Commitment

 Commitment has been a big theme at UV recently.   On Saturday at a wedding service the marrying couple made promises of lifelong commitment to each other with their dedication to serve God underpinning their marriage.

In Sunday’s baptismal service a married couple went through the waters of baptism making promises of commitment to serve and follow God. Their baptismal day was coincidentally their 17^th wedding anniversary (which tradition marks by a gift of furniture) – the pledge they made to each other 17 years ago is still strong.

During the wedding service whilst celebrating the couple’s vows and promises I was very aware of the large number of people present in the congregation who had made similar promises, yet sadly their marriages had come to an end – often in painful and emotionally difficult circumstances. No one enters a marriage expecting it to fail, and I believe the vows ‘til death do us part’ were spoken with absolute sincerity and intention. Yet not all marriages – Christian and Not Christian last. 

On Saturday the marrying couple are enthusiastic lively Christians and their faith and belief in God was gloriously celebrated throughout the service. They acknowledged through their vows and prayers their need for God’s help and strength to make their vows last a life time.  Our genuine and sincere hope and prayer is that their marriage will be a success; that their commitment to each other and to God will last. 

 The heart warming aspect to the service was hearing so many other people, family and friends and church community committing to helping them build a strong marriage.

God’s commitment to his people was evident on Sunday during the baptismal service. The married couple being baptised pledged themselves; their lives and future to serving God and being obedient to his guidance in their lives. They committed themselves to the local church, where their gifts, skills, personalities will enrich church community life no end. Their commitment to church will also be a great support to their personal faith in God as their friends and family around them will be able to support and help them grow and mature in their faith.

The support of others is crucial to help us succeed in all of our commitments and I believe that belonging to a church is one of the best ways to help our commitment stick.

Our church encourages and challenges people to be better Christians in learning and service. We also encourage people to be better husbands and wives – serving, strengthening and supporting each other.

Christians who are struggling with commitments in faith or in relationships always have the example of God’s devotion to his people to turn to for their inspiration and strength.

In the Bible Isaiah the prophet continually reminds us that God’s behaviour and love and commitment to his people is shown by his continual ongoing strength giving and service to his people.  We describe this commitment as continual not spasmodic. It’s not based on how God feels right now- his commitment really is eternal and it’s because of this eternal capacity we never need doubt him. His pledge is shown through this: his love never changes, it’s who he is.

If God is part of our lives we can always draw on his divine great strength:  God’s commitment to us therefore strengthens the commitment we make to him, the promise we make to people around us.

Vows made in marriage or in a baptism should be made following God’s example of commitment – not based on how we feel at a particular time or place.  Because God has pledged himself to serve and strengthen and love his people - not on a whim but forever - and with God that’s a long, long time.

Church Outside the Walls

  

A few days on and I’m still buzzing from the thrill and excitement of last Sunday’s Church on the Street.

It was an electrifying moment when after a short time together in the main church building the entire congregation headed outside to the front of the town hall where a small worship group had already started the music for us to join in with.

After a brief time of singing and praying we split into different areas of service.

Some people joined the prayer base back in the church building.

Others preferred to pray for the town and the church by engaging in prayer walks around the town.

Some stayed with the worship service singing songs of praise and thanksgiving.

Some got involved in tidying up the town, litter picking around the park and surrounding roads.

A large number of people got involved with the street teams: offering free drinks and free fruit to passersby, busking and singing; or in the kids’ zone helping with free face painting, jewelry making and giving out helium filled balloons. 

Our young people were giving free chocolates away.

Yet others were engaged in random acts of kindness, offering to pay for things in shops, or even just giving people a smile.

The atmosphere along the main shopping area was like a carnival, music playing, flags flying and a crowd gathered around the gazebos and tables. It was Church on the Street and it was good.

Our aim or purpose for Church on the Street was to show God’s love and make the church visible and attractive ‘outside the walls’ by doing something positive for our community; and its good practice to reflect and examine whether we met our goal.    

I believe the answer is an unequivocal yes.

At our evening service  (this time inside our building) we heard story after story of people requesting prayer, people engaging in spiritually deep conversations, people responding gratefully to the free things they were given. One man was heard commenting that he’d already had his road tidied up – now he was being given free chocolates; he couldn’t believe it!

As I meet and talk with many people of many different ages I realise that people hold the oddest preconceptions of what church must be like. These tend to come not so much from experience but from how churches and Christians are portrayed or portray themselves in the media.  Being out on the street as we were and engaging in fun things helps break those preconceptions.

But under the fun and excitement we are communicating something very serious to the people in our town: that they are loved by our Father- like God, who like a free drink, quenches thirst and blesses people.  A free chocolate bar cheers people up.   One person commented to me, ‘I don’t know what to say so I’m just saying ‘God bless you’ to people’. But those words may be just what are needed to be heard and may go deeper and last longer than we can ever imagine. If just for one minute that morning someone felt special and loved by one act of kindness we did for them, then for that short moment in time they caught a glimpse of how God sees them.

Church on the Street was a great morning but maybe we should be thinking of making it a great way to be church.

The Gathering 2012

 Last weekend 24 men from UVBC  arrived at Lynt Farm, Swindon the venue for Christian Vision for Men’s  Gathering 2012.    The weekend was a programme of great singing and worship, fun stuff like darts and top 10 lists, giant inflatable’s but more importantly – challenging  and inspiring talks about how to be strong Christian men. It was a very special weekend for all of us and here’s why.

Last year, one of the highlights of the camp was Richard encountering God in a life changing new way. Following the camp Richard had an incredible encounter with the Holy Spirit and it was my great pleasure and privilege to baptise Richard a few months later. This year Richard brought his brother Peter along with him, and it was incredible to see Peter respond to God in a similar way. Peter is a top bloke anyway and it was good to get to know him over the weekend but what a pleasure it was to see Peter respond to God in such a moving way.

One of our group brought a friend with him, it may sound a bit of a cliché but its true to say, he came as friend but left as a brother when he stood up at the end of the Saturday night meeting and made a commitment to Jesus.

Others in our group stood and recommitted their lives to Jesus, asked forgiveness, sought prayer and generally were strengthened in their life and faith.  Amidst the fun, chats, general messing around, mud, hovercrafts, rodeo bulls, bungee runs, pub quiz and giant scaletrix, our weekend was punctuated by some powerful times of prayer.

I hope our wives, families, friends, partners and church recognise a real difference in all of us that were away. 

I hope that we are all a bit more considerate, less selfish and even more romantic! 

The real difference though should be that we have come back on fire & with passion; more alive, more wanting to do stuff for God.

I hope that we’ve come back fighting for God, fighting against the bad stuff that deadens people’s lives.

I hope that we have come back knowing our lives are anchored in Jesus

I hope that people notice a group of men have come back energised and passionate and proud to be Jesus followers, a group of men ready to make a difference with these words ringing in our ears and pounding in our hearts;

‘Your kingdom come around and through and in me
your power and glory, let them shine through me
Your hallowed name, oh may I bear with honour
And may your living kingdom come in me’   (I Then Shall Live by Gaither Vocal Band)

Last year 16 of us from UV went, this year it was 24 The challenge has come to take 40 Men in 2013.

It’s not about liking football or rugby (I like neither!). It’s not about being sporty (see my previous comment) it’s not about being young or old. It’s about taking some time out once a year to stand up proud as men of God who bear his hallowed name with honour and then coming home to make a difference. I hope in 2013 you may be one of the 40.

 If you want to catch a taste of the Gathering 2012 follow this link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeKNCziwPUM&feature=player_embedded