Dear Friends,
THE MASKED SINGER!
I never thought I would hear myself saying it, but I do sympathise with Boris. There will be people who think he can do no wrong and for others he can do no right.
I thought he got it wrong last week when he said that he wasn’t going to self isolate, but did he get it right when he changed his mind? Politics can be so ugly, but, as christians, we don’t play that game because we commend people who listen and try to right a wrong!
Too tired to taste the honey!
As we prepare to listen to the Word of God it is an absent story that inspires my message this week. I found myself reflecting on what is not said rather than what will we read as I followed the lectionary reading for the week — with a few verses added by myself.
Dear Friends,
I am often encouraged by Church leaders who see the urgent need for change, but continue to be disappointed when it doesn’t seem to happen. I wonder, why not?
Some will argue that church leaders — whether they be ministers, vicars, pastors or some other title — are frustrated by church members who want everything to remain as it has always been. Others will point to the hypocrisy of our leaders who say one thing and do another. There are also those who will say that we’ve got what God has given us and only God can change that! Children don’t always do as their Father tells them so are we stubbornly going our own way, doing our thing rather than God’s will? Lots of questions!
Dear Friends,
I noted with sadness that 29 United Reformed Church buildings have closed in the past year and hope we will “remember them” as Jesus asks us to “remember him.” It is in the remembering that we can celebrate the joy of the ‘risen Christ’ to help us through our grief and look forward with a vision of hope.
Mark 6: 1-13
The hometown for Jesus today is the Church. That is the place where his family live — so I am amazed at our lack of faith in what he tells us.
We are his brothers and sisters in the world today, but we make him weep because we don’t understand what he tells us and how to make peace. (Luke 19: 41) His home is now global, as well as local, and Jesus can’t do the miracles among us unless we have faith in what he tells us and in what he does.
Dear Friends,
I must admit there have been many times when I have been guilty of thinking, “oh no, I don’t have to work with them, do I Lord?” The answer has been, “yes, you do,” and the experience has been one of valuable learning. That doesn’t mean the experience was enjoyable, but the learning was necessary for my ministry to grow.
BROADWAY URC – 27TH JUNE 2021
DIFFERING VOICES
CALL TO WORSHIP –
I wait eagerly for the Lord’s help,
I wait for the Lord more eagerly than watchmen wait for the dawn,
Trust in the Lord because his love is constant,
And he is always willing to save. Psalm 130
Dear Friends,
I was reminded how our small experiences can give us an insight into some of the bigger problems people confront when I was reflecting on Refugee Day last Sunday. It cannot compare with the suffering of refugees and asylum seekers risking their lives to find sanctuary and hope for the future, but one of my trivial grievances made me feel like a spiritual refugee seeking a new home.
We’re not all in the same boat!
Mark 4: 35-41
If ever you are caught in a storm at sea remember there are others in boats far less seaworthy than your own. We can be on the same ocean, in the same storm, but in very different boats! Feeling a little queasy on a large passenger ship on the ocean, or a ferry crossing the North sea, is not the same as being in an overcrowded dinghy being overwhelmed by the waves. We are all in the same boat is not a phrase I agree with — but I do want to help people into my boat. Or jump in with them and help them safely reach the shore.
Dear Friends,
The Church is like a garden that has grown with seeds and weeds side by side — and both are valuable to God!
Last Friday we considered how the Earth is heaven’s Garden and God is the Gardener, preparing, sowing, pruning and so pleased with the goodness that grows. When the Gardener’s will is grown from the earth as in heaven the work will be done and God will take a rest!