Partners' Weekend, Windermere

This waterfall is one I happened upon during an early morning walk in Windermere. We were there to take part in the annual Partners' Conference at the Windermere Centre. Five of us from Penrhys travelled up on Friday, arriving in plenty of time for the delicious dinner. It was lovely to meet up with old friends to share news and generally catch up on things since the last time we met.

The evening session introduced us to the theme of the weekend which was 'sharing the story.' Led by Kirsty, we used the Vision for Life material on the Bible. On Saturday we 'Entertained Angels;' were 'Welcomed to Corinth;' and worked out a 'Jesus Lifeline.' The discussions were engaging and informative and we were lucky enough to be able to work in one group, rather than having to go into small groups, so everyone got to hear what everyone else contributed.

On Saturday evening we relaxed together for an evening of home-made entertainment which saw Wilmslow's re-enactment of school life; East Manchester's recitations of 'The Lion and Albert' (Parts 1 and 2) and the comic musings of Colin and Maureen. We took power point pictures of Madagascar and India and so Mampionona, Heritiana and Rema were able to share something of their respective lands and cultures with the group.

As ever, the accomodation, welcome and food were all wonderful. If you have never been, I highly recommend the Windermere Centre to you - and if you have, I still recommend it and you'll know why.

The Partners' Conference has been a real delight. I hope that more churches will see the benefit of such partnerships and commit to work together as we have done. Those of us involved find it fulfilling and enriching.

Finally, all of us here would like to thank Kirsty for such good input and for planning such a good programme, and thanks too, to all the centre who worked so hard to look after us so well.

Happy Easter Everyone!

Easter Celebrations have been very much part of life at Llanfair during this past Holy Week. We met every morning at 9.30am for services of worship and on Thursday evening and for a Good Friday Pilgrimage down to St Mary's Well.
Yesterday morning dawned bright and clear, comfortably warm and, in fact, with perfect weather conditions for our annual pilgrimage to Bristol Tump. We really couldn't have asked for better weather or a clearer view of our beautiful surroundings. We left church at 8am and walked up to the top of the mountain where we stopped to lift our voices in prayer and praise - joining the very loud "Baa-ing" of the neighbouring sheep! We then began a slow descent, stopping to look for tadpoles in the make-shift pond that floods the path just above the forest and then on down to "Black gate" where we recommenced our worship, using our Easter Service book; finally we returned to church where we shared a breakfast of boiled eggs, lovingly cooked by the wonderful Rena, and then we concluded our celebrations with a communion service.

Long time, no see....

Firstly, my apologies for not 'blogging' for such a long time! There has been plenty of activity and we haven't stopped bible study, despite the lack of info here.
We have been following a Lent Course for Bible Study, entitled, "Talking About Jesus, " produced by Damaris. The course consists of DVD presentations by such luminaries as Philip Yancey and Canon Andrew White, (famous Christian author and Vicar of Baghdad respectively) who each offer thoughts on various aspects of Jesus' life and teaching. These are interspersed by pauses, during which it is the group's turn to share and consider the various questions that have been raised. Once we have held the final study I will post a summary of the whole course and our findings here.

On a different, and very welcome note, CONGRATULATIONS to all the wonderful people who work in our cafe. Today we had an inspection by Environmental Health who have given us a Silver Award!!!!!!! Alongside this, yesterday we received a Bronze Award for healthy options.
Everyone in Penrhys should be very proud - our little cafe can compete with the best. Well done, our lovely volunteers who work so hard to serve others.

Finally, for today at least... we ask for your prayers for Madagascar. Our volunteers, Mampionona and Heritiana have family and friends who are drectly affected by the recent turmoil. The latest news seems to indicate that things are cooling now, but there may well be more upset before life eventually returns to something like normality. We have heard from our former volunteers, and so far they are all well - we pray that this will ocntinue to be the case.

Bible Study Theology 13

This week we move from Jesus' temptation in the wilderness to another temptation that occurs later in his ministry, as recalled in Mark's gospel. As always, we welcome your comments (or questions), so please feel free to join in.

Mark 8:27-9:13

1. This passage is sometimes referred to as 'the Messianic Secret.' Jesus asks his disciples to tell him who they think he is and then, when they answer he tells them to tell no one. Why do you think Jesus asks the question in the first place?Is Jesus testing them? Is it more likely that he is using this method to help them discover their own thoughts? Is it like a review session to see if the pupils are 'up to speed?'
   

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2. Why, when they answer, do you think he swears them to secrecy? It may be that they are a talkative bunch! It could be dangerous if the authorities get to hear of it. Temptation again - to become the sought-after Messiah in the way of the world rather than in the 'way of the cross.'
   

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2. Once Jesus has confirmed that the disciples think of him as the Messiah, he begins to teach about the hard way that lies before him. How do you imagine the disciples feel about the news? Disappointed; sad; upset; worried; afraid; perhaps they didn't understand and found it confusing. Perhaps too, they are wondering, 'what have we got ourselves in to?'
   

   
   

3. Peter, for one, is not happy to hear these things and is used by Satan to tempt Jesus. How is Peter's response tempting for Jesus?It could be very tempting to deny his true identity. would it not be much easier to become the person everyone else wants him to be, even though this means denying God?
   

   
   

4. In verse 34, Jesus moves from the tightly-knit group of disciples to include the wider crowd and he issues a challenge for 'any who want to become my followers…' Do you think the crowd understood what Jesus meant, and how do we understand it now?There was a long discussion on this one...This is what, today we might call Christian discipleship -although we may not have to carry a heavy wooden cross we are often faced with the challenge of choosing between the way of the world and the way of the cross (or God's way).
   

   
   

5. The rest of our passage goes on to tell of the transfiguration. What do you think Peter, James and John saw on the mountain and why?God is helping the disciples see for themselves who Jesus really is. Moses and Elijah are recognised as important figures in the religion that Jesus has come to fulfil. This incident is like a curtain suddenly being drawn back to reveal what is really there - but the curtain cannot remain drawn, it must be put back in place to enable Jesus to reume his work.
   

   
   

Happy New Year and Bible Study Lk 4

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you enjoyed the Christmas season and that the new year will be full of peace and joy.
We have resumed our usual pattern of work and this evening we will be meeting for bible study, after several weeks' break.
Our topic this evening is Jesus' temptation and we will be looking at the following questions from Luke 4:1-13.

1. The 1st verse of this passage tells us that Jesus was 'full of the Holy Spirit.' What do you think this means and why does it have such an impact on this passage?
The Spirit enables him to contemplate as well as to equip him for his forthcoming ministry. Jesus was aware of God in him; guiding him giving him strength. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit Jesus was fully armed and ready to face the ordeal ahead of him. It was probably Jesus' being full of the Holy Spirit that made him a target for Satan. Had he been only human, he would probably have been of little interest - being full of God's power drew Satan to Jesus because it would have been a great victory (in Satan's eyes) thereby derailling God's plan for the redemption of the world.

2. Jesus was tempted for 40 days before the temptations listed here. Do you think this means that these temptations are more tempting? If so, why or why not?
We don't know what went on before! These temptations seem to come from someone who has Jesus' best interests at heart, almost as if Satan is showing compassion... 'Don't starve - turn these stones to bread and eat.' There is a sense of power-play in this exchange, Satan's world versus God's Kingdom. The values of each clash and show a special significance in the challenge to Jesus' divinity. Satan seems to be offering an easier way; a way to avoid God's plan and the 'way of the cross.' The main problem for Satan though seems to be that it requires Jesus to break the first commandment, 'you shall have no other gods before me.' There are echoes here too of the first temptation, when the serpent asks Eve, 'Did God really say?.....' Here it is changed to, 'if you are the son of God...' coming straight after Jesus' baptizm in the Jordan when the heaven's opened and God proclaimed, 'This is my beloved Son...'

3. In verse 6 the Devil tells Jesus that the world has been given 'over to him' (The Devil). Why does he say this? Is it true? Why or why not?
It may be true in the sense that the world is apt to give itself over to Satan's power, but as we often declare in worship, 'the earth is the Lord's and everything in it.' Satan's power is often deceptive and this is probably why it is so easy for human beings to succumb to temptation. Satan shows arrogance in seeking to tempt Jesus, it is just as if he is directly competing with God.

4. The Devil takes Jesus to Jerusalem. Why this particular city? What might be so important about Jerusalem?
The city is the very centre of Judaism. God's temple is there, therefore Jerusalem is where God dwells. Is this Satan taunting Jesus? 'God may live here - but I own it!'

5. Why do you think the Devil chose the 'pinnacle of the Temple,' for Jesus?
Highest place in the city? Nearest earthly place to God? The whole city is laid out before him, God's dwelling place beneath his feet. Satan is showing contempt to both Jesus and God.

6. In verse 12 Jesus again quotes scripture - why do you think he uses this method to confront the Devil?
Satan believes in God and Satan knows the scriptures very well. Perhaps Jesus was using this (Rabbinical) method to show that God's word has more power than any earthly word and perhaps this was also to remind Satan that Jesus himself is the word of God.

Study on Theology 5: The Bible

This week we are not looking at a limited number of passages. We are looking instead at the whole Bible. The Bible is not so much a book as it is a library; a library containing 66 books (even more if your copy has the Apocrypha) which in turns are divided into two sections, the Old and New Testaments. The books are a varied collection of religious writings and cover many genres; history; biography; poetry; psalms to name but a few. Theology 5 gives an overview of the different types of writing and where and when the books were written down, although many of the books were carried first for centuries through the oral tradition.

After reading through the outline in Theology 5 we looked at the following questions:

1. 
   
   What questions do you think the Bible addresses? Make a list.
   
   
   

   Who is God? Where is God? What is God like? What are we like? What am I like? How does God move in the world? How do people interact with God? What happens when we die? What is important? How was the world made and who made it? Why are we here? How shall we live? What difference does God make in the life of the world and its people? Is the Bible true? Who is Jesus?
   

   
   

   And the list goes on. I'm sure that you can think of other questions. The group only stopped because I asked them to stop as we were running out of time! You can see though that the Bible deals with questions that humanity has always sought to answer. Big, eternal questions, many of which are hotly debated b various people today. The main response to these questions in the Bible is to point it's hearers and readers to God. The Bible tells of humanity's relationship with the One who created all things.
   

   
   

   
   



2. 
   
   Does the Bible provide answers to every question?
   
   
   

   No. If I ask who am I? the Bible cannot tell me. Yes, you can find the answer to everything.
   

   
   

   Interesting. The group decided that the answer is both yes and no. We found a story in one of our books about a woman in Africa who completely disagreed with the first statement. The story goes like this: An ordinary woman always carried a big, heavy Bible. Wherever she went, the Bible went. The other villagers made fun of her. "Why do you always carry that big, heavy Bible with you? There are plenty of other books you could read."
   

   
   

   The woman ignored them. One day though, she sat down and, with a big smile on her face, held out the Bible to the other villagers. She said, "You are right. There are many other books to read, but this is the only book that reads me."
   

   
   

   The Bible holds a mirror up to us. We can see ourselves reflected in its pages by the light of God's love.
   

   
   

   
   



3. 
   
   Many of the books tell stories of individual people. What difference does it make to know how individuals relate to God?
   
   
   

   Shows different views of God. God is not seen the same way by different people. It's helpful. People are different and they react in different ways. It's easier for us to identify with some. The stories show the challenges as well as the blessings. Makes it more authentic. If we study real people we don't get flse ideas about people being perfect.
   

   
   

   
   



4. 
   
   Why do you think poetry features so strongly?
   
   
   

   Can be easier to remember (for some of us maybe, not for others); can be more passionate; could be a cultural development. Poetry, like all the arts is a gift from God, so it's appropriate to use it in scripture. It's part of everyday life, so should be part of scripture; can encourage use of one's imagination.
   

   
   

   There is something here about the way poetry engages us. Poetry does not just require the use of our minds, it encourages us to feel as well. It is often a more wholistic way of drawing us into the ideas it's telling us about.
   

   
   

   
   



5. 
   
   Some of the writing concerns legal matters. Why might these have been included in religious writing?
   
   
   

   In the Old Testament there is not much difference between the sacred and the secular. Priests (who uphold the Law) and Kings are appointed by God.
   

   
   

   In the Old Testament, the Law is handed down to humanity by God. There is no distinction between God's laws and the rules humanity lives by. Later on though, as Israel encountered the laws of other cultures and, indeed, had to live under the occupation of Roman Law, it was necessary to make distinctions. The famous passage where the Pharisees try to trick Jesus by asking him about taxes was based on the assumption that a person cannot keep God's law and the Roman, civil law at the same time. That is why Jesus wisely tells them to 'give to Caesar what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's."
   

   
   

   
   



6. 
   
   Does it matter that there are so many translations and versions of the Bible? Why or why not?
   
   
   

   Helpful. People are able to read it for themselves. God word is meant for everyone and having the Bible in one's own language means that everyone has a chance to engage with it. Some of the translations take liberties with the text and some are more interpretive than others. This can be a problem if the text is manipulated to make it say something that is not in the original texts. Having God's word available to everyone is part of God's plan.
   

   
   

   
   

Bible Study for Theology 4; Galatians 1:1 and 11-24

Paul's Vindication of his Apostleship:
1. Paul opens his letter by telling everyone that he is sent by God. why do you think he might need to begin in this way?
Perhaps the Christian community was suspicious. Paul had previously been persecuting Christians, this may have been why he wanted to contact them. Paul needed them to know that he wasn't bragging about himself -he was in touch with them because God required him to write to them! Paul's apostleship is central to his own identity. He sees himself, first and foremost as an apostle; one who is sent by God to proclaim the Good News. Paul also wants the church to know that his emphasis is on God and God's works - it's not about how wonderful Paul is -Paul is not a false prophet.
Paul is very good at 'cutting to the chase.' He wants to make sure that the church knows why he is writing to them and who he is. He doesn't waste time with flattery or small talk. He sets out the agenda right away. He's writing because God has sent him to tell the Good News and tell it he will!

2. How do you think you would feel if we received a letter just like this one tomorrow?
Afraid. Why us? Worried. Cautious, there are many false prophets today; happy; very special to get a letter from God! There may be problems with the use of the word 'apostle' (Rema gave us an example from India here), people may misunderstand what an apostle is; how would we know the person was really sent from God?
This question brought a mixed reaction as you can see. Without being sceptical, we felt that we would want to be sure that the person was sincere. Some of us have met people who claimed that God was working through them, yet the way they treated other people seemed incompatible with God's words as we understood them. We decided that Paul's approach of focusing on God and what God wanted was a much more convincing introduction than any other.

3. Why do you think St Paul needs to tell people that the Gospel is not a human invention?
So that people will see how important and valuable the gospel is; that the gospel is relevant; a living document; what Paul preaches is reflected in the way he lives.

4. Look at verses 13 and 14. Was Paul a very different person before he followed Jesus?
Yes, very. He was nasty; violent; he persecuted other Christians; he was strong, aggressive; a destroyer.
I beg to differ. Before his conversion, Saul was a zealot. He was passionate; a fighter for a cause (the purity of Judaism); he loved and feared God. After his conversion, his behaviour changed - he no longer persecuted the church BUT he was a zealot - for Christianity; he was passionate; he was a fighter for the cause of Christ; he loved and feared God. In my opinion the most wonderful thing about transformation of Paul's life was that God took Paul as he was, turned him around and used all his skills and talents in more positive way. So, instead of using all that vigour and passion in a negative way, causing harm to others, God showed him how to use everything he was for good, to proclaim the Gospel and set people free. God does not change vigorous people into wimps; God can use anyone.

5. Why do you think that Paul did not seek out other apostles when he came to faith? Why did he take three years before he went to see Peter?
It was important for Paul to spend time alone and adjust to his new way of life. Perhaps it was his own 'wilderness' time. It may have been that he used this time to build up trust so that his former life would not be an impediment to his future work.

6. Paul is proud to be an apostle now. Do you think he feels proud to remember that he was a zealot against Christ? Why or why not?
He is not ashamed to tell people about his past. He is a witness to God's transforming power. Proud is probably the wrong word, but he accepts his past behaviour and is keen to emphasise the transformation e has experienced. If God can do this work in Paul, then God can do this for anyone. Paul is open and honest. Paul does not pretend to be better than he is.