When you walk through the barriers at Alton Towers amusement the experience is overwhelming; I’d describe it as full-on sensory overload!
There’s that classic theme park music blaring out, everything is brightly coloured and in your face, THEN there’s the smell of freshly fried theme park doughnuts… It’s an assault of the senses!
 
Imagine that experience taken to the next level.
I think that’s what John must have felt as the Lord Jesus welcomed him through the heavenly door in Revelation 4.
 
Have a read of Revelation 4:1-11


If you know your Bible well, you’ll notice shades of Daniel 7, Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1 & 2 glimmering through but there’s rainbows, thunder, oxen, precious jewels, thrones, crowns, what is going on!?!!
One of the most helpful hints to reading Revelation I’ve come across is this:
the plain thing is the main thing & the main thing is the plain thing.
Isn’t that really helpful?
 
And in Revelation 4 what is the plain main thing?
V2 There before me was a throne with someone sitting on it…
 
Ten times John mentions this THRONE it’s like his eye is constantly drawn back there and if you read the passage, you’ll notice EVERYTHING is defined in its relation to this throne. Things encircle or surround or are in front of come from this throne.
Wow.
 
God is on the throne at the centre of EVERYTHING.
 
Every detail that John recounts is designed to show off the captivating beauty of our God (the jasper and ruby); the rainbows shows off His mercy; the rumbling thunder and peals of lightning reveal God’s might & judgement; and the living creatures and the elders reveal all of creation, all of God’s people all of bowing down to the King.
Everything is joined in praise and worship of our glorious God who sits on His throne.
 
What. A. God.
This is Ultimate Reality
God is on the throne at the centre of EVERYTHING.
 
 
I wonder if our lives reflect that Ultimate Reality?
Is this throne, is this God the centre of our lives?
Does the structure of our week, the themes of our prayers, the use of our time reflect this throne room? What might it look like for you to place this throne front and centre in your life?
 
 
God is on the throne at the centre of EVERYTHING so let us join in that heavenly song praising our God who is magnificent and awesome crying Holy, Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty.
​

For full details click on the picture

​The final word
 
‘And so Job died, an old man and full of years’ Job 42:17
 
I was reading through the book of Job a few weeks back, and it was the final verse that made me stop and think. It's very 'matter of fact' and in many ways, quite lovely. 'And so Job died, an old man and full of years' - his life on earth was ended. He'd started off well, being a righteous man - 'blameless and upright'. He 'feared God and shunned evil' (1:1). He was also very rich, happy and kind. An important man, he was in fact 'the greatest man in the East' (1:3). But then things went wrong, and he lost everything - family, wealth, respect, health - you know the story.
 
But here, in the final chapter, we get a touching 'epilogue', and learn that the latter part of his life was more blessed by God than the former part (42:12). After his troubles were over, he lived for another 140 years. Then, as an 'old man, full of years' (v17), he died. As other old testament books would have said, he 'rested with his fathers'.
 
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ let's not fear death, at whatever time it comes, but trust that our times are truly in God's hand. Let's see it as resting with our loving saviour, and with our dear friends too. Alive and waiting with joyful expectation for the resurrection day and our glorious new life and destiny. Yes, death brings great sorrow - of course it does. But through the darkness and weeping of the night, is the reminder that 'rejoicing comes in the morning’ (Ps 30:5). 'Trust in the Lord at all times' (Ps 62:8) - even in and through the nights of sorrow.

​Well that’s Easter finished. Decorations down (yes, we try and have some up), Easter eggs finished (truth be told we may have started these before Easter) and hot cross buns away (for at least a week… they are good all year round!)
 
But here is a truth which we all know… the hope of Easter never comes down, is never finished and is never put away.
 
This low week after Easter when things seem a little quieter, when our focus shifts from building up to that great day to some day in the future (Christmas dare I say).
 
But because of Easter God’s focus has not shifted.
 
His focus is upon Jesus, the one whom he loves, the one who bled and died for you and for me upon a cross and the one who was raised from death to bring light and life.
 
And today that hope is yours and mine, whether we feel like it or not.
 
Why not read through these words and praise God afresh today.
 
Lamentations 3:22-23
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
    his mercies never come to an end;
 they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
 
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
 
Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
 
1 John 3:1
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.
​Ben

​uggested reading: John 18:16-18 (and rest of chapter)
 
How on earth can this Friday be called a ‘good’ Friday?
 
It’s a question all of us must have encountered. Whether we have asked the question ourselves, or have asked it of others with the intention of explaining why.
Good Sunday makes sense, probably even better to be called The Greatest Sunday of all time!
 
But for the events of the Friday; the arrest and sham trial of Jesus in the early hours of the morning, his scourging and flogging by Roman soldiers, the utter humiliation as his own people bay for his blood and for a murderer to go free, the dragging of the cross to Calvary, the pain of watching a disfigured man nailed to the cross, and the suffering he exerted in the hours till his death.
 
‘Sad Friday’ would probably make more sense to us. ‘The Saddest Friday of all time’
 
But the truth is, as most of you know, that this is day is called ‘Good’  because of what happened on the cross. Upon the cross Jesus bore all of our sin, all of our failings, all of the brokenness that separates God from man. His death has bought you life!
That’s why it’s a Good Friday, because actually before that Friday every single day was ‘The Saddest day of all time’ because we were dead in our sins, lost for eternity.
 
So this is a day for rejoicing. This is a day to experience the Peace that God offers. This is a day for wondrous reflection, marvelling at what Christ did for you.
 
And it gets better. Stay tuned for Sunday…. 

The next BH bulletin will be on Wednesday 7 April.  After that the bulletin will come out three times a week on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The Electoral Roll review is coming to an end on Sunday (4 April).  After that the Electoral Roll will close until after the APCM on the 25 April.  If you have an Electoral Roll form and have not returned it please return it by Sunday or you will not be able to join the Roll until after the APCM so you will not be able to vote at the APCM.

The Cup: Luke 22:39-46 
 
39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.”
41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. 
45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” 
 
What words would you use to describe what Jesus is like?  Brave? Compassionate? Strong? Wise? Loving? Powerful?  
 
I’m not sure many of us would say ‘emotionally fragile’, and yet here, in a moment of unimaginable anguish, Jesus seems broken.  
 
It is the night before he dies.  He has just shared the Passover meal with his friends. They’ve gone from there to the Mount of Olives- a quiet place which provided a good space to reflect and pray.  There on that hill - in Gethsemane- Jesus leaves his friends, telling them to pray so they don’t fall into temptation.  However, they are so emotionally and physically exhausted that they take a nap.  If they knew what Jesus was about to face, they would be awake with him, supporting him and praying for him at his time of need. 
 
Jesus is left to face this terrible anguish all alone: And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground (v44).  
 
We are used to hearing Jesus praying to his Father.  But not like this. In fact, he’s so distraught that An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him (v43).  We’ve never seen Jesus like this.  He can barely endure what is happening. What could possibly cause a man like Jesus to be on his knees sweating blood as he prays? 
 
It’s a cup:  "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me (v42)    
 
The cup is a symbol of God’s anger and punishment (look up Isaiah 51).  
The cup is full to the brim of God’s right and holy hatred for sin. 
The cup is something we all deserve to drink from.   
                         
But here, perfect, glorious King Jesus is on the mountainside beginning to taste what is in that cup.  And soon enough he will drain it to its dregs. 
 
Think about that. Jesus the perfect son of God begins just to taste what it will be like to be treated like a sinner.  Jesus the second person of trinity begins to feel what it will be like to be forsaken and abandoned by God. 
 
What love Jesus has for us!  If just a taste of God’s wrath was enough to make him fall to his knees and sweat like blood, how much worse was his actual experience on the cross the next day? 
 
All of that was so that you would never need to drink a drop from that cup yourself.  
 
No wonder that tomorrow really is GOOD Friday!   

Fran and Martin Russell March News letter please click below

James and Carolynn Webb March News letter please click below

Katie Bennett March News letter please click below