All are welcome, so please come and feel free to bring others as well!

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.

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!

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!

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”.

1. Life at the Margins

2. Everyday Community

3. Everyday Pastoral Care

4. Everyday Mission

5. Everyday Evangelism

6. Hope at the Margins

7. The Next Steps

To view these files you need a free pdf reader like Adobe Acrobat.

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.

You can watch below the first 8 chapters of Max McLean’s hour-long interpretation of the Gospel according to Mark, recited word-for-word from the NIV.

It’s one of those ‘insider’ Christian words that we hear about…GOSPEL.

The basic meaning is ‘Good News’. But to understand the ‘Good News’ you need to hear some ‘Bad News’ first.

There is much to this ‘Gospel’, many parts to the story – here’s a pretty good introduction…

Firstly when we sing there is a vertical element – we speak to God through song.
Throughout the scriptures we find examples and encouragements to praise God. Many of the psalms are songs expressing praise to the great God we serve. Others like Moses, and Mary wrote songs of praise when God did mighty works in their lives. The Church in Colosse were ‘encouraged to sing Psalms Hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.’ Colossians 3v16. Throughout the history of the church song has been the means of expressing our heartfelt and thankful response to the God who has done everything for us. It is also the means of expressing sorrow and repentance. Again many of the psalms reflect this.

Secondly when we sing there is a horizontal element – we speak to each other through song.
Singing is a means by which we can remind each other of what God has done for us. The command to the church in Colosse starts with the premise ‘Let the word of God dwell in you richly as you sing Psalms hymns and spiritual songs.’ We sing the truth about God to each other. We build each other up as we remind one another of all that Jesus has done for us.
So song has a duel function; one it reminds us of what God has done in Christ and two, it is a way of expressing our response.
Song or praise then helps express our worship but while praise is part of our whole life of worship it is only one part of it.

Leading the ‘worship’ time

We must understand that Jesus is our worship leader. He alone leads us into the presence of God, once and for all.
So what is the role of the song leader?
First the leader should primarily point away from themselves to Jesus. We don’t want to be thinking what a great ‘Drum solo that was’ or ‘what a great guitarist they are’ we want to be thinking about Christ. The songs should speak to us about what Jesus has done, and the leaders role is to direct our focus and thinking to Christ.

Second we should be sensitive to those who are not yet of the faith. Our singing is not a time to sing our ‘top ten’ favourite and in a manner that we like but to introduce new people to the living Christ. Our language must be clear and what we do explained. People who are not yet Christians should be comfortable with what is going on and not feel coerced into something they don’t want to do. While we do not water down the gospel we do make every effort to be sensitive.

Third the leader should lead the congregation. In other words everyone knows what we are doing.
Leaders should direct. If we are going to sing three songs in a row – tell them. If there is a time of quiet reflection – tell them. If there is a time of response in prayer – ask for a response.

What about worship for us today?
Jesus‘ life was marked by obedience. ‘I have come to do your will’ Heb 10v9. Through his obedient death on the cross he makes access to God possible. In response we live a life of worship – obedience.
Romans 12v1 ‘I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.’
In response to God’s amazing mercy because of his obedient sacrifice for us we are to live obedient lives to God. This is true worship for us.
Consider this quote: ‘Because Jesus is the one true worshiper on our behalf, worship is not now to be seen as something belonging in a building, but rather the entire life of faith. The worship God wants is our whole life of faithful obedience, and as shocking as it may seem, it belongs more in the kitchen, the workshop and the street than in a church.’
Worship then is not singing, it is not music. Worship is based on what God has done for us in Christ. Worship has nothing at all to do with what we can do and everything to do what God has done. Therefore we live lives of worship that are a response.

Sunday worship

If all life is worship it blows away the concept of worship being confined to one day in seven – a Sunday or being marginalized to the praise time! So what is the place of worship on Sunday?
There is no single passage of scripture, which lays out a paradigm of what must be done when we meet together. Hebrews 10v25 reminds us that we should ‘not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another’. It is only when we read through the New Testament that we can begin to piece together what we should do.
Broadly speaking there are two aims:
Firstly we meet together, as the scriptures encourage us, to hear God’s voice to us. Primarily God speaks to us through his word that is how we meet him. As we hear his voice so we are reminded time and time again of what he has done for us. When we read his word we see what our position is in Christ and all the blessings we receive.
Paul’s instruction to Timothy ‘Until I come to you devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to preaching and teaching.’ 1 Timothy 4v13

Secondly, together we respond to what God has done for us. As we hear what he has done so we are encouraged to live obedient lives. The majority of this will be worked out individually in the nitty gritty of work and family life 24/7. However when we meet together we do so corporately. Part of our corporate worship is expressed through song. As we sing together we respond to God by expressing our trust in Him in songs like ‘In Christ alone’. Through the words of hymns we can express our desire to love and serve God, like ‘When I survey’. Through song we can also express our thanks to Jesus our True Worship Leader with songs like ‘Amazing Grace, my chains are gone’.
In this sense song plays a vital part when we meet together.