Masks
Since 24th July in this weird world of 2020 that we find ourselves in we’ve all been required to wear masks in shops and small enclosed spaces where people gather and although, of course, we comply I’m pretty sure most of us hate it – I know I do! 

The face covering on the left is fairly normal nowadays but the ‘mask’ on the right is actually an actor’s mask from the 1st Century A.D. and it reminds me that often I’ve chosen to wear a ‘mask’ in certain circumstances to hide what’s really going on for me... my mask might have been the smiley one that says ‘I’m fine’ or the busy one that says ‘I’m indispensable’ or the confident one that says ‘I’m right’...and I’ve used it to hide insecurity and fear of rejection. The word for an actor in the Greek is ‘hypokrites,’ and yes, we get out the word ‘hypocrite’ from it because it’s all about pretending to be something or someone we’re not. Ouch!!!

In the Bible Moses wore a face covering [a veil] in the Wilderness after he’d been speaking to God. We read about it in Exodus 34.

“When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the LORD’s presence to speak with Him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.” 33 -35.

Moses put on the veil so that the people wouldn’t see the glory fading and think less of him. In the same way I have sometimes worn a mask so that people think well of me – I wonder what kind of mask you might wear and what it is you might want to hide from others or convey to them?
​
In the New Testament this true story about Moses and the face covering is mentioned in Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthian church. Paul writes something amazing and wonderful that encourages me – and I hope you – to never, ever put on a hypocritical mask again. Please spend some time thinking about and really grasping the truth of 2 Corinthians 2:17 & 18 [bold, underlined & italics are mine]
“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.”
WOW!
​Chris

​From next week we will be changing the frequency of the BH Bulletin to three days per week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This is due to staff shortages due to holidays among other things. Those of you that send in articles for publishing please do not stop as they are very much needed and appreciated.

​:Uncertain Times
Will schools be back in September? Will there be another lockdown? Will they be able to make a vaccine? Will our services in the building be able to continue, or will a second spike mean another pause, and we go back to just doing our services online?
We don’t know the answers to any of those questions, and many of us dislike the uncertainty.
But if there’s one thing that our evening sermons on Daniel have taught us it’s that God rules the world. He is in control, of everything, all the time. He knows the future and we can trust him with it.
And in Daniel chapter 12 there’s a repeated command to Daniel which is also one for us, living in a world going through uncertain times. “Go your way” (Daniel 12:9,13) In other words, carry on with life, just like Daniel did in Chapter 8 after his disturbing vision there (Daniel 8:27 “Then I got up and went about the King’s business.”)
So in uncertain times, just carry on with life, trusting God with your future and with the future of the world. Carry on reading your bible, carry on praying and being at our services, carry on your job, carry on bringing up your children, carry on living for Jesus.
So today, tomorrow, this week, next month… “Go your way.”
​Phil

From next week we will be changing the frequency of the BH Bulletin to three days per week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This is due to staff shortages due to holidays among other things. Those of you that send in articles for publishing please do not stop as they are very much needed and appreciated.

​A good rule to follow
'As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’     Joshua 24:15
 
So said dear old Joshua, that brave old saint from the days of Moses. He stood opposed to the mass opinion of his fellow Jews and along with Caleb gave a good report after their secret spying mission into the
promised land. (Numbers 13). He was courageous, strong and faithful, in leading the people of God.
 
I love Joshua and I love this verse of scripture. It used to be hanging in our hallway, but because it's become old and tatty it's been relegated to the shed - a bit like me!
 
What a great verse for the newly weds in our church, or for those planning(?) to be married soon. Equally inspiring for those who are feeling rather weary after many years of 'desert wanderings'.
 
Joshua stands against fear, complacency and faithlessness. There's a 'Promised Land' to be entered and an Almighty God to serve!
 
Phil

Over the last few weeks we have focused on Sundays on the spread of the gospel in Acts and the prophetic visions of Daniel. In both of these parts of the Bible we see glimpses of the spiritual realities behind the events going on in the world and in our lives. In response we don’t want to become people who see the devil at work in every personal inconvenience or difficulty. But nor do we want to ignore the great truth that God’s enemies, though real and powerful are no match for the Lord Almighty. The culture we live in is very different to that of ancient Babylon or 1st century Samaria but Satan, it seems, is quite capable of adapting his methods to stir up doubt, fear and chaos in the world regardless of how advanced or sophisticated humanity may appear. But his machinations pale into insignificance in comparison with the Sovereign, Creator God who stands behind and above history and walks with us through 2020 just as he did with Daniel and Philip in centuries gone by.
Jesus! the name high over all,
In hell or earth or sky;
Angels and men before it fall,
And devils fear and fly.
Jesus! the name to sinners dear,
The name to sinners giv’n;
It scatters all their guilty fear,
It turns their hell to Heav’n.
Charles Wesley1749

The race for Grace 
In our house there is sometimes an unorganised race to say grace before meal times. The loser then gets into a strop and sometimes tears flow… and that’s just when Morag and I have dinner on our own. 

Seriously, we are very grateful that the kids love to give thanks before food, even if sometimes they turn it into a competition. But we are grateful they want to do it because it is good to give thanks. 

Paul in 1 Timothy 4:4 says…
 
‘For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.’ 

In the context Paul is speaking against those that were ascetics (people who believed that by not eating certain foods or marrying they were being extra holy). 
​
But Paul’s counter his simple. If God made it, created it, designed it. And if we use it as God intended then it is good. So thank God for it!!
 
So it is good to say grace, to thank God, before you sit down to eat a meal of porridge or ham sandwiches or steak and chips.
 
But more than that…
 
It is good to say grace, before you sit down to watch the telly. 
 
It is good to say grace before you head off for a walk on the beach. 
 
It is good to say grace before you go out in the car to visit friends. 
 
It is good to say grace before nestling in to read your favourite book. 
 
It is good to say grace as you open the door and go into a clean toilet. 
 
It is good to say grace before you snuggle up in a warm bed for a good nights sleep. 
 
It is good to say grace as you pick up your screaming child that wakes you up from your good nights sleep. 
 
It is good to say grace in all times and in all places.
 
‘For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.’
 
Let’s all race to grace today!

​Imagine you are a sheep!  (Insert sheep name here.  I’m going with Fluffy!)  As a sheep, what is it you need?  It is pretty simple isn’t it? You need a safe place and a green place.   
Well if you are the sheep in Psalm 23 then you are a particularly happy sheep because you really do have all that you need!   

At our 7pm Holy Cross services we are slowly going through the much-loved Psalm 23.  It is unusual to preach through any passage just a verse or two at a time, but it certainly allows for deep reflection on every little bit of it!  Last Sunday, we looked at v2:  
 
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters.

This a picture of plenty: a lush meadow full of green grass and fresh water.   
It is a picture of security: away from dangerous craggy rock and wild animals 
It is a picture of rest: the word quiet is same word for rest used in other Psalms 
This is a sheep’s dream! It is the best possible safe place and green place!  If you are Fluffy (or whatever sheep name you have decided for yourself), this is where you can truly flourish.  “Life doesn’t get any better than this!” you bleat to yourself. 
 
Notice the language of he makes me and he leads me.  The shepherd wants this blessed life for his sheep so he will make sure they have it.  And of course, this is a picture of the blessed life for all those who follow the Shepherding God.  King David (who wrote the Psalm) partially experienced the blessing of following his Shepherd.  King Jesus fully enjoyed the blessing of following his Heavenly Father.  In Christ, we too can know this life of blessing.  When we listen to, trust him and follow our Shepherding God, he will lead us to this blessed life!  That is how we can flourish.   
 
This blessed life doesn’t mean we will never face hard times.  Just as David and Jesus himself faced dark days, our Shepherd may lead us first through the hardships in order to bring us to blessing.  This blessed life doesn’t mean we have everything we want.  It does however mean we have everything we need- we lack nothing that is truly good for us.  John Calvin wrote ‘Those who enjoy the greatest abundance of outward good things are empty and famished if God is not their shepherd’. 
 
More than that, this blessed life is not just for now.  The garden meadow of Psalm 23:2 is a picture of life in the New Creation.  Our Shepherding God will one day lead us into a perfect place of plenty, security, and rest for all eternity!   That is where we – God’s sheep – will truly flourish.  On that day we will be say ‘life doesn’t get any better than this!’ 
​Rich

​Places are going fast for this Sunday's service at Bishop Hannington. We would love you to be there. There are still some places available. All are welcome so please sign in.
You can book your place by either using MyChurchsuite, the website or if you don’t have internet access you can ring the office.  You will need to book a place for everyone in your group that is coming including anyone under 18.

​Matthew 23
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries[a] wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Seven Woes on the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees
13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to".

The other day one of my friends posted a link to an Instagram account called ‘Leaving Christianity’. Had a little browse as to what it was and saw it was a page dedicated to helping people who have left the church and abandoned their faith, throw off many of their supposedly ‘unhelpful traits and beliefs’, they may have picked up from spending time within the church. Its agenda is definitely on the very liberal side of Christianity, if not all-out anti-Christian. Every day the page posts statements claiming that the way churches do things is outdated, backward, and at worst, mentally damaging. My first reaction wasn’t one of anger, or feeling insulted. I simply felt sorrow that such a page even exists with 4,000 followers who clearly find it helpful to them.

I think people’s reasons for being part of that group split across two categories. Some are thinking about ‘Leaving Christianity’ due to being sick of living a lie. People who decided to leave the church as they were really only there for community, or to keep up appearances, and weren’t part of the church for the purpose of worshipping God and who have finally had enough of the pretence. Others have probably felt driven to leave Christianity by internal problems within the church; a mixture of hypocrisy, abuse of power, and dodgy leadership.
The former we can see almost as a pruning process. If the people in the church didn’t really believe what they said they believed and have decided to step away, although it’s still horrendously sad, it can be good for the church. The latter is evidence of our failings as Christians, more specifically Christian leaders, in our ministry. This very much links in with the bulletin thought that I did last week. Hypocrisy and showmanship in our leadership is so damaging, not just for us in the context of Matt 6:1-4, but also for others, in context of Matt 23:13. People will be put off church and Christianity if our ministry is false and performative, and the doors of Heaven will be shut in their face, in a slightly hyperbolic manner.
We all need to make sure our public ministry is humble and sincere. Verse 11 & 12 are the perfect instruction to our lives. Every moment that we live, we live for Christ, and if we want to live for Christ, we are to be servants. We need to make sure we are exalting only God and not ourselves in our lives as servants to Him. Everything we do is to be done in humble service for each other, and ultimately for Christ.

In my readings and studies on Christian leadership recently, one of the big things I’ve learned is we can never be too careful. Being genuine in our Christian ministry involves being very careful in how we live our lives. If we are to present to others a version of ourselves as a willing and humble servant, ready to submit to God’s authority at all turns, we’d best make sure our day-to-day lives can back that up. We’d best make sure that we actually do live lives that bring glory to God as best we can, in both our public and private lives. If we do that, hopefully we shall see less people ‘Leaving Christianity”.
​Alex

​Booking is open for next Sunday's service at Bishop Hannington. There has already been a good response but there are still plenty of places available. All are welcome so please sign in.
You can book your place by either using MyChurchsuite, the website or if you don’t have internet access you can ring the office.  You will need to book a place for everyone in your group that is coming including anyone under 18.

​Fools Rush In
'First seek the counsel of the Lord’     2 Kings 22:5
 'Fools rush in' sang Elvis when he couldn't help falling in love, way back in 1961.
 
In the verse today we are reminded to always seek God's counsel and will before rushing in to anything new, or making changes in our lives.
 
The context of the verse is important and helpful. King Jehoshaphat (good king) of Judah, has met with king Ahab (evil king) of Israel. Ahab
wants to combine armies and then go and make war against the king of
Aram (22:4). 'Yes' says Jehoshaphat (v4), 'But first let's seek the counsel of
the Lord' (v5). As it happens, the counsel that came from the godly prophet
Micaiah was not good news for Ahab (v19-28). Nevertheless, against his warning,
they went ahead in battle on the advice of Ahab's 400, state-sponsored, Ahab-pleasing, false prophets, who had predicted great success. Guess
who was right? Read the whole story in 1 Kings chapter 22 to see
what happens!
 
Are you planning something new? Venturing out in some way or another?
Then be sure to take Jehoshaphat's advice and 'First seek the counsel of
the Lord'. And don't be swayed by mass opinion!!
 
Phil

Booking is open for next Sunday's service at Bishop Hannington. There has already been a good response but there are still plenty of places available. All are welcome so please sign in.
You can book your place by either using MyChurchsuite, the website or if you don’t have internet access you can ring the office.  You will need to book a place for everyone in your group that is coming including anyone under 18.

​‘Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.’ James 1:27
 
Religion! We don’t particularly like to reference that word a lot. We end up thinking about the negative connotations and tend to associate it with other world faith groups. But James likes it. In fact he says there is a religion that God accepts, something that he thinks is ‘pure and faultless’. Well I’m on board with that! And then we look at the verse and we think, just those two things? Seems a bit narrow. Is that all that God is looking for in religion?
 
‘Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne’ says Ethan the Ezrahite in Psalm 87:14. And I think he is on to something. See the two things that are referenced as ‘good religion’ are examples of something greater:
 
…to look after orphans and widows in their distress… - SOCIAL JUSTICE  —> JUSTICE
…and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world…’ - PURITY —> RIGHTEOUSNESS
 
Both are important. It is quite easy for Christians today to camp in one of these and not the other. But God desires that we do both; live a holy and sinless life before Him, whilst being His hands and feet to a broken world.
 
Father, help me to live the religious life you intended; one where I am living a pure, holy life before your eyes, whilst caring and loving without measure for the lost and the broken.
 Matt

​Jesus said "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
 
This call to share The Gospel in Hove & around the world isn't stopped by any 'Lockdown' or 'Covid-restrictions'!
So something to look forward to -this October we will still be having a World Mission Awareness month of some sort. 
Throughout the month we hope to have guest speakers & world mission-focused prayer times. We would love all the church family to be involved and for the various BH groups to make it a focus of their groups for October. More details to follow but mark it in your calendar for now.  If you’d like to be involved contact Katy Lambert via the church office. 
Katy

​Lockdown, praise up! are short videos aimed at young people but suitable for everyone to get our hearts and minds looking up higher.
​Everyday there will be a brand new video up on our YouTube Channel.
Lockdown Praise Up! 10 minutes a day from the book of Philippians.
Please click on the link below.
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCLfW_6eqLlfr82_QD0JVsGw