Christmas Day Service
We will meet at the earlier time of 10.30am on Christmas morning, Sunday 25th December, at the Carrigaline Community Centre. It’ll be a short time together to give thanks for the birth of Jesus Christ.
All are welcome, so please come and feel free to bring others as well!
Suicide – Searching for Grace
The news last Sunday that Gary Speed chose to end his life was both tragic and sad. A successful football career in the premiership, a bright future as manager of Wales and a beautiful wife and children made his sudden and surprising death all the more pointless and hopeless. Gary Speeds last public appearance was the day before on the Football Show. He spoke elegantly and talked of his hopes as manger of Wales in the 2014 world cup. No doubt, as any loving husband and Father he made plans for Christmas and had dreams for his children – but in less than twenty four hours he had ended his life.
Why?
Of course the question we all ask is why? Not just about Garry Speed but every suicide that we hear about all too often in the news.
While there are no easy answers I do think that suicide is a search for Grace, even though it might not be recognised as such. The fact of Gary’s death tells us that not even his closest friends or family knew what he was struggling and suffering with deep inside. What ever he faced in his personal life, death, it seemed was the only means of escape. While we may not agree it is certainly very understandable. The reality is we live in a very broken world with broken lives and human answers are very often insufficient and incomplete. Whatever Gary experienced we can say that he longed for peace, hope and an end to his pain. And that’s what Grace offers us. Grace is God’s intervention into this broken world and our disordered lives. God sees that we have not got the inner strength or resources to change our circumstances or transform our lives and so he offers us Grace. That Grace comes through a person, Jesus Christ who enters into our struggles and suffering offering hope and freedom.
Hope
While we do not know the full story behind any suicide it seems that the suffering and struggles of an individual remain deeply hidden. External pressures mean we must appear strong and so we cover up our suffering. Internal pressures mean we must prove to ourselves our ability to cope so we push down our struggles. All the time the longing to be ‘set free’ intensifies. Grace enables us to be open and honest without fear or shame. We can come as we are with all our weakness and admit to our suffering and struggles. Rather than crushed we are cleaned, rather than broken we are restored. We find forgiveness, a fresh start and a new life. Of course it does not mean an end to our suffering and struggles but we find one who identifies and gives a way out while not losing those most dear to us, our family and friends.
Community of Grace
How do we help and how can we respond? We need to create communities of Grace. A place where people can tell the truth and not be condemned, where we can admit weakness and not be shamed, where we can ask for help and not be rejected. In short we need to live the gospel, where Christ welcomes us and creates a place where we can come as we are to experience his forgiveness and freedom.
May God pour his Grace into the family and friends of Gary Speed.
Celebrate Christmas
It’s official Christmas is here, and already the ‘Ba Humbug’ in me is coming to the surface! Christmas trees are on display, as neighbours try to outdo each other in their attempt to win the best decorated tree award, the endless annoying tunes of ‘Rudolf the red nose reindeer’ and ‘so here it is merry Christmas everybody’s having fun’ are blasted into our ears at every shop and archade as we grin falsely at all the other Christmas consumers, and then when we go home to escape it all, the children are googling over the latest edition of Smyth’s catalogue deciding what gadget or toy they want. Ba Humbug!
Well it’s for this very reason that I need to remind myself again (because I am a sinner) of what there is to celebrate: ‘But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we have done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour…’ Titus 3v4-6. A grumpy and cynical heart needs forgiveness, the grace and mercy of God to change us and transform us. Of course it’s not just at Christmas that we need reminded we need the gospel 365 days of the year.
So here are two great presents you can use throughout the year that you might like to buy for someone else or put it on your Christmas list. The first is a book by Paul Tripp ‘Whiter than Snow – meditations on sin and mercy’. In 52 short meditations Paul takes us through Psalm 51 exploring the darkness of our own hearts and the wonderful grace and redemption in Christ. The second is an album produced by Sovereign Grace ‘The Gathering’ – which contains 15 songs that progressively tell the story of the gospel and our appropriate response to it. It’s a story God’s people have been celebrating together for thousands of years. Jesus Christ died for our sins, rose from the dead, and will come back one day to live forever with those he redeemed.
The book can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/Whiter-Than-Snow-Meditations-Mercy/dp/1433502305
The Album can be found here: http://sovereigngracemusic.bandcamp.com/track/there-is-one-reason
Happy Christmas!
Saving Europe!
It’s no secret – but we are in a crisis. Each day the news gets worse, with commentators suggesting that Europe will never be the same again and that it’s the end of the Euro. In a desperate attempt to rescue the ‘eurozone’ Presidents are resigning, interest rates are dropped, debt bailout plans and austerity measures are put in place.
We don’t have to have a First in Economics and Politics to understand that financially and politically Europe, indeed the whole world, is in a bad way. Ireland is certainly in no position to change anything and for most of us we sit at the mercy of the ECB or the IMF to make things better and brighter. Christmas may be coming but I don’t think there will be too many celebrations and too many gifts!
It’s at times like this we need to be reminded of our Sovereign God, the creator and controller of the universe, with absolute power and supreme authority. The reality is, as history has proved, human leaders and institutions will always fail because we are sinful and broken people intent on running our lives and our world our way. In response we need to repent and turn to the one God promised through his prophet Daniel: ‘In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man…He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an ever lasting dominion that will not pass away, and his Kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.’ (Daniel 7v13-14)
I am no prophet and I do not know what will happen Europe or the Euro. We may have a new ‘two tier’ system we may see others kicked out – but what I do know is that God’s prophecy has come true. Christmas is a time of celebration because in Jesus Christ we have the gift of a leader who has come to unite all peoples round him. The angel spoke to Mary: ‘Do not be afraid Mary, you have found favour with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his Father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his Kingdom will never end.’ Luke 1v31-33
Jesus is the fulfilment of Daniels prophecy, he is the King who will unite all people round him. His is the Kingdom that will never be broken by banks or leaders. His Kingdom is eternal and he will reign for ever and ever. Christmas reminds us of the leader we all look for. The one who will unite us together not on the basis of race or riches but on the basis that we are forgiven of a greater debt, our sin, and redeemed from a more hopeless and eternal situation, hell.
The decisions made by Europe in the coming days will no doubt impact us all, we can’t escape cuts and taxes as will be seen in the coming budget. However we have a eternal hope in Jesus. He is the Sovereign Lord who is not controlled by a nations debt or a leaders decision. He is God, supreme over all. His kingdom will continue to grow whether Europe as we know it exists or not. His Kingdom will last for ever and ever – beyond anything that dominates our news today.
Thank God we have something to celebrate this Christmas even if our materials gifts to one another might be smaller!
Everyday Church Notes
At our growth groups we’re looking at what it means to do “Everyday Church”.
Below are the notes used week by week for those that may have missed any of the sessions. They’re based on a book by Steve Timmis and Tim Chester called “Everyday Church”.
To view these files you need a free pdf reader like Adobe Acrobat.
Joint Service – 18-Sep-2011
Next Sunday there will be no meeting in Carrigaline. Instead we are joining with the Cork Baptist Churches for our annual gathering. Sunday 18th Sept at 11am in The Presentation College (Girls Secondary School) on the Bypass, Bandon.
A collection will be taken on that day for the Cork/Kerry project.
Directions: As you approach Bandon from Cork you will come to a roundabout. Take 1st exit signed for “Relief Road/Bypass”
As you climb to the very top of the hill you will pass a garage on the left, then some retail units (FBD and Easy Living).
The school is immediately after the Easy Living store on the left hand side (Colaiste na Toirbhirte/Presentation College) just before the pedestrian crossing traffic lights.
