Monthly address
September
Dear parishioners,
Yes, it’s September already! A time for new beginnings for our young people. Do you remember your first day at school? It’s an exciting time but also a bit scary. It’s daunting taking a step into the unknown. So yes, we must remember in prayer, not only all our children as they start back to school, but also the new addition to our church family - Madi McLintock - who will be working with our young people.
What about YOU? Are you prepared to take a step into the unknown this Autumn? Our Alpha course could give you that opportunity. What’s it all about? Last season we visited and explored some different religious faiths and cultures - this season you have the opportunity to explore you own! Yes, it might be pushing you out of your comfort zone to talk about your faith, or even to ask questions, but the rewards... to grow in faith allows us to develop a closer relationship with God. As we spend time in His presence and seek His guidance our understanding of His character and of His love for us deepens. This in turn strengthens our trust in Him, our dependence on Him, and the knowledge that He is always there for us - it’s a life changer. Growing our faith is an ongoing project which never ends. Perhaps you are happy as you are but have a friend or neighbour who questions your faith? This is the perfect chance for you to exercise evangelism! Invite them along - yes, you accompany them.
Speaking from experience, I was that invited guest thirty years ago and it changed my life! Why do we need to keep growing in faith? Is it not enough to say we believe and accept Jesus as Saviour? The thing is, when we believe that, and we ask the Holy Spirit into our lives, it will inevitably change us and we will seek that change, we will want to keep growing, going deeper. You know, sometimes I think I have arrived in faith! And just at the point where I think I have grasped it, it seems to slip away and the process of growth continues. In Philippians 2:5, Paul sets Jesus before us as the example of the type of attitude we should have: “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” Love, service, humility, relationship with God, all mark that mindset. The Holy Spirit dwelling within us is apparent through the fruit of the spirit in our lives - the fruit of the Spirit mentioned by St Paul in Galatians 5:22 as embodying the virtues of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control - again, we see Jesus in all these attributes. I don’t know about you, but I still have a lot of work to do! Yes, our life of faith is ever growing. We are, after all, children of our Heavenly Father, and like children, we have a never-ending thirst for knowledge, a thirst which will one day be quenched when we “see face to face”. And so we keep growing.
It was wonderful to see the children in our “All Stars” Holiday Club. So lively and enthusiastic, questioning, learning, growing in faith. Sometimes the questions they have! Well they challenged Andy and I! I think their memory verse for the week was a perfect answer to our question “how do we grow in faith”. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses… (those of faith, in scripture and around us), let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles (we all have our own personal demons that hold us back). And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith (keep our eyes fixed on Jesus). For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12: 1-2).
May God bless your new beginnings.
Carol
Rev. Carol Harvey
Rev. Andy Heber
July
Reflections from the Glebe House
“I was just thinking...
...are we Christians or Disciples?”
At our last Healing Service in June, we were considering the rather strange vision in Ezekiel 47 of water flowing out of the temple getting ever deeper the further away it got from the temple and how it brought life to the desert and eventually the dead sea as well. There are lots of interpretations of this vision, but one explanation I read was that it is a good picture of the Christian life and our discipleship. Jesus promised in John 7:38 that his life would flow out of us like living water bringing blessing to others. However, we have a choice how deeply we go into this water of the Spirit. We can stay on the banks of the river and not get involved at all in the life of the Spirit. We can paddle in the water, giving it intellectual agreement but not going any deeper. We can get in up to our waist where it’s hard to keep our feet as the Spirit begins to take control, or finally, we can be in over our head where we’ve given our lives over to God; He is in control and not us, and we follow the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit.
It’s interesting that the word “Christian” is only used 3 times in the New Testament, whereas the word “disciple” crops up 269 times. Becoming a Christian is the work of a moment; it happens when you place your trust in Christ; however, becoming a disciple is the work of a lifetime. It involves denying yourself and saying yes to the will of God every day of your life. It feels rather like being swept along by the Holy Spirit as our ability and desire to control our own life goes. However, this is the life God wants for all of us; to move beyond being Christians to being true disciples.
To use another analogy, when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, it was only Peter who had the courage to get out of the boat and come to Jesus. I wonder if the other disciples were too fearful and put their own safety first? As our church develops and grows, God is calling all of us to go beyond being Christians and just believing the Gospel, to stepping out of the boat as disciples, as he calls us to follow him into different areas of ministry. At times that will feel scary. We may feel we’re being swept along outside of our control, but as we step out from the safety of the boat we will discover that abundant and exciting life of growth that God has for each one of us, and we’ll be amazed at what he can do through us.
Andy
june
Dear parishioners,
June is “bustin’ out all over”, to quote the lyrics from the movie Carousel! We have cast our “clouts” because the May is most certainly out! We have entered our “summer” calendar. It always takes us by surprise (albeit a delightful surprise), when those hot days appear in the middle of those cold wet weeks.
June marks the official start of summer, where once-dormant trees spring back to life. It’s a season for new growth and renewal. In our Church calendar we have journeyed with Jesus from Christmas to Ascension, we have witnessed the coming of the Holy Spirit and we have begun our new Church year, and after Trinity Sunday, we will move into a long period of “ordinary” time. This stretches from the Sunday after Trinity right into November and Advent. Now is the time when we take a break from our busy church activities for a few months and look to our personal journey of faith. A time for us to rest and a time for us to attend to the renewing of our bodies, minds and spirits. So, a time for personal healing and spiritual growth.
I don’t think there is anyone who, during the course of everyday life, doesn’t have a need of healing of some description. The healing we experience through rest (Matthew 11:28 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”), through joyful activity, (“Sing to him a new song; play skilfully, and shout for joy.” - Psalm 33:3), and through communion with nature, (Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”). Speaking of which, I just have to mention the recent aurora borealis experienced in Northern Ireland’s skies, as pictured in our wonderful cover illustration! I hope that many of you witnessed this spectacular display of lights in the heavens. Sadly I missed it but was thrilled to see photographs. The colours were reminiscent of the description of the throne of God in Revelation 4:2-4, “Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby; and there was a rainbow around the throne, that shone like an emerald.”
Speaking of healing, our Healing Ministry continues to thrive, and our Healing Hub is having a time for healing prayer in the afternoon on Pentecost Sunday. You will see the wonderful testimony of Jenny, whom our intercessors and many people all over the world were praying for. And I have a similar story of a lady who was given palliative care, whose doctor said when she presented herself six months on, “I don’t know what you are doing but keep doing it”. But how do we feel when physical healing is not given? When people come for prayer, we pray for God’s healing power to touch them in body, mind and spirit. Of course we desire physical healing, but in communing with God, in coming into His presence and drawing on His compassion and love, we open ourselves to a much deeper healing than the relief of physical symptoms, for the Lord is with us - and He himself is our truest and deepest healing. His healing means, even though we die, we will live forever, in a place where “there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain’ Revelation 21:4.
As you continue your journey of faith in this time of renewal and growth, may God pour out His richest blessing on you, body, mind and spirit, and may this “ordinary” time be “extraordinary” for you, as you draw closer to the source of all life, as you receive peace and restoration through His love, as you travel joyfully and fearlessly on our life’s journey assured of His promises.
With love in Christ,
Carol
Rev. Carol Harvey