The tutor stood in front of his class. They were of mixed ages,ethnic and educational backgrounds. Some had physical disabilities and others had mental health problems.”Hands up if you would like this £20 pound note?” he asked as he held it in the air. A forest of hands shot up – everyone wanted it. He then folded up the note. “Who wants it now?” he asked. Again all the hands went up. The tutor picked up the board marker and marked the note. “Hands up if you want it now ?” he asked. Once more, all the hands were raised. Next he tore a piece off the corner of the note. “Anyone want it now?” Again, everyone indicated that despite the note not being in pristine condition it was still wanted. Finally the tutor screwed it up into a tiny ball. “Look at it now” he said. “Does anyone want it?” As you can guess, everyone still did! All knew that the £20 note had retained its value even though it was imperfect. We may be imperfect but we are still valued by God. Our heavenly Father does not love or care for us any less however we may feel about ourselves or what we have done ( or not done). His love is unconditional.
Today here at St. Martin’s, along with other Anglican churches we are keeping Back to Church Sunday. This is an opportunity for us to invite friends and neighbours to come and worship with us – a reminder that all are welcome. If you are a visitor to St. Martin’s this morning –welcome! I hope you find the church family friendly, that you can follow the service, know at least one hymn and that it is a positive experience. You are valued and loved by God. As Jesus said in Matthew 10 v.30, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Perhaps you might like to come again or maybe you would be interested in the Alpha course starting in October?
Picture the scene. Jesus had already appeared to all of the disciples except Thomas and he was not about to believe what his friends were telling him without him seeing and touching the evidence for himself. A week later, Thomas is confronted by the risen Christ, being challenged with all the evidence he needs. “Stop doubting and believe” are Jesus’s words to Thomas and I wonder how he felt after this encounter.
Whilst I am convinced and believe whole heartedly in the resurrection of Jesus, like so many, when it comes to the detail, I have my questions and doubts, particularly in my own abilities. As we continue our walk of faith, God is continually asking us to trust Him and not in our own abilities. Not only do we have this to contend with, but when we do take that step of putting our faith into action, we can always convince ourselves that we could have done better.
Faith is lived out through action, we can believe totally in the saving grace and love of Jesus Christ but without action it is dead. I have been reminded recently that this faith is lived out in the here and now, in all that each day of the week brings to us. The opportunities for our faith to be revealed come and go and God is able to reveal himself to others through our actions, despite our ineptness.
Sometimes I feel like the boy with the fish and bread when Jesus fed the 5,000. What I have to offer is totally inappropriate for the situation and I would rather Jesus ask somebody else. Yet this brings me to the place where Thomas found himself, a place where Jesus challenges me to stop doubting and start believing.
Where would we be without the Holy Spirit? Well for a start, the chances are that you would not be reading this in church or at home. Having just celebrated Pentecost, I wonder if without the Holy Spirit the Good News of Jesus would have remained in a locked room, a well kept secret to a few leaderless people, in fear of their lives.
The experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit can be dramatic as in Pentecost, and we read that the disciples’ experience was not attributed to the hand of God by some of the crowd, some thought they were drunk. However, when we read Acts, we have to acknowledge that somehow the Holy Spirit turned a few scared people into strong and courageous evangelists and that through the Holy Spirit, the church, as we know it, has come to be.
The life of the church is linked to the work of the Holy Spirit within us, the church grows when the body (that is you and me) are open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not just for the individual but for the benefit of the whole church and any kind of spiritual growth at St. Martin’s is down to the Holy Spirit gently nudging individuals, who probably felt inadequate at the time but were willing to listen, to use their gifts and take that step of faith.
Your experience of the Holy Spirit working in a very real and tangible way maybe something that is not seen very often and when it does happen, it is to somebody else. For some, this may be a comfort for others it raises lots of questions. My experience, is that being open to the Holy Spirit is very rarely dramatic but a very gentle process, something that has been echoed by others I have talked to. If you desire more of the Spirit then I believe St. Martin’s should be the place where you can be continually filled with Him through prayer. If this is something that you would like to happen, then just ask.
Whatever your thoughts are on the Holy Spirit, we should all be gratefuland praise God for the way He has worked, is working and will continue to work, with people like you and me, in order to bring us all closer to the love of God, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. All Christians throughout the world draw strength, guidance and inspiration from listening to Him. The same Spirit that was given at Pentecost, that encouraged the church to grow and pass on the message of God’s love down through the ages, is here and now, freely available to us. Praise God!
"Give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
As a church we could not survive without the ongoing support of our members, and so in a very difficult financial climate, where many people are struggling to makes ends meet, I want to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for your ongoing commitment of time and money, without which the church could not function.
I have come to realise that I need to be more thankful – to God and to others.Thankfulness is a wonderful thing, giving thanks not only feels good it also helps us, and it lets others know that we care for them and appreciate them – just think about the occasions people have thanked you for something you have done.The more thankful we are, the more there is to be thankful for. A person cannot be complaining and thankful at the same time.
As Christians we have more reason to be thankful than anyone else, and it is good to express this thankfulness in our worship, our words and through the lives we lead.When we express our thankfulness to others and to God, it helps bring us closer to one another and to God.
As a church we have much to be thankful for.2010 marks St Martin’s golden jubilee year, and it gives us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the life of St Martin’s, and especially to give thanks to God for all that he has done through our church during the last half century.Please give some thought as to some of the things we could do over the course of 2010 to mark this special anniversary and especially to say ‘thank you’ to God who has blessed us in so many ways.
Thank You, God, For Everything
Thank you, God, for everything,
The big things and the small.
For "every good gift comes from God"...
The giver of them all.
And all too often we accept, without any thanks or praise,
The gifts God sends as blessings, each day in many ways.
And so we offer up a prayer...
To thank you, God, for giving us a lot more than our share.
First, thank you for the little things
That often come our way,
The things we take for granted
But don't mention when we pray,
The unexpected courtesy, the thoughtful, kindly deed,
A hand reached out to help us in the time of sudden need.
Oh, make us more aware, dear God, of little daily graces
That come to us with "sweet surprise"
From never-dreamed-of places.
Then, thank you for the "Miracles"
We are much too blind to see,
And give us new awareness of our many gifts from Thee,
And help us to remember that the Key of Life and Living
Is to make each prayer a Prayer of Thanks
And every day Thanksgiving
--Helen Steiner Rice
On January 6th, Twelfth night, Epiphany, we were driving on the motorway system around Madrid. We couldn’t understand why, although there were up to six lanes available, ours was the only vehicle on the road for quite long periods of time. A quick check in our trusty handbook gave the answer to our lack of understanding. It was a national holiday – it was the day on which Spanish children were given their Christmas presents.
Over the years we have spent several holidays at the time of religious festivals in Spain and other Catholic countries and we never cease to be amazed how involved the whole community becomes in their celebration. We have seen the most amazing statues carried on the shoulders of numerous men, each statue or tableau showing the important features of the festival. People seem to live their faith more openly at these times.
More years ago than I will admit our Chapel used to have three Sundays before our Anniversary when we used to parade around the village singing hymns and advertising this important time. On the third Sunday we often had a silver band to accompany us as we finished our parade. People in the village had no doubt about the commitment of the couple of dozen people who took part each year or of the strength of faith of our congregation.
On anniversary Sunday the chapel would be packed afternoon and evening as villagers joined us in our celebration of faith. Sadly, like many old traditions it no longer happens.
Perhaps we have become too self conscious about proclaiming our faith or perhaps we are too politically correct and prefer not to cause apparent offence to those of other faiths or to non believers.
Yet, if either is true, how are we going to grow God’s Kingdom? We, as a Church, need to think carefully how we can involve ourselves more in proclaiming our faith in the wider community. I have no answers – I wish I did. Perhaps we could use the weeks leading up to the Church’s greatest festival to think about how to proclaim the Risen Lord. God bless John
Each New Year is a time of hope: particularly so in 2009, as we look forward to a new and very different President in the USA. Billions of people look to Barack Obama to uphold the highest aspirations of the American people, rather than serving their basest economic greeds, as his predecessor has sometimes done.
Like all human beings, he is doomed to fail, of course.
But I believe he will achieve a lot for all of us. America has a written constitution, unlike the UK, and this sets out ideals like religious freedom, peace, justice and welfare. These have often been ignored both hat home and abroad, and if Obama can re-establish the USA as the great and good power it aspires to be, he will have fulfilled all we can reasonably hope.
Justice. This means a lot in Palestine and Israel today. It means that it is wrong to launch missiles against civilian targets – and also that it is wrong for a powerful government to cut off supplies of fuel, food, and water to a neighbour, as the Israeli government ahs done.
Of the two, perhaps the greater wrong is that perpetrated by the Israeli government: after all, the greatest wrong of the Twentieth Century is probably the extermination of six million Jews by the Nazis. How can a nation that includes so many who remember (and even survived) the Holocaust allow its own government to strike against a nation mainly comprising the poor and innocent?
British experience in Ireland shows that it is only the costly forgiveness that Jesus preached that brings peace. Demanding an eye for an eye makes everyone blind.
We are all sinners: we acknowledge this weekly. One of the things we do not often do is examine the acts of our government – and other governments – and ask them to live up to our ideals.
2009 is the year to do this, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Christuraj lives in Chennai India. The mud and brick shacks of his community are so close to the river that when it floods, sewage washes into people’s homes. Unemployment, alcoholism and violence are rife but life poses even more problems for Christuraj. “My father had small pox and is blind in both his eyes,” explains the 15-year-old. “I have to do everything for him.” Christuraj’s mother left when he was just five years old and Christuraj has to take sole responsibility for his father.
But, in spite of his hardship, Christuraj has big dreams. “I want to be a doctor,” he says with resolution. Every day after school and every Saturday Christuraj attends the Andrew’s Kirk Child Development Centre, run in conjunction with the child development ministry Compassion. “I want to be a big man and bring honour to my father and Compassion because they are helping me a lot.”
In the cramped and crowded community where the majority of parents work as casual day labourers, uncertain where the next meal is coming from, the child development centre is a breath of fresh air. It is here that Christuraj gets a healthy evening meal every day and regular medical checkups; something his father could never afford to provide for him. He can play cricket and football with his friends and get extra support with his studies. He even gets a chance to learn valuable computer skills. But the Bible study classes are his favourite. “What I love the most is the word of God,” he says with a warm smile.
His father’s disability means that Christuraj’s family have no regular income. Without the support of the project and his sponsor, Christuraj’s knows his life would be very different. “If Compassion had not been there, we would have been begging on the street.”
For more than 50 years Compassion has been working to transform the lives of children across the world. In addition to their financial support sponsors can also exchange letters with the children they sponsor and pray for them. More than a million children are currently attending Compassion’s church based projects in 25 of the world’s poorest countries, but there are many more children waiting for a sponsor to give them the opportunities that Christuraj has been given.
It costs just 60p a day, less than the price of a cup of tea, to transform the life of a child like Christuraj through sponsorship. To find out about Compassion visit www.compassionuk.org or call 01932 836490. Alternatively, speak to Diane Sainsbury.
Every time I’ve turned on the radio or the television over the last few weeks there seems to be only one topic: the economic crisis.I’m not an economist, so I won’t pretend to understand all the complexities involved.Part of the problem is that none of the economists or politicians seems to know either, nor do they know how to get us out of the difficulty!
What I know for certain is that however difficult things become for us, (and they may become very difficult indeed in the years ahead), our hardships will not compare with those endured by our brothers and sisters in Darfur, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and many other places we could all name.Charitable giving is often one of the first casualties in an economic downturn, so we need to make sure we remember those worse off than ourselves.
In Matthew 25 v.35 + 36 Jesus said: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” This is the inspiration for the majority of charities that exist in our country.
At this time of Advent, as we wait with mounting anticipation for the Christ Child, God’s Emmanuel, the light of the world, we remember that He was not born in a palatial home with central heating, en suite facilities and surround sound HD television.Jesus was born in a cold, uncomfortable, smelly stable surrounded by animals.The stressed and busy inn-keeper acted with compassion and sympathy towards this young couple whose child was about to be born.Our Christmas challenge is to do the same for our needy neighbours.If we are not salt and light for God then what are we?
It just seems as though The Net is getting better and better. This was certainly true in November, when we looked at the story of Jonah and the Whale. The highlight was when the hall was decorated to make it look like the inside of the whale, and we all went into the darkened hall carrying glow sticks, and listened to the story of Jonah and the Whale.
These photos give a flavour of some of the fun we had.
On our recent holiday we have been able to indulge our love of history by visiting ancient monuments, castles, cathedrals, palaces, churches and historical pageants.We have certainly seen some spectacular sights and have sat absorbed for over two hours late at night by Le Puy du Fou near Cholet.
Yet I like going into churches for their tranquillity and stillness. Three stick in my mind. The first, in St Marti d’Empuries, Spain, was very old dating back hundreds of years but it was also in superb condition. The bare stone walls were not of dressed stone but they gave a friendly feel to the church. It was very light, because of numerous electric lights, and beautifully cared for. We managed to sneak in just before a wedding and it was stunning.
The second was a Church in Albert in the Somme which was very large and surmounted by a gold statue of the Virgin Mary. This church was only built in the late nineteenth century and before it was twenty five years old it had been largely destroyed. Yet it had been rebuilt and restored with love and care.
The final one was the imposing and highly decorated Cathedral at Amiens.It is an extremely large building with amazing carvings in wood and in stone. It is easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer scale of this church. (To modern tastes some of its features are really over the top). Its building was certainly a long term commitment – it took over 300 years to finish.
However, I have to say that it’s nice to be back at St Martin’s.It’s a lovely church with the imposing “A” frame shape and the impressive end wall carving, but what is more important the building is light and friendly on the inside.(The people aren’t bad either.) As we approach St Martin’s half centenary we know we face problems with the building but I’m sure that our congregation is no less committed than the congregations of the other churches I’ve mentioned and that by working together we can succeed to carry out all the work needed and ensure our church lasts as long as these others,
Churches are built to glorify God and if He is with us we can achieve anything.
Harvest Festival is not the most important service in the church’s calendar, but is one of the most loved ones. It gives one such a lift to enter the church, decorated with flowers, foliage, fruit and produce; to give thanks for a successful harvest, and to join in the singing of the old favourite harvest time hymns. We do not live in a rural, farming community, so our harvest may be different. We give thanks for the harvest of the seas, from the factories and workshops, the harvest of science and research, of the arts and all learning. We are so blest, we have so much and it is right we should give thanks to our most generous God and Father.
Celebrating the bringing in of a successful harvest dates back to pagan times; and in years gone by, church bells would be rung each day of the gathering. The horse drawing the last cart of harvested produce would be trimmed with flowers and ribbons. A strong and respected man of the village would be elected as‘Lord of the Harvest’ and he would preside over the celebration end of harvest feast. Celebrating as we do today, dates from 1843, when Rev. Robert Hawker invited his parishioners to a special thanksgiving service at his church in Morwenstow, Cornwall, to give thanks for a good harvest.
In our area there are not the poor and needy who need food and flowers, so this year we focus on the work of Tear Fund, who are one of the U.K.’s leading relief and development charities. They are addressing a wide range of issues including HIV, water and sanitation, reducing the impact of disasters, economic disasters, economic injustice and climate change. They work in more than 60 countries and are committed to offering hope, providing a meaningful future and speaking out against injustice. Tear Fund is one of the charities that St. Martin’s supports and we pray that all of us will give generously to our collection, which will go to furthering the work of Tear Fund. Any tinned or packaged food given will go once more to the Glebe Centre who do such sterling work for the homeless and needy of our town.
We all have so much. We pray that with Jesus’ teaching in mind we will be able to share our God given bounty with others who are so less fortunate than we.
Last Thursday was the first anniversary of the St. Martin’s Café.It’s been an eventful year and one which I have enjoyed immensely.It started off as a tentative venture, trying to reach out to the lonely or isolated people on our surrounding estates.It was daunting at first with very small numbers of visitors.Then there was the heart thumping anxiety of having to do a presentation for the Bishop and his team. (They actually turned out to be delightful and very supportive.)Next was the challenge of writing an article for “The Park Hall Pioneer” to publicise the café.Numbers of visitors were already slowly increasing, but once Jane Quinn started her Tai Chi classes, numbers soared.People have been reunited with old friends and many have found new friends and support.It has become part of their regular social life.The teams of volunteers have been a joy to work with and have brought companionship and pleasure to many people in our community.
When the café was set up, one of the aims was to support “Traidcraft” by using Fair Trade products wherever possible.Not only has this been achieved but since then the idea has been extended further to include the small chocolate stall which we now have every week.This seems very popular with everyone and is helping a good cause.
Our hope for the future is to build bridges between the café and the church.To that end the church has been open every Thursday, during café opening hours, since the end of June.People are welcome to come in, sit quietly, listen to the music, absorb the atmosphere and pray if they wish.It is sad that security worries dictate that our beautiful building has to be locked for so much of the time, as it is an oasis of calm and peace in a busy world.Please pray that through contact with the café, the Christian helpers who serve there and easier access to the church, many will be brought back to faith or encouraged to find out more about our wonderful God.
A very warm welcome to everyone joining us today, we pray you will experience the love of God as we worship this morning.
In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
As Christians our calling is to love others as we love ourselves. It’s a very challenging commandment. How can we love those who seem unlovable, how can we love those people who we find so difficult to get along with? The reality is that left to ourselves we cannot, but with God we can start to love others as we are meant.
Just as knowing who we are in Christ is the foundation for our Christian life, it also forms the basis for the way we relate to other people. “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) We give freely because we have received freely (Matthew 10:8). We are merciful because He has been merciful to us (Luke 6:36), and we forgive in the same way that Jesus has forgiven us.
We have received God’s amazing grace, his undeserved forgiveness, love and mercy, and the more we experience this, then the more we begin to find that we want to give it away to others.
Today is Back to Church Sunday and our prayer is that you may find out more about this God who loves you.
The Bishop of Stafford has called on churchgoers to celebrate Anglicanism and “proclaim what God has done and is doing for us in Jesus Christ.” The Rt Revd Gordon Mursell makes his comments in a pastoral letter printed in the February edition of parish magazines in the Diocese of Lichfield.
He says the church only has itself to blame for media reports about how mainstream churches in the UK have ‘lost it’, or are in ‘terminal decline’. And he adds: “We English Anglicans are extraordinarily good at talking down our church. It’s frightening to ask yourself: how often have I been in a conversation with non-churchgoers during which I’ve criticized ‘the Diocese’ or ‘the Evangelicals’ or ‘the Prayer Book groupies’ - or simply failed to use the opportunity to say what I really value about my church and my faith?
“And we are incomprehensibly obsessed with sex - or at least that’s the impression we often give. Perhaps we’ve never really got over the fact that one of our founders (Henry VIII) had serious marital problems.
“But all this is light years away from the real purpose and vision of our church, which is to proclaim and celebrate what God has done and is doing for us in Jesus Christ, who died for us and now lives and reigns as lord and king.”
He adds: “Anglicanism has not lost its way. There are already twenty times as many practising Anglicans in Nigeria as there are here. I have myself witnessed Anglican churches in Malaysia and Hong Kong that are pulsating with life and faith and engaging with justice and peace issues in their locality. And there are countless signs of hope and new life here in our own diocese. If you don’t see them in yourself, or your church, ask yourself the hard question: how Christ-centred is my church, and my faith? Or (to put it another way) does your church really behave like an institution (interested in keeping itself going) or like a movement (passionate about its goals and values)?
“Anglicanism is a living branch of the Jesus Movement. We stand for a Bible-based faith that is both life-changing and thoughtful, both enthusiastic and challenging, rooted in tradition but deeply engaged in contemporary life and culture. A contradiction in terms? Nonsense. It’s the faith Jesus came to teach and to live. So let’s celebrate it. For nothing less is good news for our world.”
Welcome to the blog of St Martin's Church in Walsall. On this site we publish our weekly reflections, which we hope will inspire, challenge and stimulate you. Please take time to visit our main website at www.walsallstmartins.2day.ws (see link below)
