For earlier letters, please scroll to the end
22 December, 2024 Fourth Sunday of Advent
Dear Friends, 
In this final newsletter for 2024 we take a last delve into Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus for a second visit, this time looking at the list of names from the exile to Jesus himself. find the passage below:
After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud,
15 Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.
The first few names in the list feature in the Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah which date from the time the Jews came back into the Promised Land after their long and painful exile in Babylon. (If you pick up one of the Bible reading plans for 2025 you’ll read about them towards the end of next year!) But the rest of the names, whilst known to God, are unknown to us. They are the names of ordinary people who lived ordinary lives as they waited for God’s promises to be fulfilled in the coming of Jesus the Messiah.
During the 6 centuries before Jesus, life wasn’t easy for God’s people. They rebuilt the temple and restored Jerusalem, but then Alexander the Great conquered the world and subjugated Israel once more. Then Egypt rose to prominence again, before the Maccabean revolt brought a Judean dynasty to power. But even this was short lived, and the Romans arrived in 67AD and put their own puppet kings in place.
But away from the rise and fall of empires and local political upheavals, there were births and deaths, successes and failures, joys and sorrows as there are in all our lives. But the faithful ones endured, looking hopefully to the future and trusting in the God who always keeps his promises. They had a long wait. But these list of names shows us that the hope never died. It was passed on from generation to generation, until Jesus finally came.
We’re not waiting for the first coming of Jesus of course, but, as we’ve been thinking about in our morning services, we’re waiting for the day when Jesus returns as King and Judge. As we heard on Sunday, as well as the normal suffering from living life in a broken world, the time of waiting for Jesus’ final return will be filled with trials of many kinds: wars and rumours of wars, persecution for following Jesus, and great political and religious upheavals that cause huge turmoil, uncertainty and terrible suffering. But we are not to fear, nor are we to be led astray. Like the unknown people whose names were recorded for us by Matthew in Jesus’ genealogy, we are to keep our eyes on the Lord, to keep trusting in his promises, to keep obeying his commands whatever the cost, and to seek to pass on that glorious hope to the next generation.
These people did that. They held on to hope and they passed on that hope. That’s why Mary was willing to say yes to the angel; why Joseph was such an honourable man; and why Anna and Simeon were waiting in the Temple for the day God finally kept his promises.
How are we seeking to do that in our own families, and amongst our own friends? Perhaps as we speak more boldly about the hope we have, new dynasties of faith might begin, people who can keep the hope and pass on the hope to the generations to come. I pray that will be the case in my family. I pray it might be true in yours too.
Songs for the week:
Stuart Townend - There Is A Hope and Glorious Light | Fountainview Academy
Grace and peace,
Dave
15 December 2024 Third Sunday of Advent
Dear Friends,
As we head towards Christmas, we’re back in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus for a second visit, this time looking at the list of names from David to Jeconiah and his brothers. You’ll find the passage below:
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. Unless you are very familiar with the Old Testament, there may be fewer names you recognise here, but all of these people were kings of Israel or Judah. Actually, that’s one of Matthew’s key aims in writing the ancestry of Jesus. Matthew, who seems to have written his Gospel for a largely Jewish audience, is at pains to show Jesus’ credentials to be the long-promised Messiah. By tracing Jesus family line back to Abraham, he pointed to Jesus as the one descendant through whom the whole world would be blessed. (see Genesis 22:18) And by showing that Jesus is of royal descent, he highlighted Jesus’ claim to be the Israel’s (and the world’s) rightful king. That’s what David was promised in 2 Samuel 7: 11-16 when he was told that one of his descendants would sit on his throne forever.
That was plainly not true for any of the kings who came after David or Solomon. Some of them had hugely successful reigns, amassing great wealth, great territory or great fame. Solomon tops the list of kings here but many of them would have been seen as successful! But whilst some of them had very long reigns – Uzziah and Manasseh each reigned for over 50 years each – all of them died and were succeeded by someone else. Despite their worldly accomplishments, the Promised One was obviously not on this list.
Many passages in the Old Testament speak about the character of the long-promised rescuing King. How he would be righteous and having salvation (Zech 9:9), how he will always act wisely (Isa 2:13), how he would be gentle, compassionate and faithful (Isa 42:3). This coming King would be a true shepherd of God’s people, shepherding his people with perfect justice (Ezek 34:16) and able to deal with their sins himself (Isaiah 53). It’s clear, isn’t it, that however well connected the names on this list might be; whatever their achievements or longevity; none of them live up to the description of God’s True King. Some of them were so evil that their names became by-words for wickedness (See Manasseh in 2 Kings 21-23), whilst other started well only to fall away. (Solomon is perhaps the greatest/worst example of this!)
Reading through the history of Israel’s kings we are supposed to ask ourselves whether each next King might be the one promised to David. And with each failure, the sadness grows and the longing for the One True King to come and rescue God’s people increases.
But then, finally, He came. Long after the line of kings had ended and many centuries after the throne itself had been lost to foreign invaders, a son was born to a descendant of David in the town of Bethlehem. Here, finally, in Jesus, was the long-promised, long-awaited King. His Kingdom would not be an earthly, temporary or national entity, but a spiritual, eternal, and international Kingdom that would spread out from Jerusalem and encompass people from every tribe and tongue and language. This is the Kingdom of which all true Christians are a part. A kingdom with its roots in Israel’s past and its authority from Heaven itself. A Kingdom which will one day come in all its fulness, but which we can taste and enjoy in part now.
This is the Kingdom of King Jesus, the descendant of David. The true King has come. And all of us, however frail and feeble, however sinful or doubting, however badly connected or unqualified are invited in.
Song for the week: O Come, All You Unfaithful
Grace and peace,
Dave
8 December 2024 Second Sunday of Advent
Dear Friends,
It's almost time for Judy and I to write our Christmas cards to friends and family, and as always, it's a task that brings to mind people that we may not have seen for the last 12 months. Moving down to Devon hasn't helped, but life is busy and the idea that families might live in the same town or even the same county for all their lives has long since been consigned to history.
But reading that the list of names always reminds me of time spent with them and the stories I know about them. Some of those stories are funny. Some are sad. Others are frankly so scandalous that it’s a wonder they are still on our Christmas card list at all! And that, of course, are just the stories and people I know about. If we were to explore further back, I’m sure we’d all find that our family trees contain their fair share of scallywags and scoundrels, as well as heroes and heroines.
The family tree of Jesus definitely contains a few people whose reputations were so soiled that that they might not have made it on to any Christmas Card lists (if they’d have had them – which they didn’t!) They may have been family, but not the kind one would boast about!
But Jesus’ ancestry also includes great heroes and leaders; people who sought to serve God with all their heart, soul and mind, who are models to emulate and learn from. So today and over the next 2 weeks, we’re going to take a look at Jesus’ family tree as given to us in Matthew chapter 1 and see what surprises we find. Let’s start in verses 2 to 6.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David.
There are some standout names here aren’t there? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ruth and David to name but 5. That’s quite a family line to be born into.
Abraham, the father of faith, the one who received the promise and sign of the covenant. Isaac, the child of the promise, born miraculously to Abraham and Sarah in their old age whose life was saved by an angel.
Jacob, who had 12 sons who grew up to be the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Ruth, a woman of integrity and courage, who left her own family to care for her aged mother-in-law. Her story is told in the book of Ruth.
And David. A man after God’s heart. A giant-slaying, Psalm-writing, army-leading, battlewinning, God-loving, temple-planning leader who led Israel into a golden age. For those of you who love ancestry.com, finding stories like these would be the thrill of a lifetime!
But if you know your Bible, you’ll also know that each of these heroes was far from perfect. Abraham, the great man of faith, didn’t trust God enough to be honest about his wife, and twice he sought to pass her off as his sister. Sadly, his son Isaac followed his father’s pattern in that regard (see Genesis 26). Jacob’s name literally means he cheats- which he did on several occasions. Ruth was not even an Israelite. She came from Moab, a member of a nation that worshipped false idols and that had sought to crush Israel on their way to the Promised Land. And as for David, whilst his character and behaviour are rightly lauded, he also committed adultery then arranged the death of his lover’s husband to cover up his sin.
Whilst we don’t know anywhere near as much about the others on this list, we can be certain that, like the famous five, and like us, their lives were far from perfect. And yet here they are, in the family line of Jesus, the Messiah, the perfect, sinless Son of God.
Such accounts should have at least two effects on us. They should help us see the true wonder of God’s salvation, that fallen, sinful people like this, and like us, are not excluded from God’s plan or barred from entry into his family. This should cause us to praise God afresh for his kindness to us. It should also break down any barriers we might have erected that might bar different types of people from being welcome in Church or in God’s family. As I heard someone say this week: Every saint has a past from which they repented; and every sinner is offered a glorious new beginning if they leave their past behind and turn to Jesus.
Whoever you are, whatever you’ve done, wherever you’re from, God is interested in you. May that invitation thrill you, and may his glorious light draw you, like the shepherds and Wisemen, to adore him as he deserves.
Song for the week: Chris Tomlin - Adore (Lyric Video)
Grace and peace,
Dave
1 December 2024.
First Sunday of Advent
Dear Friends,
Rather than a theological reflection this week, what follows below is summary of the contents of our PCC meeting held earlier this week.
For those of you who are new to our parish or to the ways of the Church of England, the finances, safeguarding responsibilities, care of buildings, mission, ministry and evangelism (and everything else) are overseen by a body called a Parochial Church Council or PCC. For us, that PCC covers our 5 churches- making things a little more complicated!
Our PCC is made up as follows:
• The clergy and licenced lay readers (Me, Gareth, Matthew and Keith)
• The 6 church wardens (Douglas, Gywn, Lorna, Michael, Sharon and Stella)
• 2 representatives from every church (Abbotsbury: Andy and Peter; All Saints: Reg and Brian; St Bart’s: Sam and Jon; St Paul’s: Barbara and Morice. Sadly, we currently have no congregational reps from St Mary’s)
• 3 Deanery Synod Reps: Ian – with Michael and Jon wearing extra hats.
• And members co-opted because of their role: Clare our treasurer, Mel and Sue who are our admin staff, and Rob who is our Safeguarding Lead.
Churchwardens are elected each year. PCC members and Deanery Synod Reps are elected for 3-year terms.
Our PCC is also served by a Standing Committee (Me, Gareth, Clare, Barbara, Sam, Andy and Lorna) who set the agenda and prepare papers for discussion at PCC. Authority to approve spending rests with the PCC but for practical purposes this has been delegated to the Standing Committee. Should you wish to submit a topic for the PCC to discuss, these should be submitted to Barbara our PCC secretary.
Our meetings take place every 2 months, with Standing Committee meetings in between. Here is a summary of what happened at our meeting on Monday.
After starting with worship – a reflection of Article 11 of the 39 Articles – of the justification of man –singing a hymn (see below), and prayer…
The PCC
- Welcomed Peter Dunster as a co-opted rep for Abbotsbury Church
- Received advice on church security in light of recent church burglaries. We should all remain vigilant and ensure the church is secure on leaving. External lighting will be reassessed as part of this.
- Agreed to Christians Against Poverty (Teignbridge) as our second mission partner
- Discussed the use of the parish hall after the nursery leave. There have already been several enquiries for rental during the week.
- Recognised that safeguarding training is of the utmost importance, especially in the light of recent events in the Church. All PCC members are DBS checked, and all will have completed mandatory training by the next PCC meeting. Some volunteers need also to complete training.
- Noted that all sign boards in the parish need updating and agreed to have this done hopefully before Christmas
- Adopted the draft budget for 2025 and thanked to our treasurer for her hard work (more on this in early 2025!)
- Gave thanks that parish giving had increased and that we will be able to pay our full common fund for this year.
- Approved the next stage of the redevelopment work at St Paul’s – which is to seek district council planning permission to improve the steps from the road to the north door; add a lighted cross above the door, replace the unused side porch door with ‘Sid’s window,’ replace the solid external wooden door with one a glass-panelled door allowing light into the porch.
- Discussed provision of hearing loops in our churches. Please speak to your wardens if this issue affects you.
- Set the dates for our next meetings (29 th January) and closed in prayer.
If you’d like to know more, please speak to your PCC representatives or any of the PCC members.
The PCC wishes everyone a happy and blessed Christmas and seek your prayers and encouragement that we might serve you well in 2025.
Song for the week: How Deep the Father's Love for Us
Grace and peace,
Dave
24 November 2024.
Christ the King, Sunday before Advent
FROM OUR VICAR
Speaking Truth
It would come as no surprise to many of you that I have been reflecting on telling the truth over the last week and with that in mind I have been reminding myself what is the expectation of us as Christians when it comes to the truth. Therefore, I am sharing these with you as I think that being accountable to each other and the community in which we live is imperative and nonnegotiable, the failure of which not only damages us and our relationships, but also the growth of the Kingdom of God. Let me explain.
In Ephesians 4:15–16, Paul calls on the church to grow together in Christ by “speaking the truth in love.” This powerful phrase is both a challenge and an invitation. It calls us to reject falsehood and embrace honesty, but always in a way that builds up rather than tears down. For us as a Christian community today, truth-telling should be a cornerstone of living faithfully and courageously in a world often shaped by half-truths and compromise.
This is because, at its core, truth-telling reflects the character of God, who is described in the Bible as the God of truth (Isaiah 65:16). Jesus proclaimed, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and the Holy Spirit is known as the Spirit of truth (John 16:13). When we commit to speaking the truth, we align ourselves with God’s nature and His purposes.
However, truth-telling is not always easy. In a world where dishonesty can be rewarded and confrontation feared, it takes courage to speak openly and honestly. Yet, as Christians, we are not called to go along with the crowd or avoid uncomfortable truths. Instead, we are called to stand firm, trusting in God’s Spirit to guide us in truth and love.
Paul in his letter to the Ephesians writes
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:15-16
Paul’s words remind us that truth-telling must always be coupled with love. Truth spoken without love can be harsh and damaging; love without truth can lack substance and direction. Together, they create the balance needed for a healthy and flourishing community.
In practice, this means choosing words that build up rather than tear down (Ephesians 4:29). It means confronting wrongs in a way that seeks restoration, not humiliation. It means listening carefully before we speak and checking our motives to ensure they are rooted in a desire to serve others rather than advance our own agendas.
For Christian communities, truth-telling has a unique significance. When we speak the truth, we strengthen trust within the body of Christ. We enable accountability and create a space where people feel safe to grow, share, and learn together.
But truth-telling is not just about addressing sin or confronting wrongdoing. It’s also about proclaiming the truth of the Gospel with boldness and clarity. It’s about standing up for justice and righteousness in a world that often distorts these values.
For example, in discussions about faith, relationships, or moral issues, we are called to share the truth of Scripture with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). When we do so, we demonstrate courage not only in what we say but in how we say it.
Being a courageous truth-teller requires prayer, humility, and a deep reliance on God. It requires us to seek wisdom from Scripture and the Spirit so that our words bring life rather than harm.
As a community, let us commit to being people who value truth and love in equal measure. Let us encourage one another to speak honestly, act justly, and proclaim the hope we have in Christ. In doing so, we will reflect God’s truth to the world and grow together into the mature body of Christ, united in His love and purpose.
“Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15).
Let this be our prayer and our practice
Grace and peace,
Gareth
17 November, 2024
FROM OUR RECTOR
Dear Friends,
We left the first part of our look into the little book of Joel at the point where the LORD had promised a renewal of the land, a time of rich blessing ‘replacing the years the locusts had eaten.’ (2:25) In his mercy, the LORD did forgive and restore his people when they repented, and at various times they did enjoy great blessing. But ultimately, the hope spoken of here comes when Jesus returns and ushers in his everlasting kingdom. That’s a great hope to hold on to, but the significance of the book to Christians comes largely in the verses at the end of chapter 2.
28 “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
32 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance,
as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.”
Three great Biblical themes shine out of these verses, themes which are then unpacked in the closing verses of the book.
The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Peter quotes some of these verses as he begins his great Pentecost sermon by explaining the various languages now being spoken by the disciples as they declared the goodness of God to the assembled international crowds.
This event marked the moment when God’s Holy Spirit came upon God’s people, just as God had promised through Joel. And with God’s Spirit now living in those disciples, empowering, guiding, and equipping them, the gospel message spread like wildfire around the known world, changing people and societies as it went. This is still the case. God’s Holy Spirit is still at work in and through his people, and equipped by the Holy Spirit, we all have our parts to play in spreading the unchanging and life-changing gospel message.
The return of Jesus at the end of time to judge the world.
That’s what Joel is referring to when he mentions ‘the great and dreadful day of the Lord.’ The book of Revelation uses similar imagery to describe the events surrounding the return of Jesus, and Jesus himself uses this kind of language in Mark 13 when speaking about the end of time. In fact, Jesus speaks of judgment more than anyone else in the Bible!
It’s not a topic we think much about, but one we should not ignore. According to the Bible, history is heading in God’s chosen direction, awaiting God’s moment to draw all things to a close and to bring all people and nations to judgment. And whilst Old Testament prophets like Joel often foresaw that day in nationalistic mode, (See chapter 3 in particular) reading his words with the whole teaching of Jesus in our minds should make us consider if we are ready for that day to come.
The Hope of Salvation for all who turn to Christ
Martin Luther, the great reformer, spoke of 2 key days in history. THAT day and THIS day. THAT day is the day when Jesus returns as King and Judge. THIS day is today! - a day when we can ‘call on the name of the LORD’ and be saved. According to Joel 3:14, there are ‘multitudes in the valley of decision.’ If that is us, THIS DAY gives us an opportunity to turn to Christ an receive his pardon, his hope and His Spirit. Or, if we’ve already done that, today is a day when we can to encourage others to do that too.
And whilst the coming of the LORD will be a fearful and awesome sight, the LORD will be a refuge for his people (3:16) and the home that God has prepared for those who love him will be glorious. (See 3:17-18)
Joel is just a short book, but it’s full of weighty themes and packs a big punch. Why not pour yourself a cup of tea or coffee and sit down and read it for yourself. Or spend a little time considering how you can live in the light of THAT day.
Song for the week: Robin Mark - Days of Elijah (Official Lyric Video)
Grace and peace,
Dave
10 November 2024. Remembrance Sunday and 3rd Sunday before Advent
FROM OUR RECTOR
Over the next 2 weeks, we’re going to take a little look into another of the Bible’s shortest booksthe book of Joel. Joel is tucked away in the minor prophets between Hosea and Amos, and contains just 3 chapters and 73 verses, but that doesn’t mean it has nothing to teach us.
We don’t know much about the author. Joel, chapter 1 and verse 1 tells us, was the son of Pethuel. But we don’t know anything about Pethuel either! It’s also hard to pin down the date of his book as Joel does not reference any kings. What is clear from the text is that he is writing to the people of Judah at a time of national calamity when they have been overrun by a foreign power so vast and strong that have devoured the land like a plague of locusts. Verses 6-7 in chapter 1 give a sense of the devastation they have caused.
A nation has invaded my land, a mighty army without number; it has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness. It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white.
No wonder the prophet calls on the people to ‘wake up and weep’ (verse 5) and grieve and despair (verse 11), because, verse 12, ’the people’s joy has withered away.’
The sense of gloom and doom is repeated in chapter 2. This time locusts are replaced by chariots and horses, and the image of devouring is taken up not by locusts and lions but by a consuming fire. But although the invaders are foreign armies, the astonishing message in chapter 2 verse 11 is that ‘The LORD thunders at the head of his army; His forces are beyond number, and mighty is the army that obeys his command.’ The forces arrayed against Israel are, in fact, answering to the LORD’s commands.
Why might that be?
Unlike other prophets, Joel doesn’t list the reasons, but if we know our Old Testament history, the answer is clear. God’s people regularly fell away into complacency, pride, idolatry and wickedness, and so God used other nations to bring his people to their senses. That’s why in both chapters 1 and 2 there are calls for repentance. To put on sackcloth and mourn (1:13), and to declare a holy fast (1:14, 2:12). And yet the LORD is interested far more in what is happening in the hearts of his people. And should their hearts turn to God again in true repentance and faith, there is the hope of deliverance. (2:13)
Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. And so, amid a message of utter devastation and loss, comes hope of a way out and restoration. The end of chapter 2 is wonderful, promising a return of the LORD’s blessing bringing with it joy and plenty beyond measure as ‘the years the locusts have eaten’ will be repaid many times over.
What might this message of repentance amidst ruin bringing a glorious restoration have to say to us?
It’s sometimes dangerous to make direct links between Old Testament Israel and individual Christians, and even more difficult to draw direct parallels to modern day countries. God’s plans are often hidden from us; his timescales are not ours, and the fact that often it is the righteous who suffer through the presence of evil in the world makes things more complicated. However, a general principle of the scriptures is that disobedience and rebellion against God always brings ruin (even if those consequences can often take some time to be seen) but that forgiveness and restoration is always available to those who rend their hearts and turn back to God.
Joel then gives us a call to personal reflection and ongoing repentance. But it is also a call to pray for our leaders and our nation that our town and country might be led in God’s ways, with laws that reflect his standards and bring about justice, peace and plenty. Then perhaps the words of chapter 2 verse 27 might be true in our land:
Then you will know that… that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other.
Song for the week:
We have sung our songs of victory (How Long?)
Grace and peace,
Dave
3 November 2024, 4th Sunday before Advent
FROM OUR RECTOR
Dear Friends.
Today is the last in our series on the 5 Solas of the Reformation, and on the eve of Reformation Day we are confronted by the question WHY?
WHY has God revealed in the scriptures that He has made salvation available by grace alone, through faith alone and in Christ alone, to all people everywhere? Why would God intervene in human history like that? Why would He care?
Part of the answer is, of course, because of God’s love for those He has made: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believed in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16. It was out of love that God called Israel to himself, and out of love that God sent Jesus to be our redeemer and saviour. God’s love for lost sinners is a thread that runs through both testaments. But there is a stronger thread than that, a deeper reason: Soli Deo Gloria – for the glory of God alone.
Perhaps you think that sounds rather self-centred on God’s behalf. After all, if we started speaking about doing things for our own glory and praise, we’d soon be accused of being bigheaded, puffed-up and conceited; too big for our own boots with an opinion of ourselves far higher than was proper.
But of course, that is impossible with God. There is no being greater than him, none wiser, none holier, none more glorious nor great, nor more majestic in all his being and ways than God. For us to value or worship anything more than God is idolatry, for only God deserves our uttermost praise and worship. For God to not work for his own glory would likewise be idolatrous. For no one and nothing is higher and greater than Him.
Here are just a few examples of God working for his glory:
All creation declares God’s glory and people were created for the glory of God. (Psalm 19:1 and Isaiah 43:7)
He hardened Pharoah’s heart so his rescue of Israel would bring him glory. (Exodus 14:4)
He restored Israel after the exile so the nations would see that the Lord is God. (Ezekiel 36)
He sent Jesus to be the saviour of the world so even the Gentiles would bring him glory. (Romans 15:9)
He calls us to serve him for his glory. (1 Peter 4:11) And it is the song of the angels in Heaven throughout all eternity. (Revelation 7)
So, as we respond to God’s mercy that has been poured out on us freely by his amazing grace, our response must be to join in the song of the angels and give God the glory that is rightfully his by making his excellencies and perfections known through our words and actions.
The Westminster Confession of faith explains that this way when it says that the chief end of man is to love God and enjoy him forever. We fulfil that call to love God when we obey his commands, submitting our wills to his. But notice that word enjoy. Whilst such obedience may suggest that we might be short-changed by living all-out for God, the opposite is true. Jesus is the bread of life, the water of life, in his presence there is fullness of joy and at his right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11) When we live for God (as we should), God gets the glory (as He should) and we are filled with his joy and peace beyond measure. God is infinitely worthy of our worship, and so whatever the cost or consequences, we will find the greatest blessings in living in line with the purpose of all creation: giving glory to God.
How might you live more for God’s glory this week? How can you make it clearer to those who know you and watch your way of life that He is your life, your strength, your song? Let us seek the LORD in prayer and ask for His answer, for there is nothing our society needs to see more now than Christians living wholeheartedly for Christ and for the glory of God alone.
Songs for the week:
Is He Worthy? Lyric Video (Andrew Peterson) - YouTube
To God Be The Glory ( Royal Albert Hall, London)
Grace and peace,
Dave
27 October 2024
FROM OUR RECTOR
Dear Friends.
In the fourth of our series on the 5 Solas of the Reformation, we come today to Sola Christus: that our salvation is found in Christ Alone.
I suspect that when you read those words, many of you may have thought of the now famous hymn of the same name. (Coincidentally we will be singing it at both Highweek and St Paul’s this coming Sunday!) It might strike you as odd that there would be any controversy about this statement, in Christian circles at least. After all, we are called Christians; we follow Jesus Christ; we celebrate Christ’s death, and we look forward to Christ’s return. Where is the controversy in that?
The controversy comes, as we’ve seen over the last 2 weeks, when we fail to see how sinful and needy we are. If we fail to see our own depravity compared to God’s perfect holiness, and if we fail to recognise our own helplessness to do anything about it, our human tendency is to imagine (to borrow a previous analogy) that the mountain is not too steep, and our strength is not too weak to save ourselves. But the Bible’s diagnosis is stark. We are not just sick, but spiritually dead. We don’t just need a helping hand; we need a new heart and a new birth. We need a Saviour who can fulfil the law’s requirement in our place, pay the price for our sin as our substitute and give us new and eternal life. What we need is Jesus- for righteousness, for redemption, and for new life.
No matter how hard we try, we do not and cannot live completely holy lives. Even once we belong to Christ we continue to sin in thought and word and deed. In our natural state, there is no health, no goodness or holiness in us, so how can we be acceptable to God? We can be acceptable to God because, through repentance and faith, Jesus’ righteousness – his perfect life of complete holy obedience – gets credited to our accounts! Imagine having your choice of Nobel prize winners to sit your A Level exams for you, and you being given their marks. Full marks would be guaranteed! By God’s grace – we are offered Jesus perfect life to be counted as ours, enabling us to be counted as righteous before a holy God.
No matter how much we do, we cannot undo our past and future sin and pay off the debt we owe to God! The hurt we cause to those God loves; the mess we make of his world, the damage we do to his reputation, the glory we refuse to give him- all adds up to a price we cannot begin to pay back. But through Jesus’ death on the cross that debt is paid in full. The final cry of Jesus, “It is finished!” was not a cry of defeat- but a cry of victory. Job done! Mission accomplished! Paid in full! What Elon Musk would be able to do for our financial debts, Jesus has done to our spiritual debt. By his death on the cross in our place paying the price of our sin, Jesus has redeemed us from the penalty of sin.
And no matter how much we will it, we cannot bring ourselves to new and eternal life. Dead in sin, we need a saviour who can raise the dead. Enter Jesus our righteousness, our substitute, our life. Just as he raised the physically dead back to life, so the Father has given the Son the right to bestow eternal life on all those who come to him. Great doctors and surgeons can bring people back from the brink of death, even after their hearts have been still for several minutes. Jesus brings us from the tomb and grave and lifts us up to eternal life.
The salvation we need cannot be found in ourselves- we are too weak and sinful and dead for that. It isn’t deserved through our character, nor can it be earned by our efforts. Salvation is by faith alone, by grace alone, in Christ alone, as the scriptures alone declare. And it is wonderfully and freely available today to ALL who come to Jesus in repentance and faith.
Such a glorious truth should cause us to marvel and ‘be lost in wonder, love and praise’ as we contemplate all that Jesus has done for us. How might you refocus your minds on his wonderful and gracious work for you this week? Perhaps these 3 songs might help!
Songs for the week:
In Christ Alone - Keith & Kristyn Getty, CityAlight (Official Lyric Video)
Jesus Paid It All (Hymn 281) - Hymnology (Official Video)
Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me (Live) - CityAlight
Grace and peace,
Dave
20 October 2024
Dear Friends,
After considering Sola Scriptura 2 weeks ago (that all we need to know about God and salvation is found in the Scriptures) and Sola Gratia last week, (that we are saved by God’s grace alone- not through anything good in us), this week we turn to the mechanism by which we receive God’s great gift of grace: Sola Fide – by faith alone. If Sola Gratia (by grace alone) tells us how God saves us- by HIS work, not ours; Sola Fide tells us how we benefit from this great gift: not by our goodness or efforts, but simply by trusting God and receiving his gift by faith, and faith alone.
Picture the scene. Its Christmas morning and a child excitedly unwraps a huge gift. But, when they realise the value of the gift and what it must have cost their parents to purchase it, their face drops. With a sad expression they turn to their parents and ask: “So, what do I owe you?”
It’s a ridiculous illustration isn’t it. No loving parent would ever ask their child to refund the cost of a gift, yet so often, that is what we try to do with God. Out of the overflow of his love and mercy, God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. He lived the life we can never live then died the death we deserve so that we might be forgiven and have eternal life. All this, and far more, is the gracious gift of God. Yet something inside us tells us that it can’t be that simple. That we must have to do something in order to be worthy of such a great gift.
It's not hard to understand why that is because the world works by merit. We work (or obey) to get rewards, and the better we perform, the greater the reward. Children learn that from a young age! But that attitude is a major a problem when it comes to receiving God’s grace. For God’s grace can only be received as a gift. The Apostle Paul puts it this way in Ephesians 2:
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Let me highlight 3 things here.
Firstly, according to Paul, we receive the gift of salvation (are saved) by faith and not by our works. We neither accomplish our salvation before the fact nor earn our salvation after the fact. As the great hymn Rock Of Ages puts it, we must come to Christ saying: ‘nothing in my hand I bring, simply to your cross I cling.’ To think otherwise implies that Jesus’ work on the cross was not enough, and that something remains for us to do. That is not only arrogant, for that would give us something to boast about; but it would also rob us of our peace- for how would we ever know that we had done enough.
Secondly, to re-emphasise how utterly dependant we are on God’s grace, Paul even states that our faith itself is a gift of God. God works salvation for us through Jesus then the Holy Spirit opens our hearts to the truth of the gospel so that we can believe it and receive it! That is wonderfully humbling, but also beautifully reassuring, for it means that we are saved completely by God’s choice and action. (See Romans 8)
But lest we fall into the trap of thinking that since our works don’t count for salvation then they don’t matter at all, St Paul reminds us thirdly that having been called, forgiven, and justified– we now need to live as God’s children should, doing ‘do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.’ So whilst we are saved by faith alone, saving faith is never alone! It will always change the way we live and love and give and serve.
Rather like a child receiving a great gift, we will want to show our grateful thanks to God for that gift. Not by trying to pay the debt off (as if we could), but by loving and serving God with thankfulness for the great gift he has lavished upon us.
Songs for the week: Stuart Townend - My Heart Is Filled With Thankfulness (youtube.com)
Grace and peace,
Dave
13 October 2024
Dear Friends,
Last week we began our short series on the 5 Solas of the Protestant Reformation by considering Sola Scriptura- that all we need to know about God and salvation is found in the scriptures. It is no exaggeration to say that this first sola is the foundation stone for all the others, including today’s sola: sola gratia - that we are saved by grace alone.
One very commonly held view today, is that all religions are simply different paths up the same mountain to the same God. It’s called universalism and its especially common amongst those who have no strong religious views themselves. It’s not hard to see why it is attractive. It seems humble and accommodating, respecting all views but favouring none. But actually, it isn’t humble at all, quite the opposite, for it assumes that all religions are wrong – not just one! It ignores the fact that all the major faiths believe very different things about God’s being and character, ignores that different faiths teach very different ways to gain salvation, and it merges all the very different ideas about what heaven, or the goal of faith, is like into one. That’s not humble at all, is it?
So how do we relate to God? How do we gain salvation and eternal life? In this respect the model of the ‘paths up the mountain’ does work well for most of the major faiths. Every other major faith teaches that when it comes to salvation (however that is described), it is our efforts that count. We climb up to God and receive our reward by our good deeds and religious observance. God (whatever we think He or it is like) then takes note of our deeds. Good people go to “heaven” whilst bad people receive punishment or are forced to repeat the endless cycle of life again until they get it right.
But the Christian faith proclaims a very different gospel. If there is a mountain in the picture it is one that God descends to reach us. We do not climb up to God. God comes down to us. We do not have to rid ourselves of our sin; Jesus takes it away. We do not attain a level of holiness or goodness to achieve salvation; God’s righteousness is credited to us as a gift. Salvation then is all of God, and none of us. God reaches out. God pays the price. God makes a way. God offers salvation to us as a gift: a free gift, paid for by Jesus. Hence the pneumonic: GRACE: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
The Bible makes it clear that such a method is not only supremely wonderful, but absolutely necessary! For if there were a mountain to climb, we would not be able to climb it. Our deepest problem isn’t the sins we commit in thought and word and deed, but our sinful heart and nature that causes us to rebel against God’s rightful rule. Paul describes our problem in stark terms in Romans 3: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.
We therefore need a spiritual heart transplant, and rather obviously, this isn’t something we can do to ourselves. But God in his mercy has intervened. Paul writes this later in the same chapter: (Whilst) all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, … all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. The second all in this verse refers to those who receive this gift of grace (more on that next week). That may sound exclusive, but God’s grace is wonderfully inclusive- available to ALL who receive – Jew and gentile, slave and free, old and young, male and female, whatever nationality, language, culture or past: God’s grace is available to all.
I quite like the challenge of climbing Dartmoor’s hills or attempting some of the strenuous sections of the coast path. But I am so thankful that God has reached down to me with his gift of grace, because climbing to attain salvation by my own efforts would be an impossible task even for the very best of us. Praise God we don’t need to- for we are saved by God’s gift of grace alone!
Songs for the week: Rock of Ages (youtube.com) and CityAlight - Grace (youtube.com)
Grace and peace,
Dave
PS: if you’d like to find out more about the people who played a key role in the reformation, then do check out the Here We Stand podcast, each programme lasting around 6 minutes. You can access it here or via your usual podcast providers. Here We Stand | Desiring God.
6 October 2024
Dear Friends.
Since there are 5 Wednesdays in October, leading up to the annual commemoration of the date generally regarded as the start of the Protestant Reformation (31 st October 1517), I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk through the 5 guiding principles of the movement that changed the world and launched and shaped the Church of England! These 5 principles have become known as the 5 Solas, after the Latin phrases they stem from. They are: sola scriptura (Scripture alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone).
At its heart the Church of England is a reformed church, with its faith expressed in the 39 Articles, the Ordinal and the Homilies- as well as the 3 main historic creeds (see previous columns). This faith is then expressed in the liturgies we use because the church believes what it prays and prays what it believes. However, as the Articles make clear, Church doctrines and liturgies can never be the final arbiter of gospel truth. In article 6 we find this statement:
Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation.
Articles 20 and 21 take this further, making clear the limits of any church or general council that they cannot ordain anything contrary to scripture, and that they must not reject anything that the scriptures clearly teach. People can err. Bishops can err. Even general church councils can err. Scripture, therefore, having been fully inspired and preserved by God is the only inerrant, sufficient, and final authority for the church.
The first of our 5 Solas - sola scriptura (Scripture alone), teaches exactly the same thing. That the Holy Scriptures, as perfectly inspired by God, contain all we need to know God and to find salvation and eternal hope in Jesus, as well as teaching us how live a righteous life as a disciple of Christ.
Does that mean we simply read the Bible literalisticly? No! We must engage our brains when reading, paying attention, amongst other things, to the context of the passage or verse, both within the chapter and book, and in the light of the rest of Scripture. That’s why we teach from both the Old and New Testaments, and why we try to cover all genres of scripture. We need to understand it all to understand it properly. The Bible, when properly understood, will not contradict itself anywhere.
1 In this regard, church tradition can help and guide us. I get very worried when someone suggests that they have discovered a brand-new understanding that no one, in all of Church History, has never seen before, particularly if it goes against a clear position of church doctrine or ethics. Knowing how the saints across the ages have interpreted the Scripture is a guide to us, especially on contentious issues.
Bishop Richard Hooker (1554-1600) is often credited with describing the Anglican way as being like a three-legged stool with scripture, tradition and reason all working together. However, his writing not only took note of the primacy of Scripture in all things, but defined reason in terms of engaging with Scripture correctly, and described tradition as those creeds, liturgies and practices of the Church that could trace their origins back to Scripture. In his mind, tradition and reason should never be in opposition to the scriptures.
And that is the Anglican way – with Scripture taking the prime role and sitting over and above reason and tradition. It was also the way of the reformers- who critiqued the church in the 1500s by the clear teaching of scripture. We, likewise, need to be thinking Christians, thinking about what we read and hear and see and comparing it to the teaching of the Bible, so that if our ministers or Bishops or church councils err, we notice and can take our stand on the unchanging and inerrant Word of God.
Song for the week: Reformation Song - Lyric Video (youtube.com)
Grace and peace,
Dave