Wrestling

FIRST, CLICK HERE AND WATCH THIS
Batista, Shaun Michaels, Undertaker, John Cena. Wrestlers.

D.J. and Chris. Wrestlers.

The old people who sit at the back on Sunday. Wrestlers?


There’s a story in Genesis about two wrestlers.
One wrestler is Jacob.
That’s Isaac’s son (remember he tricked his father and brother by wearing a sheep skin.)

He’s also the father of Joseph (and Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Bilhah, Dan, Naphtali, Zilpah, Gad and Asher.)
The other wrestler is…

...Well, CLICK HERE AND READ THE STORY

So, Jacob wrestles with God.

He gets given a new name: “Israel”.

Israel’s sons become a nation.

There’s a country today that's called “Israel”, because Jacob wrestled with God.

In the Old Testament Israel are God’s chosen people.

A whole nation of God-Wrestlers.

A people who wrestle with God.

Sometimes we think that God expects unquestioning obedience, but the scriptures don’t show us that. The Bible is full of people who question God. God invites to engage with him, question him, wrestle with him, get to know him.


A real relationship with God, like any relationship, involves conversation, debate, opposing views, conflict, resolution…



I’m fairly convinced that God always knows best, but I am only convinced of that because God has invited me to wrestle with him, to get to know him, to find out for myself.



So God invites us…
Wrestle with the issues. Wrestle with the questions. Wrestle with doubt. Wrestle with prayer. Wrestle with God about the suffering in the world. Wrestle with injustice.



Become a wrestler.

Janus

This is Janus, Roman god of doorways, beginnings and endings - always looking back and always looking forwards. Its from Janus that we get the name January.

It's in this season that people like to look back at the year that has passed and forward to the year to come. We pause and review our lives. Take some time out. Look in the mirror and see how we're doing.

I'd love to get some comments from you below about your highlights of the year- funny moments, serious moments, important moments. I find it hard to think back that far... it's all a bit of a blur, but it's definately worth taking some time to review our lives.

As Christians we should be examining our lives to see if we're growing. here's what the Bible says:

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test.
2 Corinthians 13: 5-6

So... have you grown this year? Have you grown closer to God? Have you moved forward? (A lot of us wrote some letters one Sunday night and you'll be getting those back soon. That might show you how you have changed.)

Julie, Paul and I have seen how you've grown this year, so when you look back at your journey with God over the last 365 days or so "we trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test."

What about the future? What are your hopes and fears? Who would you like to be this time next year?

PRAY
Finally, a prayer to God who is God of our past and God of our future:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139: 23-24

Advent: Always Winter and Never Christmas

In C.S. Lewis' "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" the land of Narnia is under the Witch's curse so that it is "Always winter and Never Christmas". The Narnians live in the cold and dark of winter without being able to look forward to the joy of Christmas and the hope of a new year. The Narnians are waiting to be rescued from the White Witch, but it seems like there is no hope.

At the time of the prophet Isaiah, God's people werewaiting to be rescued from Babylonian. But hope was coming! Isaiah spoke:

"Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress...

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light...

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given...

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Hundreds of years later, when Jesus was born people were waiting to be rescued, this time from the Romans. When Jesus was grown he stood up in the temple and read the words of Isaiah saying:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

"Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

The time had come!

When Aslan returns to Narnia the ice begins to melt. The children are visited by Father Christmas- hope has returned to Narnia.

Aslan has come, but the children still have roles to play and a battle to fight in.

When Jesus came, he set in motion the plan for the salvation of the world, but we are Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan, joining him in battle, bringing his plan to fulfilment. Today, people are still waiting for the time to come. People are still waiting to be saved, set free from slavery, addiction, brokenness, lonliness... These are people we know.

PRAY: Lord, thankyou that the time is come. Thank you that you are saving us. Thankyou that you have given us a part to play in your plan of salvation. Show us the needs of those around us. Show us how to meet those needs. Amen.

Put aside the Ranger...

"Put aside the Ranger. Become who you were born to be."

AUTUMN SOUL 08: REVOLUTION

Some of us were at Autumn Soul.

Met with God.

Eat ice-cream.

Had very little sleep. (Not me, however, I slept in my own bed.)

I'd love to see some of you post some of your memories or highlights up here on our shiny new Web Home, but until then, here's a recap of some of the things God was saying through our speakers:


1) REVOLUTIONARY SYMBOLS - Gillian Best
Every revolution has its symbols. The symbols of this revolution are The Cross and The Torn Curtain. The Cross was a shameful symbol of death and execution. Jesus made the cross into a symbol of redemption, forgiveness and love.

The temple curtain represented the seperation between man and God, but when Jesus died it was ripped in two. The Torn Curtain shows that there is nothing keeping man and God apart.


2) REVOLUTIONARY RELATIONSHIP - Adrian Eagleson
We belong to a revolutionary tradition. If we cut through methodism like a stick of rock, revolution would be at its heart. We are people of revolutionary relationships. Like the two bars of a cross we have a revolutionary upward relationship with God, and a revolutionary outward relationship with those around us.

3) REVOLUTIONARY POWER - Clare Woodward
God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, and walked with the disciples in Gallilee. God sent his Holy Spirit to live in his followers. We should learn to still our hearts and listen for what the Holy Spirit is saying to us.

4) REVOLUTIONARY HOPE - Alain Emerson
Is the Jesus revolution just for us, or does it offer hope to the oppressed and the suffering in the world? If being a Christian was just about us, God would have taken us home to heaven as soon as we had decided to follow him, instead we are invited to be God's co-workers in bringing hope to the world.

"
God of Justice, Saviour to all
Came to rescue the weak and the poor
Chose to serve and not be served

Jesus, You have called us
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give

We must go live to feed the hungry
Stand beside the broken
We must go
Stepping forward keep us from just singing
Move us into action
We must go

To act justly everyday
Loving mercy in everyway
Walking humbly before You God

You have shown us, what You require
Freely we've received
Now freely we will give


Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out
Fill us up and send us out Lord
"

Hello all I am now a BLOGGER hee hee looking forward to our Lord of the rings fest on tuesday!! see you then!! joolz