I have spent most of January wrestling with complex theological thought. Not everyone’s cup of tea I know and it is as frustrating as it is rewarding. I haven’t quite finished yet as I have another assignmnet to hand in next Friday.
The two areas that I have been focussing on are the socio-political and ethical implications of Paul’s theology and Feminist theology. Within both I have found much that I have agreed with, much that I have been challenged by and some that is easy to discount as plainly heretical.
Why am I sharing this? Because I have come to the conclusion that, no matter how much we think we know about our great faith, there is always more to learn. No matter how much we think we understand there is always somewhere deeper to go.
As evengelicals, we tend to think that our belief system has come to us as a fait accompli, passed down to us from Christ, via the Apostles and dumped in our lap in the form of the completed canon of scripture. But the reality is that, over the last two thousand years, people have argued, fought, died, separated and been persecuted over differences of interpretation of scripture. Today, the Christian church incorporates a wide spectrum of perspectives on what is the truth with many nuances in between.
What none who are really Christians disagree on, however, is that God revealed himself to us in the person of His son; Jesus came to make known to us the love of the Father and to bring us into relationship with Him; and that the Holy Spirit lives with us to make the presence of God real to us as he shapes us into the likeness of Jesus.
As I conclude, I pray that in this month, the reality of God’s presence may carry you through all you encounter.
God bless
Richard
January 15, 2012
10:30 am to 12:30 pm
This Sunday we begin a new series on Paul’s Journey in which we will be looking at Paul, the man; Paul’s travels; Paul’s theology; and Paul’s ethics.
Worship will be led by Tina Grant
April 6, 2012
10:45 am to 12:00 pm
We will be holding a Passion Play on Good Friday 2012.
February 2, 2012
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
February 9, 2012
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
February 16, 2012
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
February 23, 2012
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
March 1, 2012
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
March 8, 2012
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
BCC will be commenceing a Y-Course on Thursday 2nd February for 6 weeks. THis is for all those who want to know more about Christianity or just want some questions answered to help on the journey.
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: BCC Office, 49a Saturday Market, Beverley
Frequency: Weekly
See Angie Spence or Peter Spencer for details.
January 26, 2012
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
On Thursday 26th Jan, Paul Bell will be with us performing a concert at which we will launch the next Y-Course.
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Hodgson’s Pub
All welcom. Bring Friends
December 18, 2011
10:30 am to 12:30 pm
BCC will be holding a candlelight service on Sunday 18th December at 10:30am (we will use blackout curtains…).
Carols will be led by Ali Crompton and the service will be led by Carolyn Bradbury.
This is an all age service including contributions from the various children’s groups.
One of the greatest privileges and biggest heartaches of being human is the opportunity to produce and nurture children. They fill our hearts with joy and cost us the most tears of any other experience in life.
Children are a sharing in the divine – an insight into the fatherhood and motherhood of God. He it is who loves us, nurtures us and weeps over us, and as parents we share in a minute manner the deep resonances of the heart of God.
As a father, there are times when I want to sweep my children up in my arms and just hold them to myself. At other times, the missed opportunity of not strangling them at birth seems a little closer to my heart. But, as a child of the King, this bittersweet experience remains one of the great privileges in life.
In this season, we remember the moment when God stepped into history and became a man. He never ceased to be God, but in clothing himself in human flesh, he became truly man – feeling our suffering, knowing our tragedy, experiencing our joy. He subjected himself to our constraints, wrapped himself in the mantle of our dust, so that he could lift us up into relationship with our heavenly father – the father who, despite the disappointment, pain and tears we cost him, loves us with a love so immense that he was willing to pay for relationship with us through the death of his own son.
‘How great the love the father has bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God!’ (1 John 3:1)
God bless!
It’s been a funny old week in the news so far: a doctor is found guilty of causing the death of a celebrity, the Italian Prime Minister has resigned surprisingly not over scandal, the students are revolting (again) and a pilot dies in a seemingly freak accident. All this and it is only Wednesday. Added to this, the weather has turned decidedly dull and cold.
It would be easy to be bewildered and depressed when we consider the state of our world and the society in which we live. And yet, as Christians, God has made available to us boundless joy through His Holy Spirit: ‘All my springs of joy are in you’. So how can we use this joy to fend off depression?
Well our joy is rooted in hope. It is the hope of our salvation, it is the hope of our resurrection and it is the hope promised by Jesus that He will never leave us or forsake us. No matter what is going on around us, we can remind ourselves that we are safe within His hands from where nobody can pluck us out. We are safe, we are protected and we are loved.
Hope is not a vague, half-hearted emotion, but is rooted in the truth of God’s word. In order to be filled with joy we need to choose to believe the truth and let the hope expressed in it fill us to overwhelming so that our joy may be complete.
If you are feeling down or depressed today turn again to God’s word and remind yourself of all that He has done for you in Christ Jesus and let that knowledge fill you with joy.
God bless
Richard
December 10, 2011
7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
This year we are once again holding our Christmas Cabaret.
There will be a variety of acts on display all TBC.
Date: Saturday 10th December
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: The Memorial Hall, Beverley
A buffet will be provided and a licensed bar is available.
BCC YOUTH LOGO
Youth Alpha is an exciting 10 week challenge that is helping groups all around the world to discover what life is really all about. Over 10 weeks we will look at topics from ‘Who is Jesus?’ and ‘Why did Jesus die?’ to ‘How & why should I read the Bible?’.
Each evening will feature some tasty food, games, a short talk and the chance to discuss and debate what has been said
We will also be having a weekend away in the middle (23rd-26th Feb) more info can be found on the Socials page regarding the weekend.
We will meet in BCC Youth offices – 49a Saturday Market (above santander) from 19:30 – 21:30 on Wednesday nights.
If you’re 15-18 and want to book your free place then please e-mail aliC@beverleycommunitychurch.org
For those aged 11-14 we plan to run a second course later in the year.
JANUARY – 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th
FEBRUARY – 1st, 8th, 15th, 23 – 26th (weekend away thurs – sun)
MARCH -7th, 14th, 21st
