News Archive
November 2006
Alternative advent 2
An MP3 of last Sunday evening's youth service is now available to download or listen to from here.
Robbie, Noel and the Prodigal Son
Mark Elder's sermon from the morning of Sunday, November 19th is now available to listen to or download here.
Hiz Kidz in the Chronicle
The Hiz Kidz dads and toddlers group that meets at HBC on Saturday
mornings is the subject of a profile in today's Evening Chronicle that
includes quotes from Chris Pay and Phil Lightbody. Click here for a sneak preview before you rush out and buy a copy!
Sermon remix
Mark Elder's talk on Ephesians 5 from November 12th (rowdy
interruptions excised by Iwan Harries!) is now available to listen to
our download here.
Top Trailblazers
Many of you are too old to be allowed into the back during a Sunday morning service to see where REAL church happens.
Trailblazers are the kids in years 3 and 4 at school (age 7, 8, 9) and we meet in the flat and I just wanted to let you all know how proud I am of them. We have some great kids from the deep thinking Aaron to the diligent Joshua, the bright eyed pair of Laurens to the sometimes naughty Bob!
Anyway the point of this post is to shout out to the rest of the church our congrats to Jonathan and Lauren F, both of whom have earned enough points to get their "Hands On Bibles" - well done guys!
Alternative advent
Have you ventured past Fenwicks' window recently? I won't ruin the surprise except to say that the festive decorations on display bear no message of Christmas at all. Unless, that is, giants had a 'big' role to play in the coming of Christ...
But after all, Christmas is just for kids, right? Or, is it simply about giving? Festive joy? Maybe we would all agree that the main part of Christmas is about stuffiing ourselves stupid. And... why on earth are we talking about just one day in December when it's the middle of November?
Confused about
Christmas? This Sunday the HBC I.D Youth Group (15-18s) are going to be
leading the evening service, and in it they will be addressing the
issue of how the real meaning of Christmas has been confused in today's
consumer world. Why not join them as they attempt to help us revise our
own approach to advent and discover Christmas the way God intends us to?
HBC, Evening service, Sunday November 19th, 6pm to 7pm(ish)
Parental advisory: The service will not be suitable for young children
pinning all their hope on the big guy in the red suit visiting them
this year!
Sitting down?
Sometimes life gets very busy. On Monday I had a few moments before a really important phone call was due to arrive. I sat down and turned to Psalm 139 in the five minutes I had, and read the first few verses which included "You know when I sit and when I rise".
It reassured me that when I manage to sit down for a few minutes, God is there, AND when I have to get up again and get on with ANOTHER job, He is also there, and knows all about it.
It also reassured me that it is OK to sit down once in a while!
Open book: Christine Jensen
What book are you reading at the moment? Watching the English by Kate Fox, and For What It's Worth
by Simon Guillebaud. The first is a light-hearted anthropological
observation of the English and their idiosycratic behaviour. I thought
I was a mixed bag in terms of my cultural default setting, but it turns
out that if you cut me through, a large chunk would spell 'Blighty'.
The Guilibaud book is like a fruitcake: you need to chew over it, just
can't rush through or you'll get indigestion. All about living a life
that's just utterly, totally and completely God's.
What is the book that has had the biggest impact on you? Boundaries
by Henry Cloud and John Townsend which is fundamentally about people.
How we set boundaries, or fail to, in our relationships with others,
and the consequences of our actions. You know those moments when the
dark clouds part and the sun blazes through? Those 'Aha! now I
see!' moments? This book is chocca-stuffed-full-to-the-edges with them.
Sunday morning's sermon
Tom Pinder's talk on Matthew 13 is now available to listen to or download here.
Treasured by God
In his talk on Sunday morning, Tom Pinder was speaking about how from such a small beginning the church began. The parables he spoke from really came alive for me. In Christ we are all vital parts of a powerful living church, so treasured by God.
Building a cathedral
Tom Pinder's preach on the parables of the kingdom yesterday and his story about the builders set me thinking. One said "I'm carrying some bricks", another "I'm building a wall", yet another "I'm building a cathedral for the glory of God".
I tried to think how this could apply to all of us and started with myself. This morning my mind went like this "I'm seeing a patient with a cold", then "I'm doing my morning surgery", then "I'm part of building the kingdom of God amongst the people of Birtley".
I'm just an ordinary person doing a job, I have no great abilities or special wisdom, but God chooses to use me and to use you. God stimulates faith in me that where I am today, that the small seed of faith that I carry with me, however small can be used by God for his glory.
What's your perspective on today? And how could you look at today through God's eye?
Lighten up
What's the funniest thing you've ever seen or heard in a church? I asked a class of Year 7s recently what they thought of when they heard the word church - many responded by saying things such as old building, boring people, dusty old bibles...
What have we done to God? I hope you're asking the same question as me. At what point did churches substitute fun for faith, laughter for love, good times for grace, and happiness for holiness? Did it ever occur to us that each can complement or enhance the other?
Matthew 21:15 says, 'But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became indignant.' The Bible speaks a great deal of people who got carried away by God (in a good way!). People who 'delighted themselves in the Lord' (which by the way is an often forgotten command from God to his people).
As we approach the festive season of advent, let's do something which God desires us to do - God longs for us to be a light to all the world and to introduce his word (a light to all the generations). Could we make a start by shaping our churches in such a way so that Year 7s don't see church as merely an old building? Perhaps church could become a place where kids and families find faith through fun, great times through grace and holiness through happiness?
Have a look at this video
to see one example of a church that let a lively young lad become
'undignified' in the Lord's presence. (NB: If you're wondering
whether it was by 'full immersion' or not you've probably missed the
point of what I've just blogged.)
Open book: Aaron Elder
What are you reading at the moment? Great Expectations (for school) by Charles Dickens, which charts the growing up of Pip. He must discover his own values and priorities but doesn't always make the right decisions....
Which book, the Bible aside, has had the biggest impact on you? It would have to be the Adrian Plass collection and in particular his diaries. These books are great: they show a Christian life... well, sort of, and are so much fun. I pride myself on being like Gerald (the cynical yet very funny son). Dad says I am too much like him!
What are you planning to read next? U2: The Spiritual Journey - my Dad got it for me three years ago for Christmas so I think it's about time to give it a go.
Hip hop at HBC
The Emerging Culture team are bringing a night of band-led worship,
challenge and hip-hop to HBC on November 22. Andy Frost will be sharing
a short message with a packed line-up including Echolab and 29th
Chapter. For more details, click here.
Build the wall, the wall, the wall
Ali Bartlett's kids talk from Sunday morning is now available to download in the Our Publications part of the website.
Wheat and weeds
I made these brief notes from Phil's sermon on the parable of the wheat and the weeds in Matthew 13, vs 24 –30.
* Jesus sows good seed.
* Don't confuse that which God sows and that which Satan sows.
* Wheat is a sustainer of life, for every part of our lives, not just spiritual.
* Whole life gospel: God comes to bring salvation for the whole of life.
* The enemy's weeds - these may relate to the different ideologies and worldviews that we find in the world.
* God allows both wheat and weeds to grow until the final harvest.
* One day there will not be any part of the world where the kingdom of God will not be active
* Don't be surprised by evil in the world. But at the end evil will be suddenly removed.
* We are impatient for the end of evil. We ask why evil is allowed to carry on.
* The roots of goodness and evil are interwoven, and good and evil
often grow togther. God leaves the separation until the final judgement
day and gives people time to extricate themselves from evil.
* God puts off judgement. He doesn't want anyone to perish. One day he
will wipe evil all out. Then judgement day can be good news.