Please note!
This page is now part of our Web Archive.
Information in it may no longer be correct or up to date and some external links may not work.
You can go to the Home page to visit the main part of our site for up to date information.
Return to the main Web Archive page
Return to the main Web Archive page
Keeping Lent at Immanuel and St Andrew's 2004
This page will remain available for the time being, particularly for the benefit of anyone who wants to look back at the information regarding the sermon and seminar series we followed in Lent.
From our Lent Brochure...
Not for Ourselves Alone
It is well known that Christians use Lent as a time for spiritual growth. In our society, spirituality is seen primarily as an individual pursuit - what "works for me" is seen as valid. But Christian spirituality - the way we encounter God and how we sustain that encounter - is not primarily an individual or a selfish pursuit. Rather, our growth in God is not for our sakes at all, but that we might live more faithful and authentic Christian lives in the world.
Speaking shortly before his death Jesus speaks of his cross in this way: "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." Jesus' cross has a universal aim, and that is to bring the whole creation into harmony with God's will. As Jesus' disciples, he asks us to help us with this task, by living and speaking in such a way that others see Jesus in us and are attracted to his way of life, and come to know the significance of his death and resurrection for themselves.
We shall use some of our time together this Lent to give us more confidence in this task, so that when asked to invite friends to the Just Ten mission, or simply when asked to tell a friend of what we believe, we might be a little more confident and a little more prepared.
Simon Butler
Keeping Lent Well - some suggestions.
- Read the Bible daily and find some extra time for prayer.
- Fast from one meal a week and use the time for the above and the money you save for some good cause.
- Try to be in church every Sunday of Lent.
- Give up something of value to you.
- Get some practice in talking to others about your faith.
Lent reading
Here are some books to challenge and help you grow — you can order them from Manna Christian Centre or via the Internet (see Simon if you want to do it this way and need guidance):
- Calling Out by J. John (Authentic Publishing, £8.95). This passionate guide to evangelism by our forthcoming Mission leader will challenge you to share your faith and give you lots of help in facing the difficulties of doing so.
- Some Issues in Human Sexuality (Church House Publishing £12.95). After all the turbulent events of last year, you may want to explore the issue of homosexuality in greater depth. This exhaustive book will help.
- Seven Weeks for the Soul: A Reflective Journey for Lent by Gerard Hughes (Loyola Press, £6.95). A wise and humane book of daily meditations for Lent.
Please note!
This page is now part of our Web Archive.
Information in it may no longer be correct or up to date and some external links may not work.
You can go to the Home page to visit the main part of our site for up to date information.
Return to the main Web Archive page
^TOP^
What was on in Lent
Below is the outline of the Sermons and Seminars we followed on Sunday mornings in Lent to help us understand God's purposes better, prepare ourselves to share our faith with others and be ready for the Just Ten mission in September 2004.
Sermons and Seminars for Lent 2004:
Mission and Reconciliation - God’s Purpose for the World
Week 1: God’s Purpose for the World
This week we thought about the biblical and theological background to mission. That means asking the questions, Why are we here? What is life all about? Is there any meaning beyond what we see in our daily lives?
The universe and everything in it was created for a purpose. That purpose is the final reconciliation of all things to God at the end of history.
God’s act of creation was not a once-for-all act completed at the beginning. It goes on, and it will continue to go on until the end of time. Only then will it be complete and perfect.
St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Colossians (chapter 1 verses 15-23) that it was part of God’s purpose from the beginning that his Son would come in human form and share our earthly life. One of the great fathers of the early church, Irenaeus, said "He became one with us so that we might become one with him." Jesus died on the cross to overcome the sin and evil which prevent God’s final purposes being achieved. He was raised to show that his victory over evil was complete.
Because of Christ’s victory over sin and death, we know that if we accept God’s invitation to share in his life we are reconciled to him no matter what happens - our past is gone and forgiven, and nothing we can do in the future can separate us from God’s love, either in this life or the life to come. That is the good news for us, and it is the good news God wants us to share with the world.
God’s love is total, free and unconditional - good news for all.
Week 2: The Church’s Message
Before Jesus left the disciples to return to his Father at the Ascension, he gave them a commission - he told them to take the good news to everyone in the known world. And as we heard last week, the good news is that God’s love is total - it’s for everyone, it’s free - it can’t be earned, and it’s unconditional - it doesn’t depend on what we’ve done in the past or might do in the future. God has shown us this love in what Jesus did in his life and on the cross, and he invites us to share in that love today.
We read of the work of the early church in the New Testament. The early church was alive with the excitement of the good news, and it spread rapidly around the Roman Empire.
That commission was given to the church as a whole, not just the early church in Jerusalem, but for all times and all places. The modern church spans the whole world, although we could hardly say that the whole world knows about God. There is still much to be done.
The good news that we heard about last week is surely such good news that we would want others to hear it. There are many in our own country, and in our own parish, who have not heard the good news of God’s great love for them. Or maybe they heard it a long time ago and need to be reminded.
The church in this parish has a job to do, which is to take the good news of God’s love to the people we live and work amongst. There are many ways of telling people the good news, but however we do it, it must be matched by the way we live, and our own faith must show the reality of God’s love in our everyday lives.
Week 3: Have we got the Message?
We’ve heard what the message is, and now we know that it is our job to take it to the world. But - hold on a minute - are we really sure in our own hearts and minds that we’ve got the message ourselves?
Have you said “Yes” to God’s invitation to share in his life? Or are you like the reluctant swimmer, dithering on the edge of the pool, not wanting to jump in the water?
If you are not really sure yourself you may not be in the best state to tell someone else about God’s love. That’s not a failure on your part - if you’re not yet convinced about God’s great love for you, shown in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, then be honest about it. If you’ve got questions or doubts why not talk to someone about it - Simon, Wendy and others are always ready to spend time to talk things through with you.
The church’s mission begins with its own members. We are all on a journey and we are all at different stages of that journey, going at different speeds. The important thing is that we should all be walking with God, so if you feel you need a helping hand on the way, don’t be afraid to say so.
Week 4: Telling our own faith story
One of the most effective ways of sharing the good news of God’s love is to tell someone our faith story.
Have you ever thought through what you might say to someone about your own journey of faith? Today we are going to think about what we might say, and get some practice talking to one another. Don’t worry if you find it hard or embarrassing - we are not going to make anyone say anything in public.
Some people may have had a sudden or dramatic conversion experience while for others the journey to faith will have been slow and very gradual. Just because you haven’t got a dramatic story to tell doesn’t mean you have nothing to say. Hearing of God at work in the ordinary things of life is just as important as hearing about miraculous events, and will encourage others to step out in faith.
Week 5: Faith sharing
Talking to others about our faith can be difficult. It is not always clear what the other person is really asking, or what it is they already understand. We need to listen very carefully to their story and not just impose ours on them.
We may find that we are faced with questions that we cannot answer - perhaps questions about the Bible or about the Christian faith. We can only talk about what we know so perhaps there’s another challenge you need to face - do you know enough about the Christian faith, or should you think of taking advantage of the teaching which we offer from time to time? For example, we run Bible study series on specific topics, and we also offer adult confirmation classes which are open to anyone who wants to attend. We are also planning to start a monthly discussion group for people who want to explore faith issues in more depth.
Some people find it hard to believe in God when so many awful things happen in life. Why didn’t God do something to stop it? It’s a reasonable question and one which cannot be ignored. When we’re trying to tell people about God’s love it’s something they may well ask us. We have to be honest and not pretend that we have all the answers.
But it helps if we’ve got some answers!!
Week 6: Sharing Good News
Another chance to improve our skills at sharing the good news of the gospel. The more we do it the easier it gets, and the more comfortable we feel about doing it.
Later this year the Just Ten mission will be taking place on Clapham Common. Do you have a friend, or a neighbour, or someone in your family who you could invite to one or more of the meetings in September? Pray that God will enable you to speak to someone about this mission and how they could benefit by going to hear J. John speak about the importance of living life in God’s way and not our own. That means being ready to pray for that person and to speak to them about your faith - what it means to you to be a Christian, what God has done and is doing in your life.
Please note!
This page is now part of our Web Archive.
Information in it may no longer be correct or up to date and some external links may not work.
You can go to the Home page to visit the main part of our site for up to date information.
Return to the main Web Archive page
^TOP^
· Home · What we do · General information · Hall hire · News · Diary · Services · Site map ·
Links to related pages...
Return to the main Web Archive page
Format updated (not content) 20 August 2006.
This page has been labelled to indicate its suitability for viewing by young children. For further information visit the
Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) website.
This page
has been checked for the validity of the HTML code with the
World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) HTML Validation Service.
Page design by David Gray 2004
© Copyright David Gray and PCC of Immanuel and
St. Andrew Streatham 2004. Photographs copyright David Gray 2002-4 except where otherwise stated.
^TOP^