Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Righteousness Exalts a Nation.

Proverbs 14v34. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”  (NIV)

Wasn’t it encouraging on Monday to have the funeral of our Queen so honouring to God? With  Christian hymns, Christian prayers, and a sermon with strong echoes of the gospel message. And to think that maybe over half the world’s population watched it.

It is clear that people around the world looked up to our Queen and this is maybe an illustration of the above proverb. The “Book of Proverbs” is not intended as a “life is always like this”, but as a general guide to the way things work out. A similar proverb is found in Proverbs 11v11, “Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.”

The Christian influence in this land over the centuries is something we can be very thankful for. It underpins more of our culture and society than is often given credit. Our modern thinking is often blind to this influence or resists it: the Queen’s service was not welcomed by all!

By way of example of influence, I was reading the other day about homicide rates over the last 1000 years in the UK. The question was asked: What can explain the steady fall in homicide rates in the UK over all that period? Statistics show there were 200 homicides per million people in 1200, declining to 100 per million by 1600, and to a low of 6 per million around 1950, but then rising to around 10 per million more recently. (Note this is a general trend, though there are blips and troughs on the way.) Is this an example of the effect of the gospel influence in our land?

The reality is that we can all be like the Queen in our places of influence. People were attracted to her light even when they don’t want to know her Saviour. And so your “righteousness” and “blessing” can have an impact on the people around you. What light are you bringing to the organisations you are part of, and the town in which we live? It may not be immediately obvious to you, but if you were not there … Afterall, Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth … [and] the light of the world … so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5v12-14

May God enable us to be his salt and light in the world.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

The Reality of Death.

Hebrews 9v27 “Just as man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment … .”  (NIV)

We as a nation mourn the loss of Queen Elizabeth II and many of us will be watching her funeral on Monday.

Death is something we all face. Death is not the ideal of life God desired, rather it is something to be overcome. Death is hard: we only do it once; we don’t know exactly what happens; we don’t know what it will be like; and the process of dying can be traumatic.

The whole sentence quoted from Hebrews above reads, “Just as man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

So while there is much we do not know, we do know:

• Who has gone before us ( Hebrews 9v28 ) – “Christ was sacrificed once”
• Who goes with us ( Psalm 23v4 ) –  “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
• What we will face ( Hebrews 9v27 ) – “judgment”
• What the verdict will be (Hebrews 9v28)  “{Christ] will appear a second time … to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him”.

This is our solid hope, demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus: our salvation will be completed based solely on the finished work of Jesus.

It is Christ-like to mourn at death (John 11v33-35). It is natural to have a certain fear of death (Hebrews 2v14-15). It is faith to be “convinced that neither death nor life … will be able to separate us from the love of God,” (Romans 8v38); and it is faith that enables us to live in the assurance that all the promises of God are “yes” and “Amen” in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 1v20).

May God enable us to both live and die well.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Prayer for Our Rulers.

1 Timothy 2v1-2 “I urge then that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for … kings and all those in authority.”  (NIV)

This week has seen the instalment of new Prime Minister Liz Truss, the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and therefore also the announcement of a new King – King Charles III.

The teaching of the New Testament is clear, we give honour and respect to those in authority and pray for them. We recognise that all leaders are ultimately accountable to God and it is he who puts them in place by whatever process that is. (See Romans 13v1-7)

Let us therefore give thanks for the life of the Queen and the way that she has given honour to God and to Jesus and has regularly acknowledged His hand in her life. Let’s pray for the whole Royal Family as they mourn their loss.

Let us pray too for our new leaders – both Liz Truss and King Charles. Let us pray that they live up to God’s ways in their own lives and in the policies that they put forward. Let us pray for peace, righteousness and justice.

Let us pray for our nation in this time of change. “Restore O Lord the honour of your name … and in our time revive the church that bears your name.”

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

How to pray #3.

Acts 4v24 “When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.”  (NIV)

In the early church there were daily gatherings for prayer together. Jesus stated, “I tell you that if two or three of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them,” Matthew 18v19-20. In short there is something spiritually powerful as we pray together. Why? Because Jesus is with us as we gather, and because he has promised to answer as we agree together in our petitions and intercessions! There is something powerful about a genuine “Amen” from others as we pray.

These days we can gather on-line or in person and there are various ones of us meeting in small groups and 2s and 3s to pray together. Would you like to join such a group?

Next Wednesday August 31^st, we are gathering for a day of prayer. You are welcome. I know some are away or working, but for those that can, I can encourage you to participate as you are able. The timetable for the day is below and you can join at any point. We will meet in the Prayer Room during the day and then in St Christopher’s Room from 7pm.

If you are not able to be present, you could use the timetable below as a guide so that we may pray in Spirit together.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

How to pray #2.

Matthew 6v9 “This is how you should pray.”  (NIV)

Have you had a time when you just don’t know how to pray? I am sure you have. Sometimes it can be because we are in shock over an event, or maybe we are not sure whether we should be asking for one outcome or another.

Though the gospel writers record Jesus saying, “This is how you should pray,” we do not find his followers praying this exact prayer again in the New Testament. Instead, we find a wide variety of prayers covering a range of styles and themes. It would seem that Jesus was primarily giving a principle of prayer than an exact wording to follow.

Jesus begins his example prayer with “Our Father in heaven” – a wonderful statement of our relationship with God. We come to him in relationship. Jesus is telling us to come as loved, dependent and submissive children and honour our Dad.

He continues “Hallowed be your name” – a declaration of the complete holiness of God. We come to one who is perfect in every way; one who is to be revered and praised. Indeed, now is the time to worship!

Maybe, when we do not know how to pray, we need to begin with an expression of our relationship with God and his worth. It is then that the Spirit comes and enables us to pour out our hearts to God as Paul writes in Romans 8v29, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

How to pray.

Matthew 6v9 “This is how you should pray.”  (NIV)

One of the elements that stuck out for me in Peter’s talk last week was his story about acknowledging God’s creation of the tree and how Adam and Eve talked with God in the garden of Eden: how have you got on with chatting with God this week?

I think too that the “Keep it simple. Keep it real. Keep it up” is so helpful. We do not need to dress our prayers up! We don’t need some special language. Talk with him as you.

We are glad that so many of you have found last week’s session helpful and we will again be using the Prayer Course material this coming week.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

When you pray.

Matthew 6v5 “And when you pray. ”  (NIV)

Jesus makes the assumption that his disciples would pray regularly as well as give and fast (6v1-4 & 16-18). As his initial disciples were all Jewish by background, this was a reasonable assumption because it was common practice amongst the 1^st century Jews to pray 3 times a day. The practice is not in Old Testament Law, but David refers to this practice in the Psalms, and so does Daniel in his life story.

Prayer is communication with God. Communication is best when it is open, honest, relevant, respectful and frequent.

It is impossible to become a Christian without prayer.

It is impossible to function as a Christian without prayer.

Yet most of us struggle with prayer in one way or another. For the next four Sundays and some other Sundays in the autumn we will focus on developing our communication with God with the help of the “Prayer Course” material. During August, some will be away, and so we provide links to the videos to catch up as possible with where  so that we might all grow together in this vital area.

In addition, at the end of the four Sundays, we will have a day of prayer on Wednesday 31^st August. We encourage you to participate in this as far as is possible for you (see below “news”).

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

How is God answering your prayers?

Genesis 15v2 “But Abram said, ‘O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless.’ ”  (NIV)

Abraham was a friend of God (James 2v23) and in Genesis, we find a record of some of the conversations between God and Abraham.

There are 3 main requests Abraham made of God:

• Abraham asks for an heir (Genesis 15v2-3). This prayer was in accord with God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 13v16, “I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth.” God answered this prayer some years later with the birth of Isaac. In effect God’s answer was, “Yes, that is what I have said, but not yet.”
• Abraham asks for Ishmael to be his heir an receive the blessing ( Genesis 17v18). This prayer was made in a moment of doubt and despair. God gives partial affirmation to his request, but then reassures Abraham that His real heir will be coming in a year’s time. In effect, God’s answer was, “Well yes to a degree, but I have something far better than what you are asking.”
• Abraham asks God to preserve Sodom for the sake of 10 righteous people (Genesis 18v32). In Abraham’s heart is a strong desire to preserve his nephew Lot. God affirms that he would not destroy it for 10 righteous people. However, the reality is there is not that many there and so Sodom is destroyed. But, God answers the heart of Abraham by rescuing Lot (considered righteous) so that he is not destroyed with the wicked. In effect, God’s answer was, “I like your principle, but I am going to work things out a different way.”

What are your requests to God right now? Is one of the responses God gives Abraham appropriate to you?

It is right that we express to God our heart’s desires: that is part of our friendship with God. Let’s make sure we are listening carefully to our Father’s replies.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Praying Globally

1 Timothy 2v1 “I urge then that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority.”  (NIV)

There are a couple of things to highlight from this verse:

• We are often encouraged to be specific in our prayers, but this instruction of Paul’s is towards a very broad covering of prayer.
• We may often pray for the downtrodden, but here we are called to also pray for the privileged.

Paul continues in the next verses to give some core requests in these prayers:

• “that we may live peaceful and quiet live in all godliness and holiness.” We can pray that those in authority set the scene in policy and legislation for the peace of all citizens who seek to do good.
• “this is good and pleases God our Saviour who wants all men to be saved.” God wants all people to be saved (though, elsewhere, it is clear that not all are). Praying for people’s salvation is therefore very much in line with the desires of God.

This leaves us with the following questions for reflection:

• How often do we pray for those in authority over us whether in family, work, or society?
• What impact might our prayers make?
• Do prayers have more impact than a vote at the ballot box?

Let’s pray for our national leaders at this time of leadership change, for places in our world where there is fighting over who leads, and for those leading the Fun Week next week.

With love and blessing,

Roland