Month: October 2025

Bible Sunday: The Surprising Power!

26/10/25
Romans 15:1-6
Luke 4:16-24

A couple of years ago I had an interesting encounter at the Slough Police Station over a Bible. An officer was cleaning out a locker when she found a Bible. She did not know what to do with it. She came into the workroom where I was sitting and asked rather loudly what she should do with it.

Some of the answers are not repeatable in polite company, let alone church! The less offensive answers were ‘bin it – it’s a fairy tale anyway’; ‘take it to a charity shop?’; recycle it?’ One officer said something I shan’t repeat, as he said it, he turned around and saw me sitting there. He was completely shocked; I was looking rather bemused! He quickly tried to backtrack and apologise but then decided not to apologise because he believed what he said. Fair enough. I told him he did not have to apologise to me. I also did not rescue the Bible either as I was not asked for an opinion or to intervene. It sat on a filing cabinet for many months.

What I came out of that situation with was a fresh appreciation that even in a very hard, secular environment such as the Slough police station, the Bible has power. The book itself, just its presence is enough to elicit responses from people.

What do we make of the Bible? Do we just know a few quiz-like facts about it? It is a dust-collector on a bookshelf? Do the contents make us nervous? Are we unsure of how to handle it?

It is in God’s word that we encounter Him, the creator and saviour of the world. So how do we respond to God when we read the Bible? How do we treasure God and his word?

Emmanuel: I looked around the church yesterday when we were setting up for the quiz last night. I noticed something. There are no Bibles around. I am really embarrassed about this.

St Nicholas: We have a few ratty copies of the Good News Bible at the back.

Is this good enough?
I am going to suggest it is not.

I am going to suggest that the PCC’s talk about this at the next meetings.

The Bible was inspired by God for our instruction and encouragement that we might have hope. This was Paul’s explanation to the Romans. How can we know what God wants if we do not read the instructions? How can we be encouraged and have hope if we have no idea what God might be saying to us?

Luke has Jesus returning to Nazareth after being away for an unknown amount of time; maybe months or even years. Jesus returns differently to when He left. Jesus comes back after being baptised and tempted in the wilderness for 40 days and stands at the cusp of his ministry which boldly begins in the synagogue in front of the home side. A bold start that gets even bolder. Jesus is handed the scroll that not coincidentally was Isaiah, the Old Testament book containing more prophecy about him than any other. He is about to begin fulfilling some prophecy.

The congregation in the synagogue was not looking for anything out of the ordinary that day. The Jewish people had long been waiting for the Messiah to come. The good people in the relative backwater of Nazareth were waiting for Messiah too; but not expecting him that day in their midst. Not only that, how could Messiah be from the family of a local poor carpenter?!
But He was and is.

If you replace me in verses 18 and 19 with Jesus, it is difficult to see how anyone else in all of history fills this position.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (Jesus),
Because he has anointed me (Jesus)
To bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me (Jesus) to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

This is Jesus’ chosen description of his mission; this is what He came to do. When Jesus said, ‘today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’, the meaning of ‘fulfilled’ here is ‘to fill a vessel or hollow place’. How many of us know what it is to have that hollow place? He wants to fill it now; not tomorrow or next year or when we feel better or life is back to normal. Jesus means now.

Preach the good news to the poor. This is not referring to the financially poor. These poor are those in ‘utter helplessness, complete destitution, the afflicted and distressed.’ This has wider implications than finances alone. Jesus does not want us only to subsist but thrive. Until we let Him fill our cups daily, we will only subsist.

To heal the broken-hearted. Broken-hearted means ‘to break, strike against something, to break the strength or power of someone’. This is more than a little romance gone wrong or love unrequited. This is a big break; when everything appears to be taken and hope is dwindling.

The Hebrew translation of heal ‘to mend by stitching, repair thoroughly, make whole’. Total breakage needs total healing. One stitch follows another, it takes time and can be painful.

To proclaim freedom for the captives. Notice that Jesus proclaims freedom, he did not impose it. The door of the cell may be opened but we have to walk through it. This is not just people in a physical prison; this is anything: addiction, behaviour, situation that prevents healing and captive to it.

Recovery of sight for the blind. There are many incidents of Jesus physically restoring the sight of many blind people. This is a different kind of blindness, a more serious kind of blindness. Blind here means ‘to envelop with smoke, be unable to see clearly.’ This is about clouded vision; not being able to see the light of gospel or the glory of God. Jesus came to clear our vision so we can see him clearly.

To release the oppressed. To be oppressed is to be treated harshly or unfairly by someone in authority. This release is about breaking the chains of unhealthy attachment.

To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. That day in that year and at that time, those gathered in the Nazareth synagogue witnessed the embodiment of the Lord’s favour. His blessed gift of grace and love, Jesus. Year here means ‘any definite time’ and not a calendar year.

These are some of the instructions that we have been left with. They are in the book! We also find encouragement and hope, strength and wisdom to follow them. The question is: Are you curious enough to give reading the Bible a try that you would do something about it?

If we get more bibles in the churches would you take one home and start reading? There is a huge selection of books, apps, daily emails you can subscribe to and other resources to help guide you through. You do not have to do this on your own.

Like the surprised police officers in Slough and the synagogue-goers in Nazareth – there is power in the Word of God. We should want to discover it for ourselves.

Trinity 18: Attitude is Everything


19/10/25
Trinity 18

Psalm 119:97-104
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
Luke 18:1-8

On Friday evening many of us attended the Farnham Maltings production of All For Your Delight at the Charlwood Village Hall. It is a charming and challenging story of three entertainers (Danny, Jojo and Yaz) on the resort-y, Butlins-y circuit who want to make it to television with their variety show of singing, dancing, games, skits, jokes, etc. Each character shares something of their story on how they got where they are. In the second act, a fourth character (Jude) appeared; a TV executive who held the power to make their dreams come true. Danny pleaded, persisted with Jude, tried to convince him to take this little show and make them stars.

In some ways it reminded me of the Gospel reading this morning, this odd little parable about faithful endurance. We have the judge with all the power and the woman, with no male relative to do her pleading at the bottom of the pecking order. By sheer persistence she gets what she wants. The judge, whose position is to administer justice, does not really care, he only wants her to go away.

Timothy needed a reminder to remain persistent. ‘Continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it,’ says Paul.
Timothy has a sincere faith that has been handed down from his grandmother and mother. Yet it seems that Timothy needs a reminder to rekindle that faith that is inside him.

Timothy was to proclaim the message and ‘be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable; convince, rebuke and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching.’ Paul warns Timothy that a time is coming when people will not listen to sound doctrine but will have itching ears. Itchy ears are ears that only want to hear what they want to hear and always lead to trouble and separation. Timothy is to be faithful to the ministry he has been called to.

The thread in these readings is a call to persistence in the situations that we find ourselves. If you Google ‘persistence’ you can find a lot of catchy quotes such as:
‘Energy and persistence conquer all things’ – Benjamin Franklin
‘Persistence can grind an iron beam down into a needle’ – Chinese proverb
‘A river cuts through a rock not because of its power, but its persistence’
‘Thankfully, persistence is a great substitute for talent’ – Steve Martin

Persistence sounds like hard work! And it is. It is not always comfortable; it does not feel good or nice much of the time either. Looking around this morning I know that we could all tell our own stories of persistence in various situations. Sometimes when persistence has paid off and sometimes when it has not. What do we do then?

Jesus asks the disciples listening to his parable a question at the very end. What faith will the Son of Man find on earth when he comes? Which sort of attitude will He find among his followers upon his return?

The judge is faithless and only wants a comfortable and convenient life. He does the right thing this time – but what about next time? Jesus told his listeners about their need to pray always and not lose heart. Maybe this judge has lost heart. For those who have experienced this maybe you lost focus, direction, care and attention. Do the least amount required to get to the finish.

Or will we have the attitude of the widow? She is determined that the right thing be done and will not give up until she gets it. She has purpose and clarity, she is alive and aware of her needs and they are urgent. She is not concerned with her low status, she ignores the rules on how to approach the judge, she just goes on and on and on.

What is it going to be? Convenient and lazy or faithfulness and persistence? The choice is ours! Will we remain faithful?

At the end of All For Your Delight, Jude the TV executive does not make Danny, Jojo and Yaz stars. He does not give them what they so dearly desire. Instead, Jude is the one who makes the change. He sees where he has gone wrong. The great executive returns to the stage at the invitation of the others. Attitudes have changed.

Like Timothy, we all need a reminder to be faithful and persist in the work we have been called to do and to remember who is faithful to us. Look back to the early examples of faithfulness. Beware of losing heart and gaining cynicism and disregard. Hang in and hang on your purpose and keep coming to God.

Dedication Service for Emmanuel

Psalm 122  Ephesians 2:19-22  John 2:13-22 

Welcome to the Temple of Sidlow Bridge for our Dedication Service this morning. As Emmanuel is not named after a saint with a specific date attached, we are able to celebrate the church with a Dedication Festival. My hope is that we will again show our thanks for all that God has done and continues to do for His little temple here. We also must show our love and gratitude for the wonderful humans who do so much to keep this place going. 

What springs to mind when you hear the word temple? Stone? Hindu or Buddhist temples in India or Thailand? Jerusalem? A massive building? Something cold and imposing? 

All three of our readings for today feature the temple in Jerusalem. 

The Temple was the beating heart of Judaism. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to visit Jerusalem can appreciate the size and scale of it as the centrepoint of the city. The Temple was the home of worship, music, the focal point of politics and Jewish society, a place of national celebration and mourning. Westminster Abbey or St Paul’s Cathedral are somewhat a parallel in terms of significance to the people. The Temple was the place where YHWH, God had promised to live in the midst of his people. 

It is useful to remember that Jerusalem has had two temples. The First Temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians around 587/586 BCE as the Jews were sent into exile by King Nebuchadnezzar. This was a devastating event for the Jews that reverberated for centuries. The house of the Lord referred to in Psalm 122 was likely connected to the First Temple.  

The rebuilding of the Second Temple began about 50 years after the first destruction. It then stalled out for about 20 years. Two to three generations had passed, the exile was over and they could return home to Jerusalem. The Old Testament prophet Haggai was the great encouragement to get the Jews to go home again.  

Haggai is a tiny two chapter book towards the end of the Old Testament. Not much is known about Haggai: his name means ‘festal’ which is fitting for the prophet who called the Jewish people to rebuild the temple of God and to bring back worship in Jerusalem. 

In Haggai’s second sermon, he is reminding the Jews of the exodus when God called the Hebrews out of Egypt. Jesus and the disciples arrived in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover. Passover is a time to remember what God had done in the past when he saved the Jewish people from Pharaoh in Egypt. It was also a celebration of liberation, freedom and rescue from slavery. 

Haggai was a champion for the homeless as he called the Jewish community to action in the rebuilding of the Temple. He was also calling the Jewish people to wake up to their responsibilities, obligations, privileges and promises of their heritage. And they do. 

Jesus appears in the temple a few hundred years later. Sweet baby Jesus carried into the temple by his young parents for the expected rituals required by their Jewish faith. This ordinary event transitioned to a divinely appointed meeting with Simeon and Anna. Jesus is revealed as the light of the world and an ominous warning was given to Mary. Grown-up Jesus returns to the same Temple and causes some havoc. 

Over time it became more of a market-place and one of corruption; and it is now under God’s judgement. Those who were selling the animals for sacrifice and the money-changers did need to be there. Jewish law required the right sacrifices to be offered. Unfortunately dodgy practices had infiltrated and corrupted the Temple. People were being cheated out of money by their own people. This is what Jesus was raging against.

We see Jesus on the side of those being cheated, devalued and treated badly. Jesus certainly had zeal; both for the Temple as his Father’s house and for the oppressed people. The Temple had been made into something it was never supposed to be. Jesus is correcting a serious wrong by showing that He will restore things to the way they should be.

Jesus did this by reminding the Jews of the Ten Commandment as they were breaking at least two of them: the making of idols (money) and stealing. Jesus was referring to himself in the remark about the destroyed Temple rising up in three days. Jesus is the true temple, the word made flesh and cannot be corrupted. Haggai proclaimed that the true glory of the Second Temple will not be the gold and silver of the nations but of God himself.

Jesus appeared in the Temple as a six week old baby and was shown to be the light of the world. He returned at that Feast of Passover pointing to himself, the temple of his body. Jesus is the one we are to watch and wait for. It is not always easy waiting. There is always work in the wait… 

Lessons for Emmanuel 

The whole structure is held together in him. Our temple is not a building but God. Churches/temples are places where people come together to worship God, meet each other, hold special events. And we should be able to do that anywhere. We are the dwelling places for God. 

For the sake of the house of Lord, I will seek to do you good. Psalm 122 one of the ‘songs of ascent’; these were the travelling songs of the Jewish people as they travelled to the temple in Jerusalem for the yearly festivals. What good can we be doing for our neighbours? 

Temples can be destroyed, and can be brought down. We need to resist the temptation to make this place a temple, a reservoir of memories of the past, how it used to be. We need to lean into what God is calling this church to be.   

Temples can also be rebuilt. Jesus was raised from the dead, He is the resurrection and the life. We need to be built on his foundation.    

Watch for the signs. Who here does not like a sign? We will reflect on the significance of signs for a few minutes. There are the obvious signs that feature in everyday life; fire exits, stop signs, traffic signals, push/pull, open/closed enter/exit, etc.  These signs provide practical information and direction, keep us safe, and bring order to the world around us. 

Then there are the signs from God. Many prayers have begun with, ‘God if you are real…give me a sign.’ These tend to be prayed in times of desperation and fear, when all control is lost and people come to the end of themselves. God in his infinite goodness answers these prayers. Often not as expected as the external conditions might not change and/or even get worse. The answer can be an internal sign or feeling of overwhelming peace and love, a change of perspective or defusing of intense emotion that can allow for clearer thinking. 

We need to be people who can read the signs of the times correctly and it takes work.  

My prayer for the next year is that this little Temple, on this side of the A217, is for clarity of purpose, that we put Jesus as the centre and foundation of all that we do, that we seek to do good for the parish of Sidlow Bridge. The secret is in our name, Emmanuel. God with us.  

Thank you to each of you who work so hard to keep this temple going. Peace be with you.