Pastor’s Pen
Common Heritage of Faith
Dear Friends,
Where do you come from? I don’t mean New Jersey, or New York? But where did your ancestors sail from to get to the USA? Did they come via a southern or northern border, or perhaps the Caribbean? Or like me, were you and your forebears more recent arrivals?
It doesn’t take long for the people I meet to hear my accent and ask where I’m from or whether I’m Scottish or Irish. I delight in sharing that we Celts share a common heritage with more than just our two nations, but also the Welsh, the Cornish and the those from Brittany in northwestern France. There’s language and culture which lingers on in the geographical remote fringes of these regions that remain untouched by the erosion of progress.
Thankfully, the advances in genetic science have enabled us all to trace our origins much farther than the last few hundred years. I’ve not yet delved into my ancestral origins, although my maternal Grandmother did trace my Grandfather’s ancestry to the Normans who came over during the Norman Conquest of Britain.
No matter who we are, we all hail from somewhere and are related to each other. In the UK, we used to say that we are never more than four handshakes from the queen and I’m sure there’s a similar phrase at large in this country too.
Various sociologists have wondered about our interconnectedness since the beginning of the 20th Century and possibly beyond that. When George MacLeod, the founder of the Iona Community, was a little boy, about eight years old, he was taken to meet a very old lady in her nineties to shake her hand. It turned out that when she was eight years old, she was taken to shake the hand of a very old lady called Flora MacDonald. Flora had been the one who helped to smuggle Bonnie Prince Charlie over the sea to the Isle of Skye as he fled the Red Coats and the British Army the failure of the Jacobite Rebellion at the Battle of Culloden.
An even more exciting interconnectedness all disciples of Jesus Christ share, is our common heritage of faith that has been passed on through all those generations since the twelve disciples of Jesus. All because they shared their experience of His presence in their lives, so that we could do the same that others too may believe. Despite the awesome length of that chain of succession, we still have the privilege of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord.
Pastor Cliff
Blessed Assurance
| Dear Friends, I’m sure that you may have heard that our childhood years play a huge part in influencing us. The reason this thought comes to mind is the presence of music and musicals from stage and screen and the effect they have had on me in my life and ministry. Doris Day, Danny Kaye and Mario Lanza to name just a few. In almost every circumstance, there seems to be the line of a song which is on the tip of my tongue. Whether I am reading to the children a story from Hans Christian Anderson or preparing for worship, there is a song in my heart or a hymn on my lips. Today, Bev asked me for a sermon title and whilst yesterday, I was stumped, today, awoke with the answer, the title I came up with was ‘Perfect Submission’. Do you recognize these words from the third verse of the hymn Blessed Assurance? Perfect Submission, perfect delight Visons of rapture burst on my sight Angels descending bring from above Echoes of mercy, whispers of love. This is my story, this is my song Praising my Savior, all the day long. This is my story, this is my song Praising my Savior, all the day long. When Jesus, though perfect as He was, emerged from the water of baptism, His awareness of God’s pleasure that He had given all the glory to Him came from the knowledge that He had truly fulfilled all righteousness. And the affirmation of the Holy Spiritdescending upon Him like a dove was indeed Blessed Assurance. Pastor Cliff |
In the Beginning
Happy New Year Dear Friends,
When we sit down for a bedtime story in our house, the children’s bible is never far away. Of course other books are available such as everyone’s favorite, ‘Goodnight Moon’, and my other favorites ‘The Velveteen Bunny’ and ‘Love You Forever’ which bring joy to the children especially when the last two bring a tear to my eye. But, when we are celebrating Christmas, and Easter, and now approaching the Epiphany of our Lord, I am keen to read the story of the Wise Men as they journey to visit the baby Jesus and His family.
Even though, our Christian calendar places this event two weeks after Christmas Day, we can’t know for sure when exactly their visit took place. But, regardless of the timing, the children are excited to hear about the star over the stable. And together with their glee when they find the moon in the sky, they also wonder if one of the bright stars they see at night could have been the same star from all those years before. Not being an astronomer myself, I can only wonder, but wonderment is often the best approach.
Our relationship with God whose supernatural power is capable of all things should indeed fill us with awe. And the day we lose that sense of wonder is a sad day for anyone; man, woman or child. The gift of having a story read to us is a treasure, not only for children but for people of all ages. In Sunday worship, we have the privilege to hear the scriptures read aloud. And so, you can imagine my joy when I discovered that my preferred radio station has just this kind of program. In the UK on BBC Radio 4, there are various book clubs and literary discussion such as ‘Book Club’, ‘Reading Aloud’ and ‘Poetry Please’. The latter being my favorite because poetry contains so much in so few words.
My mind goes back to my College professor who read the Psalms to us in Hebrew and his words were like honey dripping from his tongue. So too are those favorite verses of scripture which are read for us. I wonder which is yours.
This Sunday, we turn our attention to the prologue of John’s Gospel. It is an iconic passage of monumental proportions for it contains the whole gospel in eighteen verses. I also remember having to translate part of it from Greek, which itself was highly enriching. Alas, my Greek skills have not lasted, but thankfully the English version continues to feed the heart mind and soul.
Pastor Cliff
People in Community
Dear Friends,
Do you remember the day that you joined the church by profession of faith? Although various traditions may use different formats, there is one unifying factor that unites us all in the Christian churches, that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, He is above all and reigns overall, regardless of political and national affiliation.
This week, I am delighted to welcome four new members into our church family, Bob, Ellen, Samantha and Keith. Of all the churches, they have chosen ours to which they wish to belong.
For most of us, a powerful attraction can be felt, and a sense of belonging begins with the impression we get even before we walk through the door for the first time. What have we been told about this place? Have we read something on the website or seen a flier? When passing by, does the building look in good repair and in use and are the lights on? Are there cars in the car park and do you see other people going?
And then, when you do come in through the door, were you welcomed? Was there an atmosphere of welcome, and did it flow in and through your worship experience?
And then, there is the personal perspective that each new and existing member brings with them. This is an often-overlooked aspect of our faith experience. We must never underestimate the power of our attitude and our mindset. Jesus has the power to transform us all, regardless of our starting point. As we come to Jesus, whether we are new or old, let us all keep open minds, ready to be helped and healed, transformed and reshaped.
“When you see beauty anywhere, it’s a reflection of yourself” Shakti Gawain
Pastor Cliff