Werrington Parish Church

Maggi

I dare say for many this will be the defining image of Holy Week— at once tragic and hopeful. (Image by Philippe Wojazer @Reuters )

George

EARTH OR HEAVEN?
Matthew 6:19-21, 24 "Do not store up for yourselves treasurers on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also... You cannot serve both God and money."

"Jesus is not against the rich, but as he quickly exposed in his encounter with the young ruler, riches are a dangerous threat in supplanting loyalty and commitment to him. Money can so easily enslave us, and diminish our eternal perspective. Treasures on earth or treasures in heaven? What will we give our lives to? C.S. Lewis wrote that "anything which isn't eternal is eternally out-of-date".
Neil Hannon of the band Divine Comedy wrote the following lyrics in his song "Eye of the Needle":

The cars in the churchyard are shiny and German
Distinctly at odds with the theme of the sermon
And during communion I study the people
Squeezing themselves through the eye of the needle.

I was preaching in an affluent suburb in Chicago a few years ago. The congregation was all white apart from one African sitting at the back. He came up to me afterwards and said, "Guillebaud! God used your grandparents to lead me to Christ!" Why do I tell you that? Because my grandparents were gifted people who could have been very successful in worldly terms, but they laid their lives down in order to store up treasures in heaven. In monetary terms, when they died they left us grandchildren virtually nothing. They'd "spent" everything on the kingdom of God; all we got were a few tasteless hand-knitted jumpers! But as this chance encounter demonstrated, they'd left a living inheritance in thousands of lives scattered across the globe. That's what I want as well!
Take an inventory of what you're investing in. I suspect much of it is "eternally out-of-date". Time for any changes?"

"Lord, I choose to serve one master, and that's you" Help me choose to invest in what lasts today. Amen!"

From 'Choose Life 365 Readings for Radical Disciples' by Simon Guillebaud.
What are you investing in today? Things that only last for this lifetime or Eternal riches? Ask Jesus to help you get your priorities in line with His!!!! ... See more

George

LIFE OR DEATH?
Colossians 3:1-4 "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God... For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

"George Mueller was known by people around the world for the extraordinary answers to his prayers on a continual basis. One day he was urged to share the secret of the effectiveness of his ministry and prayer life. In his answer he spoke of his "secret death". "There was a day," he said, "when I died; utterly died." He spoke deliberately and quietly, bending lower until he nearly touched the floor. "I died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends; and since then I have studied only to show myself approved of God."
As Peter writes, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness" (1 Peter 2:24). The dying to self is the pathway to life, as Paul wrote to Timothy: "If we died with him, we will also live with him" (2 Timothy 2:11). So Christ's death has huge consequences on our outlook and motivation for life. "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again" (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
Dying to one's own opinions, preferences, tastes, and will -- and everything else Mueller talks about -- is supremely costly and challenging... but so undoubtedly worth it! Count the cost today and choose well."

"Lord, help me to seek to show myself approved by you alone. Amen!"

From 'Choose Life 365 Readings for Radical Disciples' by Simon Guillebaud.
Have you died to self and come alive to Christ? Ask Jesus to show you the way ofr the aproved life!!!! ... See more

George

HEIRS OR DOGS?
1 John 3:1 "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"

"A new convert approached Watchman Nee in deep anguish of soul, saying, "No matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I think I'm losing my salvation." Watchman Nee replied, "Do you see this dog here? He is my dog. He is house-trained; he never makes a mess; he is obedient; he is a pure delight to me. Out in the kitchen I have a son, a baby son. He throws his food around, he fouls his clothes, he's a total mess. But who is going to inherit my kingdom? Not my dog. My son is my heir! And you are Jesus Christ's heir because it is for you that He died."
It's deeply liberating to know we are Christ's heirs not through our strivings for perfection, but simply by means of his grace. It's difficult for us to grasp fully the concept of grace. Maybe this illustration will help: A burglar broke into a house and killed a sleeping baby. If the father tracked down the burglar and killed him, that would be revenge. If the law took its course and the burglar was sent to prison, that would be justice. If the father forgave the burglar, took him into his home, and treated him as his own son, that would be grace. It sounds an absurd scenario, yet that's what God did for us, even though it was we who killed his son.
How about spending some time meditating on that for a while?"

"Lord God Almighty, as an undeserving recipient of your grace, I choose to live today as an heir, extending that same grace to others and modelling the freedom of knowing my status and security in you. Amen!"

From 'Choose Life 365 Readings for Radical Disciples' by Simon Guillebaud.
Do you consider yourself a Dog or a Child of God's grace?
Ponder the fact that you are an heir og God's kingdom and a joint Heir with Christ!!!! ... See more

Peterborough Cathedral

Today we remember a man from this diocese, whose name is known to Peterborough children at school in Twelvetrees Avenue, and who had a lasting impact on the English Church. William Law was born at Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire,in 1686 and ordained deacon at Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1711. When the Hanoverian George I came to the English throne in 1714, Law refused to take the Oath of Allegiance to the monarch required of all clergy. He lost his position at the College and was accordingly not ordained Priest until 1728. Just nine years later he retired to his native Kings Cliffe where he did charitable work and lived in great simplicity as an expression of his faith, until he died in 1761.
His great contribution to English spirituality came through his book, published in 1728 and called “A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life”. It is still in print today. Law describes how God calls Christians to complete obedience to him in a Christ-centred life.
The book is reckoned to have had more influence than any other post-Reformation English work apart from Pilgrim’s Progress! It influenced all the main leaders of the evangelical revival, including John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield and Henry Venn and, indirectly thereby, changed the course of the English Church.
“If we are to love our enemies, we must make our common life a visible exercise and demonstration of that love.”
Wise words that apply to Church and nation today. ... See more

George

TOPSY OR TURVY?
2 Corinthians 1:27,28 "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are."

"God's ways are sometimes topsy-turvy. With him, things work differently. The first are last and the last are first. God in heaven becomes a baby on earth. Our life comes through his death. His cross provides our crown. Foolish shame wise. Weak shame strong. His ways are most definitely not our ways.
But thank God his ways aren't ours. In our sophistication, we've learned how to make a living but not how to live; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we have more acquaintances but fewer friends; we have fancy houses but broken homes. The list goes on...
Topsy-turvy... his ways right, our ways wrong.
And when it comes to praying, you might think it reasonable to pray for comfort, peace, joy and wisdom, but this Franciscan prayer offers us the total opposite.

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in this world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done.
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor."

"Lord, I choose -- maybe with some hesitation, but convinced it is your will -- to embrace this benediction for my life today. Amen!"

From 'Choose Life 365 Readings for Radical Disciples' by Simon Guillebaud.
Are you caught in God's Topsy Turviness? Are you willing to embrace it for the Kingdoms sake? Ask Jesus to help you find the way!!!!!! ... See more

George

SELF-PITY OR SENSE OF PERSPECTIVE?
2 Corinthians 4:8-10 "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."

"These words from the apostle Paul's pen could be echoed by millions of followers of Jesus in the world today. I'm sitting here typing away on my laptop with graphic pictures in front of me of mutilated bodies in yet another country where an aggressive Islamist agenda is being enacted. I lived there for a while in the 1990s with a remarkable pastor called Pierre. His house is currently overrun with fearful members of his congregation, his children are traumatized, and they don't know who, if any of them, will survive.
Why do I tell you that? Because this morning I woke up and was tempted to feel sorry for myself. I've been sick for months with some undiagnosed tropical ailment, and I've had enough. But knowing what Pierre is going through right now (and he might be dead by the time you read this, or he might be fine, but be assured that there are plenty of Brother Pierres going through similarly grim trials right now around the world), how can I possibly slip into self-pitying mode? If in some small way I can relate to the above verses of being "perplexed, but not in despair, struck down but not destroyed", that's but a glimpse of what others are going through.
God doesn't belittle our problems. They are real. He cares about them. But a healthy sense of perspective is an antidote to self-pity. I count my blessings every day: freedom to worship, support of loved ones, access to healthcare, clean water, food, education, the list goes on. How blessed I am! Thank you, Lord."

"Lord, help me to keep things in perspective and trust you with all my problems today. Amen!"

From 'Choose Life 365 Readings for Radical Disciples' by Simon Guillebaud.
Are you tempted to hold a pity party? Think of others who are suffering for their faith. learn from them and ask Jesus to help you gain His perspective for your life!!!! ... See more