Zechariah 3
3 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan v standing at his right side to accuse him. 2 The LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning sticky snatched from the fire?”
3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. 4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”
Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”
5 Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by.
6 The angel of the LORD gave this charge to Joshua: 7 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.g
8 “ ‘Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. 9 See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes l on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.
10 “ ‘In that day each of you will invite your neighbor to sit under your vine and fig tree,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”
​
We often feel filthy in our sin. We feel accused, dirty, and disgusting in our sin. We feel broken, guilty, and despairing in our sin. We feel under the accusations of the Devil. Just like Jesus on the cross, we feel like we’re enduring accusations and mocking taunts, as we bear the weight of sin. 
I remember hearing a talk on our CU weekend away once that kind of painted this picture we see here in Zechariah 3 of this courtroom situation with us as the accused, and Jesus defending us before God the judge. We often imagine Jesus pleading before God like “oh go on just let them off one more time! I know they’ve sinned again, but they’ll be good from now on!”
But that’s not the case, is it? You see verses 3-5, the dirty clothes are ripped from Joshua and he is dressed in beautiful robes. His sin is taken away from him. It’s not that he’s still in the robes of dirt but God lets him off anyway. It’s that he is now in perfect beautiful robes and there’s no dirt on him. His sin is taken away from him.
Because in v.8-9, in a single day the sin of the world was taken away. In a single day! HOW AMAZING IS THAT! In a single day, those garments were ripped from all of us we were dressed in robes of beauty. In a single day, Christ took all the sin of the world upon himself. In a single day, all that dirt and evil and the guilt that comes with it were ripped away from us. It’s not that God lets our sin go because Jesus is pleading with him to let us off. It’s that there is no sin to punish. It’s gone. God cannot punish our sin as Christians, because we are made perfect through Christ, dressed in robes of beauty.
One of my fave Bible verses ever, 1 John 4:18 reminds us this. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 
Christ’s love means that we are free to come to God again without fear of punishment or disdain from God, but knowing he has taken our sin away and is pouring out his love upon us and longing for us to come to him.

One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
 
Psalm 27:4
 
One of my favourite verses in the Bible. We live in a ever increasingly fast paced world. Every facet of life is becoming more efficient, which is a good thing, but also a demand that things be instant. Your food, your coffee, your wifi speed, your travel, your information, the list is endless.
 
We have so many distractions and items that scream our attention. Sometimes it can be overwhelming. No wonder a lot of people are experiencing mental health battles these days.
 
I think David had it right. David remember was King of Israel, beloved by people, an excellent soldier, musician, poet, a man who had family, an exciting backstory. As king he could have any possession that he wanted or required.
 
And yet, here we see his heart’s desire. He desires a ‘one thing’ mentality. To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, because he has realised that there is nothing else worthy of his gaze and attention.
 
Have you ever had your gaze captivated by something? The vast ocean? A mountain range? A picture of a newborn? Something that you struggled to look away from because what you were beholding was too beautiful, too glorious to not demand your attention? Now imagine that to an infinite degree better. God is the source of beauty. He is beautiful. He is glorious to behold. 
 
I’m sure we won’t spend eternity just gazing at God, there will be a great many things he will get us to do, extending the Kingdom the universe! But in our gazing upon God we will find no other activity more fulfilling.
 
So take a moment every day to slow down, to escape from the escapism, and gaze like David did. What might that look like for us? Take half an hour to read and meditate on your Bible, pray, put on some music to help you worship, reflect on the person and work of Christ, whatever helps you to see God a bit more clearer, because He is glorious!

Psalm 1
Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither--
    whatever they do prospers.
4 Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
 
How can you truly flourish in life?  According to a wellbeing website here are 10 steps:
 
Step 1: Make a decision to be happy and start to believe that real happiness is a definite possibility.
Step 2: Determine what happiness and inner beauty mean to you.
Step 3: Think optimistically about achieving the life you want.
Step 4: Don’t go it alone.
Step 5: Get yourself organised and make plans.
Step 6: Live a healthy life.
Step 7: Have fun!
Step 8: Find a sense of spirituality.
Step 9: Go with your strengths.
Step 10: Persevere.
 
While some of those things might be helpful to a degree, the problem with them is that they focus on ‘me’.  But God says the way to truly flourish is to look to him, to gaze upon him, to love him.
 
Psalm 1 starts with a description of the blessed person- that is, someone who is content, even happy, as they live with God’s smile upon them.  In other words, the blessed person is the person who truly flourishes in life.  
 
So, what’s the secret to flourishing?  It’s simply to love God’s law (v3), that is his word.  We can only know God through his word, so to delight in his word is really to delight in him, in knowing him more fully more deeply day by day.  Not only that, but the Lord Jesus is The Word (John 1:1-4, 14) so to delight in the word of God is to delight in Christ himself.  That is the key to flourishing! Which is why the psalmist uses this lovely image of a strong tree in v3.  When we are rooted in the word of God, in Christ, we will be like a strong, healthy, beautiful, fruit producing Oak.  
 
There are two ways to live according to Psalm 1.  There is the way of the wicked and there is God’s way.  The wicked end up bitterly deriding God (v1); their lives prove to be futile and inconsequential (v4); and ultimately, they will not stand safely before God on judgement day (v4-6).  In contrast, living God’s way- the way of flourishing- brings stability, growth, fruit, and prosperity (v3); it means being loved, cared for and watched by God (v6); and ultimately brings eternal hope and security (v5-6).
 
This isn’t about wicked sinners vs us ‘good’ people, for all of us are unrighteous and fall short of God’s standards (Rom 3:10-11).  There has only ever been one righteous man. One blessed man. One man who fully loved the law of God and therefore who truly flourished.  When we are in Christ, his life is ours, his blessedness becomes ours.  We can’t earn this blessedness; we must be given it.  
 
So how can we flourish?  Not by looking to ourselves but by looking to Christ and his word, by gazing upon him day after day, and by living the life he has won for us.
 
Enjoy being blessed! Go and flourish!
Rich

Are you interested in looking after our environment and reducing our carbon footprint as a church? If you are we are looking for someone to champion this for us. The Chichester Diocese along with the rest of the Church of England are wanting churches to be carbon neutral by 2030 and we want to be supportive of this initiative. If you are interested in taking this forward please contact the church office.

​Please remember that we meet again, on Zoom, at 7.00pm this evening for 30 minutes to pray for our country. The link is on MyChurchSuite in the usual way. Look forward to seeing you there.

Our young people are fresh off the back of a youth weekend at home, it was INCREDIBLE.
The highlight for me, was our good friend James Pinto opening up Song of Songs for us.
He was encouraging us to see the words of the man in the Song as words that the Lord Jesus says to US, His beloved.
 
What really caught my attention was reading Song of Songs 2:14 this way. Here it is; hear these words the Lord Jesus says TO YOU:
 
“Show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.”
 
Isn’t that remarkable?!!? Isn’t that truly wonderful?!?!
I’m not a big fan of my own face (!!!) my nose is too big, my eyes have got too many weary bags hanging low, my teeth are stained too yellow, my beard is too patchy (!!) AND YET Jesus says show me your face… your face is lovely… woah. No hint of irony or sarcasm, that’s pure love.
I’m also not a great fan of hearing my own voice back, I think “wait, is that what I sound like!? Whiney and grating??! *shudder*” AND YET Jesus says let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and He means it.
 
Wow.
This is the lover of my soul, the lover of your soul too if you’re trusting Him too and do you see what He’s saying?
Jesus wants us to look at Him and talk to Him because He loves us.
Jesus wants our attention and our affection.
Jesus wants to spend quality time with us.
 
I don’t think I’d properly understood this until our weekend at home, the sheer depth of the Love of Jesus, that it’s not a mechanical or forced love, but a genuine DELIGHT and JOY, The King of the Universe, the Great I Am really wants to spend time with me?! WOW!
 
Doesn’t that change how we view those morning Bible reading and praying moments? It’s not a chore, not something to force ourselves into; it’s turning our face to our Lover to talk to Him and spend time with Him.
 
Hear His gentle invitation to YOU today; Jesus says:
“Show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.”
 
So go on, show Him your face let Him hear your voice; Jesus loves it when we spend time with Him.

NEW!
Don’t you just love the smell of a new car? I dropped our car off to be serviced this morning and the whole showroom smelt of that new car smell. Apparently you can even get new car small air fresheners; maybe that’s how they did it.
And the other day I thought I’d just trawl through a concordance to see how many new things there are in the Bible. Here are a few of them, and many come multiple times:
New song
New wine
New shoots
New life
New thing
New covenant
New self
New creation
New birth
New order
New and living way
New man
New humanity
New commandment
New heaven and a new earth
New name
New Jerusalem
 
And it all ends with Jesus saying:
“I am making everything new” (Revelation21)
 
The Gospel is a new thing. We (the church) are a new humanity, with a new life, heading for the new creation. Let yourself be encouraged today by the one who is making all things new. 

Please eat the chicken that Jane (name changed) has kindly cooked for you, you like chicken. I don't like that chicken is dry.

That small line came from one my of my delightful offspring when we were out for Sunday lunch with a family from church (not BH). It was a moment that I wanted the ground to swallow me up! 
 
Such times could put you off any sort of hospitality (either going to or having people over!)

But the Bible places hospitality at front and centre...
for example:
Romans 12:30 - Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
1 Peter 4:9 - Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
 
And there are many more examples.
 
Why should Christians be hospitable?
 
Because God is hospitable, he gives us life and love and does it by the bucket load.
 
So as we are allowed why not be hospitable, and not simply to those you know, but those that you don't. And don't worry if hospitality is messy or microwaved. The most important thing is that we extend the hand of love to others and share what we have... because that is what God has done for us.
Ben

Dear friends,
Please see attached for some snippets of news on my first month and a bit working in Darwin! Thanks for sharing the ride with me, I value your prayers and partnership very much. If you have time to drop me a line back, I would love to hear how you’re doing and how I can pray for you. You can even send me some feedback on my first bit of Bible translation if you like (see below)

Dear Friends
We have been delighted to welcome many of you back into the shop over the last few weeks and it has been so encouraging to hear the lovely comments of support, thank you all.
 
We have many new titles for you to look at and you can see some of these on our shop front at uk.bookshop.org/shop/booksalive (please note this is only a sample, this is not our website but we have a presence and you can support us if you need to shop online by going through this - do ask me if you would like more details).
 
Particular recommendations: 
Nancy Guthrie - I'm Praying for You (How often do we say that? This book will help you to actually do it)
Gavin Peacock - A Greater Glory (A premier league footballer who is now a pastor, quite a change there!)
A Burning in My Bones - a biography of Eugene Peterson, writer of the Message Bible.
Sharon James - How Christianity Transformed the World (At a time when Christianity is under fire and we have to be honest in admitting where it has failed badly, this reminds us of the good done in the name of the gospel)
 
Finally a really timely book addressing the issue of mental well-being in our children and young people, A MInd Of Their Own written by Katherine Hill (Director of Care for the Family), full of practical advice for parents, teachers and anyone concerned about our children.
 
We hope to see you soon,
God bless
Gillian Carr
Books Alive
86 Elm Drive
Hove
BN3 7JL
01273 738818

The Son-Gift
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen! (Isaiah 9:6-7 NLT)
 
In 700 BC, the nation of Israel was surrounded by vicious enemies. The people had forgotten God. Darkness, death, and despair filled the land. Isaiah declared that the solution would arrive in a new-born baby – who would be a king. Indeed, He would be the King of kings and would rule the world.
 
This king has four titles describing what He can do for us:
 
Wonderful Counsellor. This King has all wisdom and understanding; life’s complexities that are beyond us are not beyond Jesus. When we need wisdom, let us be quick to go to the Wonderful Counsellor. He knows what to do.
 
Mighty God. This King is God in the flesh. He is powerful enough to save us - completely. Whatever we need, He knows what to do and He can do it.
 
Everlasting Father. This King is a loving father in the way that He cares for us. He provides, protects, shepherds, cares, understands, listens. Whatever our greatest concern, let us bring it to Him. He knows what to do and He cares about each one of us - eternally.
 
Prince of Peace. Jesus takes our fears, worries, guilt, and our hopelessness, and replaces them with His divine peace. He knows what to do and He surrounds us in peace because He is the Prince of Peace.
 
The unusual baby was the ultimate solution for ancient Israel – and is our solution too. So, in every situation, let us call out to Him, look to Him, and run to Him without delay. Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God knows what to do and seeks a personal relationship with each one of us. 
Thank you, Lord Jesus, that You let the light from Your face shine into our hearts. Humbly we ask that You strengthen us; not only physically but spiritually too. Help us each day as we face the uncertainties of earthly life. Keep us from giving in to weakness; may we sense the power of Your Holy Spirit constantly with us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
​

​What great comfort the Christian has to have the Spirit of God dwelling on the inside!
 
I think sometimes we Christians forget the magnitude of that comfort. We can go about our daily lives, knowing or understanding in our heads of the Father’s love for us, and salvation won by Jesus on the cross. But too often we forget the significant and vital work of Spirit in our lives, today! Right now! For the believer!
 
And so let’s remind ourselves of the work on the Spirit!
 
The Spirit teaches us all things, reminding us of the words of Jesus:
‘But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.’ John 14:26
 
The Spirit speaks the truth, and tells us what the Father is saying:
‘But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.’ John 16:13
 
The Spirit has brought about your adoption to sonship:
‘The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”’ Romans 8:15
 
The Spirit helps us to pray, even when we don’t have the words:
‘In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.’ Romans 8:26
 
The Spirit guarantees your eternal inheritance:
‘When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession’ Ephesians 1:13-14
 
Through the Spirit, we can know the deep things of God:
‘The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.’ 1 Corinthians 2:10-11
 
The Spirit gives gifts the people of God:
‘There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.’ 1 Corinthians 12:4
 
The Spirit brings freedom, and transforms us into the likeness of Christ
‘Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.’ 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
 
There are so many more! I can’t fit them all in. Maybe today take one or two to meditate on.

A reminder that you now don't need to book to come to the evening service you can just turn up. HOORAY. But on arrival at the service you will need to either scan the QR Code on your phone or give your name to the duty warden. This is to comply with the Government Track and Trace requirements.

​                       Cleanse me from my sin
 
‘According to your great compassion blot out my transgressions'                                         Psalm 51:1
 
David did a dreadful thing committing adultery with Bathsheba. Not only that, but in his efforts to cover up the sin, he had her husband, Uriah the Hittite killed. Uriah was an elite soldier, a faithful, loyal servant of the king. He's listed as being one of David's 'Mighty Warriors' in 2 Sam 23:39. David hoped to have got away with his sin without people knowing, but God sees and knows everything. Such behaviour was despicable in anyone's eyes, but especially in the eyes of the Holy God of Israel. It wasn't long before the prophet Nathan came to David and exposed his wickedness (2 Sam Ch 12). Thankfully, David was truly remorseful (not everyone is). It was in that deep state of repentance that David wrote Psalm 51. Here is the 'sinners prayer' to a merciful God.
 
Have you become aware of your sin? Does it haunt you and appear like an indelible black stain on your heart? Let me urge you to follow David's prayer here in Psalm 51 and gain true peace, forgiveness and restored joy.
 
1) Realise that you are a sinner, and that you have offended, and are separated, from God (v3,4).
2) Reach out to the Saviour who alone can cleanse you from sin (v1,2).
3) Repent - Be contrite and turn around leaving your sins behind (v3,17).
4) Receive God's forgiveness and restoration (v7,8,12).
 
Can believers fall as David did - and from such a height? Can God restore such sinners - and from such a depth? Yes, without a doubt, YES!
 
'Create in me a pure heart, O God' (Psalm 51:10)
 
Phil

In case you had wondered why there is no evening service shown on the ticket allocation system this is a reminder that you no longer have to sign up for this service - just turn up. That does not mean that Social Distancing does not apply, because it does in exactly the same way. Sit 3 chairs apart!
​Look forward to seeing you there.

Please remember that we meet again, on Zoom, at 7.00pm this evening for 30 minutes to pray for our country. The link is on MyChurchSuite in the usual way. Look forward to seeing you there.

His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace. (Ephesians 2.15)
There is more to a church than meets the eye. Christ has made us nothing less than part of a new human race.
There is an “old” humanity. It is dead in its transgressions and sins (Ephesians 2.1). It is rife with factions and riddled with hostility, internationally, nationally and locally. And all of us were part of it at one time. Wonderfully, “[Christ’s] purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace.” He died to make it possible. He’s at work today making it happen. And if you’re in Christ, you are a part of it.
Now, we would surely agree that being members of the human race is significant for us, right?! You wouldn’t say it’s “just another group I belong to”! It’s not a case of, “I’m a member of our neighbourhood; I’m a member of the lawn bowls club; and I’m also a member of the human race.”
Similarly, it is supremely significant that we are part of Christ’s new humanity. It’s not just another group we’re part of. Being a part of this one new humanity (which is also called the church) is intrinsic to who you and I are – to our very identity.
Consider: what differences ought this to make to how you view (1) the purposes of Christ, and (2) the people of Christ? Why not talk to him about that – and your part in it?