Coming up in 2012

2012 is shaping up to be an exciting year for St Simon's. As a Church we are really looking at getting deeper into the Bible with our Sunday talks this term focusing on the way the Bible has really come alive in people’s lives and shaped their faith. We also have a number of people who are committing (whether for the first or five hundredth time) to reading the Bible, individually and as families, and are looking at resourcing people as they read.

We also have a number of exciting events coming up this year:

The Church Weekend Away; 18th - 20th May. We will be taking time away as a church to build community, have fun and receive some great teaching. The Weekend Away is such a great time to build community and to dig deeper in our relationships with each other and with God, I’d really encourage you to try and be there. More information and booking details will be made available over the next couple of weeks.
The Street Party; 3rd June. The St Simon's Street Party returns this year to celebrate the Queen's diamond jubilee and is an opportunity to meet and bless the local community.
The Olympics; July and August - It has arrived, this is the year of the London Olympics. Along with many other churches in the Diocese of London, St Simon's will be putting on a number of events for the community, some will be closely tied to the Olympic theme and some will be an escape from it!

I hope you will join me in really looking forward to this coming year and all that God is going to do with and through St Simon’s!

Here comes Christmas...

Is there a point to Christmas?

So many people will tell you that it’s about making children happy. Have you seen the extraordinary difference in the approaches taken by Littlewoods and John Lewis in their respective Christmas adverts?

Littlewoods tells us to ‘give them the things they really want,’ whilst John Lewis’ ‘For gifts you can’t wait to give,’ brings a surprising oasis in the middle of a materialist desert.

Let me ask you: why do you give? Because it’s nice for the receiver? Or maybe it’s because all of us have an urge to give? Science can’t do much at this point, but the giving desire can be explained by the giver who has brought us into the world. That’s right. I’m saying that apart from all the atoms, electrons and molecules which came together by total chance (ahem!) to form you, there is an inherited desire to give.

From whom? You have to dig a little deeper at this point. The Littlewoods type Christmas comes from a commercial reversal of the original festival which marks the birth of a boy who was God become flesh. But far from the Almighty’s showpiece of grandeur, this boy started life in a stable, and went on to be convicted, tortured and killed.

The rest of the story is for a later blog entry, but it’s interesting that John Lewis, perhaps without realising, have gone some way to reclaiming the real meaning of Christmas from the tired old ‘give me, give me’ gang show.

Mission Shepherds Bush

At St Simon's weekend away, we were "Preparing For Mission." This is because in November we are going to have four days of events in the church and around the community with the aim of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. In theory, a church worth its salt will be a church of mission all the time, but it is also good to have specific moments in which this is a particular focus.

I find that the vast majority of people feel that they have no need for Jesus "in their lives," and certainly don't want to be stopped in the street and preached at. However, St Simon's is in contact with a lot of people very naturally, chiefly through the different ways in which we serve and try to love our area of London. A lot of people will not object to being told why we do what we do, especially when they are enjoying the benefits.

I understand that St Simon's has a very good reputation for being there for people, and if evangelism is done in a low-key way - even to those who do not know us, the results may be exciting. There are plenty of people in a shopping centre who are willing to participate in a five-minute survey - especially if there is no financial agenda. This is found to be the starting point for many a transformed life by Jesus, stemming from the challenging last question: "If God really does exist, and it is possible for you to know him personally, would you be interested?"

World Trouble

It has been the most horrendous month of international news: natural disaster in Japan; tyranny and air counter-strikes in Libya; a host of other minor North African countries, all in post- or mid-revolt, moving towards civil war. What does the Bible say about such alarming global turmoil? A very great deal!

Micah 4:3 says that there will come a time when "nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." In fact, the BBC has a version of this as their motto, and until relatively recently, it used to appear clearly at the beginning of every evening news programme. Regarding the Earth’s natural disasters: "its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." (Psalm 46:3). But is God powerless in these instances of violence and catastrophe? Or is He just not bothered? The first two verses of Psalm 46 say this: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way..." and later in verse 9: "He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear." God can and does move people to make peace instead of war. Equally, national leaders bear huge responsibilities not to abuse their power, and when they do, we see appalling consequences.

As for accidents and disasters, who could ever prove the amazing amount of times that God does (or does not) step in? Additionally, there is plenty of evidence in the Bible – going way beyond the realm of material science – which points to human choices affecting even cosmology. But what can we, blessed to live in a country of civil and geological peace, do on the macro scale? Where are our own opportunities to peace-make in the different spheres of our lives? There’s a time to vocalise belief in Jesus our Prince of Peace, and there’s also a time to shut up and let our actions speak far louder. In this respect, what are you called to do today, where and with whom?

WD40 Discovery

It sat on the shelf of the old shed for years. The bright blue and yellow colours bedecking the can were starting to fade into blandness; a little blister of rust popping up now again from beneath its surface. Even the beacon-like red plastic top had lost its ability to attract a potential user. Yet, all the while there were more and more jobs around the house crying out uncomfortably for lubrication or just a little de-squeaking. Busy humans moving around, tutting and groaning in response to the increasing creeks of various joints and hinges… and as for that wretched ever-stiffening back door lock! Over time, life had been surreptitiously invaded, but it was subconsciously accepted by all, and never really addressed.

Then at last, one day the vicar happened to enter the shed. It struck him in a temporary moment of beautiful common sense (in his largely non-technical life) that there was a connection between the household aches and pains and the little red beacon in a corner upon which he now fixed a triumphant stare. For just a few seconds he took time to savour this dawning experience; a conversion of sorts. For years he had been carrying an unnecessary burden which was now just mere minutes from being cut loose. Can in hand, liberal attitude in a mind bursting with mission possible, the joyful locating, aiming and spraying began. Such success all over the vicarage, that said can was soon on the way to church to sort a cupboard door and a few stiff locks besides.

So many lives have not yet discovered the WD40 of the soul. The Alpha Course is an ideal place to do this. Jesus Christ is ready to be picked up and used, and to change your life. Except he’s not a remedy for problems, so much as a king-in-waiting. Look into it for yourself.

The Alpha Course starts on Wednesday February 2nd. Contact the church on 020 7603 4879 or info@stsimons.co.uk for more details.