Monthly Archives: May 2020

Greetings from the Elders

Fruit Growing

Sandra and I have just got an allotment. I recommend it. Growing your own fruit and veg. has got to be good for the mind as well as the body. Having said that, one of the hazards is the fellow allotment holders. Not that they are unfriendly – quite the reverse – but the pressure can get to you. Making sure the ridges are right for your potatoes when Michael, our retired neighbour from Mayo, surely a son of the soil, can easily see them over the fence, is something that could keep you awake at night if you are not careful. We thought about fruit trees but Mark behind us arrived in today with carefully chosen young apple saplings – obviously an old hand. What if we got the wrong sort or put them in the wrong place? The quiet humiliation of a friendly word of correction could be emotionally wounding and wipe out weeks of therapeutic gardening activity at a stroke.

Not that we are strangers to fruit growing. In Cameroon we struggled and produced one pineapple after three years. Our big success, though, was the Jackfruit tree. We planted with trepidation and much watering. But it survived the first dry season and then just grew and grew. Now, after fifteen years, the tree is so big you can see it from space. If you don’t believe me, I can show you on Google earth. We were the ones who introduced the fruit to the village and when we brought a Jackfruit to church as a first-fruits offering, it went really high at auction afterwards. Mr. Martin, our neighbour, bought it. I asked if he would enjoy eating it – but then I discovered the reason he had bought it was for the seeds. He’d seen and tasted ours and wanted his own. Now the trees are popping up all over the village.

As I was looking at the tree on Google Earth the other day, I was reminded of some fruit in the grounds of the monastery where we’ve been staying on our recent trips to Cameroon, now that we cannot go to the village. The fruit I was looking for isn’t something you can eat, but some topiary (that is an ornamental hedge that is trimmed to a particular shape). The gardeners have managed to clip a hedge to form three words in French and the same three words in English – LOVE JOY PEACE.

Sadly I was unable to make them out on Google Earth. They just fade into the background fuzziness of the garden and no one would be the wiser just looking in on it.

Last Sunday we were reminded beautifully in song by Daniel, Hannah and Samuel that the fruit of the Spirit is not a coconut or a banana – or even a Jackfruit – but rather:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5 vv 22-25)

Are others able to see that fruit in your life, or are you just indistinguishable from everyone else, like the monastery hedge? No evidence of love, joy and peace there, for sure. But when the fruit of the Spirit grows big in your life, like the Jackfruit tree, people will start to talk and they will want what you have – and that will bring glory to Christ.

So forget about Michael and Mark in the plot next door, just focus on dealing with your own flesh and walk by the Spirit. Then it won’t be long before they are asking for your fruit in their lives!

May God bless you this week and don’t forget if you are in need of help just contact us.

Jon (for the Elders)

The Word on the Week

Riots and Race

Race and Riots                       Word on the Week                          30th May 2020.

On Monday this week in Minneapolis the Police arrested George Floyd.     He died by suffocation when handcuffed he lay on the ground with a policeman’s knee on his neck.    This position lasted for some 5 minutes while three other policemen stood around.     We are not told what his crime was.

The incident would have gone largely unnoticed were it not for a bystander capturing the action on his camera.     Two factors to note; George was of African-American stock and there appeared to be an absence of mercy by the policemen.

The detained man can he heard groaning on the video, and repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe”, before he stops speaking.      His last words have been taken up by the rioters as their slogan as they wreaked havoc on the city over the last few nights. 

When there is the perception that justice is lacking it becomes difficult to do anything meaningful without being accused of bias.    In this case George was a black man and the policeman was white.   George had no power and the policeman was powerful.    It is only in God’s sight that they are equal “When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.   Male and female he created them and he blessed them” (Genesis Chapter 5 verses 1 – 2).

 The French philosopher named Muretus 1526-1585 was well educated but also very poor. He became sick, and was taken to the place where the destitute were kept. The people who cared for him did not know that he was a scholar and that he understood the scholar’s Latin. One day the doctors were discussing his case in Latin and they were saying that he was a poor creature of value to no one and that it was hopeless and unnecessary to expend care and money on attention to such a worthless human. Muretus looked up from his bed of rags and answered in their own Latin, “Call no man worthless for whom Christ died.”

Every human is made in the image of God and however marred the image may be it is never obliterated.   In fact, it there is always the potential of redemption and a re-imaging for the person who comes to faith in Christ.    In Christ there is no such thing as an excluded race.    God’s mercy knows no limit (Titus Chapter 3 verses 1-8).

Some years ago we had Alfred, Maria and family from Serra Leone worshipping with us.   They were musical and one of the songs they composed had the powerful lines that Christians should be colour-blind.   By God’s grace this has become second nature to us and may point to a remedy for churches to adopt instead of permitting segregated worship.  

May the cross of Christ make us all colour-blind (Galatians Chapter 3 verses 26 – 29).

Greetings from the Elders

A Miracle of Deliverance

Between the 26th May and the 2nd June 1940 – eighty years ago this month – one third of a million soldiers both of the British Expeditionary Force in France, and the French army, were taken from the beaches of Dunkirk, in what the British Prime Minister of the day, Winston Churchill, called “A miracle of deliverance.” He had expected less than 20,000 to be rescued but, in the event, most of the troops who were making their last stand on the coast of Belgium, were repatriated.

It was indeed a miracle and it was also an answer to prayer. King George VI had requested that Sunday, 26 May should be observed as a National Day of Prayer. In a stirring broadcast, he called on the people of Britain and of the (then) Empire to commit their cause to God. Together with members of the Cabinet, the King attended Westminster Abbey, whilst millions of his subjects in all parts of the Commonwealth and Empire flocked to the churches to join in prayer. The whole nation was at prayer on that Sunday. The scene outside Westminster Abbey was remarkable—photographs show long queues of people who could not even get in, the Abbey was so crowded! In its hour of need, the people turned to God. And their cry did not go unanswered.

Why do I mention all this?

In The first Chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossian church, he tells them that they should give thanks to the Father, “who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Every believer in Christ can identify with the soldiers evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk. Delivered and transferred! Without Christ our situation was dire – stranded without hope. But his death on the cross has both bought us back and brought us back! So firstly, recognise that your salvation is a miracle of deliverance.

Secondly, understand that such miracles are a result of prayer. Someone prayed for you. At times like this, when our country stands in great need, believers are called to stand in the gap and be people of prayer. As a nation, we may have forsaken the Lord, but God is still at work. Our prayer should be not only that He would have mercy on us and stem the onslaught of the virus, but much more – that the people would turn again to the Saviour, that hearts would be awakened and that revival would come to the land. These are days of opportunity.

Finally, ask God to show us as a church how we may of spiritual and practical help, not only during this time of medical emergency but during the period of economic hardship that will undoubtedly follow.

My mother spoke to me about her memories of the first Sunday after the bulk of soldiers had been landed on the south coast of England. It was the 2nd June 1940. She lived with her mother, my grandmother, in the town of Salisbury, near to the South coast and close to a large army base. When the soldiers landed in Southampton, they were put on trains to return either home, or to their base. But the situation was confused and many were left just wandering the streets with nowhere to go. Gran ran what was called in those days a ‘milk bar’ – the nearest equivalent to today’s coffee shop. She wanted to help, but it was Sunday and the family were staunch Methodists. Never had they opened the milk bar on the Sabbath. But my mother told me that Gran declared – “we cannot have these boys just wandering the streets – we have to help them!” So they broke with tradition and had mercy on those in need – on a Sunday!

The world has changed. We may be called upon as a church to do things we have never done before, or do what we have always done in a different way. My grandmother never normally opened her milk bar on a Sunday but she recalled Jesus’ teaching on the Sabbath well enough to understand that at that time, it was the right thing to do. What new thing is God calling us as a church to do to meet the spiritual and practical needs of the new world we are living in?

So, recognise that your salvation is a miracle of deliverance. Understand that God used prayer in accomplishing this miracle and be a pray-er for other’s salvation. And ask God to show us as a church how we can best be used by Him at this time to minister to each other and our fellow citizens, for their spiritual welfare and for His glory.

God bless you this week. Keep the officers in prayer as we meet on Thursday. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have a need.

Jon, for the Elders

The Word on the Week

Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias 1946 – 2020            Word on the Week                23rd May 2020.

Ravi Zacharias is founder and chairman of the board of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries an organisation whose members have carried the Gospel to every corner of the globe.   This week he went to be with the Lord Jesus Christ whom he served so faithfully from his conversion in 1963.

When he was a 17-year-old student, in despair, he attempted suicide.   Mercifully it failed and afterwards, when reading the Bible, he came across the words of Jesus “Because I live, you also will live” (St John Chapter 14 verse 19).   He felt that this was address to him and it was confirmed when on a family visit to his Grandmothers grave shortly afterwards he saw the same words written on her gravestone.

After a distinguished college career during which he had found his feet as an evangelist he started his International Ministries.   It now has close on 100 evangelists on staff.   Their desire is to explore the different worldviews they find in many countries and “help the thinker to believe and the believer to think”!    They follow Ravi’s passion for apologetics (reasoned arguments in justification of, in Ravi’s case, Scripture) although few could compare with his ability to handle the question and answer sessions which took place after the talk.   His aim was “to engage people in meaningful interactions with gentleness and respect, bearing in mind that behind every question is a questioner”.

He spent his early years in India, his college days in Canada and the USA and established his global base in Atlanta, Georgia.   Through God’s grace with clarity and an intellectual philosophy, Zacharias gave countless speeches and wrote numerous books answering key objections and questions about the origin, meaning and morality of Christianity.   His illustrations were very well thought through.   I heard him explain that he committed them to memory he valued them so much in making his case for Christ.

Earlier this year he recited a stanza from this hymn from Richard Baxter (1615-1691): “Lord, it belongs not to my care
Whether I die or live;
To love and serve Thee is my share,
And this Thy grace must give.
 
If life be long, I will be glad,
That I may long obey;
If short, yet why should I be sad
To welcome endless day?
 
Christ leads me through no darker rooms
Than He went through before;
He that unto God’s kingdom comes
Must enter by this door.
 
Come Lord, when grace hath made me meet
Thy blessed face to see;
For if Thy work on earth be sweet
What will thy glory be!
 
None of us could have imagined just two months this hymn/prayer would be answered.

Greetings from the Elders

A task of eternal significance

Dear brothers and sisters,

Just before Jesus’ ascension to heaven the disciples approached Him together. They had a question. “Lord,” they asked, “is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6)

Jesus had spent the previous forty days, since his resurrection, teaching them about things “concerning the kingdom of God” (v.3). As a consequence they clearly assumed that an immediate physical restoration of Israel, with the risen Christ as its king, was at least a possibility. But Jesus’ response must have deflated their excitement: “It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.”

Though the disciples may have been disappointed, Jesus’ followers today can draw great encouragement from the record of this exchange.

Firstly, because it’s authentic. The disciples do not look good here: they’re impatient for the establishment of an independent theocratic nation which will throw off the yoke of its Roman oppressors; God, however, has other plans. The author Luke clearly didn’t have an agenda to make the disciples look bad – elsewhere in Acts he describes them being used powerfully by God – and therefore had no motive to fabricate their question. So the most likely reason he included this dialogue is that it actually happened. As a historian, he was simply rendering a faithful account of that day’s events on the Mount of Olives, drawing on the testimonies of those that were actually there (cf. Luke1:1-4).

Secondly, God has fixed the time for the revelation of His kingdom by His authority. Though Jesus redirects the disciples’ focus from their immediate present, he doesn’t flatly contradict them. His kingdom will come and He will reign over Jews and Gentiles from a restored Jerusalem, bringing righteousness, justice and healing to a creation that is now groaning in its bondage to the curse (Isaiah 65, Zechariah 14, Romans 8:19-22). This will certainly happen when that fixed time – ordained by God’s providence and guaranteed by His authority – arrives, when the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Luke 21:24).

And finally, Jesus has left Christians a very clear and straightforward purpose as we wait for his return. Promising the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord directs his disciples to “be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Though their natural impulse is to stand looking up into the sky (v.11), they, and all Christians, have a job to do. A task of eternal significance.

We are all naturally distracted in this uncertain and abnormal time. Perhaps, like the disciples, we’re asking the wrong questions or, stupefied, staring at a metaphorical sky, not knowing what to do next. But the authentic truth of God’s word reminds us that this temporary confusion will pass – Jesus will come again from heaven just as he ascended, to bring in His kingdom. And as we wait for that appointed time, fixed by God’s authority, we have the greatest, most significant employment: to be his witnesses.

May the Lord bless you and keep you this week. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss this or any other topic.

Mark McCormick

For the elders

The Word on the Week

Irish Blessing

The WhatsApp site, created by Chinese Malaysian student returnees as a vehicle to sustain fellowship between those who studied in Dublin back in the 1980ies, hosted “A Malaysian Blessing” this week.   This was sung by singers from 80 churches in a fine show of unity.    They sang it first in English then in their local dialects.

What was the blessing they chose?   It was the Aaronic Blessing; an inspired choice.               

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.”                           Numbers Chapter 6 verse 23 – 26.

When the Lord gave this Blessing to Moses it was with the instruction that Aaron and his two sons (the clergy of the day) were to use it to bless the people.   It starts with the request for (probably) fruitful harvests, children, health, the presence of God   and that they be kept secure.  

Looking at the remaining lines; God’s face is inexpressibly holy (Exodus Chapter 33 verse 20).   It has not been seen on earth.   It is perhaps an expression of ultimate desire (Psalm 80 verses 3; 7; 19).    The peace referred to is not simply the absence of war but ‘shalom’ meaning complete well-being.

This longing to see God was met when Jesus came to earth.   The Apostle John puts it succinctly “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known” (Chapter 1 verse 18).

Blessings by their very nature must be selfish.   They are seeking God’s favour and protection on the person or thing being blessed.    Probably the best known Irish one is: –

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

This blessing which is sometimes used as a prayer shows Ireland’s intimate attachment to the weather!   The imagery used of Wind, Sun and Rain feature as God-given gifts.   The last line speaks of the eternal security of the believer.             “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand” (St John Chapter 10 verses 27 – 28).   

Reader, may you know this security in your own life.          

The Word on the Week

Darkness into Light

Darkness into Light                 Word on the Week                       9th May 2020.

This is the morning when those wishing to empathise with the suicide prevention work of Pieta House get out of bed at sunrise and go on a fundraising walk.   The sun rises early and the recommended time of 4.15 am may not appeal to everyone!    However, there is the added bonus for those who venture out of hearing the birds singing in their dawn chorus.

The walk was started in 2009 by psychologist Joan Freeman, as a fundraiser for suicide prevention and counselling.   At the first event 400 attended while in 2019 the event was attended by an estimated 150,000.    It has been replicated in five continents.  Dr Freeman has pioneered a similar work in New York called Solace House.   The ministering to self-harm and potential suicides is of increasing value.

Secular society has presided over a gradual reduction of human worth.   Having denied the existence of creator God humans now have the status of intelligent animals.   These ‘animals’ are misusing the planet to such an extent that we are led to believe that imminent destruction will come about.    Indeed, with global warming predicting floods and the current pandemic making inroads into elderly people the future looks bleak.                                                                                                                                        Once upon a time people looked to families for support.   Now our problems are not seen to be so much relational but physical and can be addressed by rewiring human instincts, forgoing procreation and tampering with gender.    In addition, the abortive worldview would encourage pregnant women to make war on their own bodies and that of the children they are carrying.

In this present darkness many are tempted to see themselves as part of the problem and turn against their own bodies in seeking a solution.                                                             When Jesus healed the man born blind he described himself as the light of the world (St John Chapter 9 verse 5).   The man was not only given sight but could see error!                                                                                            From the beginning the Bible has made a distinction between humans made in the image of God and animals (Genesis Chapter 5 verses 1 to 2).   Jesus shed light on human worth (St Matthew Chapter 6 verse 26 and Chapter 10 verses 29 to 31).   He also made the promise to those who follow him that they would never walk in darkness but have the light of life (Chapter 8 verse 12).

Isaiah points to a future we can look forward to where peace and light replace darkness (Chapter 60 verses 18 – 19).                                No longer will violence be heard in your land,
    nor ruin or destruction within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation
    and your gates Praise.
The sun will no more be your light by day,
    nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,                                                                                               for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
    and your God will be your glory.

Greetings from the Elders

We’ll meet again!

British streets echoed to the sound of a Second World War favourite song this week, as our neighbours commemorated VE (Victory in Europe) day – the 8th May 1945. ‘We’ll meet again (don’t know where, don’t know when)’ was first sung by the ‘Forces Favourite’, Vera Lynn, during the dark days of the war, and was referenced by the British Monarch in her address to the nation at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic some weeks ago.

I wrote about separation a couple of weeks ago in this blog and I reminded you that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. What an encouragement! I was reminded of the issue of separation again when I was looking through the list of folks who attend Grace week by week. Nearly two-thirds of you are not from Ireland. It’s hard when you are not in your own country, you are separated from your family and there is not much prospect of an early reunion – especially at this time when you may be concerned about their health and well-being. We pray for you. Please get in touch if we can help you in any way. Use the details on the Contact Us page.

We have been encouraged at the number of you who are taking part in weekly fellowship activities – whether it is house groups, young adults, women, older men or the Thursday prayer time. Get involved if you are able to – you will find it a great encouragement!

I suppose none of us wants us to be in the place we find ourselves right now: It’s not very comfortable and we should pray that the Lord will help those who are in authority over us to lead and guide us well and bring us out in God’s time. But I want to encourage you not to wait until your circumstances change to praise God and give thanks to Him. Paul says this:

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thes 5 vv 16-18)

Right now, we can say to God: “I’m going to praise you, I’m going to rejoice in you and I’m going to give thanks to you right where I am!” That’s the will of God.

We’ll meet again as a church in Pearse Street and we’ll meet with our loved ones – though we don’t know where and we don’t know when. But, you know, even when we do, there will still be a longing in our heart for something more. And when you dig down deep, what it is it? It’s a longing for Heaven. The ultimate home-coming that awaits every believer in Christ. What a wonderful day that will be. But don’t wait for that day to praise and give thanks. Do it now, right where you are – in fact in all circumstances – for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

God bless you!

Jon Blackwell

For the Elders

The Word on the Week

Normal People

Normal People                         Word on the Week                          2nd May 2020.

Our Vox Pop guru, Joe Duffy, in his Friday chat show teased out the TV production ‘Normal People’.   His purpose was to see what impact it had on his audience of ordinary people.    The show had been given some salacious publicity all week by RTE so Joe could have anticipated the comments people would make.

Apparently there is some nudity in it.   This always drives up the ratings.   Interestingly the Lord clothed our first parents and a sure sign of our rebellion against Him is when clothes come off.   Some of the callers to the programme remarked that this was pornographic and Joe was in his element!   He chided them for being back in the 60ies and implied that they needed to move on.

In the absence of any moral guidance from Church and the Scriptures being a closed book to many, we can anticipate ‘the Arts’ continuing to lead the downward spiral.   It is perhaps surprising that the National Broadcaster promoted this material but then there is so much of it available on the networks that they probably felt the need to compete.   What was perhaps more surprising was to hear an enthusiastic commendation from the broadcaster Ryan Tubridy.   He sought to verify his comments by referring to his 21-year-old daughter who apparently enjoyed it!

For the believer salvation comes in three tenses.   He can say “I have been saved” referring to the time when he bowed the knee to Christ and was justified by faith (Romans Chapter 5 verse 1) He is now at peace with God through the work of Jesus.

It is God’s will that we should be sanctified that is live a life of purity exercising self-control (1 Thessalonians Chapter 4 verses 3 to 8).   This is the second tense of salvation where the Holy Spirit’s work in us is ongoing.   We can say “I am being saved” and will continue until we are taken into glory or Jesus returns.

The third tense, “I will be saved” applies to the life hereafter when God’s work in us will be complete.   This is the glorification of the believer.   He has now taken up his citizenship of heaven.   He has a new body like Christ’s glorious body (Philippians Chapter 3 verses 20 to 21).

This complete salvation Christ accomplished on the Cross.   The work has been done.   Jesus has made a complete atonement for sinners such as us (St John Chapter 19 verses 28 to 30).    Jesus has done the heavy lifting.   He went the long journey to Calvary.    We go our little journey of faith.   He died that we might live – not as ‘normal people’ but as redeemed people who live to please Him and Him alone.

Greetings from the Elders

Growing in Grace

Dear brothers and sisters,

In 2 Peter 3:18 the apostle instructs his readers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Growth is a normal and necessary condition of the Christian life, indeed of all life – failure to grow is often either a sign or cause of death.

Of course not all believers have achieved the same level of growth: in his first letter, John addresses those in different categories of maturity as “fathers”, “young men” and “children” (1 John 2: 12-14). New believers, like children, require patient care and attention. But they should not be so indulged in their childishness that they don’t progress through the appropriate stages of development to fully-formed adulthood.

So how do we recognise that we are in fact growing in grace? The signs should be numerous, but they will all consist in either one of these two general principles: putting off the old man and putting on the new (Ephesians 4:22-24). J.C. Ryle, in his book Holiness, provides a very helpful description of one of these signs: “The man whose soul is growing takes more interest in spiritual things every year. He does not neglect his duty in the world. He discharges faithfully, diligently and conscientiously every relation of life…But the things he loves best are spiritual things. The ways and fashions and amusements and recreations of the world have a continually decreasing place in his heart. He does not condemn them as downright sinful, nor say that those who have anything to do with them are going to hell. He only feels that they have a constantly diminishing hold on his own affections, and gradually seem smaller and more trifling in his eyes…Would anyone know if he is growing in grace? Then let him look within for increasing spirituality of taste.”

Here is a sane and balanced view of a sanctified mind. Duty is recognised and innocent amusements are not condemned outright: God is glorified when Christians fulfil their obligations, and there are many ways for people to enjoy themselves without needing to feel guilty (though, it must be said, Christians need to be vigilant in this respect: much of today’s entertainments are, frankly, anything but innocent – battery acid for the soul, to quote Todd Friel).

But the growth in our desire for spiritual things will mean that there must simply be less space in our affections for even these innocent attractions which were so attractive to our old selves. As we grow, we will experience a greater hunger for spiritual nutrition, for spending time in God’s presence, in His word, and with His people; and our appetites for the old distractions must diminish in proportion.

In this period when so many of us find ourselves with a lot more spare time, it’s a good moment to reflect on what we really desire to fill it with. Innocent amusement is fine, but does it dominate our mind? Is it the first thing we seek when left to ourselves? If so, this is a warning we should examine our growth, put off our childish minds and seek to be mature.

If you would like to discuss this or any other issues with the elders, please contact us.

May the Lord bless you and lead you to greater maturity this week.

Mark McCormick

For the elders