A Service for the Third Sunday in Lent

Dear Friends

‘For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.’

 The passage from 1 Corinthians which is one of our readings today is one of immense power and also one that speaks to the unique quality of Christianity.

I was listening to a fascinating history programme this week, concerning the Egyptian Pharaoh, Akhenaten.  At some point during his reign as Pharaoh he declared that the god, Aten, was the only god, moving away from the centuries old practice of worshipping multiple gods.  He had temples and palaces built to Aten and took the name Akhenaten, meaning ‘the spirit of Aten’.

His vision of the only god was of one of great power who demanded worship and absolute obedience.  Aten was, for Akhenaten, a supreme leader and being.

All through history gods have been feared and worshipped and sacrifices made to them, but Christianity is unique among religions because we believe that God loved humanity so much that he himself became the ultimate sacrifice on the cross.

I personally believe that Christianity is good for our emotional and spiritual well-being because God, in Jesus, completely experienced our brokenness and entered into it so that he might mend us.  He became weak on behalf of all our weaknesses and took upon himself all of our willful wrongdoing.

This may well be looked upon as weak and foolish by many.  But, of course, the story doesn’t end there.  What looks like God’s folly and weakness in Jesus’ death on the cross, is transformed into something else completely through the resurrection.  Through the lens of the resurrection the crucifixion does not look like weakness at all, but the way to freedom and new life.

So, our own weakness and brokenness is no longer the end of the story because God himself has taken it all upon himself and offers back to us the chance of forgiveness and transformation. That does not sound like foolishness, but the ultimate wisdom, full of grace and mercy.

I enclose with this letter, a letter from June Foster which makes for a fascinating and moving read.  The young people she describes, joyfully worshipping God in places where they put themselves in danger, may be accused by some of foolishness.  But they have the experience and belief in God’s transforming power and strength and that, in my book, makes them very wise indeed.

Every blessing

Ann

Dear Friends

“For several decades a spiritual awakening among Algeria’s Berber or Amazigh people has been producing the fastest-growing Christian community in the Arabic-speaking region.  Since the network’s first broadcasts in 1996, SAT-7 has resourced this vibrant Church, initially with our Arabic programmes and, since 2012, with broadcasts in the Berber Kabyle dialect.”

This is a quotation from Sat-7’s magazine published a year ago.  

SAT-7 is a UK based charity dedicated to growing Church in the Middle East and North Africa, serving the community, and contributing to the good of society and culture.

Their aim is to provide the churches and Christians of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) an opportunity to witness to Jesus Christ through inspirational, informative, and educational television services.

Algeria was one of the places I visited on Wednesday 10^th February 2021, via Zoom and courtesy of SAT-7.  The Protestant Church of Algeria was first registered in 1974 but had to wait till 2011 for legal recognition.  Then in 2017 the gradual closure of churches began – despite freedom of religion guaranteed by Algeria’s constitution.  This movement to close churches continues. On Wednesday, George Makeen, Programming Manager spoke of the church being strong and growing but much in need of support.

Leaving Algeria I moved on to Lebanon and to Beirut in particular.   Lebanon has been at peace for 30 years, but economic mismanagement and mass protests have put its creaking political system under greater pressure than at any time since the civil war. This is an area I have been interested in for a long time.  It is now just six months since the terrible explosion close to the port.  The SAT-7 office and broadcasting centre was situated near the site of the explosion. Fortunately none of the staff were injured, but they were out quickly, serving food to rescue workers.  The city has been badly hit by the Covid 19 pandemic.  Citizens are being taken to hospital by frantic relatives trying to save lives.  Many are dying in their cars before being admitted to hospital and hospitals have run out of oxygen, yet oxygen is available on the black market!

Next to Iran and the story of Dani a young man who loved and worshipped God through his Muslim faith.  He was a serious and honourable young man, but, like many young people, he began to question his faith.  He felt there was something missing. So he tried various other routes to worship but remained dissatisfied.  His Mother, concerned for her son, placed a book on the table for him to consider.  The book was a copy of the New Testament.  Through an interpreter, he talked about how his life was changed.   He has trained to take on leadership roles and is working towards assisting other young people to find their way through Christ.

This was quite a visit to the Middle East and left me with many troublesome thoughts. But the most important thing I remember is the amazing joyfulness evident in the lives of these young people, and I would emphasise YOUNG.   Despite all the hardships they suffer every day of their lives, their love for and worship of Jesus is so real.  They were indeed “lights of the world”.

It made me question why, in this country where worshipping God is so easy, requires no effort and certainly no risk to life, is there no joyfulness.   Yes, we are saddened by the closure of Churches, but even when they are open, I do not detect the sort of joyful, light giving pleasure and thankfulness seen among those for whom worship is a risk to life and limb.

We talk of “returning to normal” when we are again free from current restrictions.  But I am not sure I want to return to “normal” as before.  I want to be part of a Christian community which expresses, through daily activities, the light of Christ in a darkened world.  And to show the joyful character of those whose lives are changed.

June Foster

Since beginning my role in September as a youth pioneer in Chard, my role has been focused on understanding what life is like for young people growing up and living in the area, and how this could shape how the church engages with young people in their own contexts. One key aspect of this process has been coming alongside existing youth work projects within Chard, supporting their work and at the same time getting to know young people in the area. This has been a great experience, and I feel that a lot of important relationship building has been able to happen as a result.

 The next step is to look at how the church can step out in a project of its own to engage with young people and explore what Christian community might look like in a different way. I believe that the first part of this will be to deliver detached youth work in Chard, something that has been missing in the community for the past few years. Detached youth work is when we spend time with young people in the places they like to hang out in. There is no set activity or structure to the sessions, but rather opportunities to have conversations with young people, listen to their stories and be a positive presence for the time we are there, building relationships with young people on their own terms.

The aim is for there to be a team of volunteers who have been trained and ready to deliver this detached work in September. This means that between now and summer, the focus of the pioneer work will be towards building a team, praying together, and making sure that all necessary training and safeguarding checks are in place. The hope is that this project will be something that all churches in Chard can be a part of, and that together we will see God transforming lives and spaces in the community in powerful ways. There is plenty of space to come on board, and if you would like to be involved in some way then it would be great to have a chat about what that could look like. I’m certainly very excited about what God will be doing in young people’s lives and am looking forward to seeing where He takes us on this journey together.

I am also providing training and support for similar work in Ilminster and hope, soon, to be able to meet with members of churches in the villages who would like to undertake some outreach to their young people.

It goes without saying that I would appreciate your prayers for our young people, for the coming together of a team of volunteers and for where God will be leading us in the coming year.

Tom Tame

Chard Youth Pioneer