Our church has a wonderful problem.   Our building is too small to accommodate all the various activities that take place there on Sundays and throughout the week.  The response has been to extend our existing building and the great news is that work has now started!  

I thought you might like to see a photo of a new sign that's just appeared outside the church.  The church is situated in a residential area, so the sign will be read by many passing by.  Union Grove is also on a bus route, so who knows how many people will see the sign and pay us a visit or log on to our website! 

As a congregation, we're all very excited about the building work in progress, reminding us that we too are works in progress, being conformed more and more to the image of our Lord Jesus Christ as we follow him day by day. 

Look out for the photo of the finished build in a few months' time!

Munich's Frauenkirche

A couple of weeks before Christmas, my daughter and I treated ourselves to a weekend in Munich, Germany. We visited the various market stalls set up in the heart of the city and enjoyed warm, carmelized almonds from hand-held paper cones. Scrumptious! In addition to doing a little shopping, we took some photographs of various interesting buildings. One of the most magnificent is the Frauenkirche, Munich’s imposing cathedral. Its twin towers, with their round green spires or “bonnets”, are worth a second look. As we fixed our eyes – and our cameras – on this soaring duo, I was struck by three things… their height, their beauty, and the fact that they had been amazingly reconstructed following severe bomb damage during the Second World War. Although it might not be immediately obvious, I could see a connection with our Lord Jesus Christ on all three counts. Let’s go…

Height: We don’t know how tall (or short) Jesus was because the Bible doesn’t tell us. There’s no point, therefore, in speculating about this. However, there is a sense in which we can link Jesus and height. When he was predicting his death, one of the things he said was, “… when I am lifted up on the cross, I will draw everyone to myself” (John 12:32). When Jesus died, his cross wasn’t laid out flat on the ground. It was erected in an upright position and would have been clearly visible to all onlookers. As a result of being “lifted up on the cross”, Jesus became the sin-bearer for everyone who believes in him. Since that time, all kinds of people have been drawn to Jesus, the perfect Son of God, and have found complete forgiveness from every kind of wrongdoing.

Beauty: Ever wondered what Jesus looked like? His eyes, his mouth, his hair? Again, the Bible gives us no specific details about his appearance. At one point, though, we read that “there was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him” (Isaiah 53:2b, NLT). In other words, there was nothing physically outstanding about him. But the psalmist talks in Psalm 27:4 about gazing upon “the beauty of the LORD” (NIV). Some versions translate this as his “splendour” or “perfections”. This goes beyond mere physical appearance. In the completeness of his character, our God is indeed beautiful. How long has it been since you spent time just focusing on His beauty?

Reconstruction: The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were horrified when He said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19, NIV). Jesus was referring, not to the temple in Jerusalem, but to his own body. For three days following his crucifixion, Jesus’ body lay in the tomb. Then he was raised to life, never to die again. Physical resurrection had taken place and Jesus’ body was reconstructed! In some ways, it was the same body but, in other ways, it was different. And because Jesus’ body was reconstructed, we have the sure hope that, one day, ours will be too. Tired of your present body? Don’t despair – you’ll soon have a new one!

If you ever come across a picture of Munich’s Frauenkirche, let its height, beauty and reconstruction remind you to fix your eyes on Jesus… 
 

My calendar says that today is the Winter Solstice. The what? The shortest day. Actually, I think it should be called the longest night. Go to work in the dark. Come home in the dark. Lights on in the house or office for most of the day. Not my favourite time of year. One thing I do like, though, is going out in the dark for a walk with our dog, Rowan. Where we live there are no street lights and some nights it is REALLY dark. And in the dark even the slightest light is dazzling.

One night not so long ago James was out walking when a text message came in to his phone. He quickly read it and tried to reply. Next thing - WHAM! He felt something crashing into his face. At first he thought he had been struck in the face by a mugger and then he realized he was in a ditch with his head in a barbed wire fence! James thought he had been walking in a straight line but the light from the display on his phone had dazzled him and he’d gone off the road. If you think I’m making it up, James still has the scars on his face to prove that when flesh meets barbed wire, the wire wins!

The Christmas story is very much a story of dazzling light shining in darkness. Long before Jesus Christ was born, Isaiah prophesied that the people who walked in spiritual darkness would see a great light. My favourite Christmas bible reading is John 1. John gives an unconventional slant to the Christmas story, expressing it in cosmic terms with Christ as the Eternal Word making a gigantic step down to be born as a baby and live on earth among people. The theme of Christ as the light of the world is a prominent one in John’s Gospel and his letters. John 1:5 (NLT) says that “the light shines through the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it.” Dazzling light shining in the darkness. Dazzling light dispelling the darkness. Dazzling light conquering the darkness. The shepherds were literally dazzled as the glory of God shone around them. The wise men were drawn, fascinated, to the place where Jesus was, guided by the light of both a star and prophecy. The shining of the light of Christ’s coming dazzled and disorientated Herod the king and his advisers and they ended up in a ditch of hostility and apathy. This dazzling light of Christ’s presence cannot be extinguished, and as His followers, it is our privilege to let that light shine as we exalt him in our daily living.

Another possible translation of John 1:5 is “the darkness has not understood it” (NIV). Have you ever had the experience of someone just not getting it, no matter how clearly you explain it? Don’t be surprised if when you proclaim Christ this Christmas some people are like “so what?” or “duh?” A danger for us is to feel we have failed if some people don’t get what we’re saying. Sure, it’s up to us to communicate the truth of Christ’s coming to people as clearly and accurately as we possibly can, but only His Spirit can turn the lights on in the minds of our hearers. Let’s do what we can, but leave the Spirit to do what we cannot do – change people.

Happy Christmas! May the light of Christ dazzle you and draw you to Him in wonder, love and praise!

P.S. Remember not to text when you’re out in the dark!  

One of today’s buzz-words is 'purpose'. We all want to know what our purpose in life is. Does God have a purpose for me? How can I find it? Where do I fit in the grand scheme of things?

As we celebrate Christmas 2009, we’re reminded again of the events surrounding the birth of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is purpose personified, 'the reason for the season'. But how much attention do we pay to the purpose that God had for Mary, Jesus’ mother? In many ways, Mary is a picture of purpose and this can be seen most clearly in the ways she responded to the message brought to her by the angel, Gabriel.

Some of us are so familiar with this story that we tend to gloss over the impact that hearing the angel’s words must have had on a girl in her early teens. Let’s think about it for a moment… Imagine what it might have been like for Mary – she probably had no indication that this was going to be anything other than another ordinary day. It’s very likely she was thinking about her fiancé, Joseph, and looking forward to her approaching wedding, imagining what life would be like married to him. Then, unannounced, an angel appears to her and starts talking to her. We don’t know what the angel looked like – did he carry some mark of an angelic being or did he look just like an ordinary man? Either way, he just appeared! How do you think you would respond? Look at the ways Mary responded:

She responded in fear. Luke 1:29 says she was “confused and disturbed” (NLT). Other Bible versions use the words “greatly troubled” or “thoroughly shaken”. In other words, she was terrified out of her wits. And that was before she heard the angel’s message! But she didn’t allow her fear to make her unresponsive to God’s purpose for her. Perhaps you’re afraid of what God might want from you. Maybe it’s fear of the unknown, fear of the unexpected, or fear of not being up to the task. Whatever it is, don’t allow this fear to divert you from your life’s purpose. As someone has said, “Feel the fear and do it anyway!”

She responded willingly (verse 38). But what might she have been thinking before she made her willing decision? Perhaps she wondered what her parents would say; how would they be able to understand? Then, what about Joseph? He would know he wasn’t the father of this baby – how would he react? Would she lose him? She didn’t know at this point that Joseph would support her wholeheartedly and even conform his life to hers. And what about her reputation? In a small town, there would no doubt be whisperings behind closed doors and she would be thoroughly misunderstood. Responding willingly to God doesn’t necessarily mean that life is going to be easy. Can you relate?

She responded where she was (verse 26). Mary didn’t say “When I’m out of this place, when I have a better postcode, when I get on in life – then I’ll do what God wants.” Many years ago, when we were university students, we regularly gave out bible literature in a deprived area near our home. We lived in this particular part of the city a fairly short time, moving away when we both graduated. It would have been tempting to convince ourselves that we were just “passing through” and that surely God didn’t expect us to have any commitment to our transient neighbours. Yet, who knows what seeds of truth were sown in someone’s life during these student years that might have had an eternally significant impact? Don’t wait until things are “better” before you respond to God’s call – you might lose the opportunity, as well as the desire to respond, if you don’t act where you are at the present time.

This Christmas, why not grab every opportunity to live your life on purpose?  

Chapter for the day – Proverbs 31
Verse for the day – 31:8
Thought for the day – In what specific way(s) can I speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves?

As we’ve journeyed through the book of Proverbs for the last 30 days, we’ve come across a variety of teachings on all sorts of different topics, each one bang up-to-date and relevant to our lives in the 21st century. I hope you’ve enjoyed travelling with me and have taken the time to apply these truths to your own life and circumstances.   Today is our final day in this amazing book – although there’s nothing to stop you starting again at day one and continuing for another month, or two, or three…!

While I believe it’s important to allow the teachings of the Bible to impact us so we’re transformed in our own personal lives, we also need to remember that it’s not all about us. Other people are important too. And there are times when we are required to act on behalf of others. Today’s Proverbs to Go verse focuses our attention on those who cannot speak for themselves. Many of us are very good at speaking up for ourselves and we take every opportunity to make sure that we’re getting a good deal. But what of those who cannot speak for themselves? How do we go about speaking for them in a way that properly represents them? And who are they anyway? 

Perhaps various groups of people come to your mind: the unborn child; the severely mentally challenged; the abused. Proverbs 31:8 and 9 tell us to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

I’m not in a position to tell you whose rights you need to defend but look around you and see if you can identify a person or a group who would benefit from your voice being heard. Are you prepared to take up the challenge?

Now that we’ve come to the end of our 31 days of Proverbs, I’d love to hear about your experiences over the last month as you’ve taken the Proverbs to Go challenge. Looking forward to hearing from you!