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Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears. –Barbara Johnson It’s important for parents to live the same things they teach. – Anon The two agencies that redistribute great fortunes are taxation and offspring. – Anon With the exception of world unrest, nothing breaks out in more places than an old garden hose. – Anon A church council is a gathering of important people who singly can do nothing, but together can decide that nothing can be done. – Anon Live your life and forget your age. – Frank Bering My clothes are addressed to women who can afford to travel with forty suitcases. – Yves Saint Laurent In order to live off a garden, you practically have to live in it. – F M Hubbard 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 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. – Sir Richard Cecil It’s easy finding reasons why other folks should be patient. – George Eliot If you would like to live a quiet, peaceful, uneventful life, you were born at the wrong time. – Anon Originally posted in The Heath, May/June 2021
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If you wish to know God, you must know His Word. – C H Spurgeon Freedom comes by filling your mind with God’s thoughts. – Erwin Luther Keep the faith…but not from others! – Anon It is still one of the tragedies of human history that the ‘children of darkness’ are frequently more determined and zealous than the ‘children of light’. – Martin Luther King The longest journey is the journey within. – Dag Hammarskjold The real measure of a man’s wealth is what he has invested in eternity. – Anon Thank God for what you have, TRUST GOD for what you need. – Anon It is possible to be so active in the service of Christ as to forget to love Him. – P T Forsyth Blessed are the peacemakers; they will never be unemployed. – Anon Laughter is God’s sunshine. – Anon Among the attributes of God, although they are all equal, mercy shines with even more brilliancy than justice. –Cervantes 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 Originally posted in The Heath, May/June 2001
Today’s reading is John 2:13-22. 13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. The site of the temple was very historic. It was built on Mount Moriah where Abraham very nearly sacrificed Isaac. This is the same place where Solomon built his temple. The temple in the reading was one of Herod the Great’s major building projects. Construction started around 20 BC and, as John tells us, it took 46 years to build, although we know that it was not fully completed until 63 AD. The temple was comprised of the sanctuary, which housed the main part of the temple and the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant. Within the precinct, the open-air Court of the Gentiles surrounded the sanctuary. It was here that Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest, had allowed traders to set up their stalls to help with the running of the temple. During Passover, 300-400 thousand pilgrims came to the temple to exchange their Roman Denarii or Greek drachma into coins acceptable to pay the Temple Tax of half a shekel. Roman coins featured the image of the emperor, thus proclaiming his divinity. Therefore, these coins were blasphemous and not allowed in the temple. Traders of livestock or doves were needed to sell the appropriate sacrifices. Make no mistake, the traders were doing what Jewish law demanded. Yet, the temple itself was meant to be a place of prayer. Zechariah, writing to the Jews returning from exile, portrayed a vision that, "Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a merchant in the house of the Lord Almighty." (Zechariah 14:21) Similarly, Isaiah 56:7, written around 681 BC, reminds us, “For my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” And, Jeremiah 7:11, who wrote to the people of Judah during his ministry between 627-586 BC, protests and asks, “Has this house which bears my name become a den of robbers to you?” Caiaphas deliberately allowed the traders into the temple precincts, whereas they usually traded outside the temple in the Kidron Vallery. Jesus, in John’s account, at the beginning of his ministry, goes to the temple and is incensed, not with the actual trading, but the fact it was happening inside the temple. So, he drove them out with a self-made whip. It is interesting to compare the report of John with the Synoptic Gospels. All three of the Synoptics record this episode at the beginning of Holy Week, i.e. the end of Jesus’ ministry. All three suggest this was the tipping point, the reason Jesus had to die. He had control of the crowd, and he was starting to meddle in the temple economy. It seems a logical place to write this story, but John has it right at the beginning, straight after the first miracle of turning water into wine. In John’s Gospel, there are three Passovers annotated. The period of John’s Gospel is at least two years, whereas the Synoptics have one year. This story presents Jesus as a radical person. Jesus is angry and showing his humanity. John reminds us that Jesus is fully human as well as fully divine. We also recall that Jesus wept at Lazarus’ death, again showing his humanity and compassion. The question I ask, therefore, is when is it right to be angry? The history of this passage has influenced different responses. Origen, in the second century AD, said that the account was not historical but metaphysical. The temple is the soul of a person freed from earthly things to serve God. On the other hand, John Chrysostom, in AD 391, defended the historical account. People have used it to justify the use of violence by Christians, for example, Augustin of Hippo. In 1075, Gregory VII used it to justify his actions against the Simonic clergy. Bernard of Clairvaux, who lived 1090-1153, used it to defend the Second Crusade; and John Calvin used it to support his action against the polymath Michael Servetus when he was burnt at the stake for the heresy of rejecting the concept of the Trinity. So, where do we stand on our thinking of righteous violence? It seems to me that the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) show a great deal about God as well as God’s people. The Israelites had just escaped from slavery in Egypt, where it was common to worship many gods. On Mount Sinai, God offers to Moses the Ten Commandments by which his people must live, the first being the very radical and scary commandment of having no other god but God. In Jesus’ time, the Romans and Greeks worshipped loads of gods, e.g. the ten Olympians, so to demand they only worship one rather than have the protection of several was a scary, totally revolutionary concept. God revealed that the creation of the world happened in seven days: six to create and the seventh to rest. This idea of working for six days and resting for one was for our good. God cares about God's people. In a world dominated by violence, when human life went unvalued, God gave the commandments of not killing, stealing or committing adultery. God was a God of community. So, would a God who has laid these groundworks be happy with righteous anger? I think yes, but it cannot go beyond the confines of killing or being violent toward one another. There are Bible passages to help us when we feel or witness anger. Proverbs 12:16 tells us that a prudent man overlooks an insult Romans 12:17-21 says " Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath ... Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Psalm 4:4: In your anger do not sin… trust in the Lord. James 1:19: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. God wants us to love God and to love our neighbour. In doing so, we have to ensure that we do not uphold the status quo if people are being oppressed. Jesus cleared the temple, so we have to clear and declutter all the things that stop us from having a relationship with God. We have to cleanse ourselves and declutter ourselves from all the habits that lead us to do things that are wrong and lead us away from God’s presence. The temple was an awe-inspiring building. It spoke of the glory of God, but it is just a building. After its completion in AD 63, it was demolished in AD 70 when the Romans, after a 4-year siege, destroyed Jerusalem. Our lives have to be built upon the foundation of a righteous God who loves justice and mercy. So, as well as decluttering ourselves to remove the obstacles preventing us from coming to God, perhaps we should look at the various laws we follow. There are many poor people in the world, but what are the systems that keep them poor, and how can we challenge those systems so that the kind of world that God wants for God's people can be fully realised? That is our challenge for Lent, that we not only look at ourselves, but we also look at society and think how it could be improved so that God's love, mercy and justice can be offered to all. This sermon was first preached by Reverend Martin Wheadon on 7th March 2021 at Western Road URC via Zoom
Dear Friends,
Winter is here, frost lies on the ground, branches are white, it does look beautiful, yet the frost soon disappears, and everything is green again. Signs of Spring are also appearing, the bulbs in my pots are poking their heads up and I have seen daffodils at least 15cm tall. For me, this year the cycle of the seasons, disrupted though it is by climate change, seems more important. In a time of uncertainty when planning is difficult it roots us in the creative cycle, resting, growth, flowering and reminds us of the permanence of creation and the world. We can look ahead, we don’t know what the coming year will hold, how long restrictions will be in place, throughout all this bulbs, trees and flowers will continue to grow and give us beauty and colour. Despite the uncertainty we can dream, reflect, think, and pray about what God’s will and purpose is for us as individuals and as fellowships. A period of inactivity in the building, forced by lockdown, enables us to think about using the building and worship space in different ways in the future, maybe starting new activities/groups as we seek to walk the way of Jesus, living the life of Christ today. Worshipping on Zoom, although not ideal, gives us different orders of service, new thoughts about interacting and participation. I’m sure you have other dreams/thoughts/ideas about this and other aspects of church life, please do you share your dreams/thoughts/ideas with me and/or your elder. I am looking forward to my induction on February 14th although I have now been here for nearly 6 months it will mark new beginnings for us all. Thank you to all those assisting with the preparations and technical matters. A friend sent me the following which I share with you: The richest wealth is Wisdom. The strongest weapon is Patience, The best security is Faith. And the most effective tonic is Laughter. May God bless you today with all of them. Alison Western Road URC's Advent Candle Readings Alexander: When Jesus spoke again to the people, we read from John 8 v12, Jesus said, 'I am the light of the world’. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. The nations will walk by this light and all people will see God’s glory”.
We Light the Advent candle for Light Alexander: We read Based on Ephesians chapter 5 “Live as children of light” …. Follow God’s example and follow the path he has shown us, even when there may be challenges ahead. “Follow God’s example, and walk in the way of love just as Christ loved us and find out what pleases the Lord” James: Prayer of Light: Dear Lord, now it is time to share and celebrate the Christmas festival of lights send the radiance of your light to shine in our hearts. Help us remember that Jesus is the light of the world Help us follow the right path even when this may be challenging Make us true to your teaching; keep us free from error and sin. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, Amen. Western Road URC's Advent Candle Readings Daniel: Today on the fourth Sunday of Advent, we light an Advent candle.
Erin: The brightness of the candle reminds us of God’s glory that shone around the shepherds when they heard the angels’ first Christmas greetings: ‘Do not be afraid.’ We pray that God’s glory will reign on earth as it does in the highest heaven. Daniel: We Light the candle for Peace Erin: We read From ‘Luke 1.78-79’: By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ Carol: Prayer of Peace: Lord Jesus, Quiet the worries and fears in our hearts. Give us your peace, Let there be peace among the nations, Peace in our homes, and peace in our hearts Thank you for the life you share with us thank you for enabling us to share your life with others. Come Lord Jesus. Amen The following was written and read by Linda at Trinity URC on 13th December 2020 At the start of Advent or even earlier in the shops now days, we begin to hear carols that are very familiar to us. In some instances, so familiar that we sometimes forget to listen to the message they contain. So to end our festival of carols and readings today, we are going to focus on the message of one such carol that has been sung for over 300 years “Joy to the World”. As my colleague Anna says when we need an answer to anything we don’t know – google it, so google has assisted me here and I would like credit the following authors of articles I have read to help me prepare this message. Ray Fowler Jonathan Powers Matt Boswell Keith Getty The High Calling Joy to the World was written by Isaac Watts in the 1700. When Isaac was a young man he was frustrated with the music in church. He felt that the hymns had old fashioned language and were full melodies that failed to inspire. Isaac shared his frustration with his father, who was a church pastor. His father who challenged him to write different hymns for the church, so Isaac took up this challenge and started a lifelong practice of composing more than 600 hymns. Isaac was inspired to write Joy to the World, by Psalm 98 particularly verse 4 “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth burst into jubilant song with music”. Incidentally Isaac didn’t write the song as a Christmas Carol but as a hymn to be sung all year around and it was not originally sung to the music we have come to know and love. So why is “Joy to the World” such a popular Christmas Carol and what is the message that Isaac Watts is conveying to us in this hymn? The first verse of Joy to the World is based on verses 4 to 6 of psalm 98, and for those of you who are unable to see the screen the words are: Joy to the World – Rejoice and Sing No 135 Joy to the World! The Lord is come Let earth receive her King Let every heart prepare him room And heaven and nature sing Psalm 98 NRSV 4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. 5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD The first verse of Joy to the World announces the birth of Christ and is one of the reasons this song has been come a popular Christmas Carol. The line “let every heart prepare him room” is believed to be a reference to Luke chapter 2 verse 7 “ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” The second verse corresponds to verses 7 and 8 of psalm 98 Joy to the World – Rejoice and Sing No 135 Joy to the world! The Savior reigns Let men their songs employ While fields and floods Rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy Psalm 98 NRSV Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it. 8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy This second verse of “Joy to the World” reminds us that we should always sing God’s praise. In verse one Isaac refers to Christ as Lord and King, however here in the second verse he refers to Christ as Saviour, which ties in with the Christmas theme, through the angel’s announcement in Luke chapter 2 verse 11 “to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” Another reference in hymn to make this a popular Christmas Carol is the line “Let all their songs employ” which remind us of the 4 specific songs in Luke’s gospel that delight and proclaim the birth of Jesus.
The original lyrics of the 3rd verse of may not be that familiar as the words have been changed in some hymn books including the URC Rejoice and Sing. I was unable to establish why the words were changed, however the original words that Isaac wrote were No more let sins and sorrows grow Nor thorns infest the ground He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found Whereas today we sing about pain and death instead of a curse. Joy to the World – Rejoice and Sing No 135 No more let thorns infest the ground Or sins and sorrow grow Whereever pain and death are found He makes his blessing grow Psalm 98 NRSV O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. 2 The LORD has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. The sins and curses being referred to in this verse is when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden by eating fruit from the forbidden tree and God put a curse on all creation, the verse goes on to say that when Christ comes a second time, the curse will be eliminated. Moving on the last verse of Joy to the World, which correspondences to verses 3 and 9 in psalm 98 Joy to the World – Rejoice and Sing No 135 He rules the world with truth and grace And makes the nations prove The glories of his righteousness And wonders of his love Psalm 98 NRSV 3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. 9 at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity In this final verse of “Joy to the World”, we are telling those around us that God judges the world in truth and fairness and yet he also gives us grace through Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty for sin at the cross. So when we sing "Joy to the World" we are not only look backing to the first coming of Christ and celebrating his birth. At the same time, the words encourage us to look forward to the day when the impact of sin will be erased, and all nations will prove the glories of God's righteousness and the wonders of his love. As we look forward to celebrations of the birth of Jesus Christ and to a new year - 2021, I would ask you today to look back at 2020 and think of the joys of this very different and in some cases a difficult year, for me a few of these are
 Image Source: GodTube Western Road URC's Advent Candle Readings Katya: On the third Sunday of Advent, we light a candle. Our hope grows stronger, and our joy grows brighter as we prepare to celebrate Christ’s coming. We remember also in this time of shadows those whose tears still water the ground with sadness, and we pray that God will bring all people home with shouts of joy.
We Light the candle for Joy Katya: “We read from 1 Chronicles 16v32-34 “Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the fields be jubilant and everything in them! Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”” Josia: Prayer of Joy: Jesus we want your coming to make a difference in how we live and love. Open our hearts to hear you telling us how we can bring peace and joy to others. Help us appreciate more the amazing natural world around us, Help us appreciate the joy experienced by the Wise Men following the star to baby Jesus. Help us follow the right path Come Lord Jesus Amen. Western Road URC's Advent Candle Readings Liam: On the second Sunday of Advent, we light a candle to show that the church joyfully awaits the coming of its Saviour.
Pat: A Saviour who enlightens our hearts and scatters the shadows of fear and doubt. We pray that God will bless us so that we may reflect the splendour of Christ who loves us. We Light the candle for Love Pat: We Read from 1 John 1.7 “If we walk in the light as God is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin.” From 1 Corinthians 13 v4 we remember “Love is patient, love is kind”. Pat: Prayer for Love: Come Lord Jesus. Warm our hearts with your love. Help us share your everlasting love Help us remember love is patient, Love is kind, Help us remember to love thy neighbour as thyself Help us to prepare for your coming. Help us to see the good things we can do Help us to see the good things others can do Come Lord Jesus. Amen Western Road URC's Advent Candle Readings Diegu: On the first Sunday of Advent, we light a candle, a sign of hope in a world full of shadows.
Andrew: When the candle is burning brightly, we will know that it is time to begin the Christmas festival of lights. We want to be ready to welcome the Light of the World into our lives. At this time help us to think of a more positive future. Diegu: We Light the candle for Hope Andrew: From Jeremiah 29 v11 we read” … the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. Let this light shine so that we may remember to bring the light of Jesus’ presence to all people. Let Advent Begin: Help us to become beacons of hope, patience, good deeds, justice, love, and peace. Ann: Prayer of Hope: We believe in you, Lord We know that you can help us to love and respect each other more. You are our light, The light that overcomes darkness, so we become children of light, May the light of your love shine through us. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen |
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