THE QUEEN'S SPEECH

I listened to a sermon on Sunday last which reminded me very forcibly of how impressed I was listening to the Queen’s speech to the nation on Christmas Day. I remember sitting up sharply at the overt nature of the Christian message which she gave toward the end of her speech. I think it well worth repeating in this column. It was so heartening that the monarch of the Realm and the Head of the Church of England should so simply yet so pointedly give honour to Jesus and to the message of forgiveness that he brought.

So here is her last section:
"For many this Christmas will not be easy. With our armed forces deployed around the world, thousands of service families face Christmas without their loved ones.
The bereaved and the lonely will find it especially hard. And, as we all know, the world is going through difficult times. All this will affect our celebration of this great Christian festival.
Finding hope in adversity is one of the themes of Christmas. Jesus was born in a world full of fear. The angels came to frightened shepherds with hope in their voices: ‘Fear not!’ they urged, ‘We bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.’
Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves – from our recklessness or our greed. God sent into the world a unique person - neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are, but a Saviour, with the power to forgive. Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God's love.
In the last verse of this beautiful carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem, there's a prayer: “O Holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us we pray. Cast out our sin and enter in. Be born in us today”.
It is my prayer that on this Christmas day we might all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and for the love of God through Christ our Lord. I wish you all a very happy Christmas."

This is her year of Jubilee, and we have much to be thankful for in the personal life and the sincere Christian faith of our Queen. She has been a great gift to this country; totally committed to her duty as Queen, and steadfast through both her own personal troubles and the troubles of the nation. She undoubtedly stands out among a long line of national monarchs not all of whom have been so sure footed as she has. It would be very fitting to pray that this Jubilee Year will find her at full strength and having numerous opportunities to give a principled and Christian input to the nation. This would be her own desire, of that I have no doubt. She has certainly given us a lead in speaking out about the Christian faith in a multi-faith society,undaunted by the absurd notion of those who say such speaking is bound to cause offence. She causes no offence because fact is, of course, she speaks with grace and in the spirit of peace.



Bob


To make a comment: click on word “comments” below, write your comment in the white box which appears and add your name and e mail address (if you wish), choose “select profile”, click “anonymous” and then continue.

THE PLEASURE AND POWER OF PRAYER

I do apologise for this column being posted rather late in the day. The reason is that Tuesday has become a day in which I am particularly involved in leading some prayer in the church throughout the month of January. The church in which I worship has set aside the whole of the month for prayer and cancelled all its normal midweek meetings so that people may engage specifically in prayer. I have been leading a series of sessions called “Praying for the World”.

I haven’t mentioned this just to make an excuse, but in order to say to you how wonderfully refreshing it is to be part of an extended period in which prayer is the dominating activity. There is nothing quite so exhilarating or so strengthening, even though one is aware of constant spiritual opposition. I simply wanted to say that I do hope this year will not go very far before you or your church may become similarly involved.

This has not been a prayer month when anything “grandiose” has been attempted. No special, “big” meetings have been announced, and no “hype”. It is simply that the church and its different rooms are open every day for people to go into and pray in whatever way they wish and for however long they wish. The response has been remarkable with people showing a real appetite to seek the Lord. Various church activities are prayed for in corporate as well as personal manner, but the emphasis is on seeking the face of the Lord for Kingdom blessing in whatever way each person feels important. This is producing a powerful relaxedness. It has brought about a great release of the spirit of prayer which has resided in many church members for some years now.

My own particular burden is to seek God for the church that it might have increased understanding of the world, greater and deeper prayer for the world, and more people being called into world mission. I have had room to express my heart concern with others who have a similar concern. Other heart burdens, different and equally legitimate, have been similarly released. It gives a great sense of the body of Christ moving forward. It’s a great and satisfying feeling.

Prayer in the life of the church is, of course, the supremely important factor for future growth, effectiveness and spiritual quality. Many have said that the church ought always to be in revival as the norm. So indeed it should. Theoretically that is fine, but at the practical level the sustaining of a church in the full power and grace of the Spirit is utterly dependent upon the time we give to God, the time we spend in his presence and the eagerness of our hearts to be about his business and to be utterly godly and righteous.

I feel so blessed when I am part of a genuine prayer movement of prayer, and I simply wanted to encourage you to re-engage in such movement as we move into this new year. I anticipate that it will be a year of real difficulties, one calling for much grace, patience and faith.



Bob

To make a comment: click on word “comments” below, write your comment in the white box which appears and add your name and e mail address (if you wish), choose “select profile”, click “anonymous” and then continue.

THINKING ABOUT THE NEW YEAR

Well, the New Year has come! We have welcomed it in, largely with food, fizz and fireworks, and offered good wishes.


January 1st is, however, very much a rootless occasion. That is to say it is not grounded on any substantial event or memory. The date has no inherent message. Christmas is rather different since Christmas is rooted in the celebration of the birth of the Son of God and the offer of human salvation. The Jewish New Year as it is presented in the Old Testament is also full of meaning. The first month of the Jewish calendar (Abib) was set aside by God to mark the deliverance of the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt and it included the Feast of Passover. Thus for the Jew the New Year was a memorial of deliverance, of a new freedom and of an assurance that God was their God and would be with them. It spoke of hope.

The Church of England calendar marks January 1st with the Circumcision of Jesus since, as was customary, that ceremony took place eight days after Jesus’ birth. It is not intended as a “New Year” event, and those who are aware of such a festival are an infinitesimal few, even in the church!


The Anglican calendar does not start, however, on January 1st. It actually starts several weeks before Christmas, and it starts with the season of Advent. Advent is the real start of the church year. That can be seen by a quick glance at the Anglican Prayer Book. And when we look at the message of Advent we really do have something substantial with which to begin a New Year!

“Advent” means “Coming” and the message of Advent is simply “Get yourself ready for the coming of the Lord” and “Put your hope in Him”. That is a great attitude, a very positive attitude to adopt as we gather ourselves together and face the uncertainties of the future.

The opening prayer on the first Sunday in Advent goes directly to our fundamental need: “Give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light”. These words are a direct quotation from Romans 13 which is one of the set readings which follow the prayer. Thus we are reminded that at the beginning of the “liturgical” year it is time to take stock of our lifestyle. We dare not go into an unknown future without the cloak of righteousness. If God should come in judgements (as seems all too likely) then only the cloak of righteousness will mark us out and bring us his sparing grace. So “Let us walk honestly as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying; but putting on the Lord Jesus Christ”. These are deep, serious resolutions made with a recognition in mind of the enabling grace of God.

The opening prayer of the second Sunday in Advent prays that “we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life” through the diligent reading of the Scriptures. That will be an incredibly important mindset for the increasing numbers of those facing persecution in this coming year, as well as those facing the deepest challenges of life. The foundation of true hope is always in the promises of a faithful God.

It’s all rather more sobering and strengthening than a bottle of Champagne!


Bob



To make a comment: click on word “comments” below, write your comment in the white box which appears and add your name and e mail address (if you wish), choose “select profile”, click “anonymous” and then continue.


To print this column: click on the date of this column in the archive list on the right of this page. This will give you this column on its own. Then print.