Church
Acts For Today: Antioch
Signs & Symbols: Stoops
Become a bell-ringer
A warm welcome from our church
Acts For Today: ‘The Growing Church in the Acts of the Apostles’
No. 6: Antioch
‘The task of every generation is to discover in which direction the sovereign redeemer is moving and then move in that direction’ (Jonathan Edwards). These words are just as applicable for us as they are for the church in Antioch (Acts 11:19-30; 13:1-3). Here Jews and Gentiles shared fellowship together for the first time, and it is a model of church in which people of different background, race, sex, and culture come together.
Dynamic Worship
In their worship they met and engaged with God (lit: ‘holding liturgy’, 13:2), allowing the Holy Spirit to speak, and acting upon his word by sending off their key leaders (13:3)! They also responded positively to Agabus’ prophesy about a famine in Jerusalem (11:28).
Is our worship expectant and life changing?
Genuine Community
God’s grace (11:23) was evident in the way they accepted each other, the diversity of their leadership (13:1), and the way they were encouraged to ‘remain true to the Lord’.
Where is the evidence of God’s grace in our church community?
Effective Outreach
The church was planted by Jewish Christians fleeing persecution, and so pushed out of their comfort zones. They shared the gospel with Greeks who spoke the same language and shared the same culture (11:20).
To what extent are we equipping people to gossip the gospel with others?
Obviously Antioch was an exciting place to be! Not only was the church growing, as the ‘Lord’s hand was with them’ (11:21), but here the disciples were first called ‘Christians’. This nickname meant ‘those who belong to Christ’, because their lives spoke powerfully of their faith in Christ. As Christians today will our message be simply dismissed as irrelevant, or can we offer a challenging alternative lifestyle to those around us?
Signs & Symbols: Stoops
The recent funeral of Pope John Paul II moved hundreds of millions of people worldwide when it was shown on TV. Especially moving for many was the symbolism within the service. Towards the very end one reporter commented that it was the sight of the droplets of sprinkled water on the simple coffin that would stay with him; and for many that was a very powerful symbol.
It makes one think of one of the key differences that one meets when entering a Roman Catholic, an Anglo-Catholic Protestant, or an Orthodox Church: the stoop.
The stoop is an open container that holds holy water which is normally attached to, or set into, the walls either on the right or on both sides of the entrance to the church. Entrants touch a thumb or finger of one hand, normally their right, into the water and then make the sign of the cross over themselves.
Having water at the entrance to a religious building is not unique to Christianity. Muslims are required to wash their hands, face, genitals and feet before entering the mosque for worship. Among the Jews a ceremony of purification was required before entering the Temple to assist at the sacrifices, and this undoubtedly suggested the practice of using holy water at the Christian church door. It is said to have been in vogue as early as the second century.
In the earliest churches those customs were carried through with a fountain for washing at the entrance, like at the Jewish Temple. In later years a clerk sprinkled the faithful with water as they came in and, for this reason, was called hydrokometes or "introducer by water".
In the Middle Ages it was customary to use holy water from the stoop when entering the church, but not when leaving it -- the idea being that purification was necessary before entering the house of God, but that after assisting at the Holy Sacrifice it was no longer needed. However, the general practice today is to take it both on entering and departing.
This month
As you enter the church, whether it has a stoop or not, think about how you are accepted in the family of God; be reminded of the water of your baptism and the vows that you made or were made for you. What do they mean to you today?
Become a bell-ringer
If you love the sound of church bells, and have at least some sense of timing, why not consider becoming a bell-ringer?
Church bells are incredibly heavy – ranging from six hundredweight to more than 28 hundredweight per bell - but anyone is strong enough to ring them. Ringers range from schoolchildren to teenagers, from the middle-aged to retired people. It’s a wonderful pastime for breaking down the generation gap.
All you really need is to be fit enough to walk up steps. There are few lifts in church towers, and most ringing chambers are high up!
After you reach the ringing chamber, the practise begins. There are a lot of instructions to remember: “Don’t look up, look straight ahead”, “don’t anticipate the sally (reaching for the stripy part of the rope, the sally, too soon), “get closer to the rope”, “flick your wrists away”, “one foot a little ahead of the other”, “pull down slowly – no, too fast, too fast”, “use your elbows”. Etc, etc!
You don’t need strength, once you’ve got the bell going, it is just a matter of keeping the rhythm of your pull steady on the rope. There is no strain on the back: you simply stand straight and relaxed. If you have the all-important sense of timing, the rest comes with practise. Some people master the art in as little as four months; others take almost a year. But one day, when you least expect it, you’ll find you’ve ‘got it’ at last. A bit like learning to ride a bicycle!
A warm welcome from our church
Such a leaflet could provide visitors with a ‘church trail’ to follow one afternoon, giving a simple history and the times of services of each of the local churches – plus a map of the area. Any June fetes and/or Patronal festival details could also be included.
The leaflets could be given to local caravan sites, B&Bs, hotels, campsite and local tourist information offices.
You could use your June issue to announce that this is being produced, and ask for volunteers to help fold and distribute the welcome leaflets.
Another idea is for you to do an interview with the local people who run the caravan site, or some of the hotels. Find out roughly how many people come into your area each year, and what most attracts them. Would these people like you to give them a number of church magazines to have available to visitors?