Church Acts
For Today: 'The Growing Church in the Acts of the
Apostles' Acts
For Today: 'The Growing Church in the Acts of the
Apostles' No. 5:
The
events at What
about our 'cross-cultural' mission? Nationally 40% of the
population have never been to church, except for weddings
or funerals, and only 4% of children attend church on a
Sunday. Our mission must involve reaching out to
different cultures e.g. young people, 18-30's, ethnic
groups etc. So what lessons can we learn from Prayer
& Vision It
needed two men at prayer and two separate visions to
bring the gospel to a totally new constituency. Cornelius
was told to fetch Peter from Joppa, while Peter's vision
prepared him to go into the house of a Gentile. Effective
mission begins with prayer and God's vision for the way
ahead. Expect
the Unexpected God
used a Jewish fisherman to instruct a Roman officer about
himself and even before Peter had finished speaking the
Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius! Are we expectant, and
ready for the Spirit to lead us in unfamiliar paths in
sharing the gospel? Go to
Where People Are Peter
shared the good news in Cornelius' home. It reminds us
that we cannot expect people to come to us; we have to go
to where they are. Refuse
to be Prejudiced God
addressed Peter's prejudices before he could use him.
What are our prejudices? Are we embarrassed when certain
people come to church e.g. the poor, those of another
colour or gay etc? Don't be surprised to find that God is
already at work in their lives! 'I now
realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism
but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do
what is right.' (Acts Signs
& Symbols: Gargoyles Looking
round church buildings at the various ornaments within
them, you could be reminded of the sorts of greeting
cards people send: some of them have very obvious
meaning, but there are a number that could really be sent
for any occasion. Take
gargoyles on the outside of some of our church buildings.
These stone carvings are of monstrous beings, carved into
shapes of people, animals or fantastic monsters, with the
details being terrifying, comic, bawdy, or macabre, but
rarely 'Holy'. So -
what are gargoyles all about? The
dictionary definition is a spout usually in the form of a
grotesquely carved face or figure, projecting from a roof
gutter. It comes from the Old French "gargouille"
and the Late Latin "gurgulio", both meaning
throat, a root shared with the word 'gargle'. In the
days before pipe-drainage, rainwater needed to be thrown
clear of the walls and of the church foundations to
prevent damage, and it was done by using a projecting
spout. This spout could be decorated, and so came to be
carved as the throats of these monstrous beings, spewing
the rainwater safely away. On
some buildings you'll find similar figures that are not
actually designed for water drainage. In that case they
are technically called a 'grotesque'. It is
clear that the Gothic builders and masons clearly
relished the opportunity these downspouts provided to
indulge their imagination and we can assume that the
stone carvers were given a more or less free hand in
executing them when we see their impolite gestures such
as pulling faces, sticking tongues out, picking noses or
worse. This
month Have a
look at a church with gargoyles, and think about what
they might be saying to you. Are they illustrating
lessons from the Scriptures? Showing you what life is
like on the outside of the church? Frightening away evil
spirits and the devil? Examples of free expression by
clever workmen? Do you enjoy their humour or do you find
them out of place on sacred buildings? If you were
replacing one of them, what design would you use? Who
can preach the sermon? Have
you ever wondered how people 'make it' into our pulpit?
Preaching the Word of God is taken seriously in the
Church of England's Canon Law. A sermon is to be preached
in every parish church as least once each Sunday –
unless the Bishop has agreed that there is an exceptional
reason for omitting the sermon. The
Church of England is also very clear about the people who
can preach these sermons: only those who are ordained or
licensed by the Bishop as Readers or lay workers can
preach. This is to safeguard our doctrine – our
understanding of the Christian faith. Only those who have
been approved and trained by the Church can be entrusted
with this special responsibility. There
are of course times when it is appropriate for someone
else to preach - perhaps a representative of a missionary
society or some other church organisation. But even in
these circumstances the 'minister having the cure of
souls' (usually the Vicar, Rector or priest-in-charge)
should ask for the Bishop's agreement. The
last part of the Canon about sermons explains why we
should take preaching so seriously: 'The preacher shall
endeavour with care and sincerity to minister the word of
truth, to the glory of God and to the edification of the
people.' What
we think of our minister If he
visits his flock, he's nosey; If he
preaches for longer than 10 minutes - it's too long; If he
runs a car he's worldly; If he
tells a joke he's flippant; If he
starts the service on time his watch must be fast; If he
takes a holiday he's never in the parish; If he
runs a gala or bazaar he's money mad; If he
has the church painted and redecorated he's extravagant; If
he's young he's inexperienced; But
– Adopted
from Beda Review, via Catholic Herald. What
people REALLY think of the church! A 2004
survey, entitled Let the People Speak by the Ecumenical
Research Committee, asking the main things that encourage
people to attend church, or put them off regular
attendance, attracted 14,000 replies. These are not
necessarily representative of all the church. Nearly
three-quarters, 73%, said they wanted churches to explain
why it was sensible to believe in God and what were the
main facts of Christianity. Others
desired to learn of God's character and its implications
for their personal lives. If the only message taught is
that “God loves you no matter what you do” then
the need to attend church or to seek forgiveness withers,
they said. Many
wanted high quality church services deploring “ministers
going through the motions”. The importance of having
relevant sermons was emphasised. Some
respondents wanted churches to teach the return of
Christ, to challenge society's immorality, to stress the
need for repentance, and explain Biblical prophecy. This
meant taking the Bible and its teachings seriously. Four-fifths,
80%, of respondents believed that greater attention to
pastoral care would help retain church attendance. |