the Bible text (sometimes dwelling on a passage for a few days) with a prayer. Whilst they are oriented towards Christmas, they could be used at any time. 

Parsons originally wrote these reflections for his wife. Mrs Lloyd thought this deserved some kind of husband / Vicar of the year award.  

Parsons consistently makes good, helpful, clear points which are well applied. He writes engagingly. I was keen to keep reading each day and felt these little studies were doing good to my soul, showing me Jesus. Pretty often I thought something was especially well phrased or fresh. A number of the outlines / headings could be stolen for Christmas use. If I were preaching on these passages, I would definitely take a second look at these readings. 

Highly recommended. 

Thanks, Tom, 10 of Those and Jesus the Light! 

Always remember you're enough as you are

 "Always remember you're enough as you are"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0dns5bt

Is this a Christian sentiment?

There is certainly something of the Bible about it. 

The Bible would tell us that we are more loved than we could possibly imagine. 

You are more than a chemical machine. You are not just a higher ape. 

In fact, you were made by God, in his image, to be his dearly loved child. 

Yes, God loves you as you are. 

But if we're honest we all know that how we are isn't always great. We have all messed up many times, in some big ways, in many small ways. We are messed up.  

God loves us so much he doesn't leave us as we are. He loves us in our mess. 

He comes to help and heal and transform us. He can take our mess. He can take care of it. 

We are broken gods. 

God means to fix us up. 

That's why Jesus came. And Jesus is enough. 

Left to ourselves, we can never be "enough", whatever that means. 

We can stop trying to impress others, ourselves, God. 

The world is not enough. 

There's more!

Come and welcome to Jesus Christ. In him is all the fullness of God. He is more than sufficient. He offers us an abundant overflowing life which even death cannot destroy. We can never come to the end of Jesus. And he can more than satisfy.

Forget about yourself. Always remember Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. He alone is enough. 

Merry Christmas!

You can hear Charlie Mackesy talk about the Christian faith here: https://www.eden.co.uk/blog/is-charlie-mackesy-christian-p1790477 

"Come as you are; be transformed" isn't a bad invitation. 

Parish Magazine Item for January

 From The Rectory

  

Our Diocese of Chichester has a three-year plan entitled Proclaiming the Mystery of Faith for 2023-2025.

 

2023 has been designated a Year of the Old Testament. 2024 will focus on the New Testament. And 2025 will be a year especially dedicated to the teaching of the Christian faith, as we celebrate the anniversary of The Council of Nicaea, which took place in AD 325.

 

2023: A Year of The Old Testament

 

The Old Testament is foundational to the Christian faith. It is almost impossible to understand Jesus the Christ, the Jewish Messiah, without understanding the Hebrew Scriptures which prepared the way for him.

 

And yet the Old Testament is so often caricatured, misunderstood and neglected. The Old Testament forms something like three quarters of the Christian Bible but even to regular church goers, whole tracts of the Hebrew Bible can feel like alien territory.

 

It is worth us just taking a moment to remind ourselves of the importance of the Old Testament. The picture which emerges from the New Testament is that the Old Testament is indispensable. It is very much necessary for our spiritual health.

 

The Apostle Paul tells us that the Old Testament Scriptures were written “for us”, for New Testament believers as well as for their original recipients. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (Romans 15). Speaking of the events of Old Testament history, he says: “These things happened to them [the church in Old Testament times] as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.“ (1 Corinthians 10). Paul presumably had the Old Testament Scriptures principally in mind when he said, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3). These are the Scriptures which Timothy had learnt since his youth. According to Paul these Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament are “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 

 

The New Testament writers quote the Old Testament Scriptures in the most striking way as the living voice of God for us today. When they want to cite those ancient words we might expect them to say something like, “As David said in the Psalms of old….” But instead they say, “As the Holy Spirit says,…”. (Hebrews 3 and 4) The Old Testament is the Word of God, not the word of God Emeritus. In it God speaks to us today.

 

The Lord Jesus Himself submitted to the Old Testament Scriptures. He frequently quoted them and treated them as a final court of appeal in controversy. He said they must be fulfilled. And could not be broken. And that not the least pen stroke would pass away before heaven and earth passed away. And that they were written to testify about him that we might come to him in faith and find life. In fact, when he rose from the dead he took the time to hold an Old Testament Bible Study with his disciples, showing  them how all the Scriptures were fulfilled in him. “He opened their minds so that they could understand the Scriptures”, we’re told. (Luke 24). We might pray that he would do the same for us. We could use one of the Collects from The Book of Common Prayer:

 

BLESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

The Diocese and the Cathedral will be offering various Unpacking The Word seminars looking at the whole story of the Old Testament and focusing on particular books such as the Psalms, Song of Songs and Isaiah.

 

A Lent Course will be available looking at Mary as a New Eve, Melchizedek and Christ, Joseph (of Technicolour Dream Coat fame), Moses and the Queen of Sheba.

 

Further details will be available on the Diocesan website at: chichester.anglican.org

 

I’d particularly like to invite you to this, which I’ll be running:

 

Diocesan Online Group via Zoom: Reading Genesis and Exodus as Christian Scripture for the Church Today

 

You can join us either in the afternoon or the evening. Sessions will be led jointly by me and by The Revd Thomas Pelham (Rector of Burwash, Burwash Weald & Etchingham, who is part of the podcasting team at Irreverend: Faith and Current Affairs).

 

We will aim to read these books with and for the church, seeking to encounter Christ and consider the New Testament fulfilment of these texts, as well as their contemporary relevance. These sessions will enable participants to engage deeply with these seminal books by looking at the big picture and reading key passages closely.  There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion.

 

This group will take place through the year on Zoom at approximately fortnightly intervals (excluding Lent, August and Advent). Sessions are from 1:30pm to 2:45pm and 7:45pm to 9pm on Wednesdays.

 

Each session will include a set Bible text, which participants are asked to read and think about in advance. No further reading will be required but suggestions will be available.

 

Anyone is welcome at any session, and of course you may not be able to make every one, but we hope as far as possible to have a settled group for the sessions on Genesis or Exodus or both. 

 

Genesis sessions: 11^th Jan (Invitation, introduction – Jesus quotes the Torah – Matthew 22:23-40); 25^th Jan; 8^th Feb; 19^th April; 3^rd May; 17^th May; 7^th June; 21^st June; 5^th July; 19^th July.

 

Exodus sessions: 6^th Sept; 20^th Sept; 4^th Oct; 18^th Oct; 1^st Nov; 15^th Nov; 29^th Nov.

 

Zoom meeting details – “Genesis Exodus Reading Group”

Join Zoom Meeting - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84828857268

Meeting ID: 848 2885 7268

To dial in by phone - find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbrHmx8FeX

 

I hope you’ll consider joining us. And that somehow 2023 might be a year in which you get to grips with the Old Testament Scriptures, and Jesus our Saviour, whom we can encounter there.

 

A happy, blessed and biblical 2023 to you all! 

 

The Revd Marc Lloyd

A biblical case for bishops

 Evangelical Anglicans normally hold that bishops are for the well being of the church and are not of the essence of the church. One can have a church without a bishop. 

But that need not mean that the case for bishops is merely historical, traditional or pragmatic. 

Dr Martin Davie has written over 800 pages on bishops. Bishops Past, Present and Future (Gilead Books Publishing, 2022). He makes a biblical case for bishops.

It is worth pointing out that this is not an argument from New Testament terminology. The words presbyter (elder) and episkopos (overseer, bishop) are used interchangeably in the NT. (It is in the letters of Ignatius of Antioch (died c. 108/140 AD) that we first find the word episkopos clearly used for a single individual who exercises oversight).

Jesus is the chief pastor / bishop / overseer. 

Yet from an early date we can see the apostles and their successors fulfilling the role of senior presbyters or chief pastors under Christ, which we would call bishops today, with oversight of more than one local congregation and with the role of appointing other elders. 

On the Apostles as bishops see Davie p43, Hooker, Laws, VII.iv.1 p336, Cyprian, Epistle LXIV

James the brother of Jesus seems to have functioned as the Bishop of Jerusalem. Acts 12:17; 15; 21:18; Gal 1:18f; 2:9, 12; James 1:1. See Davie pp44-51.

Timothy was the first bishop of Ephesus. 1 Timothy 1:3-4. 

Titus was the first bishop of Crete. Titus 1:5.

On Timothy and Titus see Eusebius, Jerome, Ambrose, Chrysostom etc. The evidence is given in Davie pp57-58.

The stars / angels (= messengers) of the churches, to whom letters are written by Christ, in the book of Revelation 1-3 are plausibly understood as the bishops of those cities, responsible for several house churches. See Davie p63ff. Writer who shared this traditional interpretation or something like it include Augustine, Jerome, Gregory the Great, Bullinger, Beza, Bede. Davie p64f.

This interpretation of the New Testament data seems to have quickly established itself and was universally accepted until the 16th Century.  

Davie summarises the sub-apostolic evidence: "... from the very start of the second century until its end the threefold order of bishops, presbyters and deacons was in existence across the Christian world. There is no church we know of where it does not seem to have existed.... 

... during the second century the term bishop (episkopos) was used exclusively to refer to a single individual who had ministerial oversight over the elders, deacons and lay people of a particular church. Furthermore, all the writers who comment on the subject see episcopacy as apostolic in origin with writers such as Hegesippus, Irenaeus and Tertullian testifying to unbroken lists of bishops in the churches going back to apostolic times." (p115)

For a discussion of this, see the Church Society podcast: https://www.churchsociety.org/resource/podcast-s09e10-more-and-better-bishops/