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Thought for the day by Catharine Currell (Families MinisterThe Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 I wonder how you are getting on with connecting with others using Zoom or Skype. It’s a strange mixture of distance and intimacy, isn’t it? On the one hand we get to see right into each other’s homes, observe the wobbly bookshelves, hastily tidied sofa cushions and pyjama-clad children. On the other hand we don’t know what might be just out of shot or what family dramas may have been unfolding in the moments before the Zoom meeting began. It was lovely at last week’s prayer meeting to have been effectively invited in to the homes of so many members of our church family simultaneously. It put me in mind of John’s description of Jesus as the one who ‘made his dwelling among us.’ Christ, of course, went much further than simply peering into our lives via a screen. He is ‘the Word become flesh’ who not only sees us, but is with us. He came and inhabited our world; living among the wobbly bookshelves and messy lives and family dramas that characterise humanity. This week as we focus on the events of the first Easter, let’s remember that God had done more that contact us, more than watch us from afar. He has become one of us and demonstrated his glory in the midst of real life by dying on a cross for us. Because of Christ we are also invited into God’s home – to share in the intimacy of family life with God the Father. What a wonderful hope; what a wonderful future, free of all social distancing, deception or embarrassment. Thanks be to God, who made his dwelling among us. JHMT Lent Appeal UpdateThank you for everyone who has already given to the JHMT Lent Appeal. The money raised is going to support Living Hope Ministries in their ministry in Africa and to support the ministry of Julian and Nicky Milson, Jemima and Theo in Valencia, Spain. So far the money raised is £5005 incl gift aid. It is not too late to give. How well do you know BH?A light hearted quiz asking questions about the past and present activities surrounding BH.
Answers in a week’s time, when there will be more questions!
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Thought for the day by Simon James-Morse (Minister of Goldstone Church)Luke 19:45-46 45 When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46 ‘It is written,’ he said to them, ‘“My house will be a house of prayer”; but you have made it “a den of robbers”.’ Holy Monday For most in our community, a consequence of staying at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is that ‘spring cleaning’ has come early. Gardens have been tended, rooms have been hyper-cleaned, and garages have been cleared. As my wife and I sorted our garage last weekend, our postman observed that he had not seen so many people in the neighbourhood cleaning their cars. Perhaps this cleaning bug is also infectious! Yesterday was the start of what many Christians call ‘Holy Week’ – the 8 days from Palm Sunday to Easter Day. Although many of the events on Good Friday, Easter Day and Palm Sunday are well-known, what happened on the other days during Holy Week are less clear. The following chart provides a helpful timeline for the events: From this chart we see that, on Holy Monday, the day after Palm Sunday, Jesus entered the temple courts in Jerusalem and “forcibly encouraged” the fraudulent traders to relocate outside (Luke 19:45-46). Jesus challenged God’s people to refocus their lives on God. But Jesus’ desire to cleanse the temple was not just a physical ‘spring clean’ or an anti-corruption campaign. Jesus calls to His people at a spiritual level – to refocus their lives on a personal relationship with Him, expressed through prayer. To put it bluntly, a “House of Prayer” is only necessary if there are people inside the house who are praying and worshiping Jesus! The Apostle Paul tells us that our “bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19), adding that we were “bought at a price” and that we honour God with our bodies. So, in addition to any physical cleaning that we may do, let us also review our spiritual lives. Let us “forcibly encourage” anything that does not please God out of our lives and re-establish a House of Prayer – a fresh personal relationship with Jesus, expressed through prayer. “Prayer is not learned in a classroom but in the quiet room.” E. M. Bounds Prayer Dear Lord, wash the eyes of my heart so that I can get a fresh look at Your Word. Let my soul be open to Your strength and life that I may rediscover Your spring in my step. Hear my prayer, in Jesus’ name. Amen. The Gages are GoingI guess most of us will know that Tim & Clare, Ben & Sammy will be leaving soon as Tim goes to be the new Rector of St Peter's West Blatchington, up by the windmill. Strangely they could just be moving slightly nearer to BH, as the rectory is just on Windmill Close! Tim's last service at BH will be on 19th April where he will speak at the morning service. It'll be a slightly different 'final service' as we won't all be physically there to do speeches etc but we still want to say our thank yous and may well want to contribute to a leaving gift. There'll be more details about how we'll mark the Gage's leaving BH in the coming days, but if you'd like to contribute to their leaving gift, do drop a cheque to the office, payable to Bishop Hannington Church and labeled for Tim & Clare, or make an online payment, saying who it's for, to Bishop Hannington Church Sort Code 40-52-40 Account Number 00016162. Families getting ready for Easter How is your family preparing for Easter? Some weeks ago we recommended "The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross" materials which feature an Easter calendar and beautifully illustrated book. Catharine is producing very brief daily videos to get you going with some family devotions based on this material. You can watch the videos here. the books etc are available from Books Alive or from The Good Book Company. Thought of the day by Chris Dalton“But Jesus would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” Luke 5:16 Desolate – my computer offers these alternatives - deserted, isolated, bleak, abandoned, forsaken... ‘the wilderness’ is what the Amplified Bible suggests. Why? Why would Jesus seek out that kind of place? Why would any of us want to be isolated, deserted, bleak or in a wilderness? I suspect that at this time there are some who would...checkout staff constantly being moaned at or abused [yes really], parents at home with fractious, demanding and bored children, anyone in the NHS facing unrelenting challenges and difficulties and human suffering. I think all of those would understand Jesus’ desire to get away to a deserted place. For some of us we may feel we are in a bleak, isolated place maybe even abandoned. We long for consolation NOT desolation. So, what does this verse also say? It says the desert place, the wilderness experience is a place for prayer. Whether you are longing for it or desperate to get away from it, the lonely place, the desolate place is a place that calls to us to pray. There is so much to pray for at this time – at any time- for people and situations and sickness and sadness and for wisdom and clarity and good sense and self-control and patience and thankfulness and forgiveness and for our personal holiness and........ you fill in the space; there is so much because God created us to be a dependent people, dependent on our Creator for everything and confident that He is more than able to supply whatever we need to live for Him today. Yes, it’s challenging [my computer suggests – stimulating, thought-provoking, inspiring and exciting as alternatives!] but in the desert place things can grow; check out Isaiah 41: 19 – 20 and 43: 19 – 21 19 I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, 20 so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it. Isaiah 41: 19 – 20 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. 20 The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, 21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. Isaiah 43: 19 – 21 Let’s keep praying to our awesome God who makes a way in the desert and refreshes and restores us. 😊 What's happening online today at Bishop HanningtonSunday Morning Service at 10:00 on the website Mark 11:1-11 Phil Moon Preaching
Suitable for everyone with separate children’s activities Sunday Evening Service at 18:30 on the website Mark 11:12-26 Don Bawtree Preaching Suitable for everyone Sunday: KO Hangout - 7:30-8:30 For KO young people a chance to chat together after the evening service has gone live and chat about our faith. Message Stephen to get involved. Feast Hangout 8:00-9:30 For Feast people to have a bible study Message Alex to get involved. Thought for the day by Dave Howarth (Associate Vicar Holy Cross)A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. Proverbs 15:1-2 In tense times we need gentle words. The more stressful things become, the more care we’ll need to show in our interactions with each other. If you’re unexpectedly at home with others, you might feel this especially. A few weeks ago, many of us listened to Psalm 141. The speaker is desperate; he’s surrounded by wickedness and he’s the victim of wickedness. After pleading urgently for God to hear him, what is his first request? Not for the wickedness to stop. It’s this: “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips” (v3). Proverbs 15.1-2 tells us the kind of words we need. But before that, they tell us the kind of words Jesus used. No one is fuller of gentleness and kindness than him. His heart and words are always grace-full, healing, and life-giving. He is committed to free us, never shame us. Even when we come into his presence with more fear than faith, and more complaining than thanking, he always welcomes us. He is not only gracious with “bruised reeds and smouldering wicks.” He is altogether merciful when, like Jonah, we’re pouty, angry, and self-absorbed. In this current stressful season, we’re feeling a full range of emotions. Uncertainty, fear, not-knowing-what’s-next, confusion…and all these are a recipe for putting our words in gear before our hearts are engaged; for spewing words of reaction rather than offering words of redemption. Our family, neighbours, and friends pay the price. We need Jesus to speak beauty, gentleness, and compassion deep into our souls. For our hearts are the fountain of our words. That’s what he does as we listen to his word, the Bible. A prayer: Lord Jesus, since whatever fills our hearts shapes our words, we want our hearts to be so full of your kindness and grace, it’ll be hard to use our words to hurt, shame, or discourage others. As the tongue has the power of life and death, may you help us use our words to encourage and bless, heal and help others. And to quickly repent when we choose otherwise. In your grace-full name we pray. Amen. New born lambs at Saddlescombe Farm
World Autism Awareness WeekThis week it is Autism awareness week. Most people have heard of Autism but not everyone understands how Autism can effect people and how they can help people with Autism. The National Autistic Society have put together a short video to help us understand more about Autism and how we can help people who have it. World Autism Awareness Week Video Hardship FundWe all know that there will be many who are experiencing genuine financial hardship during this COVID19 epidemic. Some in the church family have asked if they could give to help meet this genuine need. If you'd like to give too, we are setting up a BH Hardship Fund to be used specifically and only for this purpose. You could send a cheque to the office made payable to Bishop Hannington Church and marked Hardship Fund, or make a payment online to the BH account (Sort Code 40-52-40 Account Number 00016162) with 'Hardship Fund' in the reference line.
Thought for the Day by Tim Gage (Curate) Alone? One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’ Luke 23:39-43 During the reporting of the last few weeks, something has become quite apparent, people fear to be alone. Perhaps this is not a surprising thing to hear. As people made in the image of God, who is Father, Son, and Spirit, we need the companionship of others to live. Yet one particular characteristic of this pandemic holds the greatest fear for many of us: dying … alone. Due to the highly contagious nature of COVID-19, immediate family struggle to even be with their loved ones during those final moments. And this has been the case for many who have lost the battle with this virus. I am sorry to bring this up, but it is a grim yet important reminder of the truth of this current situation. Aware of this, I am needing to increasingly grasp that as a Christian, part of our faith involves trusting Jesus even in the manner and timing of our death. Yet from this position, the Bible holds out great encouragement for us. As we approach Easter we prepare to follow the gospels through the Last Supper, the Cross and out of the Empty Tomb. And it’s because of the truth of this that fear of death cannot cripple us. Luke describes one part of Christ’s death where a thief calls on him for mercy and receives these words that Christians nearing death have treasured ever since: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”. One area where we can share hope with our neighbours then is in that confidence that we are not alone, even if our nearest and dearest can’t attend our dying breaths. God is there with us and preparing to welcome us into paradise. Tim Book Review by Giles Cockman - "Reset" by Dr David Jeremiah I receive daily readings from Dr. David Jeremiah, whose Turning Point ministries have been an excellent source of teaching and encouragement for me these past couple of years. I'd highly recommend his book "Reset" which has helped me to step back, identify where I've got into bad habits or allowed apathy to dull my desire to serve, focus on and obey God every day. It's been a real wake-up call. The book uses a specific part of Nehemiah as it's core thread, after he rebuilt the walls of the demolished Jerusalem. As per the overview of the book, we follow Nehemiah's journey, being used by God to transform the Jews from a faithless remnant to a faithful, restored nation. David J parallels the story in Nehemiah to our own daily lives in the 21st century and challenges us by reading the Word and praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to renew our faith so it cannot be shaken by the happenings in the world around us. It's a really practical book with lots of reflective questions. Like our sermons at BH, each chapter closes with application questions and points. Furthermore, this reading below from David J's daily email bulletin has really moved me and uses the analogy of waves constantly crashing on the shore as a sign of his endless mercies. As we sing "Morning by morning new mercies I see, all I have needed thy hand hath provided, great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me". Starting with John 1:16, he says: Waves of Grace And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. John 1:16 A famous hymn says, “When sorrows like sea billows roll.”[1] But John 1:16 talks about another kind of billowing reality—“grace for grace.” The idea seems to be drawn from the picture of ocean waves. Out of the fullness of Jesus Christ, we constantly receive one wave of grace after another. Just as a wave swells, curls, and crashes to the shore, then recedes as another follows, so the grace of God comes with endless waves of blessings. God cares for us so deeply He records our sorrows. Psalm 56:8 says: “You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?” In some way God captures our tears in His bottle and our pain in His Book. In other words, He cares for every heart pang. If He has captured your tears in His bottle, then let the anointing oil of the Holy Spirit bring comfort to your heart. And if He has written your hurts in His heavenly book, open His earthly Book and find a promise. You will receive one wave of divine grace after another. Tears are the diamonds of heaven; sighs are a part of the music of Jehovah’s court and are numbered with “the most sublime strains that reach the majesty on high.” Charles H. Spurgeon [1] Horatio Gates Spafford, “It Is Well With My Soul,” 1873. Helping Your Neighbours across the City In these rather uncertain times there are many across the City that are finding it really tough. Please click on the link below for information on the NHS Volunteer Responders organisation which could be a good way for BH Members to help. https://www.goodsamapp.org/NHS Thought for the Day by Phil Moon (Vicar) Isaiah 8 5 The Lord spoke to me again: 6 ‘Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoices over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, 7 therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates – the king of Assyria with all his pomp. It will overflow all its channels, run over all its banks 8 and sweep on into Judah, swirling over it, passing through it and reaching up to the neck. Its outspread wings will cover the breadth of your land, Immanuel! Is Covid 19 the judgement of God? I would say, specifically no; generally, yes probably. By which I mean that you mustn’t say that a particular person with Covid19 has it because they’re under the judgement of God because they’re more evil than others. That would be crass, foolish nonsense. But how about Covid19 being the judgement of God, or even the kind warning of a loving God. Why not? We know that the God of the Bible sometimes abandons people to the consequences of their sins, and in Isaiah 8 the parallels between a flooding river and Covid19 are unmistakable. A slow start as the floodwaters rise, then a trickle over the banks then the floodwaters reaching to all places, then widespread flooding. So how should we respond? The important question is where you turn when in trouble. For the people in Isaiah’s day they turned (v6) to Rezin and the son of Remaliah, who were the Kings of Aram and Ephraim, at the time enemies of Judah. Big mistake. They rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah (that’s the river that supplied Jerusalem with water) and turned elsewhere. For us, the temptation is to turn to our wonderful NHS, and trust them. (Or the Government, or Tescos, or your GP.) They all have their place, but they are not God, nor a replacement for God. First, we turn to God. And or course, then we ask for help from, thank God for and pray every day for, the NHS. Phil The Prayer Meeting - Wednesday 1 April 2020 7.45pm Please remember The Prayer Meeting this evening at 7.45pm on Zoom. You should have received an email with an invitation from Phil with details of how to join the meeting. If you did not, for whatever reason, or have other questions please contact the office (office@bhmc.org.uk) and we will do our best to help you. "Sing" - Book Review by Matt Jones (Associate Minister for Music) Being Generous. Phil Moon (Vicar) For some, this time of Corona is money-saving. We don’t go out, we can’t travel, we don’t go shopping (apart from food shopping), so our monthly outgoings are down at the moment. But for many others, they now don’t have a job. Or the prospects of one any time soon. They have lost their regular income, and honestly don’t know how ends are going to meet. The government is helping, but it does take a while for things to get processed. So a couple of thoughts about finances. First, helping those in financial need. That could be a person or a company. If you have a cleaner but they’re not coming at the moment, could you pay them anyway? Who would normally cut your hair? Will they be struggling financially? Could you send them the cost of a haircut? (By the way I’m looking forward to seeing how we all look in 3 months’ time!) If a theatre or conference ticket has been booked, might you donate the cost of the ticket, rather than seeking a refund? I’m sure if we think about it, there will be plenty we can do to bless those who have been serving us. Second, a word about BH finances. Most of us give through the bank, and thank you for those who are still doing that. If you need to reduce your giving for the moment, we quite understand. Clearly our income from lettings will be a long way down in 2020, so some may wish to increase their giving to help (but please note – this is not an urgent plea for cash!) A few of us give each Sunday through the boxes/giving envelopes. If this is your practice, you may wish to simply set that money/those envelopes aside and give a lump sum when we next meet, but please do what is sensible and pray before you make a decision. On the technicalities, many have moved over to the Parish Giving Scheme, and they are still available at the end of the phone/ email. If that just reminds you that you never quite got round to joining the Scheme, you can still join (using the form that’s stuffed into the back of your drawer somewhere… or we can post you a new one), but please note that new applications won’t be processed for the time being. We all know we have an incredibly generous God. And certainly in the last few years, BH has been an incredibly generous people. Let’s see how we can carry on being incredibly generous, during this time of COVID 19. Phil |
Mental Health Awareness 2021
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