wednesday focus

Pray for Christmas

11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

 13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
 14"Glory to God in the highest,
      and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

 15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

Luke 2

With everything that people face this year personally and together as a nation, more than ever we need the message of the angels. Today we simply pray that through our Christmas Programme people will be able to come and hear the saving love of God in Jesus in a way which is relevant and touches their lives.

Pray for all who will welcome, speak, steward, preach, read, pray, serve refreshments, clean and help in any way. That each of us would embody the good news of God in different ways.

Remember all our activities and services this weekend and in Christmas week. And remember particularly all those who will struggle to live or believe this Christmas.

10 December - Pray for Christmas

Our focus today is to pray for our Christmas programme and publicity. Pray for the people and activities involved in the following events:

8-12 December   
Schools Programme at St Mary’s

10 December       
Christmas at the Castle, pub evening

11 December       
Christmas Craft Night

14 December       
Carols in the farmers Market, 12.15
‘Presence’ inter-church evangelistic carol service (PM)

15-19 December  
School Carol Services (Walthamstow School for Girls, Henry Maynard, St Mary’s Primary and other visits)

16 December       
Carols in the Village

20 December       
‘Open Church’ at St Mary’s 10-12

21 December       
St Mary’s All Age Carol service (am), St Gabriel’s Worship for Christmas
Evening Parish Carol Service

24 December       
9.30 Communion
3 & 5pm St Mary’s Christingle Services
7pm ‘Heaven’s Music’, reflection and music for Christmas
11.15 Midnight Communion at St Mary’s, St Gabriel’s & St Stephen’s

25 December       
Morning worship and Communion for Christmas

9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.[b]

 10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent,[c] nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

John 1   

Pray for:

•    Organisation and publicity that it would be effective and efficient
•    Leaders and Preachers that they would have insight to communicate well
•    People to invite their friends to something
•    Worship events would be inspiring and more than just ‘carol-fests’!
•    That God would open people’s hearts to the message of Christmas
•    For all who will be alone, hurt, sick or dying this Christmas

3 December - What’s Jesus here for?

39Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and
those who see will become blind."

John 9

Sometimes Jesus said some difficult things. The blind seeing, the lame walking and the deaf hearing are exactly what we expect from him. But ‘those who see will become blind?’ It’s one of those sayings that’s stops us in our tracks and makes us think hard about who the speaker is.

As Christmas approaches we have a picture of Jesus that fits our cultural expectations. The baby in the manger, gentle Jesus meek and mild. But Jesus himself says that he has come for judgment, and not just for Christmas.

So the confusion about why he would want to blind those who can see now begins to clear. This comment is made in a debate about healing with the Pharisees. Jesus had done it on the Sabbath and the officials were not happy. The blindness Jesus brings is the judgment on those who claim to see, but are in fact just as blind as the rest of us. In this case their blindness was their refusal to see what God as doing and their attempt to control and constrict the work of God for their own ends.

Jesus comes as the one who stands against all abuse of power or twisting of religion to control or suppress others. To see the real Jesus is to allow ourselves to be judged by this same measure.

As Advent begins most people think it’s just about calendars (and chocolate), about looking forward to a future date. And many of us have the same ideas about Judgment. The visual arts almost always depict the last judgment with dramatic scenes of the end of the world. But in Jesus mind the date for judgment has in part come. It came as part of the gift of Christmas.

Jesus judges our claims of spiritual insight, are they honest and real. Is our faith really about following him, or is it more rooted in our culture, power, or position?

Where are we spiritually blind as individuals and as a church?


What does Jesus judgment identify that needs change?

26 November: To have and to hold…

16 My lover is mine and I am his
Song of Songs 2

In marriage taking things for granted is often the first step to disaster. Relationships need nurturing, growing ad protecting. For too many people the initial joy and delight turns to duty and they end up wondering what it’s all about in the first place.

The pattern of relationships in the Bible encourages constant attention to nurture and growth. Song of songs talks about marriage being like a garden that needs nurturing, each partner must give attention and effort to maintaining and protecting the growth of the relationship.

All of this is based on the mystery at the heart of Christian marriage, that two people become one flesh, they belong to each other, they are no longer their own.

All the statistics show that marriage is good for you! – particularly when compared to cohabiting. It’s part of God’s design for families. But we all know the statistics, even though they have got a little better recently. But the statistics hide the fact that every split is a tragedy whether it’s Madonna and Guy Ritchie or your friends down the street.

Since ancient times the Song of Songs has also been a picture of the relationships between God and the church. It’s in the relationship with God that all people, married or not, find resources to build better human relationships. There we find forgiveness, lasting joy, grace, faithfulness, sacrificial love and so much more.

So today let’s pray for marriages in our church and community:

For Christian marriages that they would be patterned after Gods principles, and that all couples would prioritise the nurture and growth of their relationship

For all considering or preparing for marriage in our parish and elsewhere

For those facing troubles and tensions that they would get good advice and support from friends and others

For spiritual protection for married relationships

19 November - Families...mmm

6Therefore Jesus told his brothers, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. 7The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. 8You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come." 9Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.

John 7: 6-9

When did you last think about Jesus having a family? I guess for most of us it’s big at Christmas, but that’s about it. But Jesus was part of a wider family, not just the infant son of Mary. He had brothers and cousins and all that goes with a wide and extended family. No doubt some of those relationships were good and others more uncertain or disordered. As a single person he had to negotiate all the complexities of the relationships around him.

In John 7, Jesus’ brothers try to persuade him to be more public, but Jesus declines. In fact it seems that they only suggest it because they don’t really believe in him. Many of us can connect with that experience where the motives of those who should be closest to us seem suspect or difficult.

There’s much in John 7 about the identity of Jesus, the motives of those who are seeking to kill him, and the eternal life-giving water that God will give to all who look to him. But the context is also important. That context is a family disagreement in which Jesus played a key part. So when the writer to Hebrews says that, ‘we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are’ (Hebrews 4:15), it’s absolutely true! Jesus lived a real family life.

John Clesse’s famous book ‘Families and how to survive them’ had many insights that can help us as we rejoice and struggle over family life. But as Christians we can come to Jesus not just as the almighty King and saviour, but also as the one who rejoiced and struggled with his earthly family.

Today let’s pray hard for our families and those in the wider community. Let’s bring our issues to Jesus with confidence knowing that he understands. Sometimes we need to trust for miraculous breakthroughs, and at others we need Godly strength to bear up in painful circumstances. But whatever our experience let’s bring families to God for strength, protection and love to fill and surround them. 

This prayer is called ‘A Single Parents Prayer’, but it’s sentiments can be echoed by all…

Lord, grant me time enough to do all the chores,
Join in the games, help with the lessons,
Say the night prayers, and still have a few moments left for me.

Lord, grant me energy enough to be
Bread baker and breadwinner,
knee patcher and [peace maker,
Ball player and bill juggler.

Lord grant me hands enough to
Wipe away the tears,
Reach out when I’m needed,
Hug and to hold. To tickle and touch.

Lord grant me heart enough to
Share and care, listen and to understand
And to make a loving home for my family

November 12 - After remembering…

Blessed are the peacemakers,
      for they will be called sons of God.
Matthew 5

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
James 3:17-18

As part of yesterday’s remembrance broadcasts the BBC interviewed the grandsons of a Somerset man who was involved in Word War 1. Even though they knew about his service, the boys had very little understanding of what it was like. As the interviewer talked to them in the muddy fields of today’s northern France, the awful horror of it slowly dawned on them. It was very moving to hear them talking to their grandfather and truly appreciating what he did.

In our annual remembrance it can be very hard to connect with the reality of war and sacrifice. It seems almost unimaginable, too big a thing to be understood.

Likewise the words of Jesus about peace can seem too big to know how to respond. After all, most of us will not be called upon to bring peace to the Congo or chair the United Nations. So what does peace mean in our normal, everyday lives?

That’s where James is so helpful. For James peacemaking is not firstly about politicians or armies. It’s about how we talk to one another, and what we do in our relationships. In chapter 2 he has spoken about not having favourites and making faith and deeds have consistency and integrity. Just before these words in chapter 3 he talks about how speech must be Godly and he ends the chapter with his comments about peace.

After Remembrance Day things should not carry on as normal. If it’s just a yearly ritual we have missed the point. We should be those who ask God’s Spirit to shape us to be ‘considerate’ (what about our annoying neighbour or difficult work colleague?), ‘full of mercy and good fruit’ (how’s it going with the family member we find hard to forgive?), ‘impartial’ and ‘sincere’ (how will we handle the conflict at work or his year’s tax return?).

We build peace in the world by starting as people of peace ourselves. Man of those who fought for their country had no choice in following orders, even tough that took them to places of unimaginable pain.

You and I have freedom and choice. What will we sow today that will prove our remembrance is more than skin deep? Will we honour those who gave everything by doing something?

O God of truth and justice,
we hold before you those whose memory we cherish,
and those whose names we will never know.
Help us to lift our eyes above the torment
    of this broken world,
and grant us the grace to pray
    for those who wish us harm.
As we honour the past,
    may we put our faith in your future;
for you are the source of life and hope,
now and for ever.
Amen.

O God,
loving parent of all,
comfort your children
displaced, wounded or orphaned
by conflict in Congo;
and give the people of that country
courage to seek enduring peace with
justice and freedom,
that their children might grow up without fear;
for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

5 November - Who holds the future?

When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
John 6:19-21

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.
John 6: 27

As the US election comes to a climax, voters have  expressed their will about the future. Votes will have been cast for a whole variety of reasons and hopes. Many people will have wondered who they can trust and what would bring lasting value, both for their personal situation, for their country and wider world.

Trust and lasting value are  not just political concerns, but are about the whole of life. In the midst of the miracle of feeding the 5000 Jesus engages with the issues of trust and value. Trust is not to be put in financial respects or material provision, but in the person of Jesus, lasting value will be found in the eternal life that Jesus himself offers.

Jesus: the one who can be trusted in all situations. Jesus the one whose bread will sustain forever. As many of us wonder about personal finances and the future of our world, it is not a political agenda which brings true hope, but the person of Jesus. No matter what one individual or candidate may offer, trusting Jesus is the only sure way beyond living in fear and when all our material resources are finished, only his eternal life will carry us on. In him is true hope for the future.

• Pray for all who have responsibility for leadership in the world, especially for the new president, leadership and people of the US.

• Where do Jesus’ words ‘do not be afraid’ speak into your life?

• What kind of ‘food’ does your life show you are working for?

October 22 - Quenching our real thirst

15The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

John 4

What would you like Jesus to say to you if you met him face to face?

In John 4 an ordinary woman gets that chance. It’s a deeply moving portrait of Jesus encountering a normal woman. If you read it all the way through you’re struck by the attention, tenderness and openness of the conversation. Jesus really listens and deals with the real issues.

Imagine what reception that woman might have got in our society today. She’s had multiple relationships, is unmarried, is thought of as a slut and an outcast from her community (that’s why she’s drawing water alone at noon, when everyone else is sheltering from the sun). Like many today she probably feels condemnation, criticism, rejection and loneliness. Whether the division is morality, gender, race or wealth we humans love to put others down and puff ourselves up.

But Jesus offers something different. By receiving water he offers dignity and grace. By inviting her to himself he offers life for eternity.  By being honest but true he offers forgiveness and freedom. By encouraging change he offers holiness and new life.

•    Where do you need Jesus’ life-giving water?


•    How can we mirror the response of Jesus to people in our own community?

October 16 - The risk of heart-work

Welcome Back!

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
Ezekiel 36

Wednesday Focus closed for the summer and September with words from 1 Samuel about how ‘The Lord looks on the heart’. But what sort of heart does God want for us? So many of us live in a reduced or restricted fashion. In Bible language we have ‘hearts of stone’.

God longs to change us from the inside out, just as he told Samuel. Years before Jesus came God promised that it would be by his Spirit that this would happen.

A ‘heart of flesh’ speaks to us of a living relationship with God, where our emotional and spiritual lives are thoroughly connected and where we are always open to growth and development

Of course, it’s also is a risk. We risk being hurt, we risk being disappointed, we risk the process being painful, we risk God not doing things the way we want. But all work on the human heart is a risky business. Every true relationship risks being open to whatever love brings.

• So where is your heart with God today? Hard and cold, or warm and open?
• What would it mean for our church family to have our hearts changed together?
• What do we fear in that process for ourselves and others?
• Will we pray for renewal and transformation, inside out?

Lord you have my heart
And I will search for yours
Jesus take my life and lead me on.

Lord you have my heart
And I will search for yours
Let me be to you a sacrifice.

Martin Smith ©1994 Curious? Music UK

Renewal of the heart - 30 July

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
I Samuel 16:7

For those going on holiday this summer there will be new places to see and new views to enjoy. The outward appearance is all part of the experience. The ‘change of scene’ is a right and proper part of what holiday is all about.

In contrast, as Samuel looked over Jesse’s sons God’s agenda was not concerned with what they looked like. The inner character and state of heart was more important than strength or good looks. God knows that it’s the quality of the heart that will determine the lives we lead. If at our deepest points we are seeking and serving the living God, then everything else will fall into place.

Just as we need rest and holidays for outwards renewal and rest, why not use the summer to take time with God to do something on your inner life? Perhaps this summer God wants us to take time for the renewal of our hearts. Like Samuel’s selection task, it may offer some surprises. But there’s no more important task.