NEWS

Where is the finest parsonage in the country?
Sub-standard treatment of asylum seekers evident to churches, says EA
Church reaffirms its opposition to forced marriage
It's not only words: worship changes lives for the better, says Church
Balance your household budget - it's a matter of life and debt
Church welcomes transitional Gift Aid relief
Unsigned Christian musicians have chance to shine on new radio show
Prince Caspian comes to Britain

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Where is the finest parsonage in the country?

The 2008 Country Life competition, England’s Finest Parsonage, was officially launched on 17th April.

This award aims to celebrate the outstanding importance of historic vicarages and rectories in England. Consideration will be given both to privately owned parsonages as well as those still in use by the clergy. Nominations will be encouraged on the basis of architectural merit, social history and the role of the building within the wider context of the town or village.

John Goodall, architectural editor of Country Life magazine, says: “Considering their interest and significance, parsonages – rectories and vicarages - remain comparatively little known or studied. Usually large and well proportioned, in an agreeable setting close to the church, they remain some of the lesser-known jewels of rural English architecture. Happily, there is a growing appreciation of these buildings.”

Crispin Holborow, head of the country house department at Savills estate agents, said: “A rectory or vicarage is often at the top of the wish list when people are planning to buy a home in the country. The parsonage can deliver that rural idyll many people dream of – a large, well proportioned, historic family home in a village. It could be a Georgian rectory with pleasing symmetry or a grand Victorian parsonage, a medieval hall house or a Regency villa.

A panel of judges will choose regional finalists from the South, West, East and the North. Country Life and Savills will visit the selected 12 regional finalists and produce a shortlist of six national finalists. The winner will be announced in the autumn.

Nominations can be made via a link at www.countrylife.co.uk/parsonage. Closing date for entries will be 15th May.

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Sub-standard treatment of asylum seekers evident to churches, says EA

Churches across the country can vouch for the sub-standard treatment of asylum seekers described in the Independent Asylum Commission’s recent interim report, the Evangelical Alliance has said.

As a response to the report, the Alliance has called on the Government to introduce an advisory panel for religious information.

The Alliance, which interviewed churches and Christian charities across the UK last year for its report ‘Alltogether for Asylum Justice’, said many of the asylum seekers and workers they dealt with gave evidence of poorly informed questioning, uncompassionate treatment and inadequate language interpretation.

This reflects the IAC’s findings that the treatment of asylum seekers “falls seriously below the standards to be expected of a humane and civilised society.”

Gareth Wallace, Parliamentary Officer for the Evangelical Alliance, said: “Unfortunately, the IAC’s report comes as no surprise, especially for the pastors and charities who are providing the compassion so woefully lacking from the Home Office.

“We’ve particularly seen the ‘culture of disbelief,’ mentioned in the report, in interviews of people seeking asylum from some Muslim countries because they have converted to Christianity. Some of these people have been asked irrelevant questions to prove their conversion and denied asylum when they have been unable to answer, even though apostasy is a capital offence under Sharia law.”

Phylip Rees, pastor of Tredegarville Baptist Church in Cardiff, which submitted information to the Alliance as part of its research, said: “As a pastor of a local church that has provided sanctuary to hundreds of people over five years, I have been shocked by the lack of humanity shown to some of the asylum seekers we have helped. This is a travesty, and people who aren’t involved with asylum seekers on the ground don’t know about it, so I’m delighted that the IAC is telling the hidden side of this story.”

The Alliance has already provided MPs with guidance on asylum issues. It is now calling for the Home Office to introduce an advisory panel for religious information, mirroring a similar panel already set up for information about countries of origin.

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Church reaffirms its opposition to forced marriage

The Church of England has reaffirmed its belief that forced marriage is wrong both morally and legally. Responding to a Home Office consultation on 'marriage to partners from overseas', the Rt Rev Tom Butler, Bishop of Southwark, said the Mission and Public Affairs Council strongly affirmed that principle. The Church of England also agrees that the minimum age that someone could sponsor a marriage partner from abroad or be sponsored as a spouse should be raised to 21 years.

"The idea of personal consent," the bishop continued, "is key for the Christian understandings of marriage. The Church of England recognises that there may be some young people who are vulnerable to pressure from families to sponsor a partner and we believe that good marriage preparation would detect whether a young person was entering into marriage for the right reasons. There is a strong case for increased resources for marriage preparation, education and counselling for groups working with those most at risk of being exploited.”

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It's not only words: worship changes lives for the better, says Church

The central importance of worship in the life of the Church has been emphasised in a new book published by the Church of England's Liturgical Commission.

"’Worship Changes Lives’ stresses that all worship should honour God and, like a newspaper headline, grab people, engage them and change their lives. It should inspire and excite. It is the heart of a church. Worship is the Church's 'headline business'," argues the guide. It goes on to urge churches to review their worship so that it reflects the power that lies beyond the words said and sung each week.

In doing so, the book questions the idea promoted by some elements of popular psychology that words can have a subconscious power of their own. Instead, it suggests that the words and actions of worship - when practiced in fellowship with Christians across the world - are powerful because they reflect God's love and shape worshippers to serve God's mission.

Written on behalf of the Liturgical Commission as part of the Transforming Worship initiative, the 48-page guide aims to stimulate discussion within Parochial Church Councils, worship groups and ministry teams on how worship might be a greater force for change within local communities. Rooted in real-life practice with accessible text and attractive photography, the guide aims to inspire the whole worshipping community to reflect on 'connecting with the God who, in Jesus, transforms us and the world'.

’Worship Changes Lives’ sets out a series of discussion-starters aimed at the whole Church: "This guide isn't just for clergy or academics or people with a special interest in liturgy and ceremonial. It is for everyone who worships, to help each one look again at what we are doing when we worship God. Worship lies at the heart of what and who we are as Christians: it shows God to us and us to God," the editors, the Revd Peter Moger and Professor Paul Bradshaw, state in their introduction.


Balance your household budget - it's a matter of life and debt

The Church of England is launching an easy-to-use interactive online resource for working out a household spending budget, with helpful prayers for guidance (both attached), emphasising that the Bible teaches us to be content with what we have, rather than find satisfaction from over-spending.

With average household debt in the UK at £8,985 (excluding mortgages), the move is an addition to the Church of England's national Matter of Life and Debt campaign. Launched in January 2008, the campaign offers common sense advice and resources so that householders can make sense of the amount of debt they are in, and then seek assistance from a registered debt adviser if necessary.

The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, Rt Revd John Packer, Chairman of the Church of England's Stewardship Committee, says: “Christianity affirms that we need to take care over our spending. We need to avoid the dangers of debt. We also need to ensure that people do not take advantage of those in debt. This initiative runs alongside our concern about the exploitation of people in debt in our society."

So that householders can work out their own household budget, the Matter of Life and Debt website pages at www.cofe.anglican.org/debt now feature an easy-to-use, interactive, downloadable Excel spreadsheet - which totals up income and spending, and allows householders to make adjustments until they are balancing their budget.

The resource - which can be used in church services or as part of a talk on money and making ends meet - also displays simple-to-follow money-saving tips when users fill in boxes. There are links to specially written prayers for guidance for those working out a household budget, at www.cofe.anglican.org/prayers.

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Church welcomes transitional Gift Aid relief

The Church of England has welcomed the transitional relief arrangement announced in the Budget for Gift Aid claims by charities over the next three years.

In this Spring’s Budget speech, the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, announced a transitional rate of relief of 22 per cent from 2008/09 to 2010/11.

This retains an estimated £8m per year that would otherwise be income lost by Church of England parishes, and means that parishes should continue to claim at the current rate.

The Church of England is part of a coalition of sector bodies which includes Charity Tax Group, acevo, CFDG, NCVO and the Institute of Fundraising. Together, the coalition members have been calling on the Government to consider moving to an accounts-based Gift Aid system. This would reduce the existing onerous auditing system and boost charities' revenues by approximately £400m a year.

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Unsigned Christian musicians have chance to shine on new radio show

Premier Christian Radio has just launched a new show, ‘Loretta Fenton Presents …Unsigned’. It’s aim is to showcase the best new and unsigned Christian musicians in the UK and beyond.

"Each week the show will be discovering some of the best unsigned Christian artists and introducing them to our extensive audience.” Host, Loretta Fenton explains: “There will be a chance for both fresh talent and unsigned acts who are more established to get their music out there. The rules are simple - if it's good, we'll play it! If you're a Christian artist wanting to get your music heard - this show is for you."

‘Loretta Fenton Presents ...Unsigned’ will hold a bi-monthly Spotlight competition giving Christian artists the chance to be voted Artist Of The Month. "Winners will be interviewed on the show and perform live in the studio as well as having their act profiled for a whole month on the Premier website. More importantly they'll get their music heard by hundreds of thousands throughout the month!" Fenton explained.

Christian unsigned bands should register their details by logging on to www.lorettafentonpresents.com .

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Prince Caspian comes to Britain

The much-loved children’s story Prince Caspian, written by CS Lewis, has been made into a film by Walt Disney, and is coming your way next month.

The nationwide release of The Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian will be on 27 June.

Douglas Gresham, stepson of CS Lewis, says of the story: “One of the things I love about ‘Prince Caspian’ is that in its illustration of a return to truth, justice and faith after a millennium of corruption, the story shows us that no matter how far we have strayed, there is always a way back, all we have to do is find it and recognise it.”

‘Prince Caspian’ will take film-goers to new and undiscovered parts of Narnia and promises to be bigger and more spectacular than ever before. The film also sees the introduction of a whole series of new characters including Prince Caspian, who will go on to star in the next 3 chronicles.

The four young British talents discovered by Adamson for the first film are back as the Pevensie children; Georgie Henley as Lucy, Skandar Keynes as Edmund, William Moseley as Peter, and Anna Popplewell as Susan. The film’s title character Prince Caspian will be played by Ben Barnes, a 26-year-old British actor, whose previous work includes a theatre role in “The History Boys” for London’s National Theatre Company and film roles in the independent feature “Bigga Than Ben” and Matthew Vaughn’s fantasy film “Stardust”.

May’s High Days and Holy Days

Athanasius and Trinity Sunday is new this year.

1 May Day
1 Ascension Day
1 or 3 Philip the Apostle
*2 Athanasius
11 Pentecost
14 Matthias the Apostle
*18 Trinity Sunday
24 David of Scotland
31 Mary, the Blessed Virgin

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1 May Day

May is the month when the ancient pagans used to get up to all sorts! The Romans held their festival to honour the mother-goddess Maia, goddess of nature and growth. (May is named after her.) The early Celts celebrated the feast of Beltane, in honour of the sun god, Beli.

For centuries in ‘Olde England’ the people went mad in May. After the hardship of winter, and hunger of early Spring, May was a time of indulgence and unbridled merriment. One Philip Stubbes, writing in 1583, was scandalised: “for what kissing and bussing, what smooching and slabbering one of another, is not practised?”

Henry VIII went ‘maying’ on many occasions. Then folk would stay out all night in the dark rain-warm thickets, and return in the morning for dancing on the green around the May pole, archery, vaulting, wrestling, and that evening, bonfires.

The Protestant reformers took a strong stand against May Day - and in 1644 May Day was abolished together. Many May poles came down - only to go up again at the Restoration, when the first May Day of King Charles’s reign was “the happiest Mayday that hath been many a year in England”, according to Pepys.

May Day to most people today brings vague folk memories of a young Queen of the May decorated with garlands and streamers and flowers, a May Pole to weave, Morris dancing, and the intricacies of well dressing at Tissington in Derbyshire.

May Day is a medley of natural themes such as sunrise, the advent of summer, growth in nature, and - since 1833 - Robert Owen’s vision of a millennium in the future, beginning on May Day, when there would be no more poverty, injustice or cruelty, but in harmony and friendship. This is why, in modern times, May Day has become Labour Day, which honours the dignity of workers. And until recently, in communist countries May Day processions were in honour of the achievement of Marxism.

There has never been a Christian content to May Day, but nevertheless there is the well known 6am service on the top of Magdalen Tower at Oxford where a choir sings in the dawn of May Day.

An old May carol includes the lines:

The life of man is but a span,
it flourishes like a flower
We are here today, and gone tomorrow
- we are dead within an hour.

There is something of a sadness about it, both in words and tune, as there is about all purely sensuous joy. For May Day is not Easter, and the joys it represents have always been earth-bound and fleeting.

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1 Ascension Day - Forty Days with the Risen Christ

May continues the season of Eastertide, and 40 days after Easter comes Ascension Day.

It may seem crazy to call it Eastertide when Easter is clearly over! - but these are the forty days during which the Risen Christ appeared again and again to his disciples, following his death and resurrection.

The Gospels give us little of Christ’s teachings and deeds during those forty days. Jesus was seen by numerous disciples: on the road to Emmaus, by the Sea of Galilee, in houses, etc. He strengthened and encouraged his disciples, and at last opened their eyes to all that the Scriptures had promised about the Messiah. Jesus also told them that as the Father had sent him, he was now going to send them - to all corners of the earth, as his witnesses.

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1 (or 3) Philip the apostle

Is there someone in church whom you respect for their spirituality and common sense combined – someone you feel easy about approaching to ask questions? That person’s patron saint should be Philip.

Philip came from Bethsaida, and was a disciple of Jesus from early on. He knew how to lead others to Jesus – he brought Nathanael (or Bartholomew) to him in a calm, kindly way. He knew how to do some financial forecasting: at the feeding of the 5,000 it was he who pointed out that without divine help, even 200 pennyworth of bread wasn’t going to feed that crowd. He was the one whom the Greeks approached when they wanted to ask Jesus to show them the Father, but didn’t quite have the nerve to approach Jesus directly. People had confidence in Philip’s spirituality, common sense and kindliness. Such a person is a gift to any church! In art, the Apostle Philip has been represented either with a cross, or with loaves of bread.

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2 Athanasius (296-373)

This is the name behind the Athanasian Creed. Athanasius was born into a prosperous family in Alexandria in Egypt, studied in the Christian school there and entered the ministry. He was twenty-nine years old when he accompanied Alexander, the bishop of Alexandria, to the Church’s first ecumenical Council, at Nicaea in 325.

Although Athanasius could not take part in the Council’s debates because he was a deacon and not a bishop, Alexander consulted him on the meaning of biblical texts and theological distinctions. With Emperor Constantine sitting as President, three hundred bishops argued about the Person of Christ. How is he the Son of God? Is he God or man or both together? Did he exist before he was born? If we worship him does that mean we are worshipping two Gods?

The young Athanasius saw that some bishops wanted to impose the teaching of Arius on the Church. Arius was a popular preacher in Alexandria who taught that Christ was not eternal but was a ‘Saviour’ created by the Father. Athanasius worked with his bishop, Alexander, in framing what became known as the Nicene Creed. Our Lord’s full divinity was safeguarded in the words, ‘eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father.’

When Bishop Alexander died in 328, Athanasius succeeded him as Bishop by popular demand. For the next forty-five years Athanasius’ devotion, scholarship, and forceful leadership established the Nicene Creed in the Christian Church. His enemies, both in Church and state, conspired against him, and he was exiled five times from the See of Alexandria and spent a total of seventeen years in flight and hiding. It was his uncompromising stand for Nicene theology that gave rise to the familiar saying, Athanasius contra mundum, ‘Athanasius against the world.’

Athanasius’ name will always be linked with the triumph of New Testament Christology over every form of reductionism. Of his many writings the most significant was his great study on the person and work of Christ; ‘On the Incarnation of the Word of God’, written before he was thirty years old. The whole Church of Christ is always in need of bishops, leaders and theologians in the mould of Athanasius.

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11 Pentecost

Pentecost was the old Jewish festival of Firstfruits, which took place at the beginning of the wheat harvest. It was exactly 50 days after the Passover, the time of Jesus’ crucifixion.

A feast day to celebrate the country’s wheat harvest does not sound exactly world-changing, but that year, it became one of the most important days in world history. For Pentecost was the day that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit - the day the Church was born.

Jesus had told his apostles that something big was going to happen, and that they were to wait for it in Jerusalem, instead of returning to Galilee. Jesus had plans for his apostles – but he knew they could not do the work themselves – they would need his help.

And so the apostles and disciples waited in Jerusalem, praying together for several days. And then on that fateful morning there was suddenly the sound as of a mighty rushing wind. Tongues of flame flickered on their heads, and they began to praise God in many tongues – to the astonishment of those who heard them. The curse of Babel (Genesis 11: 1- 9) was dramatically reversed that morning.

That morning the Holy Spirit came to indwell the apostles and disciples of Jesus: and the Church was born. The Christians were suddenly full of life and power, utterly different from their former fearful selves. The change in them was permanent.

Peter gave the first ever sermon of the Christian church that morning: proclaiming Jesus was the Messiah. His boldness in the face of possible death was in marked contrast to the man who had denied Jesus 50 days before. And 3,000 people responded, were converted, and were baptised. How’s that for fast church growth!

Of course Pentecost was not the first time the Holy Spirit had acted in this world. All through the Old Testament there are accounts of how God’s Spirit guided people and strengthened them. But now, because of Christ’s death and resurrection, he could INDWELL them. From now on, every Christian could have the confidence that Jesus was with them constantly, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

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14 Matthias the Apostle

Have you ever happened to be in the right place at the right time, with certain qualifications, and suddenly realise that God is singling you out for a special task? If so, Matthias is a good patron saint for you!

In Acts 1 (15 – 26) the apostles had a task to do: Judas had committed suicide, and a new apostle needed to be chosen. He had to have been a follower of Christ from the Baptism to the Ascension, and also a witness of the Resurrection in order to qualify. In the event, the choice fell to one of two: Joseph Barsabas and Matthias. Lots were drawn, and Matthias was chosen. How confident he must have felt in his calling: what encouragement that would be when the going got rough in later years! Matthias is thought to have ministered in Cappadocia and even Ethiopia. His emblem is usually an axe or halberd, regarded as the instrument of his martyrdom. His supposed relics were translated from Jerusalem to Rome by the empress Helen.

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*18 Trinity Sunday

Trying to explain the doctrine of the Trinity has kept many a theologian busy down the centuries. One helpful picture is to imagine the sun shining in the sky. The sun itself – way out there in space – unapproachable in its fiery majesty – is the Father. The light that flows from it, and which illuminates all our lives, is the Son. The heat that flows from it, and which gives us all the energy to move and grow, is the Holy Spirit. You cannot have the sun without its light and its heat. The light and the heat are from the sun, are of the sun, and yet are also distinct in themselves, with their own roles to play.

The Bible makes clear that God is One God, who is disclosed in three persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit. For example:

Deuteronomy 6:4 ‘Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is one..’
Isaiah 45:22 ‘Turn to me and be saved… for I am God, and there is no other’

Genesis 1:1-2 ‘In the beginning God created…. And the Spirit of God was hovering…’
Judges 14:6 etc ‘The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power…’

John 1:1-3 ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.’

Luke 24:49 actually manages to squeeze the whole Trinity into one sentence. Jesus tells his disciples: ‘I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power (the Holy Spirit) from on high.’

In other words, the sun eternally gives off light and heat, and whenever we stand in its brilliant light, we find that the warmth soon follows.

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24 David of Scotland

If you like Scotland, you’ll appreciate St David of Scotland, who lived c.1085 – 1153.

David became king of Scotland in 1124, and devoted himself to improving his country. This included a feudal system of land tenure in place of the Celtic tribal one; an Anglo-Norman judicial system, and the development of towns such as Edinburgh, Berwick and Perth.

Above all, David re-organised the Church in Scotland. Contact with Rome was close, but he opposed Canterbury’s primatial claims. David founded several bishoprics, including those of Dunblane and Aberdeen. David was loved for his justice in administration, his accessibility to all, and his intense interest in gardens and orchards and buildings.

He was generous in alms-giving, and a devout Christian. When dying, and ordered to rest by his doctors, he said: “Allow me rather to think about the things of God, so that my soul may be strengthened…when I stand before God’s judgement seat, none of you shall answer for me….” David died on 24 May and centuries later his name was inserted in the calendar of the Prayer-book for Scotland. His historical importance is that he founded the Scotland which defied Edward I.

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31 Mary, the Blessed Virgin

Mary – the virgin mother of Jesus. For centuries the eastern and western churches have considered her pre-eminent among all the saints.

In the gospels, Mary makes her first appearance as a teenager. Nothing is known of her childhood, and what we do know of her is found mostly in Matthew 1 – 2 and in Luke 1 – 2. If you read both accounts, you’ll notice that Luke’s account seems to give the story from Mary’s standpoint, whereas Matthew concentrates more on Joseph’s side of things. In both accounts the virginal conception of Christ is clearly stated. Mary’s quiet devotion to God and her acceptance of his will shine forth.

After Jesus is born, Mary fades into the background, and makes few appearances: when the family visits Jerusalem and she loses her son on the way home; when she urges him to help the wedding party in Cana with its wine problem; and when Jesus gives her into the keeping of the beloved disciple when he is dying on the cross. Mary’s last appearance is in Acts chapter one, just before Pentecost.

Mary obviously joined the early Church, but her role was never one of teaching and preaching, and indeed she remained so much in the background that nothing more about her is known for certain. Both Ephesus and Jerusalem have claimed to be the place of her death.

Mary, chosen to be the mother of Jesus Christ, one who is both God and Man, holds a unique place in the history of mankind. Down the centuries that have followed, the Church has paid special honour to Mary – and well deserved it is. “All generations shall call me blessed…”

LOOKING AT GOD


Making sense of the Ascension

Acts 1:9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them…. “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way…”

If we find the ascension story of Jesus to be mysterious, think of what it must have been like for the on-looking disciples! Jesus, who had returned to them after death, was suddenly departing again – this time to heaven, a realm of mystery. But just because heaven was mysterious to them, as it is to us, does not mean it is less real than this earthly realm where we now live.

The risen Lord has a real, resurrection body, a fact which he fully impressed upon his disciples during the 40 days of his post-resurrection, pre-ascension appearances. The most obvious difference between his risen body and the mortal is seen in his now being free from the limitations of mortal existence, such as the limits of space and time. Jesus simply appeared in his risen body in the closed Upper Room with the disciples. And at his ascension, Jesus left the realm of earth and entered another realm, where he now dwells in his resurrection body.

The heavenly realm is what the Bible calls “the kingdom of the heavens,” and is more real than this earthly creation, which is temporal and in the process of being redeemed (Romans 8:19-21). We shouldn’t think of heaven as “some place out there,” which can be seen with mortal eyes, lest we be as pagan in our thinking as the Russian cosmonaut, who declared after returning from space that he proved there is no God because he didn’t see him!

But we are to live in the awareness that we belong to another realm, another kingdom not of this world, as Jesus explained to Pilate (John 18:36). The risen Lord Jesus is alive somewhere, and even present with us through the Holy Spirit. Our calling and commission is to pray, live and serve to the end that the kingdom of God will come to earth (Matthew 6:9) and that the kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

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The Rev Paul Hardingham continues his series on people in the Book of Acts with Peter….

SERMON NOTEBOOK : ‘People Like Us’- in the Book of Acts - Peter

When Peter spoke on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) he didn’t deliver a well-prepared address that had little to do with his hearers! What began with the charge of drunken behaviour moved into a powerful presentation of the gospel. Peter’s message shows us how we can address the needs of our hearers today.

Peter Concentrated On Jesus
Peter’s presentation was fully Christ-centred, for he spoke of Jesus as:
fulfilment (16-): the focus of the history of salvation.
man and God (22 & 36): both his humanity and deity were affirmed.
crucified (23): Christ’s death was according to God’s set purpose.
risen (32): Peter was a witness to the resurrection.
reigning (34): exalted to the throne of God.
contemporary (33): present today by the Holy Spirit.
In what ways does our portrayal of Jesus reflect Peter’s one?

Peter Offered a Gift
When Peter’s hearers asked what they should do about this message, he told them to receive what God had done for them (38). He pointed to God’s gifts of forgiveness for the past and the Holy Spirit as his presence in the present and pledge for the future. Neither of these gifts could be earned; they could only be accepted or rejected.
As the church today to what extent do we present Christianity as gift?

Peter Expected a Response
Peter not only challenged his hearers to accept God’s gifts, but also to begin a life of following Jesus (38). He called for repentance; a change of mind leading to a turning back to God. Along with this went baptism, the outward expression of their response to the gospel, in which they could say ‘yes’ to God’s offer and challenge.
What opportunities do we have of presenting the challenge of following Christ today?

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The Rev Paul Hardingham, rector of Bolton, considers

Christian Basics: What Does the Holy Spirit Do?

Like a powerful searchlight, the aim of the Holy Spirit is to highlight Christ and enable us to live the Christian life. Therefore, it is important to ask the crucial question: what does the Holy Spirit do in our lives?

The Spirit brings us new birth into the family of God, for without him we cannot develop our relationship with God. Every person who has committed their life to Christ possesses the Holy Spirit, as Paul says, ‘if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.’ (Romans 8:9).

Primarily the Spirit assures us of God’s love and acceptance in our lives, despite our fears, doubts or failures: ‘God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us’ (Romans 5:5). Paul expresses this in terms of our adoption as sons and our new status, family and future: ‘Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."

So you are no longer slaves, but God's children; and since you are his children, he has made you also heirs’ (Galatians 4: 6,7). This means that we can now address God as father ie abba, which is Aramaic for ‘daddy’, the very word used by Jesus himself. We can struggle with this truth in our experience, perhaps as a result of authority figures (eg parents, teachers etc), who have been domineering, withdrawn or abusive. However, the Spirit will work within us to bring healing and release in our lives.

As the Helper (or Counsellor) the Holy Spirit is also alongside to enable us to pray: ‘In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans’. (Romans 8:26). For our prayers he gives us both words understood, unknown words (ie gift of tongues) or no words at all (ie tears or sighs). He will also help us to understand God’s word and hear what God is saying to us. ‘But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth’. (John 16:13).

‘The presence of the Spirit, as an experience and living reality, is the crucial matter for the Christian life from beginning to end’ (Gordon Fee).

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From Jesus on the cross to you in church each Sunday…. how it all fits together

Jesus’ finished work on the cross provided the ‘medicine’ for the cure for the sins of the world. Now, through the Holy Spirit, we Christians are to carry the medicine to the lost, in our spheres of influence and into all of the world, through the church’s missionary enterprise.

The life and work of the local church is the New Testament strategy for reaching the world, and missionary sending organizations simply help facilitate this work. In the local church the gospel is preached “in Jerusalem” (Acts 1:8) and teaching is done to make disciples and teach everything that Jesus has commanded (Matthew 28:19-20). And out of the church those are sent whom God is calling on special assignment, “in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (verse 8), to cross language and cultural barriers with the gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 13:1-3).

We participate in the return of Jesus Christ through our involvement in gathering in his people for whom he died, and in taking the gospel to “every tribe and language and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9; 7:9).

The first century church prayed “Marana tha,” ”Come, O Lord.” By this prayer for the appearing of the Lord the first century believers were prompted to greater zeal in sharing their witness and in readying themselves for Jesus’ return.

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Roger Roberts, senior pastor of International Baptist Church in Brussels, considers…

Pentecost

Nine days after the Ascension of Jesus, and 49 days after his crucifixion, the Jews were doing what they always did this time of year, preparing for the Feast of Ingathering, or Harvest. It was held 50 days after the Passover, and with it, life in Israel looked set to return to normal, with Jesus well on the way to becoming just a memory.

So no one paid any attention to a small group of Jesus’ disciples who had gathered in a house in Jerusalem. There were only about 120 of them, and they were quiet and kept to themselves. The Jews, if they thought about it at all, would have assumed they were still grieving their lost leader. But the disciples, far from grieving Jesus’ death, were eagerly awaiting for him to send them a present…. Though they did not understand exactly what it might be.

All they knew was that Jesus was alive, and that before he had ascended to heaven, he had told them to go to Jerusalem and wait there together for “the gift my father has promised” (Acts 1:4) He had said: “stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49)

These disciples, though they did not know it then, were already acting as the future church – the ecclesia, which literally means ‘called-out ones’. For those disciples stuck together, together they waited for God’s blessing.

As with them, so with us today: even though each conversion is intensely personal, we are not converted to be alone in our faith. Far from it! We are not saved to solitude, but to a life in the fellowship of the Church. Jesus has ordained that his followers, TOGETHER, be his family on earth, his witness to the world.

But it has never been a family built on likeness – the believers in the house that day came from very different backgrounds – from right-wing conservatives (Matthew) to radical left-wing zealots (Simon). There were some straight-forward fishermen and even women, for good measure. From the day of its birth, Jesus’ family would include all kinds of people who would find their unity in him.

The first thing the disciples did was to get down to the business of praying. They did not try and unite themselves by long discussions with each other. It was the “joining together constantly in prayer” (verse 14) that brought them together.

The 19th Century London pastor FB Meyer expressed well what awaited those disciples “The task that awaited that little group was one of unparalleled difficulty. …They were to disciple all nations, speaking different languages, scattered over the vast Roman Empire, which extended from the Atlantic to the Far East. … They were to substitute Christianity for paganism, as the foundation of a new type of civilization. …In fact, humanly speaking and without exaggeration, it depended on that tiny group of unknown and ordinary men and women, whether the Incarnation and Death, the Resurrection and Ascension, of the Son of God would obtain the audience and acceptance of mankind.”

Today the Christian Church faces the same challenge – of making Christ known. We can do “business as usual” in our strength and by our resources. But great manifestations of God’s saving, healing and restoring power come only as God’s people “stay for the Spirit” and “wait for the gift” as Jesus commanded (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4).

Each of us would do well to “ask, seek and knock” for God’s fullness day by day, if we are to enjoy his full anointing of power on our lives and ministry. We all ‘leak’, and need the continual in-filling that comes from abiding, persistent prayer.

It was out of the context of prayer that this incipient church in Jerusalem was preparing for the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. For God’s fullness in our lives and awakening in our church today we must believe that he is able and willing to fulfill his highest purpose for us. He wants to give us his “good gifts,” namely, his Holy Spirit in fullness.

That day in Jerusalem, when the Holy Spirit arrived in all his fullness, Peter stood up and preached the first ever Christian sermon to the astonished Jews in the city. So - the Jesus their rulers had crucified at Passover was not dead after all! That Jesus WAS the Messiah, and he was alive! 3,000 were converted that same day. In the power of the Spirit, the Church was born – and growing fast!

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Jo White continues her series on Christians signs and symbols
Looking for the evangelists…

Have you ever looked for the four evangelists who wrote the gospels? Their symbols, that is, in your church. They are often carved at the ends of pews, the backs of great doors, or in stone as decoration on walls, ceilings or around fonts.

The four symbols you are looking for are a lion, a human or an angel, an ox and an eagle. So, why are these used and which is which?

There are a number of theories why each of these symbols is used, but they all generally agree on which symbol represents which writer: the lion represents Mark, the ox Luke, the man is Matthew and the eagle is attributed to John.

The symbols fit with two places in the Bible that talk about such creatures; Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:10) had a vision of four living creatures and so did John (Revelation 4: 6,7): 'In the centre, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and behind. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.' (NIV text)

One theory suggests that the symbols are related to the life of Christ, it claims that the man symbolises the Nativity, the lion shows his royalty and majesty, the ox, as a sacrificial animal represents his sacrifice on the cross, and the eagle his ascending to Heaven.

A more common idea is that each symbol crystallises the essential message of each gospel.

This month
How do you think each gospel fits with the given symbol? Here’s one idea for Mark, next month there will be some ideas for the others.

Mark - the Lion - begins his gospel with Jesus fully grown and ready to start ‘work’. There’s a sense of urgency, he uses words like ‘immediately’, and ‘straight away’ 11 times in the first chapter alone, and Jesus roars and bounds from place to pace. There’s an urgency for the task to be done. The time is NOW. Do not delay.
Looking at You – daily life in the 21st century

Beware of the coffee calories!
Do you cook from scratch, use ready meals, or simply eat out?
Get moving!
44 – the age of depression
Office jargon update
Why you should row with your spouse
Beware the booze
Kiss them by all means, but DON’T hold their hand!

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Editor: you could make this local by talking to some of the older folk in your congregation – do they remember such a ‘dip’ mid-life? And do they feel happier now?

44 – the age of depression

Your happiness and mental health are at their lowest in your mid-life. This is the time when maybe your dreams are shown to be just dreams, and reality sets in. Certainly this is the time when the average, normal person hits some sort of mid-life crisis, in terms of happiness and mental health.

The research was one of the biggest surveys into human happiness ever conducted. Up to two million people were interviewed by researchers from Warwick University and Dartmouth College in America.

The study found that neither money, nor lack of it, neither education, nor lack of it, or marriage, or lack of it, affects the shape of happiness in one’s life – which is U-shaped, bottoming out in middle age. But encouragingly, by the time you are 70, if you are still physically fit, then you are likely to be as happy and mentally healthy as any 20 year old.
One researcher suggests: “Perhaps by then we learn to count our blessings… and are just happy to be alive.”

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Why you should row with your spouse

If you argue with your husband or wife, you are likely to live longer than if you don’t, according to recent research.

Apparently, the occasional marital row is far better for your health than bottling up the tensions inside of you. A study of 192 marriages by researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health has discovered that couples who suppress their emotions are twice as likely to die as those where at least one partner expressed their anger.

As one professor explains, marriage must be built on “reconciliation after conflict.” If you don’t express your anger, but swallow your words, they can quite literally kill you.

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Looking at the CHURCH and Christians worldwide


HOPE08 - You are dynamite!

There’s nothing like a loud noise to get people’s attention. And we want to make that kind of impact as we move into the Pentecost season – which has been subtitled by the Hope08 initiative as ‘hope where you live’.

After all, the Greek word ‘dunamis’ – which is used to describe the Holy Spirit – is the root word for ‘dynamite’. That means we’re called to a faith that should really light up our communities!

So, we need to ignite some inspiration among us. We’ve been taking a few tips from other events that are exploding across the country – as part of this Hope08 ‘high point’.

For instance, we’ve heard that Christians in London have been planning a massive ‘Pentecost Festival’ with music, comedy, sports, fashion, debate, movies, food, dance and social action. That sounds a far cry from hard wooden pews and stuffy services.

Another event that promises to burst out of the church walls and onto the streets is being organised by Bradford churches. They’re doing a similar thing, with community projects and Christian celebration mixed together in one big, powerful brew. Plans are underway for an event in Lister Park on Pentecost Sunday.

We might not all have the resources of a huge citywide scheme, but we do have our imaginations. So, from the smallest act – like trimming a neighbour’s lawn or donating blood – to the more ambitious deeds like working alongside police on a rough estate, we’re looking positively at all such practical ideas, and more.

At the very least, we’re remembering that Pentecost marks the moment when the Holy Spirit first fired up the members of the early church. They spilled out of the room where they’d been meeting and praying together – and their actions warmed thousands of hearts.

So that’s a great reminder to us – as we let our activities break out of our church buildings and into the communities where we live. ??Hope08 have issued the challenge – Christians all over the country joining together to give 1,000,000 hours of kindness in the form of practical help.

The long Bank Holiday weekend in May (the weekend before Pentecost) provides us with a great opportunity. We have time to serve the spiritual, physical and social needs of those around us – and to get really practical in the process!

Each hour we give to serve others is an hour where our worship really counts. We’ll also make sure that we log our hours on the Hope08 website, so they can keep a running total of what’s happening across the nation.

For in doing these things, we’re following Jesus’ example. He showed us how to be the gospel as well as talk about it. And it’s in the streets of our villages, towns and cities that a practical demonstration of Christian love will make a difference.

Let’s not go out with a whimper. Let’s go out with a bang. For we’re compelled by God’s ‘dynamite’ to do so.

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David Shreeve of the Conservation Foundation reports on CREATIONTIDE - a major new ‘special day’ for churches. For more information, contact him at: david.shreeve@c-of-e.org.uk. We’ve run this article long, but it can easily be cut to suit your needs. You may wish to show this to your minister before you include it in the magazine.

A Time for God’s Creation

This year sees the start of what is hoped will become a major step for English churches to join in what is becoming an increasingly world-wide celebration of the environment. The idea has already been adopted by some English churches as well churches in Australia, America and around Europe, but now the idea has been endorsed officially by the Third European Ecumenical Assembly held in Sibiu last year:

Recommendation Ten: We recommend that the period from the 1st September to the 4th of October be dedicated to prayer for the protection of Creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles that reverse our contribution to climate change.

The suggestion for churches to allocate part of their year to concentrate on the environment began with the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church declaring 1September as a day ‘of the protection of the natural environment’, offering ‘prayers and supplications to the Maker of all, both in thanksgiving for the great gift of creation and in petition for its protection and salvation’. This day is closely followed by the feast of St Francis of Assisi, on 4 October on which Roman Catholics increasingly reflect on such themes. By extending the period further it covers the period in which the European Anglican and Protestant churches celebrate Harvest Festival.

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York are encouraging all parishes in the Church of England to support the initiative.

St Paul’s Cathedral is to hold a special evening service on 14 September featuring the Bishop of London and special guests and it is hoped that other cathedrals will organise similar events.

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Statistic of the Month: the Church in the UK

Today, in 2008, 5.6 million people in the UK are members of a church, which is one person in every 11 in the population – 9.2%. That’s a good, solid number of people, who, if they had a heart to do it, could begin to change the values of our current UK culture.

Church members are fewer in England (7%) and Wales (7½%), but more in Scotland (17%) and are over half the population in Northern Ireland (54%). Church members average 120 per church, even though average attendance is only 80. That is still a lot of people, even if it also means that a third of church members appear to be irregular in their church attendance now.

Those who attend church with reasonable frequency, say once a fortnight, average only 50 people per church, of whom 40 are members and 10 are not.

The relatively high number of church members thus fragments into three broadly equal groups: (a) those who attend regularly, (b) those who attend irregularly, and (c) those who never attend. As there is, however, quite a proportion of the population attending church regularly who are not church members, this raises the somewhat controversial question of what does church membership mean? Someone once said to me in answer to the question, "If it means attending more meetings, I’m not sure I wish to become a member!"

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New Bible focuses on poverty and justice

A new Bible which connects Scriptures with some of the biggest issues of our day has been launched by Bible Society.

The Poverty and Justice Bible is the first ever to highlight more than 2,000 passages that speak of God’s attitude to poverty and injustice.

The Rt Revd Dr Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham and Bible Society’s president, said, “Poverty and injustice are two of the biggest issues of our day, challenging the minds of politicians and social activists around the world. The imbalance of global wealth, famine, water shortages, exploitation and corruption are all issues that invoke outrage – and demand attention. But The Poverty and Justice Bible shows that, in speaking out on these issues, God got there first.”

The idea to develop The Poverty and Justice Bible was born out of a comment by US pastor Rick Warren, who said that he had studied theology and had been a pastor for decades – but had missed more than 2,000 verses that speak of God’s heart for the poor. He claimed that if Christians don’t speak out against poverty and injustice, they lose their credibility.

Christian leader and commentator Tony Campolo added, “Here’s proof that faith without committment to justice for the poor is a sham, because it ignores the most explicit of all the social concerns of Scripture.”

Bible Society staff and experts spent months scouring the Contemporary English Version (CEV) Bible, locating verses relating to poverty and justice. They were left with more than 2,000 sections. From Genesis to Revelation, almost every page emphasised just and fair behaviour. The Poverty and Justice Bible also has study notes to help today’s Christians link social action with Scripture. Topics range from equality to education, farming to Fairtrade.

Bible Society’s Chief Executive James Catford says, “The Poverty and Justice Bible helps the Church engage with the Bible more effectively by linking Scripture with issues that are rooted in today’s world. For Bible Society, this is just as important as our work to make the Bible available.”

Visit www.povertyandjusticebible.org to find out more.

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Church to help with the secrets of a successful marriage

Help is at hand for newly engaged couples preparing for their wedding day.

A new marriage preparation course is now available for parish churches to offer to couples who have pledged to make their vows in front of friends, family, and God.

’Growing Together – the course’ helps couples think through various aspects of married life:-
* their plans for, and attitudes towards, raising children
* the importance of companionship, and staying friends with people outside the couple
* listening and talking: communication skills that both sexes need
* techniques for handling conflict and anger
* the place of sex in their relationship
* the role that religious faith plays in their lives.

The course is designed to be delivered either as a day course or as seven evening sessions, and has been created by former Relate counsellor the Revd Andrew Body, a vicar from Chobham, Kent. Around 58,000 couples choose to get married in a Church of England church each year.

A survey conducted in 2006 for the Church of England suggested that 44 per cent of the UK population believe the church should offer some form of preparation for married life for those who choose the church to conduct their wedding.

Growing Together - The Course (ISBN 978 07151 4135 9) is published by Church House Publishing, priced £19.99, and is available from Christian bookshops including Church House Bookshop, or on the web at: www.chpublishing.co.uk (mail order available).

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Looking at your Community



Visit Chelsea Flower Show – and see a garden meant for the family

If you get to visit the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this month (Tuesday 20 – Saturday 24 May), do look out for The Children’s Society’s garden there.

The Children’s Society decided to build on the success of last year’s Iggy Pop inspired entry, and so returns this year with an urban space for the future. The idea is to present a place where families can spend time together and children can learn about environmental responsibility.

The Children's Society, in partnership with The Co-operative, has opted to exhibit under a new category for gardens for 2008: the Front Garden. This category tackles the controversial issues regarding loss of front gardens for alternative purposes such as parking. The Children's Society Garden explores future urban living, and offers some practical solutions for the environmental concerns of city families.

With this in mind, The Children's Society Garden is not large! Instead, it sits in front of a contemporary house façade and uses vertical features to make the most of its small plot. Water gently flows down a basalt wall, flanked by living walls; dry plants at the top, wet thriving plants at the bottom.


Local Election Fever


Israel celebrates 60 years as a country - 14 May 1948 - 14 May 2008

Editor: as of this month, Israel will have been a country for 60 years. Below we offer some basic facts and figures. If your area has a Jewish community, you may wish to do an interview with the local rabbi, asking him to explain how the Jews feel about this 60th anniversary. Or perhaps you could invite someone in your church who has been to Israel to simply write up their impressions of the country.

Israel lies on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean, bordered by Lebanon in the north, Syria and Jordan in the east, Egypt on the southwest, as well as the The West Bank and Gaza Strip. The population of about 7.2 million are mostly Jews. Israel is the world’s only Jewish state. It is also home to Arab Muslims, Christians, and Druze, and various minority groups.

The modern state of Israel has its roots in the Land of Israel, a concept central to Judaism for more than 3000 years. At the end of World War 1, the League of Nations approved the British Mandate of Palestine, with the idea of creating a “national home for the Jewish people”. In 1947, the United Nations approved the partition of the Mandate of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. The Arab League rejected the plan, but on 14 May, 1948, Israel declared its independence.

The Arab-Israeli War followed, which Israel won. Since then Israel has been in conflict with many of the neighbouring Arab countries. Since its foundations, Israel’s boundaries and even her very right to exist have been subject to dispute. Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, and efforts continue to find a peaceful way forward with the Palestinians.

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24 May 2008 – Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 is 53 years old this year, and will be hosted by Serbia on 24 May in the capital, Belgrade.

Serbia gained the right to host the Contest after Marija Serifovic won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. A record number of 43 countries will be represented at the 53rd Eurovision Song Contest. And for the first time, the contest features two Semi-Finals – they will be held on 20 and 22 May

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Our Community Reporter, Philip Barron, considers the vexed question of loose change….

What is the price of your conscience?

While some may believe that we live in a less moral society today, it seems that most people still have a conscience when it comes to being given excess change.

According to research by SMILE, the internet bank, almost seven in ten (67%) of their customers would return the money when faced with the ethical dilemma of being given too much change by a cashier. Just one in five (20%) believe that they should not return the money to the cashier. One in ten adopting a “finders’ keepers” attitude justified their decision by claiming that they needed the money much more than the short-changed shop or organisation did.

Of those who based their answer on past experiences, almost four in ten blamed an “ungrateful response” after having given money back and receiving no thanks. However, most of those who had been on the receiving end of such acts of honesty were more likely to act honestly with others in the future.

Comments on the bank’s website showed that the main worry if people hung on to the cash was the possibility that the member of staff might have to pay the shortfall if the tills didn’t add up at the end of the day, or might lose their job after being suspected of pocketing the missing amount.

Some were more likely to return money to a small shop that they saw as providing a valuable local service and often struggling to survive, than to give it back to a large bank or supermarket.

Another situation occurs when one is undercharged in a restaurant. Waiters can be quite surprised when the error is pointed out and they have to “undo” the transaction process.

Kelvin Collins of SMILE said: “Some people feel that they should keep the extra money simply because the shop or firm had made the mistake - but honesty really is the best policy.”

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Our suffering oak trees

Our oak trees are in trouble. A devastating disease is advancing through our country’s forests, affecting at least 100 areas, and threatening the very life of thousands of oak tress.

It is virulent and it is called oak decline. It slowly kills the plant from the top down, and experts fear that global warming will increase the spread of the disease. Some experts even predict that oak decline could prove as devastating as Dutch elm disease did in the 1970s.

The Foresty Commission has launched an investigation, and is urging people to notify officials of any sign of the disease. The first sign of oak decline is a yellowing of the foliage. Leaves then start to thin, and the plants dies from the top downwards. Cankers in the trunk can bleed a black, pus-like liquid.

Oak decline weakens the tree’s ability to fight attacks from insects or fungi. Trees that should live for 400 years are dying at 40. From first signs to death, it can take only three years.

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Beyond the edge - one woman’s journey out of post-natal depression and anxiety
Hazel Rolston, IVP, £6.99

“Broken, desperate and humiliated, I entered the house. When I saw Steve and Katherine, my heart felt like it was going to explode in agony. They did not deserve this madness in their lives …”

Cut off by a dense fog of post-natal depression and anxiety, Hazel Rolston felt pushed beyond the edge. But when the grim voice of Despair offered her the path of suicide, she knew instinctively that this was not God's way for her. Hazel doesn't offer us a formula for instant escape. But she does remind us that God is there, even if our feelings say the opposite. No matter how bad things feel, God is faithful to his wounded, broken people beyond the edge

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Get a life - winning choices for working people
Paul Valler, IVP, £8.99

Tired? Trapped? Troubled? Long working hours, travel and ever-evolving gadgets connecting us to an always-on world leave many people sapped of energy and far too tired. Families and friends often get the dregs of lives worn out by work. Financial anxiety is the padlock that keeps us trapped. Sometimes we wonder whether we are in God's will and what the long-term legacy of our life will be.

Work-life balance problems? Paul Valler has been there. Based on firsthand experience of a pressurized life Paul digs deep to uncover the root cause of our symptoms and shows how gaining a strong identity and clear purpose enables us to make winning choices. Bite-sized chapters and thoughtful questions make it possible for even the most committed workaholic to get a life.

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The Toddler Book - how to enjoy your growing child
by Rachel Waddilove, Lion Adult, £7.99

A follow up to the hugely successful the Baby Book, The Toddler Book follows a child's development between the ages 12 - 36 months. Written in an informative yet friendly style, the book is essential for any parent, experienced or not, who wants to approach the terrible two's stage with confidence and a smile.

Topics covered include: sleep, feeding, general care, potty training, illnesses, behaviour, development, play, family life, new baby in the family and the spiritual and emotional needs of a child.

Rachel Waddilove has worked with children for many years and has been private maternity nurse for some well known families including those of Gwyneth Paltrow and Lady Penny Mountbatten.

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Cheerful Madness
by Jo Swinney, Monarch, £6.99

Jo interviews 11 couples, varying in age and outlook, about how and why they reached the altar. Their stories include an arranged marriage, a couple who were engaged within two months of meeting, a love story, a couple who started dating as teenagers, and a couple who found each other as pensioners.

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Could it be Dementia? - losing your mind doesn't mean losing your soul
by Louise Morse, Lion Adult £7.99

This book puts dementia into a Christian context, insisting that loss of memory or reason does not mean a person is worthless.

Dementia is in the headlines on a daily basis. Much information is available but it is all factual with no spiritual content. Yet for Christians, dementia can raise questions unlike any other condition. Why does a godly old man begin to use language that has always been anathema to him? Why does a loving mother become stubborn, and suspicious? Where is God in all of this?

This book offers information and reassurance gleaned from the extensive experience of Pilgrim Homes, a network of nine Christian care homes and a foundation going back to 1807.

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I want to know about Jesus
By Christina Goodings, Lion Children’s £8.99

This book presents key episodes from the life of Jesus in the context of first-century times to introduce young learners to the historicity of Jesus as well as some of the best-loved stories about him, memorable parables and key teachings.

The book contains mini features on how Christians today follow Jesus, which link the first-century events to the universally followed aspects of Christian faith and practice in the modern world.

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Mentoring for Spiritual Growth - sharing the journey of faith
By Tony Horsfall BRF £7.99

What does it mean to be a spiritual friend? How can we mentor those with questions of faith? This is a comprehensive introduction to spiritual mentoring from a UK author with international experience of leading retreats, speaking and writing in this area. As well as exploring the biblical basis for spiritual mentoring and its role in church history, a helpful appendix also gives demonstrations and exercises for a mentoring context, helping you to practically implement a spiritual mentoring programme.

Using the idea of journeying together, Tony Horsfall looks at what it means to be a spiritual friend, the qualities and skills needed, key issues and insights, the goals of mentoring, and mentoring those with questions of faith.

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The Real Scandal of Sex Trafficking
By CHASTE Kevin Mayhew £9.99

Two hundred years since the abolition of the slave trade a new trade has taken its place: the trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation. It is estimated that 4000 women are trafficked into the UK annually and are working in our cities and towns. It is almost certain they will have been entrapped, kidnapped, abused, tortured, serially raped and forced into sexual slavery.

CHASTE (Churches Alert to Sex Trafficking across Europe) is a major interdenominational organisation leading the fight against this vicious and dehumanising trade. They have compiled this book to inform and engage the hearts and heads of individuals and churches and, above all, to challenge every one of us to action.

Published for ‘Not for sale Sunday’ (18 May 2008), there are Bible readings, prayers for personal and public worship, information, testimonies and practical ideas to challenge this great evil of our times

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Alice’s Dad
By Bill Merrington Kevin Mayhew £5.99

Alice looks back over her father’s illness, the good times when he was well enough to play computer with her and take her swimming; the bad times when the house seemed to smell of hospitals and she was afraid to go upstairs. Wandering in the garden, she relives the roller coaster of grief and emotion she and her mum experienced after his death and reflects on the journey they’ve made together.

This moving and realistic story focuses on a parent’s terminal illness. It will be of immense help to bereaved children and their families along with all who care for grieving children.


Prayers and Poems for May

Ascension
The World
Old May Song
After Communion
The Guarding of the God of Life
May Day Prayer
Ascension
A prayer at Whitsun (Pentecost)

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Ascension
(Luke 24:44-53)

Scriptures fulfilled,
Minds opened,
We followed him to Bethany.
And there was joy in the blessing
Of our risen Lord,
Jesus, God on earth.

And in the blessing
Was the leaving,
And in the leaving
Was the blessing –
His Spirit of life and power
To witness to the world
Of our ascended Lord,
Jesus, man in heaven.
Daphne Kitching

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The World

The world of the host and the world of the guest,
The world of which great things are told;
The world of experience, world of the jest,
The world that shall never grow old;

The world of the rogue and the world of the weak,
The world of good fortune and ill;
The world long-ago that is now hard to seek,
The world that is wonderful still;

The world of rejoicing, or repartee strong,
The world where the great and small dwell,
The world of far lands, of sweet music and song,
The heart breaking world of farewell;
The world of the hills and the world of the young,
The world of the good and the gone;
The world of God’s arm so protectingly flung,
The world that still goes on and on.
Ancient Celtic poem


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Old May Song

All in this pleasant evening, together come are we,
For the summer springs so fresh, green and gay;
We tell you of a blossoming and buds on every tree,
Drawing near unto the merry month of May.


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After Communion

Why should I call Thee Lord, Who art my God?
Why should I call Thee Friend, who art my Love?
Or King, Who art my very Spouse above?
Or call Thy Sceptre on my heart Thy rod?
Lo, now Thy banner over me is love,
All heaven flies open to me at Thy nod:
For Thou hast lit Thy flame in me a clod,
Made me a nest for dwelling of Thy Dove.
What wilt Thou call me in our home above,
Who now hast called me friend: how will it be
When Thou for good wine settest forth the best?
Now Thou dost bid me come and sup with Thee,
Now Thou dost make me lean upon Thy breast:
How will it be with me in time of love?
Chistina Rossetti (1830 – 1894)

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With Trinity Sunday in mind….

The Guarding of the God of Life

The God of life with guarding hold you,
The loving Christ with guarding fold you,
The Holy Spirit, guarding, mould you,
Each night of life to aid, enfold you,
Each day and night of life uphold you.

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May Day Prayer

Might of the Triune our shield in distress,
The paschal Christ’s might with his peace to bless,
Spirit’s might, Healer of salvation’s state,
The gracious King’s might, precious Father great.

Bless us ourselves, the children that we own,
Our generations bless that shall be sown,
Bless the sire who gave unto us our name,
And bless her, O God, from whose womb we came.

Each holiness, each blessing, and each power,
Each time be yielded to us and each hour,
In the name above of the Holy Three,
Father, Son, Spirit everlastingly.

The cross of Christ be our shield down today,
The cross of Christ our shield up on our way,
The cross of Christ round be our shield and stay,
Taking at our hands the blessing of May,
At our hands blessing of the Beltane Day.
An ancient Celtic prayer from Benbecula

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Ascension
To complete your seamless robe, and so to complete our faith, you ascended through the air into the heavens, before the very eyes of the apostles. In this way you showed that you are Lord of all, and are the fulfillment of all creation. Thus from that moment every human and every living creature should bow at your name. And, in the eyes of faith, we can see that all creation proclaims your greatness.
A prayer of Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153). He was the main inspiration of the Cistercian Order of Monks.

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A prayer at Whitsun (Pentecost)

This prayer was written by Adam (died c 1177), a canon in the abbey of St Victor in Paris. Adam became famous for these ‘sequences’ which he composed to be sung during Mass at the major festivals. They are often in the form of prayers directed at Jesus.

Who is this who smothers me with the most fragrant perfume? Who is this who transforms my ugliness into perfect beauty? Who is this who gives me the sweetest wine to drink, and the finest food to eat? It is you, Holy Spirit. You turn me into a bride fit for Jesus Christ. You give me wine and food fit for a wedding in heaven.
My heart was weary, but now it is eager for love. My soul was sad, but now it is full of joy. Jesus gave his life for me. Now you, Holy Spirit, give me to him.


St James the Least of All

The Rev Dr Gary Bowness continues his letters from ‘Uncle Eustace’…

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On the tribulations that await a curate in his first parish…

The Rectory
St. James the Least
My dear Nephew Darren


So, your bishop is dropping hints that you should begin to consider a move to having your own parish - "not for ever in green pastures" comes to mind. Do not be too hasty, remember that a curate can do no wrong but a vicar can do no right. As soon as you get your own parish, you will be held accountable not only for everything that goes on inside the church, but also for the goal average of the local football team and the state of the
economy. And if it rains for your first Summer Fete, you will be told reproachfully that this never used to happen when Mr X was here.

As you begin to ponder this momentous decision, allow me to give you a few pieces of advice. It will be assumed in the parish that every new incumbent is bound to be worse than his predecessor. The greatest compliment I ever received when leaving a parish came from an elderly parishioner: “I've known six Rectors of this parish; you weren't the worst.”

Naturally the church you go to will have asked for a married man between 30 and 35 with a wife who will not have her own job but who wants to devote her entire life working for the parish - and it will be a definite advantage if she is a brilliant organist, professional caterer and fully computer literate. They will expect you to have two children, one of whom should be of primary school age, so he can attend the local Church school, where you will naturally wish to be chairman of governors and coach of the football team.

They will want you to have exceptional talents for attracting young people - but for young people who enjoy the sorts of Services that the present congregation prefer - and you should have the ability to stop a baby crying during Mattins with the briefest of glances. They will want you to bring "a breath of fresh air" into parish life without changing anything. They will hope you will shun holidays, preach short sermons and be able to run a tight jumble sale.

Your CV is already beginning to look a little thin. If you could acquire a wife and family within the next six months, become an expert flower arranger and qualify as a football referee, chartered accountant and trained electrician and plumber, it would prove very helpful. If in addition, you learned how to service photocopiers, had a mini-bus available for church outings, were an heir to a family firm producing a single malt whisky and
could provide reliable horse racing tips, your choice of parishes would be endless.

On the other hand, my advice would be to stop attending all meetings where you know the bishop may be present; out of sight, out of mind. Have your phone disconnected, your letterbox sealed and only appear in public wearing dark glasses and false beard. Keep your head down, lay low, hold on to the charmed life of being a curate for as long as possible. Life will never be better.

Your loving uncle,
Eustace




GOD IN THE ARTS

The Rev Michael Burgess continues his series on God in the Arts with a famous painting by Dirk Bouts.

A MEAL TO REMEMBER

When we gather with other Christians to celebrate the eucharist and to make our communion, we are remembering that special meal Jesus shared with his disciples on the eve of his arrest and death. But do we always appreciate what we are doing? Sometimes the monotony of repetition and distractions will get in the way. We fail to recognise Christ’s gift at communion for what it truly is.

Thursday, 22 May, is a special day when we focus with heart and mind on that gift of holy communion offered to us each time we come together to make eucharist.

Perhaps we could try and focus not just with heart and mind on that day, but with imagination as well. Then we might see our face with the faces of the disciples at that Last Supper, and Jesus offering us the bread and wine, saying those words, ‘This is my body’ and ‘This is my blood.’

In the 15th century the prosperous burghers of the Flemish town of Louvain wanted to celebrate the 200th anniversary of this feast of Corpus Christi. They commissioned the artist Dirk Bouts to paint a special altarpiece devoted to the Eucharist for the church of St Peter. Dirk Bouts with his imagination portrayed the Last Supper in a room looking out to his own town of Louvain. The faces of the servers in the room and the cooks looking through the hatch were modelled on the burghers who commissioned the work.

Other faces are modelled on theologians at the new university who visited the artist. They wanted to ensure he kept his theological feet on the ground while his imagination took flight. And so around the scene of the Last Supper, Bouts has painted Old Testament scenes foreshadowing that holy communion: Melchizedek offering bread and wine in return for Abraham’s offering, the eating of the first Passover, the gathering of the manna in the wilderness, and Elijah wakened by the angel to eat and drink before setting out for Horeb. Signs of sacrifice, the Passover of the old covenant, daily food and food for the journey – all key aspects of the communion we celebrate and share in.

Just as the theological faculty reminded Dirk Bouts of all these facets, so the artist is reminding us of the richness of the distinctive meal we have as Christians. When we see the bread and wine taken up and offered, we remember not only the Last Supper, when Jesus fed his disciples with the sacrifice of his life, but those occasions when God reached out to feed his people of old. We rejoice that the food our Lord gives us in the eucharist feeds us now and enables us to make our journey through life to the eternal banquet offered in the heavenly kingdom.




SMILELINES


Here are some miscellaneous one-liners that ring all too true!

The best vitamin for a Christian is B1.

Under the same management for over 2000 years.

Soul food served here.

Don't give up on yourself. Even Moses was once a basket case.

Satan subtracts and divides. God multiplies and multiplies.

What he lacked in depth as a preacher he made up for in length. Mark Twain

That church is so ill, they don’t have sides-people, they have nurses!

Was Noah's wife called Joan of Ark?

Lead me not into temptation. I can find it myself.

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…and here are some observations on life in general…

The things that come to those that wait may be the things left by those who got there first.

Torch: A case for holding dead batteries.

Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

If you lend someone £20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

Birds of a feather flock together and mess on your car.

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Dating
Young man: “I date this girl for two years -- and then the nagging starts: ‘I want to know your name!’"

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Signs of the times
My 10 year old niece says her prayers every night and instead of "amen", she says "click, send."

Applied Law
A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "honour thy father and thy mother," she asked "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"
Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, "Thou shall not kill."

The same yesterday…
Why did Moses wander in the desert for 40 years?
Because even back then men wouldn't ask for directions.

Telly trouble
A woman summoned a TV repairman to fix her set. After spreading his tools out, the serviceman inquired: ‘What seems to be the trouble?”
Replied the woman: “Well, for one thing the programmes are appalling.”

You asked for it
The student, when asked by the teacher to write an essay on ‘The Effects of Laziness’, turned in a blank sheet of paper.

As good as it gets
A shipwrecked man spent five years on a deserted island. One day he was overjoyed to see a ship drop anchor in the bay. A dinghy approached, and a ship’s officer handed the sailor The Times, The Financial Times and The Daily Telegraph. “The captain suggests,” said the officer, “that you read what’s going on in the world before you decide if you wish to be rescued.”

Money
The credit manager asked the applicant: “Do you have much money in the bank?”
“I don’t know,” said the applicant. “I haven’t shaken it lately.”

Got it all already
“I cannot understand you,” said the young man to his unmarried aunt. “You seem so happy and contented. I’ve always thought that unmarried women are lonely and miserable and just longing for the presence of a man about the place.”
“Well,” his aunt responded, smiling, “I’ve got a fireplace that smokes, a parrot that swears, a cat that stays out half the night with no explanation, and a dog that leaves muddy footprints all over the house. What more do I want?”

Lift
The final show for the evening was over and one flea said to the other: “Should we walk home, or take the dog?”


Quotes for May

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With Ascension in mind

Christ’s ascension into heaven was the real commencement of his reign. John Calvin

Astronauts sink into insignificance beside this ascension! Vance Havner

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With Pentecost in mind

In one sense, Pentecost can never happen again. In another sense, it may always be happening, since we live in the age of the Spirit. Arthur Skevington Wood

We could not pray at all were it not for the Holy Spirit. D Martyn Lloyd-Jones

There is one thing we cannot imitate; we cannot imitate being full of the Holy Spirit. Oswald Chambers

Is not the church the very cork on which the world remains afloat? William Hendriksen

He cannot have God for his Father who refuses to have the church for his mother. St Cyprian

The Christian church today suffers because so many of its members feel that THEY have made a decision for Christ, or that THEY have chosen to join a church. Such man-centred notions spell spiritual weakness and imbalance. Anon

An inscription over a church door in Cheshire: ‘This is the house of God. This is the gate of heaven. (This door is locked in winter months.)’ Peterborough Column, Daily Telegraph

When you go to church you should actively seek something. You must not go like an empty basket, waiting passively to be filled. Roger William Riis.

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With Trinity Sunday in mind

No wonder that the doctrine of the Trinity is inexplicable, seeing that the nature of God is incomprehensible. Our faith must assent to what our reason cannot comprehend, otherwise we can never be Christians. Francis Burkitt

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Miscellaneous observations on life

Success
Don’t aim at success – the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself.
Happiness must happen, and the same holds true for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it…. Then you will live to see that in the long run –- in the long run, I say! – success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think of it.
Viktor Frankl (Psychiatrist, concentration camp survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning )

Let us endeavour so to live that when we die even the undertaker is sorry. Mark Twain

In my youth I thought of writing a satire on mankind, but now in my age I think I should write an apology for them. Hugh Walpole

Among the attributes of God, although they are all equal, mercy shines with even more brilliancy than justice. Cervantes

Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn. Robert Burns

Method is like packing things in a box; a good packer will get in half as much again as a bad one. Cecil

It’s easy finding reasons why other folks should be patient. George Eliot

It is necessary to draw near to God, but it is not required of you to prolong your speech till everyone is longing to hear the word ‘Amen’. C H Spurgeon

Prayer is the very life-breath of true Christianity. J C Ryle

Prejudice is a loose idea, firmly held. Anon

Those who think too much of themselves don’t think enough. Amy Carmichael