As Christians, we are happy to embrace the concept that 'God is love', and indeed the love of God is a biblical truth.
"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." 1 John 4:8
The difficulty is that our understanding of love can be limited, or even wrongly understood. I've been thinking about how to understand God's love, and I will share some of the characteristics I have identified.
God's love is one attribute among many.
God is love, but not only love. It is true that God loves, but that is not the complete truth about God. If we assume that love is God's only attribute, then our understanding of God is always going to be flawed.
God's love is eternal.
Eternity is a tough concept to get your head round. We live in a world of beginnings and endings, but God's love has neither. It has always been, and will always be. It is everlasting, never ending, eternal.
"O give thanks unto The Lord, for he is good; for His mercy endure to for ever." Psalm 136:1
"The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." Jeremiah 31:3
God's love is changeless.
Human love can change so quickly. Love on the wedding day can turn to hate in the divorce courts. Resentment, disillusionment, disappointment can all chip away at love. But God's love isn't like that. God Himself is immutable, changeless, and so is His love.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comets down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of timing." James 1:17
"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it." Song of Solomon 8:7
God's love is sacrificial.
God's love has no element of selfishness. It is costly and sacrificial, and God paid the price willingly.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
"Yet as I read...
...the birth stories about Jesus I cannot help but conclude that though the world may be tilted toward the rich and powerful, God is tilted toward the underdog.
Philip Yancey
Philip Yancey
A shared lunch
Sunday 30th December is a big day for New Life, Hull.
At 10.30am there will be a baptism service. If you want to be baptised, speak to your pastor or Tim M about it.
After the service, there will be a shared lunch, an opportunity to celebrate together as family - and we have a lot to celebrate!
Don't miss out on the opportunity to take part.
If you've been at the services at Central the past two Sundays you may well have picked up a post it note, with a reminder to bring along a particular item of food. If not,then there's chance to pick one up this week.
However, don't think that you cannot come along unless you have a post it note! Please feel free to bring along any contribution. Just make sure that it doesn't require any cooking, but can simply be served straight away.
At 10.30am there will be a baptism service. If you want to be baptised, speak to your pastor or Tim M about it.
After the service, there will be a shared lunch, an opportunity to celebrate together as family - and we have a lot to celebrate!
Don't miss out on the opportunity to take part.
If you've been at the services at Central the past two Sundays you may well have picked up a post it note, with a reminder to bring along a particular item of food. If not,then there's chance to pick one up this week.
However, don't think that you cannot come along unless you have a post it note! Please feel free to bring along any contribution. Just make sure that it doesn't require any cooking, but can simply be served straight away.
A Christmas Prayer.
Loving Father,
Help us to remember the birth of Jesus,
That we may share in the song of the angels,
The gladness of the shepherds,
And the worship of the wise men.
Close the door of hate and
Open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift and
Good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing
Which Christ brings, and teach us to
Be merry with clear hearts.
May the Christmas morning make us happy
To be thy children, and the Christmas evening
Bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,
Forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
Robert Louis Stevenson 1850-1894
Help us to remember the birth of Jesus,
That we may share in the song of the angels,
The gladness of the shepherds,
And the worship of the wise men.
Close the door of hate and
Open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift and
Good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing
Which Christ brings, and teach us to
Be merry with clear hearts.
May the Christmas morning make us happy
To be thy children, and the Christmas evening
Bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,
Forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
Robert Louis Stevenson 1850-1894
Celebrating Christmas
Celebrating Christmas isn't, or shouldn't be, all about presents. When I look back at my childhood, I can remember only a very few of the gifts I was given. What I remember are the traditions, the rituals and the experiences. I've had a number of conversations with friends about this over the last few days, and from them I've compiled a few suggestions for ways to celebrate Christmas which don't involve huge costs.
A Christmas camp out!
No, even I wouldn't suggest getting the tent out in December (although I know some adventurous types who do, as well as a family taking their caravan away between Christmas and New Year), but how about an indoor camp out?
You could make up beds in front of the Christmas tree, using cushions, quilts, blankets and sleeping bags, and snuggle down to watch a Christmas movie, read a Christmas story, or just drink hot chocolate and enjoy the lights on your Christmas tree. I would imagine that this would seem like a great adventure to small children, in fact I quite like the idea myself!
A Christmas Elf.
One of my colleagues, who is mum to two small boys, has an elf toy that comes out every Christmas. He is one of Santa's helpers, and keeps an eye on the boys to make sure they earn their place on the 'nice list'. Each night, he mysteriously moves. He might go to bed in the living room, but come morning he will be found precariously balanced on the edge of the biscuit tin. Perhaps he got puckish during the night? Elf accompanies the boys wherever they go over the Christmas period,and this year he even as his own Facebook page, where photos of his exploits are posted.
My colleague admits to having found this idea on the Internet, and if you google Christmas elf you will find all kinds of suggestions, including printable messages from the Elf, and from Santa.
Use the library.
You can pick up a stack of Christmas themed books from the library, for all ages. Reading one book per night, or a chapter per night, can be a nice activity in the run up to Christmas, and of course borrowing them from the library means it won't cost a penny. My daughter is too old for the crafting sessions my library runs now, but in years gone by these free activities were something we enjoyed and looked forward to.
Christmas costumes.
A friend of mine has a box of 'fancy dress' supplies that she brings out each Christmas to entertain her grandchildren when they visit. Some of the items are actual fancy dress costumes that he was picked up over the years, but the majority are not. A couple of old red table cloths, lots of tinsel, some old net curtains etc. My friend says that her grandchildren love creating their own costumes, and really look forward to it each year.
A Christmas camp out!
No, even I wouldn't suggest getting the tent out in December (although I know some adventurous types who do, as well as a family taking their caravan away between Christmas and New Year), but how about an indoor camp out?
You could make up beds in front of the Christmas tree, using cushions, quilts, blankets and sleeping bags, and snuggle down to watch a Christmas movie, read a Christmas story, or just drink hot chocolate and enjoy the lights on your Christmas tree. I would imagine that this would seem like a great adventure to small children, in fact I quite like the idea myself!
A Christmas Elf.
One of my colleagues, who is mum to two small boys, has an elf toy that comes out every Christmas. He is one of Santa's helpers, and keeps an eye on the boys to make sure they earn their place on the 'nice list'. Each night, he mysteriously moves. He might go to bed in the living room, but come morning he will be found precariously balanced on the edge of the biscuit tin. Perhaps he got puckish during the night? Elf accompanies the boys wherever they go over the Christmas period,and this year he even as his own Facebook page, where photos of his exploits are posted.
My colleague admits to having found this idea on the Internet, and if you google Christmas elf you will find all kinds of suggestions, including printable messages from the Elf, and from Santa.
Use the library.
You can pick up a stack of Christmas themed books from the library, for all ages. Reading one book per night, or a chapter per night, can be a nice activity in the run up to Christmas, and of course borrowing them from the library means it won't cost a penny. My daughter is too old for the crafting sessions my library runs now, but in years gone by these free activities were something we enjoyed and looked forward to.
Christmas costumes.
A friend of mine has a box of 'fancy dress' supplies that she brings out each Christmas to entertain her grandchildren when they visit. Some of the items are actual fancy dress costumes that he was picked up over the years, but the majority are not. A couple of old red table cloths, lots of tinsel, some old net curtains etc. My friend says that her grandchildren love creating their own costumes, and really look forward to it each year.
Monday, 13 August 2012
Christmas trees and laughing gnomes (or why connect groups matter)
My oldest friend and I have known each other for more than twenty years. We have been friends through many of life's momentous occasions - births, bereavements, weddings, funerals, Celebrations of all kinds...
But our friendship wasn't grown during those big, important, life changing moments.
Our friendship was grown during shared pots of tea, watching TV together, popping round to each others house to say hello, going to the tip together, texting random song lyrics, long and boring train journeys, keeping each other company in Asda, phone calls, assembling flat pack furniture, getting lost trying to get out of Leeds, freezing half to death at Bryan Adams concerts, plotting to put up the Christmas tree in July, sharing M&Ms while watching dodgy horror movies, dressing up for the Sound of Music, going to keep fit classes together, singing along to Bowie's finest creation (the Laughing Gnome track, of course)...
In short, our friendship was built on the ordinary, the routine, the humdrum, the everyday. That's how all friendships are formed. I can turn to my friend in life's big moments, because we have built a relationship in the little, ordinary moments.
And that is what Connect groups are all about. Building relationships through spending regular time together. The Connect group that meets in my home every Monday doesn't feel life changing. It doesn't feel like a momentous event. But friendships are being built, connections are being formed. And that is how church is built.
Relationships take time. They take commitment. I certainly couldn't build real relationships with anyone during the hustle and bustle of a Sunday morning service, in fact big crowds like that can be very lonely places.
So, if you are not in a Connect group, ask yourself why. And ask yourself on what you could be missing out on.
But our friendship wasn't grown during those big, important, life changing moments.
Our friendship was grown during shared pots of tea, watching TV together, popping round to each others house to say hello, going to the tip together, texting random song lyrics, long and boring train journeys, keeping each other company in Asda, phone calls, assembling flat pack furniture, getting lost trying to get out of Leeds, freezing half to death at Bryan Adams concerts, plotting to put up the Christmas tree in July, sharing M&Ms while watching dodgy horror movies, dressing up for the Sound of Music, going to keep fit classes together, singing along to Bowie's finest creation (the Laughing Gnome track, of course)...
In short, our friendship was built on the ordinary, the routine, the humdrum, the everyday. That's how all friendships are formed. I can turn to my friend in life's big moments, because we have built a relationship in the little, ordinary moments.
And that is what Connect groups are all about. Building relationships through spending regular time together. The Connect group that meets in my home every Monday doesn't feel life changing. It doesn't feel like a momentous event. But friendships are being built, connections are being formed. And that is how church is built.
Relationships take time. They take commitment. I certainly couldn't build real relationships with anyone during the hustle and bustle of a Sunday morning service, in fact big crowds like that can be very lonely places.
So, if you are not in a Connect group, ask yourself why. And ask yourself on what you could be missing out on.
Thursday, 5 July 2012
Join in this summer!
All sorts of family connect activities are planned for this summer, including...
A soup & bread fundraiser
A family quiz night
An evening picnic in the park
A Treasure Hunt
ONE
Keep an eye on here for further details!!!
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