Dec 24 - Midnight Communion

I wonder why you came to church tonight? Perhaps it was just to get out of the cold, or to have a sit down, or perhaps you enjoy singing carols.

Maybe you came because you always do. Its a personal or a family tradition, perhaps you even came reluctantly. Maybe you'd have preferred to stay at home, watch some telly, and have an early night – after all it's a busy day tomorrow. You couldn't, because its Christmas eve, and on Christmas eve we always go to church.

I've been coming to this service for more than 20 years and for a variety of different reasons:

• at first it was just a late night out with friends
• later it was to meet with friends and exchange gifts
• more recently, I'd wake up my young children and bring them, so that Father Christmas could sleep in late.

Its the start of Christmas, so we finish work early, if we're lucky enough to be able to, and start the celebration as soon as possible. That's what this service is supposed to represent. Get here for 11:30, and you will be able to take communion as early on Christmas day as its physically possible – so long as the preacher doesn't go on all night! We can sing the last verse of O Come all ye faithful too, because that can only be sung on Christmas day, when Jesus has been born.

Its the start of Christmas, and I feel obliged to give you an outline of the story. I want to do this, because although it gets told every year, and I'm reasonably sure that everyone here knows all the basics, but as a society we seem to be forgetting. We're told in a survey last week that 25% of people don't know where Jesus was born, and its up to about a third in the 18-25's.

So where was Jesus born? - Bethlehem – which one? In Judea, not Ceaserea, or Wales, because this Bethlehem is David's Town.

I don't care – really I don't. I'm much more interested in people understanding why Jesus was born. . Why was Jesus born?

Not of course a one word answer, but before we look at that, lets take a closer look at the story of the shepherds.

It's the start of Christmas, so we tell the story, over and over, until we all remember it.

There is of course no more evidence for the shepherds visiting Jesus than there is for the Wise Men. It is also true that there isn't any evidence to suggest that either of these event didn't happen. Just because we have no independent historical record of something doesn't automatically make it a myth. The stories were written down because the people at the time of writing believed them, and thought them important enough to record.

Why did the shepherds go to visit the baby Jesus?

Well, not for any of the reasons we've had for coming here. They went because an angel appeared in the sky, and the “glory of the Lord shone around them”. The angel made the announcement:

“Do not be afraid ...I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign a to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

and the Shepherds collected their stuff together and went off to find the baby.

Shepherd were the lowest of the low. They were not allowed in the temple because they were ritually unclean (from dealing with dead sheep). They were out in all weathers, wind, rain and cold. Most people thought of them as thieves. To look after the sheep they would have to face the dangers of bears and wolves, so they would be armed, with sling and a club, something like this one.

I was given this by the villagers in Chibelela in Tanzania in 2002, they would use it to defend themselves against robbers, but our shepherds would be more worried about wild animals. They had nothing worth stealing, so they wouldn't worry about robbers. The shepherds got their things together, tied them up in their goats skins, picked up their crooks, wrapped there cloaks around them and leaving the sheep, went off to look for the sign that the angel had promised.

Now you might think wandering around town looking for a new born baby was quite a challenge, but the town would have been dark, there would have been very few lights, and the commotion around the birth would have been quite noticeable.

Of course anyone will go and visit a new baby. Even as a young single adult, I went to visit my Sister and new new baby in hospital. As I bent over the cot, he formed a fist, and reached sharply upwards. I just got out of the way in time – imagine explaining that black eye!

Even if the baby doesn't give you a great welcome, there's still a sense of joy, anticipation, and hope that comes from hearing of a new born. That's one of the reasons we have to go to see them, to be sure its real - “I have seen it with my own eyes”.

What has a baby got more of than the rest of us?

Bones – yes 300 compared to 260 in an adult

but that's not what I was thinking about. A baby has more time left on this earth than we do, or at least that is always the hope that we have. The next generation is here, the future of our family, the next layer in the family tree is created, or is starting to fill up.. We can somehow look further into the future than we once did. What will the world be like when he or she is grown? - and has children of their own?

Every baby brings hope to its parents and their families for these reasons, but THIS baby ...

Most babies arrival is announced by the parents, or the mid-wives, and possible then in the local paper, or if you're born into royalty, you'll get an announcement on the TV news – explaining what you position is in the line of succession. As we heard recently:

“The Queen has become a grandmother for the 8th time after her son, Prince Edward (Earl of Wessex), and daughter-in-law Sophie (Countess of Wessex) celebrate the arrival of a baby boy.

The baby is 8th in line to the British Throne and has not yet been named (though the name James looks likely). His title is Viscount Severn.”

Wow! What a way to enter the world, I'm sure he is destined for greatness, but it's not quite a choir of angels like THIS baby ....

THIS baby comes, not just with lots of expectation and joy from its parents, but with a message from God. There's all the prophesies about his birth, and the sort of person he will be. There's the angels visit to Mary and then to Joseph. Then when HE arrives the angels delivered a message about Him to the shepherds, and all heaven celebrates.

“Do not be afraid ...I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ”

The Jews had been waiting, hoping for the Christ to arrive for hundreds of years. Many of them were hoping that the Christ would re-establish Israel to its golden age when David was king, and the country was conqueror of the surrounding lands. That would have to be a military solution – to kick out the Roman occupiers. THIS baby comes with a different promise, and causes a different hope. THIS baby brings hope to everyone – all the people. It must be all the people, otherwise why tell the shepherds? That's hope for the Shepherds, the Jews, the wise men, the hated Romans, all the other human beings living in the world that the Jews had no idea about, and all their descendants all the way down their family trees to you and me.

That's what our other reading, from Titus, today (yesterday) is about.

Kenny Richey has been in an Ohio prison for 20 years, facing the death penalty for starting a fire which killed a two year old girl. Many times he has come close to being executed. Each time there has been a stay of execution. Now, because of a plea bargain he has a hearing scheduled that he hopes will result in his release.

That's like the position each of us finds ourself in with God. The apostle Paul says in his letter to Titus “we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”. Kenny had set the fire as revenge on his ex-girlfriend and the two year old was what the American's call 'collateral damage'.

Most of us won't act out our hatred to that extent, but its there inside each of us. You can see it. Just catch the eye of the driver you've just beaten into a parking space, or the person who can't get a seat on the train because you're ahead of them, or the person in the supermarket queue, when something you do causes them to be delayed – there are hundreds of other examples. We've all been that person too. Think back to the events of last week, or yesterday, or perhaps tonight in the church car park.

Kenny will enter a 'no contest' plea – neither 'guilty' nor 'not guilty' – at his hearing in January. That of course would not be good enough for God, although it will serve for Kenny in the American justice system. With God there can be no plea other than 'guilty', God already knows that you are, but he needs to know that you know, that you have admitted it to yourself. That you no longer want to live your life as one who is “disobedient, deceived and enslaved.” If that's the case then God because of His mercy and graciousness will not apply the ultimate penalty to us.

We have the hope of eternal life, of being put right with God our Father, and once again becoming heirs to His Kingdom.

Like Kenny's release, its only possible through careful planning. God told the prophets what to expect, and they told us. A virgin was given to be married to one of King David's descendants. She listened to what God's angel said, and obeyed. More surprisingly so did her intended. The civil authorities caused chaos in the community by deciding to count all the people, they were just doing what God had planned. The baby was born amongst the animals because there was no accommodation left. Some shepherds were given the message, and listened, and found the mother and told her what they had seen and heard. Astrologers or Kings or Wise Men (the Magi) were watching the sky, and saw signs of something very important. They found the child, and gave him gifts to acknowledge Him as King of the world. The family fled as the Roman governor sensed revolution, and decided to kill all the young boys.

God had broken into His world in order to free all the people from the certain death sentence that they were facing. To do that he sent his son to be born as a human man.

THIS baby is the source of our hope. His birth, His life, His death and His Life show us what God is like, they show us that He is merciful, gracious, and is prepared to release us from the sentence we are facing and accept us back into his family, so that we will no longer have to live in hatred.

I wonder if anyone will tell Kenny?

I wonder if anyone will tell those who are busy cooking the turkey, or watching the television, or tucked up in their beds, preparing to celebrate a festival they don't know the meaning of?

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.”

Tell the Story

Liverpool Nativity

The first thing I thought of was the Manchester Passion from last year, and immediately I started to compare things in my memory. With Liverpool being the European Capital of Culture next year (2008) I suppose they had to do something. This was again screened on BBC3 and put the Nativity into a modern setting. A sleazy, power drunk city official as Herod (Herodius - a woman), an asylum seeker as Joseph, homeless people as shepherds and so on.

I applaud anything that tells the story of Christ in any way, who can know what a modern version will trigger in modern people minds, or what the Holy Spirit can use to spark thoughts. So this is no exception, thanks to the BBC and the people of Liverpool for the presentation. In Christmas television terms this is a really good start to Christmas.

There were for me some problems with the adaption. The timescale from the visit of the angel Gabriel, through to the pregnancy beginning to show, and then on to the birth appear to cover just a few days. There was no sense of time passing, no journey for the couple to make. This took the edge off what the couple must have felt and experienced, and left you wondering about why the birth story is so important. Then there was the usual problem of the Magi at the manger (a supermarket trolley - that was a nice touch. I'll go into Tesco tomorrow and ask for a manger!) which is not really supported by scripture.

There was certainly no shirking the acknowledgment that Jesus was the saviour of the world, and a revolutionary, but the inclusion of Imagine, with the line 'imagine there no heaven ...' when we had just been presented with Gabriel as the commentator was a little strange. Where do people think angels come from I wonder?

There is also the small criticism of many of the players, who were off-key, not sufficiently amplified, and unsure of their lines in some cases.

The verdict has to be positive though, it was good to see, and better to hear it had excellent ratings. "BBC3's ambitious attempt to re-create a modern day nativity on the streets of Liverpool was rewarded with more than 700,000 viewers last night." Follow the link to read more.

What next? London to host a pre-construction of the apocalypse - before or after the 2012 olympics?

Norton 360

Technical Support [Incident: 071110-001695]
When my Norton Internet 2007 subscription ran out, I decided to take the deal that Symantec were offering and upgrade to Norton 360. I have 3 machines, and now almost 700 days left on my subscription. I downloaded the package without problems and set about installing it. All OK, until I logged on to mt personal (Win XP limited user) account. Norton reported:

Runtime Error! Program: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccApp.exe

The application had requested the Runtime to terminate it in an unusual way  Please contact the applications support team for more information.

After some considerable looking around, I reported the problem to Symantec.

Then one morning after a powercut had taken the machine down, Norton 360 insisted on being re-installed. After the re-install, the error did not occur, but the IE tool bar still reported "Engine Error". I don't use IE, so was not too bothered.

Yesterday I received a standard reply from Symantec.

As you could not find the file, then this issue can occur due to some corrupted files or due to improper installation of Norton 360. In order to resolve this issue we need to perform the below given steps.
1. Download and run Norton Removal Tool
2. Remove Remnant Symantec folders
3. Run Windows Installer Cleanup Utility.
4. Perform clean boot
5. Reinstall Norton 360.

Note: Follow the steps with utmost care.

To do so, I suggest you to follow the below given steps.

Step 1. Download and Run Norton Removal Tool.

Norton Removal Tool will remove any 2003 and later Norton programs installed on your computer. To download Norton Removal Tool, please click on the link given below. Clicking on this link will ask you to Save or Run the file. Please click on Save and save it on Desktop.

Title: 'Download and run the Norton Removal Tool'
Document ID: 2005033108162039
Web URL:
http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039

Once you have downloaded Norton Removal Tool, please double click the tool and follow on-screen prompts.

After running Norton uninstall tool, you will have to remove the left over Symantec folders (Common Shared folders). Follow the steps as mentioned:

Step 2. Remove remnant Symantec folders

-- Configure Windows to show all files:

1. Click the Start button, and then click Computer.
2. On the Organize menu, click Folder and Search Options.
3. Click the View tab.
4. Locate and uncheck Hide file extensions for known file types.
5. Locate and uncheck Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).
6. Locate and click Show hidden files and folders.
7. Click Apply > OK.

-- Now search for and delete the following folders, if they exist:

Note: If you are unable to delete the following folders, please boot your system in Safe Mode and try to delete those folders. To do, please follow the link provided bellow:

Title: 'Starting your computer in Safe mode'
Document ID: 2001052409420406
Web URL:
http://service1.symantec.com/Support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001052409420406

C:\Program Files\Symantec
C:\Program Files\Norton 360
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Symantec
 in this directory there is a folder that even in safe mode I can't access

Step 3. Run Windows Installer Cleanup Utility.

Running the Cleanup Utility will clear any suspended and corrupt installations from the MSI. Please refer the document provided below for assistance in using Microsoft cleanup utility:

When using the Windows Install Cleanup Utility, remove any item that refers to "NIS", "NAV", "Norton", "Symantec", "CC", "Sym", and "MSRedist", without quotes.

Title: 'Obtaining the Microsoft Windows Installer CleanUp Utility'
Document ID: 2001091412490807
Web URL:
http://service1.symantec.com/support/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001091412490807
The Norton page refers to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=889482fc-5f56-4a38-b838-de776fd4138c&DisplayLang=en
but I think it should be
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301


Step 4. Perform clean boot

A clean boot is a restart of Windows with no applications running and as few extra drivers loading as possible. To help you in clean booting your computer, I am providing you with a document from our Online Knowledge Base. This document has steps to clean boot your computer and revert back to original settings. Please follow the Clean Boot steps first, then reinstall Norton 360, and revert back to original settings.

Please click on the link given below to see steps to clean boot your computer and revert back to normal settings:

Title:Configuring Windows XP to clean boot

Document ID:2001053014402339
web URL
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2001053014402339

Step 5. Install Norton 360.

After clean booting your computer, please refer to the document linked below for installation instructions:

Title: 'Installing Norton 360'
Document ID: 2007022203353275
Web URL:
http://service1.symantec.com/support/norton360.nsf/docid/2007022203353275
After booting in "Clean boot mode" the msconfig issues a reset warning message, if the config is not reset Norton activation fails!

We thank you for your patience and co-operation in this regard.

Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance to you in using the Symantec product.

Regards,

I have followed these instructions, not that they are strictly correct. most notably the Installer clean up tool page refers to the wrong Microsoft Article. I am back to square one. I am now hoping that they will treat the problem seriously.

I used to be a BIG fan of Symantec, but the problems I have experienced with Internet Security 2005, Internet Security 2007, and now Norton 360, I'm beginning to wonder.

Look out for more interesting installments in the saga.

The Bill Legend Band @ Christ Church

WHO?

Bill Legend

Who is he?

The drummer with T. Rex.

Now I've set some context, but even that may be ever so slightly mis-leading. Bill's band is not by any means 'son of T. Rex', although they do play T. Rex songs. On Saturday evening we arrived at church with high expectations of some sort of 70's Glam Rock revival night. That was not exactly what it turned out to be. Bill you see is a Christian, and was at the time he joined T.Rex. During the evening we would hear a few T. Rex tracks:

• Children of the Revolution
• Hot Love
• Get it On
• Telegram Sam
• I love to Boogie

which was the last song of the first session - and really got people dancing.

What are these songs about? I have no idea, I enjoyed them in the seventies, I bought the singles, not sure there was a T-shirt. In the seventies I never asked the question. Now? Well probably best not to.

We also heard from Bill, and had a presentation on the other members of T. Rex, and the history of the current band.

The band also played some newer worship songs, some that I knew, and some that I didn't. Of those I didn't know Majesty (Here I Am), by Delirious immediately caught my attention. The second verse in particular seem very relevant:

Majesty, Majesty
Your grace has found me just as I am
Empty handed, but alive in your hands
Majesty, Majesty
Forever I am changed by your love
In the presence of your Majesty

Watch it on YouTube.

What a wonderful evening, nostalgia, and new songs all in the same show - and what a show, the band are skillful in all they do, and their music is brilliant. So that was Saturday evening. Very enjoyable. I was left wanting more - and the band were back on Sunday to lead worship.

Luke 21:5-19 How should we pray for the persecuted?

Introduction

The disciples must have been stunned when Jesus said that the Temple would one day lay in ruins. They had been standing around admiring the fantastic building with its amazing decoration. The picture is of a model. Jesus was right, so there is little evidence of Temple left in the real world. The wailing wall is all that remains today of the temple footings.

Understandably the disciples wanted to know the details. When is it going to happen? How will we know its about to happen? Jesus of course does not say to them “In 70 years from now, the occupying force will get so fed up with the unrest and squabbling in Jerusalem that they will finally loose patience, and destroy the Temple”, rather he chose to teach them about some of the other things they were going to have to face.

Peter echo these things in his letters:

^{1Pe 4:12-19}

So it is clear that we are to face the same thing that Jesus was talking about in the discussion with his disciples. After telling them about the end times he says 'but before all this' and goes on to describe the the persecutions they will suffer, and we know from early church history that many of them did indeed suffer significant persecutions. So did the early Christians that followed them.

Signs of the End Times

So what are the signs of the end of the age that Jesus mentions, and how many of them can we see.

v8 Many will come in my name.

The other night I had a long conversation with my daughter Karen about Jehovah's Witnesses. [The table History of Eschatological Doctrine] She has a couple of old ladies at her door trying to explain to her the truth as they see it. Jehovah's Witnesses I told her do not believe that Christ is divine, but while researching them a bit more I also found out that they have made some very specific claims about when Jesus will return. As you can see from the chart they have claimed that Christ will return in both 1871 and 1914. Clearly He has not yet returned. I'm using the Jehovah's Witnesses as a specific example, I know there are others, but the point is they have been proven wrong – in this case twice. We should ensure people that (and be sure of it ourselves) that the time of Christ's return will NOT be revealed to man ahead of schedule. That's because as Christians we are to live by faith.

v9/10 Wars and revolutions

We have heard of many wars, and we probably know a few that are going on. There are of course places in the world where there is just unrest – some times it is very violent. For example the troubles in Northern Ireland were never officially described as a war. I have tried to make a list of current conflicts, but it is not easy so take a look at these and see how many you know:

Burma
Pakistan
Iran
Iraq
Turkey
North Korea
Darfur, Sudan
Waziristan, FATA (Pakistan)
Balochistan, Pakistan
Chad
Lebanon
Gaza Strip
Southern Somalia
Northern Niger and Mali
Uganda
Zimbabwe
Rwanda
Saudi Arabia
Afghanistan

are there any to add?

v11 Earthquakes, Famines and Pestilences

I have included volcanoes in this section. There are four in Indonesia, either erupting or threatening to erupt Kelut, Karangetang, Soputan, Anak Krakatau, we could also include Tsunamis – the result of earthquakes. For pestilences we could include influenza epidemics, and potential epidemics, because fear is generated not only by the event but also by the expectation of the event.

“But before all this”, Jesus say, in verse12, there will be persecution, and there was, in one way or another almost from the day of the resurrection onwards. The disciples, were already in hiding when Jesus first appeared to them , In Acts they were in fear of the authorities. We are now in the times that Jesus was talking about. Over the last 2000ish years there have been countless war, disasters and plagues. Through out that time there has not been a time when Christians have not been the subject of some sort of persecution, just as Jesus, and a little later, Peter said. I'm now going to look at three stories of persecutions and ask whether there are things this passage teaches us about our response.

INDIA Five Nuns Beaten; Militants Attack Church Service - VOM Sources

MADHYA PRADESH - On October 25, five nuns were beaten by 20 Hindu militants in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The militants surrounded the house of a local believer, where the nuns were attending a prayer meeting, and accused the nuns of forcibly converting local Hindus to Christianity. When the meeting was over, the militants attacked and beat them until the police arrived and took the nuns to safety. All five nuns were injured, and one is in serious condition due to head injuries she sustained in the attack. Pray God encourages them as they heal from their injuries.

Psalm 107:20 He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.

SUDAN Suicide Bomber Kills Youth, Wounds Others in Sudanese Church – VOM Sources
On September 27, a suicide bomber in military clothing detonated a grenade, killing five youth and critically wounding four others, in Sudan's Upper Nile state. According to The Voice of the Martyrs' contacts in Sudan, "A pastor was having an overnight service in Khorfullus town, when an unidentified man walked into the service and detonated a grenade, killing himself, five children and critically wounding four others, including the pastor and his wife." VOM contacts added that the bomber was dressed in full military clothing, normally worn by government officials. VOM is assisting families affected by this tragedy during this difficult time. Pray God comforts and encourages the families of those killed. Pray for a speedy recovery for those injured.

Psalm 118: 17 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

Isaiah 40:31 those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

CHINA Prominent House Church Leader Repeatedly Beaten by Police – China Aid Association
On October 11, prominent house church leader, Hua Huiqi, was repeatedly attacked by police at his home. According to China Aid Association, "Hua was reading his Bible at his home despite police surrounding his house. He was sent to Beijing Tiantan Hospital, because he lost consciousness after repeated beatings from the police." China's Public Security Bureau (PSB) recently put Hua under house arrest. PSB officers had been surrounding his house when they attacked him. Pastor Hua's 77-year-old mother, Shuang Shuying, remains very ill in prison, serving a two-year sentence. VOM contacts say she is being held hostage by police in order to put pressure on Pastor Hua to reveal names and information of believers. Pray for Hua's speedy recovery and for God to encourage him. Ask the Holy Spirit to convict his attackers and draw them into the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

3 John 1:2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

Psalm 107:20 He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.

I admit that I have prayed these prayers blindly – without considering what God requires of us. On reading this passage, I realised that there is much more we should be praying for. We should be seeking the advancement of the kingdom, while most of these prayers appear to be only for the well being of those at the sharp end of the fight. Jesus says in this passage that those who are persecuted, and brought in front of the authorities are to be witnesses for Him, and are to be given the words to speak that His persecutors will not “be able to resist or contradict”. I believe that this is one of the prayers we should be praying, after all, God knows our needs, but Jesus still tells us to pray for 'our daily bread'.. VOM, though, does not come close to making such bold prayers (they have to have an 'acceptable public face'. Lets look again at what they ask us to pray for, and see what else we might include based on Luke 23.

[review 'pray' statements above.].

INDIA – Do the nuns have no contact with the outside world, clearly not, they were in someone's house at a prayer meeting. What should we pray for here? That they get the opportunity to witness to the authorities. That they are given the words to speak, when the time comes, and that God's words will be effective and irresistible. For courage for them to continue with their prayer meetings in people houses, even if this will lead to further incidents.

SUDAN – Certainly pray for the comfort of the families, certainly pray for healing for those who are injured. What about praying for the on-going work of the church, that it's mission and it's outreach does not suffer, that the witness of the congregation is strengthened, that the attack is a spur to the church to be even more open about their beliefs.

CHINA – At least here we have prayer for the attackers, that they would hear the word of God, and come to know Jesus Christ. This attack is one of a series, and Pastor Hua has featured in a number of recent e-mails. So we should start to pray for the longer term situation, as well as courage and determination for the Pastor to continue his work. We should pray that his attackers hear God speak to them through the Pastors words and actions, and take note of what they hear.

What about the persecution in our own country. It is considerably more subtle than the persecution in many parts of the world. We do not find that extremists from other faiths beat up nuns, we do not have suicide bombers (whether with tacit approval from the authorities or not) targeting our churches, we do not have our clergy beaten up by the police. None of this occurs at all in our country, not yet anyway. There is persecution though.

The persecution that occurs in our country results from the (apparently) best possible motives. Take the case of the Mathericks – Vince and Pauline – from Chard in Somerset. They had been foster parents for at least 6 years, and had looked after 28 children. Social services threatened to take their current foster son away because they were not prepared to teach him that same sex relationships are as valid as marriage. This is a type of persecution, it says “You must accept our belief system, or we will not allow you to take your place in society”. Christians tend to be singled out for this because they are not militant, or an obvious minority, indeed much of the country would claim to be Christian at some level. What really surprised me was the response in the press. I had naively thought that there would be a degree of sympathy for this couple. People who have been trying to help out in society, and are now up against it because of a new law. Quite the reverse. Some attacked their Christianity “What kind of Christianity is this? To abandon a child because of something that hasn't even happened? “, and the more extreme were along the lines of “what right do they have to push their view on innocent children?” and “These people should not be allowed to care for children – Its a form of abuse” Happily the couple have now reached a compromise with the council and the local social services, and will continue to foster children. One response to this agreement was:

“This is harmful and wrong. Displays no common sense or care for the children. It propagandises them. What if a child is gay in this house? How will they get the care and support they need by being told their very existence is a sin. When in truth it clearly isn't.”

John Pace, United States

How should we pray to support this couple? During the crisis, which only lasted a few days, but I'm sure took a toll on them, I would have prayed that their witness, their standing up for their views, and their refusing to cross lines would lead to them being a witness to the council and to the social services managers, and that many would have been brought to a point where they have to think about Jesus. Well I would have, if I'd read this passage, but I hadn't so I didn't.

How should we pray for this couple now? We should pray that they will continue to foster children, and that they will continue to be open about their beliefs. We should pray that their determination to have a Christian attitude in the face of whatever is thrown at them is not diminished. We should pray for the children that go through their care, that they will come to accept Christ as their saviour. We should pray that the regular social services contacts that they have (because fostering can be relatively short term) come to value them for the work they do, and themselves get to hear the word of God through the words an actions of this couple.

These people provide an example to us – The nuns in India, The church in the Sudan, Pastor Hua in China, and the Mathericks in England. They know where they have to take a stand. What are our lines that we will not allow to be crossed? Where do we say “so far and no further”? There has to be a point at which obedience and love for Christ will bring us into conflict with some form of secular authority somewhere. While we are not in that position, lets try to pray intelligently for those who are, remembering that they are on the same mission as us – to make Christ known throughout the world.

Peter says “if you suffer as a Christian do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name”

Jesus says “by standing firm you will gain life”.

What happened to the other nine?

Introduction – the obvious question

What happened to the other nine?

Sometimes when you read a passage of scripture there is a most obvious question there that isn't answered in the passage. What happened to the other nine? We like our stories to be cut and dried, with all the loose ends tied up, but this isn't Harry Potter, this is real life. Why hasn't Luke finished the story. He says that he has carefully recorded all that is going on. Well most probably because he doesn't know the answer any more than we do, or perhaps because it is not relevant to the story he is telling. They went off to show themselves to the priest and didn't return. We can only speculate on what they did next, maybe they were certified as clean and went home to their families and lived happily ever after.

Before we attempt to answer the question in more detail, lets make sure we have a better understanding of what's going on....

Geography & Chronography

Jesus is wandering about on the borders between Gallille and Samaria. Heading in a generally southerly direction, but not necessarily by the most direct route. [Show Map]. This section of Luke's narratives is made up of parables and stories that Jesus used to teach his followers. Then in Luke 19 we have the start of the Easter story, with the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Lepers & Leprosy

Leprosy covered at least 7 types of skin diseases, but the Jewish people knew that the disease was easily transmittable to others, so they restricted those who had the disease to a fixed distance, and forced them to make themselves known to those they came near to. Can you imagine having to announce yourself as “unclean” as you see someone approaching you? The rules for lepers are in Leviticus 13 & 14, and contain a very detail diagnostic scheme. These lepers obeyed the rules. Healing from leprosy was very rare.

Matthew, Mark and Luke record the story of the healing of a leper Matthew 8:1-3

“When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. I am willing, he said. Be clean! Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.”

There are two other healings of Lepers in scripture:

• Miriam – Aaron's wife – caught leprosy because she and Aaron disobeyed God. They expected God to speak through them as he did through Moses. She was excluded from the camp for 7 days, and then allowed back – so presumably cured. Numbers 12.

• Naaman Healed of Leprosy - 2 Kings 5. He was a highly respected commander, but also a foreigner – he worked for the King of Aram. They had a Jewish slave who introduced them to the prophet in Israel. Elisha told Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan, which he eventually did. Then he was cured. After that he went back to Elisha to thank him, and make a gift to him, but Elisha refused the gift, so Naaman took soil from Israel, and promised to make all his sacrifices only the Lord.

Lepers have no income, they are unable to work – even if they could work without injuring themselves, they would not be allowed to, for fear of infecting someone else, so they have to rely on the kindness of others. Typically they would be supported by their families, who would bring them food on a regular basis. The could of course also beg. Here they have joined together in a small group, perhaps hoping that that would receive more that way. They were hated, not just because of the disease and the terrible effects it has, but also because it was seen as a punishment from God.

I wonder what they expected from Jesus. They had most certainly heard of him and the miracles he performed. They may have heard of the previous healing, so, perhaps they expected to be healed, or perhaps they just expected that he would provide them with food for a while.

Leprosy now

Leprosy, which we now call Hansen's disease, can be healed, although it is still not a simple process. In the 1940's the first useful drug was found, but by the 1960's the disease was already showing resistance to the drug. It was not until 1981 that the modern treatment regime began to be used. Based on three drugs used together the disease can be overcome. In 1997 the time that the drugs had to be taken was reduced from two years to one year. India has the greatest number of cases, with Brazil second and Myanmar third.

Samaritans & Lepers

Samaritans were always considered outsiders. After the defeat of the Northern kingdom by Assyria (2King 17), the population intermarried with their conquerors, and as a result the Judeans had considered that they were the only true Jews. It would have been very rare for a Samaritan to be accepted by a group of Jews. As they are all unclean, and being punished by God, they have somehow put aside their differences and are now cooperating. It is likely though that the Samaritan, (or possibly Samaritans) was still at the bottom of the pecking order, and in some ways still an outsider.

Note that they were healed (made clean) as they obeyed Jesus' command. Here they are not asked to have faith, just to obey.

We cannot tell the time frame of the return of the leper. There is nothing that says it was immediate, or even that it was not a longish time. There would have been plenty of priests around for them to show themselves to.

Thanks

Thank you Letters

[Mike's 18^th letter] I wonder what you're like when it comes to writing thank you letters? This is the one that Jo helped Mike create for the things he received on his 18^th birthday. Perhaps you find it a joy and a pleasure. I know that some of you do, because on various occasions we have received some marvellous letters. Perhaps like me, though, you find it a bit of a chore. I can remember being sat at the kitchen table when I was a child, and forced to write them. It was my duty to thank anyone who had given me anything for either my birthday or Christmas. To a young boy it was the ideal way to ruin a school holiday. I was sat at the kitchen table so that my mother could keep a very close eye on me – to be sure I was actually writing, and not doing anything else. I never knew what to write beyond “thank you for the ... whatever”, but you can't write a letter that short – or so I was told. So the chore went on twice a year, every year, throughout my whole child hood. Its not that I wasn't thankful, just that I wasn't particularly good at writing, and certainly not at saying the same thing in 10 different ways – just in case my Aunts and Uncles shared the letters – a very unlikely event I'm sure.

duty of thanks

Within my family it was seen as a duty, when you received something to thank the person who gave it to you. This is more than just polite, and usually meant more than just saying “Thanks” as you received whatever it was. It seems that in the passage before us today, that Jesus also expects that there will be some sort of thanks.

duty vs gratitude

So why do we thank people? What is it about showing our gratitude that is so important? Do we make our thanks known because being thankful is a natural reaction, or ...?

thanks and your view of the giver

It would seem that your thanks say something about your view of yourself and of the giver. Going back to my childhood again, I remember on one birthday, being given a pen-knife. I can also remember the slight shock in my parents voice when they saw what I'd been given. There were a few hushed conversations, and I was allowed to keep the gift, with some very strong warnings about using it responsibly. I was very pleased to receive it. There's something about the assumptions of maturity that go with giving that sort of gift, and it something that at that age I would never have been allowed to buy for myself. I held my older cousins parents in a different light after that.

This story illustrates one of the most important things about thanks – that we are acknowledging that the gift we are given is something that we could not have acquired for our selves. Now you must make allowances for auntie Maud's jumper, or the regular gift of socks at Christmas, that you've had for the last twenty years. Thy are not quite what I'm trying to get at.

When I received that pen-knife it was something I wanted (but not something I had asked for, or even thought about asking for). I could not have got it any other way. I was therefore dependant on other people to take a step forward in my life, to take on a new responsibility – owning a knife. No doubt the thank you letter was just as hard, but I hope the thanks came through.

Being thankful changes your view of the giver. The fact that you have received something, you could not otherwise have had somehow leaves you in-debt to the giver.

Who do we owe a duty of thanks to

I have a list of people here who you may have cause to be thankful to, as I go through the list see if you can remember a particular person in each category.

Parents – for their love and support at all times during childhood
Other Family members
Teachers – perhaps one or two more than the others, and not only the professional ones.
Bosses (the one who offered you the job you now have)
Close Friends
Doctors and medical staff

And of course there are other categories and other people I have not covered.

God / Jesus

Advantages of Being Thankful

Being thankful leads us to humility because it give us a better understanding of our rightful abilities, and helps to put them into the context of those of the others around us. I can stand here and talk to you, but I could not lead worship, I can neither sing, nor play an instrument, and I am thankful for those who can and do

A world without thanks

In a world without thanks we would all be like ungrateful teenagers, or grumbling old men and women because we couldn't get what we wanted.

Results of Thankfulness

Naaman's thankfulness changed his lifestyle, and his life forever. Ours thankfulness may not be so dramatic, but it will also change us, just that little bit..

My Thanks – my acceptance speech.

Now seems to be an appropriate time for for me to say my thanks to a few people. Thanks to all those who have supported me through the very log time that it has taken for me to finally get here.

Jo, and the children, especially Elizabeth, who has recently been a great help.
Warner
Paul Hinckley
Gavin & Fran – for the first attempt
The church – various people who are too many to list.....
My Tutors, the selectors, and other leaders of the courses

Last but not least – Jesus – for seeing me through

What happened to the other nine?

So I had better return to the original question before you think I've forgotten about it altogether.

What happened to the other nine?

Lets have a closer look at the words Jesus used.

V 14 – cleansed, is a word that means clean in the ritual sense, it is the word the priest will use to certify that they no longer have leprosy. It is also used for physical cleaning, and for moral purity.

v19 – well has the sense of “to make whole “. It is the word that is some time use to describe freedom from sin.

So the answer to my question depends upon our view of God. Jesus sounds pretty annoyed in the passage, and if you believe that He is angry enough, the maybe their leprosy would return.

I believe they were given the gift of being cleansed as an act of grace by Jesus. Once they are cleansed they have their new life and are free to do with it as they please. If they want to go back to their families and pick up their lives where they left off, so be it. If they are thankful, and turn back and recognise the gift and the giver, then there are some much more exciting possibilities.

Acts 11:1-18 - God at Work

Introduction

Good morning everyone, and welcome to this extraordinary general meeting of the Jerusalem Church Council. As I'm sure you're aware there have been a number of rumours circulating about one of our founders, who has just returned from Caesarea after a long absence.

These rumours are serious, and indicate that our founder has broken the laws of our church. Such actions should they prove to be true would have serious consequences, both for our founder, and for the church as a whole. We have already experienced issues with the Sanhedrin, and a number of our people have moved away from the areas they control. If we are to continue to spread the word it is essential that we do not find ourselves in disagreement with the governors of this district, and the temple authorities in particular. There is no point in alienating these people as they will simply make it impossible for us to complete our mission.

Now to the allegations that we are here to discuss. Firstly, I should underline the seriousness of not staying with our people when you are on your travels. We all know that the laws of association are there for our protection and the maintenance of our church as a whole. Flouting these laws just causes some of our people (you know who I'm talking about) who are already taking a very liberal attitude to our beliefs to think that what they are doing has support from our leaders. The rules are there so that we may travel safely, we should not be encouraging our people to take unnecessary risks.

The first allegation then is that you entered the house of a gentile. That in its own right is serious enough, but there are other allegations to follow. Upon speaking with this gentile, you remained on his premises, and partook of a meal with him and his household.

How do you plead?

Is this our Church?

Is that a church you recognise? Has anything like this happened here. It's certainly the sort of welcome that Peter received on his return to Jerusalem, although I suspect in reality there was a good deal more shouting, and a lot less organization.

Real Objection

Maybe its verse 1 that contains the real objection. The Gentiles have received the word of God. It had never been God's intention to limit his kingdom to the Jews, they were supposed to be the ones who would be a beacon to the world and bring people to Him. To some extent they had succeeded. There were a number of converts to Judaism – called proselytes, but they had hardly reached the whole world. When God had asked his prophet Jonah to go to the gentile city of Ninevah and tell them all about his dis-pleasure at the way they were behaving, and the disaster that would befall them if they didn't repent, Jonah ran away. This was partly because they were the enemy, but also partly because they were not Jews and Jonah could not understand how God could love them too.

How did Peter respond?

How did Peter answer the accusations?

He told them his story. Starting from the beginning, with the vision from God, and the fact that it was repeated 3 times. Saying something three times is a Jewish way of emphasising its importance, and you will remember that Peter had been on the receiving end of this when Jesus re-instated him. Then he tells them that when the three men arrived, the Spirit told him to go with them, without hesitation. He tells them that the Men who came to fetch him had been given his name and location by God. When he got there they were already assembled, and eager to hear what he had to say. He'd hardly got started on his sermon, before the holy spirit came upon the people he was visiting. ( How annoying that must be for a preacher to be interrupted by God) [wait] He then goes on to describe a second pentecost experience.

Do you notice that all the way through the story it's God who's leading what happens:

God prepares Peter for what he is to be doing with a vision while he is praying

God tells the people in Caesarea that they need to talk to Simon who is called Peter, and that he's staying with Simon the tanner who lives by the sea in Joppa.

As they arrive God tells Peter that some people have come to talk to him and that he should go with them

Before Peter has the chance to finish his sermon, God baptises them with the holy spirit.

Recognizing God at work

How did Peter recognize that God was at work?

Peter was now becoming an expert at recognising God at work. As God established and expanded his church, Peter was one of His main agents. He would be acutely aware of the things that God was doing. He had learnt through many failures and difficulties - remember his denial of Jesus (Luke 22), and the "Get behind me Satan" episode. (Mark 8:33)

Peter has had an amazing vision. One that contradicted much of what he thought he knew about God. He did not try to interpret it - He did not go to his fellow disciples, or bring it to the church council., he wasn't allowed time for that. Acts 10:17: "While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate." Peter now has to listen for God's voice - the Holy Spirit speaks to him. "Go with the men who have come for you without hesitation." There is no reason given. The spirit doesn't say Here's your chance to spread the word to the gentiles";, the spirit just says "go with them", and Peter obeys. At this point there are preparations to be made. He's going on a journey, and it will take some time. This is not just collect your keys and your wallet and jump in the car. Peter is not expecting to be back in time for tea. He will be gone for days. The first thing Peter does is to get some companions to go with him.

I wonder what it took to convince the 6 friends who went with him?

Imagine it. These men have come to take me to see a Captain in the Roman army. He's stationed in Caesarea, (the regional capital). God has told me to go without hesitation. Will you come with me? What would you're answer have been? What extra 'proof' would you have needed that this is God at work.

What about Cornelius?

Cornelius prays regularly, and gives to the poor. He is clearly in touch with God, although he probably doesn't have such a clear understanding of God as Peter. Understanding is not important here. All that's important is that Cornelius is prepared to listen, and to take notice of what he hears. The important thing for us today is to note the level of detail that is provided for Cornelius. The holy angel that appeared to Cornelius told him:

• who to look for, by name - "Simon, who is called Peter"

• where to find him - "He's staying with Simon the tanner in Joppa, by the sea."

• that Peter has a message by which he and his household would be saved

So Cornelius send some of his men to find Peter. Then he prepares his household to be ready to receive Peter and listen to what he has to say.

So we can see from the passage today that God prepares the way for us. Peter was prepared by a vision. Cornelius was prepared by an Angel. The events that were to take place had been carefully planned by God. All Peter, Cornelius and the others have to do is play their part.

Am I doing Gods work?

How do we tell that God is at work?

While looking around for answers to this question, I mainly found answers to another similar question: “Am I doing Gods work?”. This perhaps puts the question more succinctly, but I think that it is actually a different question. Most of the answers I found centred around the general principle of scripture – justice, or fairness, peace and love for our fellow man. Now we know that God is involved in all of that, and is working through His church to mend many of the broken situations in the world. The question though has implications that I am somehow taking over from God.

Surely God should be doing God's work, and man should be doing man's work. I should not be taking over the things that God is doing. For example as I prepared to speak to you today, I am doing a number of things. I read various Bible passages – not just the set passage, but the verses before and after. I find and read the cross references to the various passages like Leviticus 11, where I learn that the rabbit chews the cud, which I didn't know before. I search my books and the internet for articles that are relevant to the passage. Most of all though I pray and listen to see if I can hear what God is saying through the passage. Which of the many messages that can be found in this piece of scripture does God want presented today? Should I use that recipe for Crocodile Gumbo, or will it just put you all off your lunch? My work then is to find things, and to listen to the Holy Spirits prompting for what to use, and how to use it. If it was up to me we would be looking at that recipe, but God said there are more important things to cover.

Am I doing Gods work? is a very masculine question. I learnt very early on in my 'Good news down the Street' baptism visits that it was important still to find out what the man of the house does for a living, and to talk about what I do also. The truth of the matter makes it even harder of us men than it appears at first. We are not allowed to be in control. We have to look, listen and understand, and then play our part. Its more like being in a team, or perhaps, part of an army, each of us must play his part.

So how do we recognise when God is at work?

Close to God

The most important thing is to be Close to God. God will only very rarely shout his commands, mostly he prefers to whisper, or work through your instincts and feelings. If you're going to be able to hear God you will have to stay close to Him, as both Peter and Cornelius did. They both prayed regularly, and received their instructions through visions, while praying. It's not always that dramatic though. There are some other ways.

Instincts and Feelings

Sometimes you will have the sense that you really should go and talk to a particular person. Maybe you will also have the sense of what to talk about, or maybe not. During mission '89, after all the prayer that went on in our street, I had a strong sense that I should speak to a particular neighbour. He is not the easiest of people to engage in a conversation, and I'm not the sort of person who can walk up to someone's front door, knock on it and ask if I can have a few minutes of their time. How was I to do this, I prayed. I had a couple of ideas, perhaps I could time my journey to work, so that we could talk as we walked to the station. We had left at the same time once or twice, but it was a pretty unusual happening. God had already prepared the answer for me. The day after the tents were erected on Sun Corner, he caught me up walking home from the station through the High Street, and asked me if I knew what was going on, why tents had been put up.

Coincidence

Now, you may see that as a co-incidence, but I saw it as an answer to pray, and more particularly God at work in our town. Coincidence is another way that God can be seen at work. You find yourself in the right place at the right time, with the right thing to say, all you have to do is say it. You may have prepared for the situation without realising it, or you may have seen something like it coming, but be surprised at the circumstances. Whatever it is, you will find it difficult to understand how it occurred just the way it did.

Hindsight

Sometimes we will not see God at work, we will only see the evidence that he has been at work. The disciples who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24) had thought that they were witnessing a powerful work of God, but now following the death of Jesus, they had begun to think that they were just imagining it. They were trying to make sense of what really happened. Then they met the risen Jesus walking on the road, and after quite a long conversation with Him, they suddenly understood what was happening. When Jesus broke bread they recognised him, and ran all the way back Jerusalem to tell the others what God had done.

This is a similar situation that the disciples that were questioning Peter now found themselves in. All they had in front of them was the evidence of what had happened. As Peter had started to speak to Cornelius and his family they had been baptised with the Holy Spirit. Peter says "as I began to speak the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning".

Let me remind you of what happened:

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Back in Acts 10:45 it says “The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, Can anyone keep these people from being baptised with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”

This demonstration – the ability to speak in tongues – was provided by God, so that not only Peter, but also the Jews who had travelled with him would recognise that what was happening was of God. This was their proof that God was at work. Here was the proof that God was expanding his kingdom. The second pentecost finally showed the infant church that God put no limits on who was to receive His gifts, no limits on who was allowed to join His church.

On that day God expanded his church, more than he had done when three thousand converts were added, more than he had done when the church reached five thousand. On that day the potential membership of the church topped six thousand million. Now everyone, throughout time, is a potential citizen of God's kingdom.

This is God at work.

There are times and circumstances where it is easier for us to see when God is at work, because we have seen it before, and we are familiar with the part we have to play. You may have been involved in:

• Baptism Visits
• Alpha Courses
• Home Groups
• Church Services
• Prayer groups
• Church committees, or councils

this is not an exhaustive list, just a few examples.

In today's reading God was at work in the unfamiliar, and for Peter and the other Jewish followers of Jesus, very uncomfortable world outside of the Jewish nation. There will be times when we are caught up in Gods work, and it will take us to places where we are both uncomfortable, and in unfamiliar surroundings Like Jeremy and Kate, and Peter and Alison, we have to simply play our part.

To go where God sends us, whether that's to the supermarket, to the workplace, or to the other side of the world. To do the job that God asks us to do, whether that's what we've been doing all our lives, or whether it breaks some of our deepest held reservations and taboos.

What is our response to God's work?

We cannot finish without looking at the response to Gods work in the passage, and asking if we respond in the same way. The response is in verse 18 "When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life."

Now that they understand that all that has happened is from God, they accept it and get behind it. There will be other issues later - how should the gentiles behave in the church, should they like the proselytes be required to perform certain rituals?, but that is for later. The theology can wait. God has done something amazing in their presence, and their response can only be to praise Him.

Four Challenges from Acts 4:32-37

This is the text of a sermon delivered on 5 August 2007.

Introduction

Today we are going to look at the situation that the first Christians found themselves in and how they dealt with it. Then we will look at four challenges that the passage throws up for us.

Background

This passage is really just and introduction to the story of Ananias and Sapphira which follows in Acts 5. If you've never read it – do so after lunch today. If you don't you'll miss out, because our series moves straight to Acts 6 next week. If you've never read Acts as a book, perhaps you should start at chapter one. It certainly rivals Harry Potter for excitement AND its a true story.

Back in Acts 4, let us take a look at what we can learn from the passage. First lets see what has happened so far.

The story so far ...

Back in Acts 2, the church was born on the day of Pentecost, or more accurately the Jewish celebration Shavuot, or the Day of First fruits (Numbers 28:26). On that day Peter preached to the crowd, who had come from all over the place (Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome, Cretans and Arabs). About 3000 of them accepted Peter's message that day, and joined the new Jewish sect – because that's all it is, until we get to Acts 11. Now many of them were just visiting for the celebrations and would have to return to their country of origin, but there would be quite a few who stayed on – because they had no pressing need to return and wanted to hear more of what Peter had to say. By the time we get to 2:42 we hear that the believers “devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”.

In that same section we read “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” which is very similar to the passage we are looking at today.

Then in Acts 3 there is the healing of a lame man, and another sermon from Peter, after which he and John get arrested. This doesn't seems to bother the crowd, as we are told that the number of MEN grew to about five thousand at the start of Acts 4. Peter and John get the chance to tell the Sanhedrin that it is impossible for them to stop talking about Jesus, and are let off with a stern warning. The disciples pray some more, their building is shaken and they continue their witness about Jesus.

The baby church was beginning to grow, and so was the opposition to it. First century Jerusalem was not a peaceful place to live, it was under occupation by a foreign enemy, its political and religious leaders were weak, indecisive, and ineffective. We have already seen how they dealt with the first leader of Christianity (from their point of view), but crucifixion on trumped-up charges had not worked, and here were new leaders – doing the same things. The Roman leaders were also weak. The Jewish territories were considered a place to send leaders as a reprimand. Right now Jerusalem was still full of visitors from all over them empire. There was constant political tension, and point scoring. To gain favour with the current leader you might be expected not to trade with the people who have joined the new sect, or you might be sacked from your job if you follow what Peter and John are saying.

Everything in the city would have been under strain, supplies of food are likely to be short, there was famine in some regions. There were just so many people, and they were not going home as quickly as usual.

In Billericay

Try to imagine such a situation in Billericay. Suddenly there are 5000 more people to look after. They have travelled here for a festival, but something remarkable has happened, and most of them have decided to stay. We – Christchurch – are the centre of events, the other churches have disowned us, and will not offer help, in some cases, they will no longer even be friendly. There is uproar in the town, our counsellors are demanding that something is done. The police are under pressure to disperse the crowds, maybe they will prevent us from entering Lake Meadows. The people who are leading the events have already been arrested and warned about illegal assembly. Where will all these people they stay? Where will they sleep? How will they be fed? Will there be enough water for them? Will the sewerage system cope? How will they move around – what transport is available? That's were you and I come in. They are our guests, as they get thrown out of their hotels, and turned away from their hosts in the other churches, it's our job to find them somewhere to stay, to eat, sleep, and live there lives. Many of them are young and are running out of cash, some of them were poor to start with. How will we cope?

[Children – house illustration]

For the Jews in Jerusalem hospitality was considered a good deed. They would have been Very Very reluctant to turn anyone away. Somehow they would find a way, or would this be too much even for them?

We jokingly say that this is a nice problem to have – that we'd like to see the church grow massively and quickly. The reality is that it isn't a nice problem to have.

Four Challenges

As I read through this passage, I found four challenges, we are going to take a look at them now, they will help us to understand what God was doing with His church, and how the peoples responses in Acts can challenge the way we do things now.

1 Claiming Ownership

[Envelope]

“No-one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had”. The first thing to note here is that they had very little compared to us. It is sometimes easier to give up things when you don't have too much in the first place. The Jews had a principle of hospitality, so would always be prepared to share with a stranger.

Tanzanian Hospitality

When I was in Tanzania, staying in the village of Chibelela, we were the guests of the pastor and his family. There were occasions when we were treated to a lavish meal, and ate with the men of the family, the women served us and went outside. I wondered what they ate. The leftovers?, or perhaps even less. There seemed no limit to their hospitality.

When I was a child and was fighting with my sister over something, my Mum would always say “share and share alike”. A good principle, but there were some of my sister's things I didn't want to share, and it was a demand based on sharing out of joint riches – I was never arguing about something that would affect my survival.

We, in our sophisticated, advanced society have lost some of the basics of human community. What would it take for us to be able to say that we did not claim ownership of our goods? To answer that question we must first address the last challenge.

2 Use of capital

[Envelope]

Joseph A.K.A Barnabus was a Cypriot, a member of the Jewish family of Levi from the dispersion. As a Levite he was associated with the priesthood. We do not know for sure that he was living in Jerusalem permanently, but it seems likely that he had been there for some time. It is possible that the field he sold may even have been in Cyprus.

The sharing of everything was not so literal that Barnabus allowed others to determine that his field should be sold. This passage is often seen as a kind of Christian communism. That is not the case. Communism is based on compulsion – you have no choice but to give up you wealth, your property, your belongings – for the good of everyone. That is most definitely not happening here. Barnabus is responding to God, and the needs of God's people he sees around him. Sale of a field is the sale of an asset that allows you to make money. The field is used to grow food, or raise cattle, without it there will be a reduction in income, but the capital raised will keep God's people from becoming needy – starving in this case. This is sacrificial giving – Barnabus will be worse off from now on – his income has been reduced.

What do you have that you could sell if the need arose?

I don't own a field. I doubt that many of us do. What is the modern equivalent? Perhaps a shop, a factory or an office. I don't own any of those either. So what have I got that I could use to raise capital? Well I do have some investments. They don't provide a great deal of income, some insurance policies, a few shares, an ISA, but they do provide a little. If the circumstances required they could certainly be cashed in and the money provided for the needy.

What do you have?

3 Where does you giving go?

[Envelope]

This is not about how much you give. “Each of us should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.“ 2 Cor 9:7. As time passes its always a good idea to review your giving, to ensure that its at the level that you are happy with. You may decide to change it, or you may have to make adjustments to keep it at the same level!

My question is where do you put the money that you set aside to give? I've heard all sorts of ideas as to exactly what counts towards giving to God.

Some people will tell you that giving to Greenpeace counts towards their giving to God. Yes, we are supposed to look after the environment, but Really? What connection has Greenpeace got with the church of God?

Others will tell you that Amnesty International counts towards their giving to God. Well I can see the justice connection, but what has Amnesty International got to do with the Christian Church. Some will tell you that Christian Aid counts towards their giving to God? Well maybe it does, but lets take a look at this passage. When Barnabus sold his field, he put the money at the disciples feet. That may be literal, or it may be symbolic, whichever it is, Barnabus brought his money, and gave up all control over how it was used when he put at the disciples feet. The Jews had a religious tax of 10% which defined how much they should give, some Christians have a similar system. We have a guideline in the church of 12%, in case you were wondering. The tax was known as a tithe. Malachi 3:10 “Bring the whole tithe into the store house”. Which means that the tithe was to be given to the temple for the use of its official. God is consistent in his approach between the old and the new testament. However much you decide to give God, must be given in total to God, for those He has appointed to use as He directs.

Now don't let that stop you giving to Greenpeace, Amnesty International, Christian Aid, or any other organisation. Don't let me stop you from starting to give to any of these organisations. Just please don't tell God that you're giving it to Him. Which brings me back to the story of Ananias and Sapphira.

4 Testifying to the resurrection

[Envelope]

This may possible be the greatest challenge for us all.

What was the priority of the very first believers? [Straw Poll]

Church?
Worship?
Preaching?
Eschatology?
Prophecy?
Writing a bible – so that posterity would be able to follow in their footsteps?
or something different?

NO – they are just about one man – a new type of man – the resurrected Jesus WHO IS coming back.

Peter and John have already told the Sanhedrin – the Jewish supreme council, that they cannot stop talking about Jesus. Every time Peter speaks he mentions the resurrection.

Acts 2:32 “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.”

Acts 3:15 To the onlookers at the healing of the lame man “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.”

Acts 4:10 to the Sanhedrin “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.”

How often do we tell people who don't know, that God has raised Jesus from the dead?

There is a consequence to the willingness of the disciples to talk to everyone they meet about Jesus. “much grace was upon them all”. It is the grace of God that has allowed the few to share what they have, to not claim ownership of their belongings. It is grace of God that has allowed them to meet the challenges to turn what riches they have into capital, and provide support for the poor – the needy – amongst them. It is grace of God that allows them to trust the disciples implicitly, to bring what they have and to trust that the disciple will distribute it wisely.

Conclusion

The baby church was growing under Gods care, already they had 5000 plus members. The people involved were filled with the spirit, and had God's grace to help them overcome the unique problems that they faced. The miracles that Jesus started are continuing, and it can only be a matter of time before all these changed people start to have a dramatic effect on their society. Here we see the enormous excitement that a work of God brings – hugh crowds, dramatic miracles, run-ins with earthly authorities. Its a great story, and we know that our God was in control of everything that happened, but there were also great sacrifices.

Whenever God is at work there are things to do, things to learn, and blessings to be received. There is much to make us think about how we live our lives in this passage, so I leave you with the four challenges:

Claiming ownership – how ready are you to share ALL that you have with others when the NEED arises?

Use of capital – What do you have that you could sell to support an urgent NEED in the Christian community?

Where does your giving go? - Is everything that you have promised to give to God brought into the church, or are you keeping control of the funds by directing them to certain organisations?

Testifying to the resurrection – How often do you explain the central basis of your faith to those who don't understand.

Amen.

Scilly 2007 - Monday 9 July

This is our travel day. We drove across England to Stoke Gifford, where our daughter is working on a year out. Having made contact and enjoyed a coffee and a piece of cake, we proceeded to Bristol Airport. We arrived massively early. We gave our car to the car park people to look after and were taken to the airport, less than a mile up the hill. We'd been there a while, waiting for checkin to open when I discovered I'd left my phone in the car! They were kind enough to retrieve it and bring it to the airport.
Is that three hours before or two hours before? Anyway we checked in and after waiting around some more went through security. We were eventually called, and watched the safety video on the ground. I should have realised what that meant, but I didn't. A large airport bendy-bus picked up the 12 or so of us and drove out on the apron. We passed a jet, and a turbo-prop, and then parked in front of our plane.
In our party there was one trio of note, a mother, here grown up daughter, and her small grandson. Its only worthy of note because it annoys me so much. Why will modern parents only whine at their children, instead of speak to then intelligently? I really believe they would behave better if things were EXPLAINED. We got on the plane and she asked if there should be such a smell of petrol. They had just filled the plane with fuel, so I was rather glad of the smell - it's reassuring to know you have enough fuel.
I sat on the front row, and watch the pilots all through the one and a quarter hour flight. It was fascinating trying to guess what all the controls were for, watching them constantly balancing the plan, dealing with the icing up as we flew through clouds, and pumping fuel from one tank to another. Landing on St Marys on a short runway that runs up hill and then on to grass was also a surprise. Apparently this is one of the harder airports to land at in the UK.
We had not planned onward travel from the airport, but I was pleased to see that he airline had, and we were transported in a mini-bus to our accommodation. There are no road name signs on St Mary's, so its just as well the drivers know where all the guest houses are. We stayed at Colossus. After we'd unpacked we rushed into the town because it was getting late, and all the restaurants would be full. We ate take-away fish and chips in a small park, and started to get acquainted with the sparrows.

The Puzzle of Evil

The Puzzle of Evil
Peter Vardy
Harper Collins
ISBN 0-00-627638-5

Why does the good God of Christian belief let evil exist?

That's the question this book sets out to answer. If God really is omnipotent, omniscient, and all loving, how is it possible that there is so much evil? Well that's the simple version of the question, Peter takes the first chapter to examine exactly what the question is really, and the understanding of God we need to make it a valid question. We then take a look at the beliefs of Augustine and Aquinas. In the first few hundred year of the church the understanding of who God is developed quickly, and the core ideas settled. These two church fathers played an important part in establishing our tradition, and their ideas rightly receive careful examination. Then there are a few chapters discussing the free will defence – God had to give us free will, so that we could love Him. Love cannot be 'programmed in' – a robot cannot love. It really isn't that simple though.. Then natural evil – disease and disasters are examined – what effect do they have on the view of why there is evil in the world – they can't be caused by humans – or can they? Finally, in the first half of the book the questions “Is it all worth it?” is examined.

The second half of the book concentrates on the type of world we live in, the type of creatures we are, the type of God we have, Job, the devil, and how the moral framework and the beliefs we have hold all these things together.

This is not an easy subject, the greatest minds in history have puzzled over it, and have not come to a straight forward conclusion, let alone one that satisfies many of us in today's world, with the holocaust, the killing fields, and the tsunami all still fresh in our corporate consciousness. There are others too – the abduction and molestation of small children, and suicide bombings to name just two.

If you have the time, and the space for a relatively short book (205 pages), to set the scene and outline the arguments, then this will prove a good investment. For me it required some serious thought, and the arguments are still challenging. No doubt they will be for you as well. Peter Vardy has made a good attempt to help us into this difficult subject.