BH Bulletin - Friday 7 May 2021

Thought for the Day by Stephen Demetriou ​(Youth Minister)

​1824 was a great year. It was the year that Cadbury’s was established in Birmingham by John Cadbury and from then on we’ve had Mini eggs and Crunchies, we’ve enjoyed Bourneville and Double Deckers and the world famous Cadbury’s Dairy Milk! What a great year.
Some people say that the Bible as we have it today (the biblical canon) was established in the 4th Century AD. It can create the impression that before that time, God’s people were unsure and uncertain about what was Scripture and what wasn’t, but I want to draw our eyes to two nuggets tucked away in the New Testament:

2 Peter 3:16
16 Paul writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
 
1 Timothy 5:17 – 18
17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. 18 For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”
  
2 Peter 3:16 is so encouraging for us believers. On the one hand it says that even the Apostle Peter struggles to understand all of Paul’s letters! What a great comfort when we’re neck deep in Romans 7 and floundering, Peter did too!
But I want to focus on something else Peter says about Paul’s letters.
2 Peter was written around 67AD (ish) and in Chapter three verse sixteen Peter says Paul’s letters are up there with the other Scriptures. In 67AD Peter recognised that Paul’s letters were as Scriptural and God-breathed as books like 1 Samuel and Isaiah! Isn’t that super exciting?
  
Then we move on into 1 Timothy 5:17-18 and we see something equally beautiful. Written in the mid 60sAD Paul quotes two parts of Scripture. The first quote “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” is clearly taken from Deuteronomy 25:4. But the second quote, “The worker deserves his wages.” ONLY appears one other time in writings, on the lips of Jesus in Luke 10:7.
Don’t miss how brilliant this is! It means we can most likely say that by the mid 60s Paul and probably others were reading and quoting Luke’s Gospel as Scripture on a par with Deuteronomy.
Wow.
 
I’m a bit of a geek so I find that super exciting! I hope you do too!
It gives me even more reason to trust God’s Word the Bible as God’s Word. It gives me even more confidence in these Scriptures and it gives me a great love for the God who guides His people and preserves His Word through the ages.
 
Why not thank God for His Word that it is true and trustworthy today.

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​Service for Penny Standing

After a private committal, the Thanksgiving service for Penny will be at BH on Monday 17th May at 11.30am.
As we currently understand the Government regulations, the numbers allowed at the service will only be restricted by social distancing guidelines, and so we will use a booking system as we do for Sunday services. We expect the Government to make their announcement on Monday 10th May and so booking will open on Tuesday 11th May. This is good news as it means that it will be much more like a 'normal' service for Penny.
Also, we anticipate that the numbers for a wake will still be limited to 30, so that means that unfortunately if you book on or after 11th May you will not be able to stay for refreshments (close family and friends will be invited before 11th May, and will be able to stay).