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Thought for the Week - 3rd December 2023

Dear Friends,  For the Advent season this year I’m using again The Little Book of Advent , complied by Canon Arthur Howells, it is described as ‘an indispensable collection of readings from some of the most celebrated modern-day spiritual writers’ including Henri Nouwen, Kathy Galloway, Jane Williams and David Adam. In a reflection entitled ‘Be Still’ by Michael Stancliffe, a Church of England priest who was a canon of Westminster Abbey, a former chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, and Dean of Winchester, he reflects on the prophet Elijah’s encounter with the Lord on Mount Horeb where God met him, ‘not in the roaring of the wind, nor in the commotion and convulsion of the earthquake, nor in the terrible power of the fire – but in a still, small voice’, and as Stancliffe, describes, Elijah ‘had reached the still point at the centre’. He says, ‘For the still centre is the source of all life and power and might… ‘Be still and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10) … We are to be
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Thought for the Week - 26th November 2023

  Dear Friends, This week sees the beginning of the COP28 Climate Summit taking place at Expo City in Dubai. The conference runs from 30 th November until 12 th December and will be attended by a number of major world leaders, leading scientists, journalists, as well as members of the public. Themes being discussed will include food and agriculture, finance and accountability, technology and innovation, health and education, children and youth, gender and inclusion, and it is hope that there will be some positive progress on the state of the ‘Loss and Damage Fund’ that was established at COP27 in Egypt last year with the aim of assisting nations that are most vulnerable to the climate crisis. As this conference begins and many people will be looking with hope perhaps tinged with uncertainty and doubt about the future, I’m reminded of words from the Psalms, ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established
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Thought for the Week - 19th November 2023

Dear Friends,  In my daily Bible Study notes we have been thinking about ‘thankfulness’ and thanksgiving which enables us to look back and recall what God has said and done in our lives, to be grateful for what he is doing and what he has provided, and to look forward with grateful hope and expectation. We read in the apostle Paul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus, in a section about instructions for Christian living, that we should ‘be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Ephesians 5:18-20). That call to give ‘thanks to God for everything’ we sometimes may find difficult to do. When life is going well for us, thanksgiving to God may be easy, but what about when we are facing life’s challenges, or when we see around us those things that are destructive and unhealthy to ourselves and others, what
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Thought for the Week - 12th November 2023

  Dear Friends,  During this early part of the month of November we are drawn in the church calendar to ‘remembering’, and as a friend recently reminded me it is sometimes called ‘remembrancetide’. Some remember the saints of old in All Saints Day on November 1 st and others remember loved ones who have died on All Souls Day on November 2 nd . Perhaps our focus for remembering falls on November 11 th , Armistice Day, and November 12 th , Remembrance Sunday, when we will once again remember the fallen and all victims of war. We will call to mind the cost of wars and conflicts, both historic and present day, the huge numbers of precious lives lost and the damaging and lasting effects that such battles leave. It was the former prime minister Neville Chamberlain who is quoted as saying in 1938, ‘In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers.’ In the world today we need to redouble our efforts in working for peace and in praying for peace. Th
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Thought for the Week - 5th November 2023

  Dear Friends, The first Sunday in November always marks the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), an opportunity to remember and pray for our sisters and brothers in Christ around the world who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. From the Release International magazine, Voice of Persecuted Christians , we read the story of Twen Tedros from Eritrea. Twen was 21 and had been a Christian for only two years when she was arrested and imprisoned in 2004 and then again in 2005. She was sent to Mai Serva prison near Asmara where she spent nearly three years locked in a metal shipping container. During the daytime the prison guards shut the door and window of the container making it very difficult for the prisoners to breathe. Twen called out to God for help and some verses from 1 Peter 4 came to her, ‘Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the suf
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Thought for the Week - 29th October 2023

Dear Friends,  Today we are celebrating two things, firstly it is the Bible Society’s Bible Sunday, a day when we can give thanks to God for the scriptures and echo the apostle Paul’s words, ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that all God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work’ (2 Timohty 3:16-17). And secondly, as a church we are celebrating the 140 th Church Anniversary of Beckenham Baptist Church, founded in 1883 as Elm Road Chapel, the opening services took place on Wednesday 31st October – 9.30am Prayer Meeting, 2.45pm Public Service, 4.45pm a Meeting in the Chapel, and at 6.30pm another Public Service – with various Baptist luminaries of the day in attendance. The public reading of the Scriptures has always been at the heart of all we do as a Christian community, for it is there that we can hear the stories of the Bible and reflect upon our own place in God’s never-ending story of c
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Thought for the Week - 22nd October 2023

Dear Friends,  Earlier this year the Thursday morning Bible Study group completed a study on the life of the Old Testament prophet Elijah. My daily Bible Study notes have just started a period of looking at the life of Elijah, which can be found in 1 and 2 Kings. Elijah is described as the most famous and dramatic of Israel’s prophets and is perhaps best remembered for how he ‘died’, being carried off by a chariot of fire and horses of fire taking him up into heaven (2 Kings 2:11) as witnessed by Elisha. Now even though we don‘t know very much about Elijah and his background – he was a Tishbite from Tishbe in Gilead the Bible tells us – what shines through the story is his single-minded commitment to God. He was sent to confront, not to comfort, and he spoke God’s words to a king – King Ahab – who often rejected his message just because he brought it. Elijah chose to carry out his ministry for God alone and paid for that decision by experiencing isolation from others who were also fa
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