Sunday 14th Feb

In a few different ways we've had a difficult week this week. Not least because I have been busy growing a stomach ulcer! I have some meds form the doctor but they are giving me a headache. Despite that I have been blessed in my preparation over the last week. I had some extra clarity this week as I prepare which was very helpful as everything was taking longer.

Our Canadian sister came with her husband this week. It was great that he came and stayed and listened and took in everything that was going on. With being ill I had asked our Oak Hill Student and Laurence our other elder to help lead the service - which was a great. They did an excellent job as always. Several people were very positive about the message, which is always an encouragement for a preacher. We're hoping to start a church membership class with three people this coming week. And there is a possibility of a baptism at Easter. Please pray for the young man who has asked about this.

The message this week was from Mark 12v35-44. Jesus first asks how can the Christ be the son of David when in psalm 110 he calls the Christ "my Lord"? His point of course is that his origin is from before David. That he is the son of God - as Mark attests at both the start and towards the end of his gospel. Meanwhile the scribes are wandering around as false lords. Though they are experts in what the law says, rather than loving God and loving others, they use the law to "devour widows houses". We need both to watch out for people like that and to make sure we don't do the same. It is after all very easy to give pious excuses for selfish behaviour. Finally Jesus sits down opposite the offering jars in the temples and calls attention to the widow who puts two small coins in. She, says Jesus, put in more than everyone else because she put in everything - all she had to live on. And that is how we need to follow Jesus. The woman was not looking at herself - she didn't put the money in to gain a reputation for generosity. She wasn't even looking at the bare face of the law, which says 10%. The she would at most have given one coin. No - she saw the Lord her God and wanted to give him everything she had. So we need to rid our vision of false lords, including ourselves and fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. To see how he loved us, giving everything he had on the cross. To see him raised to the right hand of the Father, and to look at him. Then as we look to him and seek him and see him, decide how we will live, how much we will give.

God bless you wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Chris

Welcome to February

Various plans and purposes are slowly coming together for this year. Our first ever "official" homegroup started last week. The plan is to grow this first group until it is too big to fit, then split and grow and split and grow, etc. God willing. We also are planning a Christianity Explored group on Sunday afternoons. There is a group of people I really want to come along, perhaps 4 or 5, and we're going to try and see if there is anyone else out there who might want to come along.

We've been able to welcome some more new people to the church over the last few weeks. A Philippino lady and her English husband have been coming regularly now. She seems to be a Christian, but her husband isn't. He has been coming to church though, and seems interested at least for her sake. Then a Christian lady from Canada has been coming too. Had a decent conversation with her husband today. She tells me he is an atheist and a mathematician. They both looked interested in the upcoming "God Confusion" conference at the excel. We had a visit from a lady from Azerbaijan today as well. She seemed very pleased to see us, and enthusiastic about coming back. Also our placement student from London Theological Seminary came for his first Sunday today, and our Oak Hill student was back after exams. On the downside a family who have been very regular haven't been for a few weeks now. We're concerned for them. Please keep praying.

Chris

This Sunday

After a number of quiet Sundays it was good to be a little fuller yesterday. It was a great blessing to welcome Erika back from the States. She is working with a mission here in London and needed a new visa to return. An answer to prayer that she was able to return so swiftly. She had with her Christine who will be with the mission for 6 months or so as well.
We are aiming to start homegroups in February. Will likely be just one to start with, but the plan is to try and grow that group until we can split it and make 2. We're also hoping to start a new Christianity Explored group in Feb. Haven't done one for a while so praying we will get a good group up and running.
Was preaching on Mark 11v27-12v12 yesterday - God's great reversal. It is fairly depressing to see how the Jewish leaders would not humble themselves before God's messengers and accept their authority. An unwillingness to admit the guilt in their hearts and have their "righteousness" masks removed and a desire to retain control seem to be at the heart of their rejection. Sadly these traits are not unfamiliar to our own hearts either. Wonderfuly though God does a great reversal in Jesus. He is the last messenger and "The Son he loves", and though these leaders (builders) rejected him and killed him, God raised him from the dead. "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; and it is marvelous in our eyes!"
So now Jesus lives forever holding a message of mercy and an opportunity to return to God even for those in a state like these leaders. I wonder if a young Saul the Pharisee was around at this point? Perhaps not. But certainly the light of the resurrection and the glory of the "capstone" transformed him from just this condition. There is hope for all of us who hide behind masks of good Christian behaviour and don't want to lose control. The hope is in God's great reversal.
God's blessing to all of you.

Welcome to 2010!!!

This is just a short one to update on some news. Blogging from my phone which isn't the easiest. We had really good Christmas. My parents came up Christmas Eve, and we had Kate and Hyasmine for Christmas dinner too. Wondefully Kate heard on Christmas Eve that she was being granted leave to remain in this country, so we were very joyful and still are. Boxing Day we went up to my sister and her family in Buckinghamshire. All the kids had a great time together which is a really big blessing. The adults did alright too!

Christmas Day service was very sparce, but we had four visitors from Holland as well as a mum and daughter that we hadn't seen for a while. Small and jolly :) and certainly worthwhile. Sunday 27th was also small, but again we had a 2 new faces. Jan's daughter Shelly is over from Aus so it was great to welcome her. Then a lady called Amy. She brought her husband Kevin this week. She seems to be following the Lord, though he isn't. Both seemed interested in doing some Bible study during the week, which was very encouraging.

The boys are back to school tomorrow - so I need to get to bed. Our text on Sunday was this:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your way acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. (Pardon all the spelling mistakes in this post. Blame it on the tiny keyboard.)

Carols But Not As You Know Them

We had an excellent Sunday today. Today was, what is becoming, our annual carol service with our Brazilian friends. Community Baptist London (CBL) meets on a Saturday evening in our building; the leaders and a few others also join us on a Sunday morning. Last year for the first time we held a joint family carol service, and we did the same again this year. It is harder work to organise, but has again been a fantastic blessing. We do some singing in Portuguese and some of the Bible readings in Portuguese, though the main talk is only in English. All the kids are in. We had Nathan (a session musician from CBL) playing drums, with Ling on piano and my guitar, and made a joyful noise with traditional and newer Christmas carols and songs.

It was great to welcome a few new faces, including a lady who had been given an invite in Kilburn. No idea who was handing those out! Also a mate of mine who I have been studying Ephesians with came with his girlfriend for the first time. There must have been about 60 people there altogether and nearly 50 stayed for lunch, which Helen cooked with some help from Ling.

The message was split up to help the kids (and adults) stay attentive. We were looking at Luke 1v26-38, the angel Gabriel greeting Mary. Focussing on four points - that just as God was with Mary, so in Jesus he is "God with us" - that he is the King of God's Kingdom, the son that was promised to king David so many years before - that he is also the Son of God, not born in the ordinary way, but really God taking on human nature - remembering that nothing is impossible with God. I reminded us that often God does things that look weak or foolish, but actually his ways are far more powerful and wise than we can imagine. But God's willingness to appear weak and/or foolish in his ways shows to us the reality of his love for us, and that therefore Jesus is a Lord we can trust.

The kids sang "On That Very First Christmas" from the Colin Buchanan DVD "King of Christmas" and a group from CBL sang two Brazilian Christmas songs exceedingly beautifully.

News from the rest of the week. Sadly Pam had to go into hospital this week. We aren't exactly sure what the diagnosis is, but she may have had a minor stroke.

The kids enjoyed all their Christmas activities at school. Reuben sang "When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney" with his class and Joshua played his recorder and cello (yes cello!) both in front of the whole lower school and a large number of parents. I will try and post a bit of video later in the week.

Christmas here we come!!!!