Birth Stories – George Methodist Family Church

View Details

Rise and shine.

Epiphany Sunday

1.The manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1–12).

2.A moment of sudden and great revelation or realization.

3.An aha moment!!!

January 6 2019

George Methodist Church

8am and 10 am

Isaiah 60:1-6

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14

Ephesians 3:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12

Isaiah 60:1-6

60:1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

60:2 For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.

60:3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

60:4 Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.

60:5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

60:6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14

72:1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son.

72:2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.

72:3 May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness.

72:4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.

72:5 May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.

72:6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.

72:7 In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.

72:10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts.

72:11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.

72:12 For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper.

72:13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.

72:14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight.

Ephesians 3:1-12

3:1 This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles–

3:2 for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you,

3:3 and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words,

3:4 a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.

3:5 In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:

3:6 that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

3:7 Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power.

3:8 Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ,

3:9 and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things;

3:10 so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

3:11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,

3:12 in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

Matthew 2:1-12

2:1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

2:2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”

2:3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;

2:4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

2:5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

2:6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'”

2:7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.

2:8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”

2:9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.

2:10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.

2:11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

2:12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

As we start the new year it is exciting to know that we have some wonderful opportunities to rethink review and reshape our destiny. The first thing we need to do is to rise. Get up however you may understand this. I find that the mornings for me are invigorating and a huge gift from God. Before the noise of the day begins there is an opportunity to be still and reflect and prayer. It’s also a huge blessing to get up with other runners in the town and cyclists and just enjoy our quiet streets and beautiful mountains. We are so blessed to live here. Rise and see the Glory that surrounds you.
We are called to shine not because of ourselves but because of the light of the world has stepped down into darkness. It’s profound for me to see how if it’s a clear night it does not matter how dark it is that there are still stars shining in the universe. Even behind the thickest darkest clouds those stars are still shining. Paul calls us to shine like stars in the universe. Philippians 2:12-16 (TNIV)
[12] Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, [13] for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

[14] Do everything without grumbling or arguing, [15] so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky [16] as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

[12] Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, [13] for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

[14] Do everything without grumbling or arguing, [15] so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky [16] as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

Daniel 12:3 (TNIV)

[3] Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

Shining is really about our attitude. You can choose how you will be every day. Choose life, choose light.

Matthew 4:14 Daniel 12:3 (TNIV)

[3] Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

Matthew 4:14-16 (TNIV)

[14] to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

[15] “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles—

[16] the people living in darkness

have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of death

a light has dawned.”

Our world needs light more now than ever before and we are called to be the lightbearers for Him. It’s time now for us to reflect on the darkness in our own lives and to let the light guide us into all truth and wisdom.

Guided by the Lord follow the direction he gives you and just do it.

The wise men came to Jesus a while after he was born and follow a star to the place where they would find the Messiah. They we gentiles and yet drawn by their own desire to discover the purpose of this great star over Bethlehem’s and the command from Herod to find him – that I too may worship him, which was such a liar. They found him and brought symbolic prophetic gifts of

Myrrh being commonly used as an anointing oil, frankincense as a perfume, and gold as a valuable. The three gifts had a spiritual meaning: gold as a symbol of kingship on earth, frankincense (an incense) as a symbol of deity, and myrrh (an embalming oil) as a symbol of death.These wise men and the Bible never says there are three of them by the way come from the ancient school of Daniel who had preceded them as a wise man to King Nebuchadnezzar

Perhaps the word magi feels a little too foreign for you. Have no fear! Wise men is a perfectly acceptable translation. Cicero describes magi as being “wise and learned men among the Persians.” In fact, the Hebrew word wise men is used much more frequently in the Old Testament to designate this class of astrological advisors. Gentile kings valued these men for their wisdom concerning the affairs of the kingdom.

When you call Matthew’s journeymen magi, don’t be surprised to find them bowing before a Hebrew and heralding him as king. At Jesus’s birth, recognize how the tables have turned. This time, a star led the Magi into exile, sojourning in search of the scepter rising out of Israel (Num. 24:17). This time, they do not find a man seated at the right hand of Pharaoh or Nebuchadnezzar, but a child seated on his mother’s lap. As they bow and worship, they become the first to recognize the end from the beginning. This child would surpass both Daniel and Joseph as chief of the magi: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me’” (Matt. 28:18).

God’s direction and guidance led them to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and that Light still leads and directs us,but are we willing to follow at the risk that it might be to us.

Are we prepared to turn and go the other way against the powers that be to enable the light to shine all the brighter. Their warning was profound and extremely dangerous and yet they chose to override the commands of Herod and instead fulfill the plans of the Lord.

The Glory of the Lord has risen upon you. What does that mean for us today?

I really want to believe that it means a whole lot.Final scripture today is from Ephesians 3: 1-13

[1] For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

[2] Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, [3] that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. [4] In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, [5] which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. [6] This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

[7] I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. [8] Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, [9] and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. [10] His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,

Ephesians 3:12-13 (TNIV)

[12] In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. [13] I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

View Details

Advent

Promise

CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICE

Luke 2:1-21

View Details

Advent

Pleasure

Luke 1:46-55

View Details

Advent

Purpose

Luke 1:39 – 45

Guest Preacher: Philip Vercueil

LUKE 1, VSS 41,” WHEN ELIZABETH HEARD MARY’S GREETING, THE BABY LEAPED IN HER WOMB, AND ELIZABETH WAS FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT”.

BLACK FRIDAY — THAT DAY MOST RETAILERS LOVE AND MANY BUYERS HOPE TO PICK UP BARGAINS. WE SAW THE QUEUES FORMING OUTSIDE THE MAJOR

RETAILERS THE EVENING BEFORE — PEOPLE HAD THEIR CHAIRS, COFFEE, SLEEPING BAGS — ALL THIS IN ANTICIPATION OF SO-CALLED BARGAINS. APPARENTLY THE MOST POPULAR ITEMS PURCHASED WERE ELECTRONIC GOODS ESPECIALLY HIGH DEFINITION TVS, BABY’S NAPPIES AND TOILET PAPER!

WHAT WERE THE PEOPLE LOOKING FOR?. DID THEY THINK A TV WOULD BRING THEM JOY, WOULD THE TV MAKE THEM HAPPY AND CONTENT?.

TODAY, AS WE WAIT IN EXPECTATION FOR CHRISTMAS DAY, |WANT TO TALK ABOUT JOY, REAL, LONG-LASTING JOY, THE TYPE OF JOY THAT BOTH MARY AND ELIZABETH EXPERIENCED AND WHICH WE TOO CAN EXPERIENCE.

(1) JOY IS A GIFT FROM GOD

OUR STORY BEGINS WITH TWO WOMEN WHO, REALLY, CANNOT BE PREGNANT BUT BOTH OF THEM ARE MIRACULOUSLY PREGNANT.

ONE WAS BARREN AND PAST CHILD-BEARING YEARS BUT LIKE SARAH ANDHANNAH IN THE OLD TESTAMENT GOD PROVIDES A CHILD DESPITE HER AGE AND PHYSICAL THIS CHILD WOULD BE THE LAST OF THE OLD STYLE PROPHETS OR MESSENGERS, HERALDING THE FULFILLMENT OF GOD’S PROMISE TO SEND THE MESSIAH. TWO OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS, ISAIAH CHAP 40 VS 3

AND MALACHI CHAP3 VS 1 FORETOLD OF JOHN’S COMING.

THE OTHER WAS A VIRGIN AT THE BEGINNING OF HER CHILD-BEARING THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT MARY CONCEIVED A CHILD WHO WOULD BE THE FOUNDATION, THE BEDROCK OF THE NEW COVENANT.

WHATIS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS A WOMAN REALISING THAT SHE IS PREGNANT, DO?. – SHE TELLS HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS!. MOST OF US HAVE SEEN AND EXPERIENCED THE EXCITEMENT THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BRINGS ABOUT

— BOY OR GIRL?, REMEDIES ARE OFFERED, A BABY SHOWER IS PLANNED AND SO

ON.

2

HAVING A CHILD IS A GIFT FROM GOD, A REAL CAUSE FOR JOY ESPECIALLY IF THE WOMAN HAS STRUGGLED TO CONCEIVE.

MARY HAVING BEEN INFORMED BY GABRIEL THAT HER COUSIN ELIZABETH WAS SIX MONTHS PREGNANT, HURRIED TO ELIZABETH’S HOME TO BE WITH HER.

WHY DID MARY, A YOUNG GIRL OF 13 OR 14 UNDERTAKE THIS HAZARDOUS 10 DAY JOURNEY?.

DID SHE WANT HEAR FIRST HAND FROM ELIZABETH ABOUT HER BABY?. DID MARY FEEL OBLIGED TO HELP ELIZABETH, GIVEN ELIZABETH’S AGE AND PHYSICAL CONDITION?.

| BELIEVE MARY UNDERTOOK THIS JOURNEY FOR TWO MAIN REASONS :-

SHE WANTED TO SHARE IN ELIZABETH’S JOY OF HER BEING BLESSED WITH A SON,
SHE WANTED TO SHARE WITH ELIZABETH THE GIFT, THE JOY OF BEING BLESSED BY THE LORD TO BEAR HIS SON,

WHEN MARY ENTERS ZECHARIAH’S HOME SHE GREETS ELIZABETH AND WHAT

HAPPENS?.

VS 41” WHEN ELIZABETH HEARD MARY’S GREETING, THE BABY LEAPED IN HER WOMB, AND ELIZABETH WAS FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.”

ELIZABETH’S CHILD, JOHN, LEAPED FOR JOY AT MARY’S GREETING — NOT YOUR NORMAL BABY KICKS OR MOVEMENT BUT A LEAP OF JOY!.

WHY WOULD JOHN REACT IN SUCH A MANNER?. WE READ IN LUKE 1 VS 17 WHAT GABRIEL SAID TO JOHN’S FATHER, ZECHARIAH, “ AND HE (JOHN) WILL GO ON BEFORE THE LORD, IN THE SPIRIT AND. THE POWER OF ELIJAH, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS TO THEIR CHILDREN AND THE DISOBEDIENT TO THE WISDOM OF THE RIGHTEOUS — TO MAKE READY A PEOPLE PREPARED FOR THE LORD.” JOHN’S SOLE PURPOSE IN LIFE WAS TO BE A MESSENGER OF GOD, TO

_ PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE SON OF GOD, JESUS

WHEN GOD CALLS US TO DO SOMETHING AND WE OBEY HIM AND FACE CHALLENGES AS A RESULT, AND HE HELPS US THROUGH IT, THAT IS A CAUSE FOR JOY. IT’S A JOY DEEPER THAN THE WORLD CAN GIVE — CERTAINLY GREATER JOY THAN A NEW TV WOULD GIVE US!.

THERE IS JOY WHEN WE KNOW THAT WE ARE PART OF GOD’S PLAN AND FULLFILLING THE PURPOSE HE HAS FOR US. OUR PURPOSE IN LIFE IS TO WORSHIP GOD AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN TO ALL PEOPLE.

BOTH ELIZABETH AND MARY HAD UNIQUE AND SPECIFIC ROLES IN GOD’S PLAN. BOTH WOULD GIVE BIRTH TO A SON, EACH OF WHOM HAD A DESTINY AND A CALL ON THEIR LIVES WITH ONE INFINITELY GREATER THAN THE OTHER BUT BOTH CHOSEN BY GOD.

JOY MUST BE SHARED

ELIZABETH AND MARY WOULD IN TIME BE CALLED TO SHARE THE JOY OF HAVING THEIR RESEPECTIVE SONS WITH OTHERS WHICH THEY DID WITHOUT HESITATION.

SO TOO IS IT TRUE OF US. THE JOY WE KNOW IS A JOY WE SHARE AND THE MORE

WE SHARE THE MORE WE RECEIVE. JOY INCREASES THE MORE WE GIVE IT AWAY. HAVE WE SHARED OUR JOY RECENTLY?.

TO SUMMARISE:-

JOY IS A GIFT FROM GOD JOY WILL BRING CHALLENGES JOY MUST BE SHARED

AS WE CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS 2018 | PRAY THAT OUR JOY COMES NOT FROM THE GIFTS UNDER TREE, THAT OUR JOY DOES NOT COME FROM THE GOOD FOOD WE EAT; | PRAY THAT OUR JOY COMES FROM KNOWING OUR PURPOSE IN LIFE IS TO WORSHIP GOD AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN TO ALL PEOPLE AND AS WE FULFILL THAT PURPOSE WE WILL BRING JOY TO THE LORD.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY

View Details

Presence – The Lord is with you. Luke 1:26 – 38

Being fully present even when the call on your life is a big one.

George Methodist Church 9th December 2018 With Peter Veysie

Who is Mary ?

I really believe that many of us may not know who Mary really was and so I want to give you her historical and biblical story. Her name is Mary and her parents were Joachim and Anna. Her birthplace was in Nazareth a remote corner of the country without having any reputation for religion or learning and the area where she lived was known as Galilee of the gentiles.It is deeply profound to me that God would begin his plan of redemption in the backstreets of Israel.

She was the daughter of the royal family, a descendant of David and though she was very poor she was from the line of priests and kings and therefore rich in her spiritual quotient.

Her name means exalted and is the same name as Miriam. She was a virgin between the ages of 12 and 14.

She was pledged to be married to Joseph who was also of the royal line of David.

The address of the angel to her. Vs 26 – 28 Luke is quite clear and significantly shares that at the time when the Angel Gabriel comes to Mary, her cousin Elizabeth who is older that her and is in her 6 month of pregnancy.

He surprises her with a greeting – Shalom(Hebrew: ׁשָלֹום ) which means peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility and can be used idiomatically to mean both hello and goodbye.

“You who are highly favoured, the Lord is with you”

While the angel gives Mary a number of high compliments, nothing indicates that she is worthy of worship, let alone being an intercessor between Jesus and His followers, a Co-Redemptrix, sinless for her entire life, or given any other honour aside from being God’s chosen vessel for the purpose of the Son of God being made flesh and blood. This is not to denigrate that role in the least, because truly it is a great honour, but God has throughout the ages chosen various people to fill different roles according to His will and purpose—and none of them are shown to be worthy of worship.

In verse 28, Gabriel tells Mary in his greeting that she is “highly favoured,” and in verse 30, that she “has found favour with God.” The Greek word translated

highly favoured means “to grace,” “to endue with special honour,” or “to be accepted.”

The only other place it is used is Ephesians 1:6, where Paul says to the church at Ephesus and to the body of Christ generally, “. . . to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” From this example, we can see that being “highly favoured” is not synonymous with being worthy of worship. Everyone in the body of Christ is highly favoured because God has accepted us through the justification brought about by Christ’s sacrifice.

In verse 30, Gabriel tells Mary that she has found favour with God. “Favour” is the Greek word charis, which means “graciousness of manner or action.” It indicates favour on the part of the giver and thankfulness on the part of the receiver. It is most often translated “grace” in the New Testament. Gabriel tells Mary that she is the recipient of charis, of grace and favour by God—the emphasis is on what God is doing. The type of grace bestowed on Mary is implied to be sweetness, charm, loveliness, joy and delight. Again, we see nothing in this verse to give any indication that Mary should be worshipped.

She simply received God’s favour by being chosen to fulfil this role.

What is significant for me in all of this is God’s presence – The Lord is with you. Know right out at the start of this huge thing that you are going to do that you are empowered by the presence of the Lord. Unless God’s presence is with us we will not move/go. So many people have not learned the powerful art of practising the presence of God. Don’t think that she just woke up and got it !!! She practised it.

I want to share a line from the book Practising the presence of God by Brother Lawrence:

The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is the presence of God. That means finding constant pleasure in His divine company, speaking humbly and lovingly with him in all seasons, at every moment, without limiting the conversation in any way.

Brother Lawrence 3. Mary’s concerns

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be ? This really shows me her humility and honesty in that she is testing the greeter to see what he really is on about? It’s interesting that examples of questioning in the bible often come up as we saw with Zechariah last week and yes sometimes it’s good just to accept and be quiet but there is room for conversation and questioning. Our young people need to have this freedom more but within the boundaries of a walking daily loving relationship with God.

The message delivered from the angel and the impact it had on her and us. Fear not Mary even though the world will frown of you because you seem to having a baby outside of marriage God gots this. (Hope saying)

He repeats the word that she has found favour with God.

She will conceive and give birth to a son whose name will be Jesus – Great

Son of the Most High

He will have the throne of his father David.

He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever. His kingdom will have no end.

HOW WILL THIS BE ? Again this is so profound that she is not a pushover but asked a genuine question of the absolute impossibility of this other than a miracle !!!! She then confirms the fact that she is a virgin but she requires deeper understanding and instruction. How is this gonna work ????

The angel Gabriel then describes the miracle. In the book of Genesis 1: 2 The Spirit of God hovered over the waters.

The Spirit of God will come upon you and will overshadow you – these two pictures speak of what we call sanctification in theological terms but is very importantly in Methodist terms – to being made Holy.

The divine power of God will come upon you and he will undertake this. Not only that but just as the cloud covered the tabernacle in the book of

Deuteronomy she would be overshadowed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Her womb would become the Holy Tabernacle of God as she holds the baby Jesus who would be the King of Kings and the Lord of Lord’s, the Lion of Judah, the Lamb that takes a way the sin of the world, the Light, bread, water, living Hope, the one who rules on David throne forever’.THE SON OF GOD LUKE 1:35

– IMAGINE HOLDING ALL OF THIS IN HER WOMB – THE BLESSING OF THE THREE IN ONE

LASTLY AND THIS IS SO PROFOUND FOR ME THAT SHE RESPONDS IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AS A SERVANT – I AM THE LORD’S SERVANT. MAY YOUR WORD TO ME BE FULFILLED.

Now what about us as we are called by the Holy Spirit to be and do the will of God. To find ourselves in right relationship with him so that we can say – I am your servant.

View Details

The birth stories – Advent and the preparation for the coming of Christ.

The Power of God in advent Luke 1:5 -25

George Methodist Church 2nd December 2018

With Peter Veysie

Introduction

The season of Advent, which comes comes from the Latin word adventus meaning “coming” or “visit,” begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year for Christians. [Liturgical — from liturgy, which means the forms and functions of public worship.]

During Advent, we prepare for, and anticipate, the coming of Christ. We remember the longing of Jews for a Messiah and our own longing for, and need of, forgiveness, salvation and a new beginning. Even as we look back and celebrate the birth of Jesus in a humble stable in Bethlehem, we also look forward anticipating the second coming of Christ as the fulfillment of all that was promised by his first coming.

It is so essential for us to have a time of preparation for this season. We are given an opportunity not only to celebrate but also to make ourselves ready. John’s whole mission was to make ready a people for the coming of the Lord. We do not know when the Lord will return but we must be ready. I must confess that I am always an eternal optimist and I do not do this out of fear but rather grace and love. The are those that can scare the living daylights out of with their doom and gloom prophecies.

We are going to explore the awesome power of God in an encounter with both Zecheriah the father of John the Baptist and Elizabeth his mother the cousin of Mary.

It’s time What was happening at the time of the birth of John and then of Jesus is quite profound, Nothing happens outside of God’s control and especially when it comes to the birth of a Saviour.

Herod is King of Judea and just some brief observations about this man is that he was born in 73BC and died in 4BC. After defeating the Hasmoneans priestly dynasty, Herod and his family took control of Judea under the watchful eye of Caesar Augustus. The Romans ruled over the priestly families and so you can imagine what kind of oppression that was.

Zecheriah is a priest who serves in the tribe of Abijah(meaning son of Jah- God). He is part of 24 priestly groups who served in the temple and they would be chosen by lot (purim) to serve. Just think about the chances of

getting this right !!!! They would travel from their hometowns to Jerusalem to serve for a two week period in the Temple lighting the candles and praying interceding for the people of God.

His wife Elizabeth is the cousin of Mary and she too is a descendant of Aaron the priestly family.

They are both described in scripture as upright in the Lord and they observed the commandments and regulations of the Law. Remember that Herod as King of Judea is ruling and reigning over all of these people. To remain upright in the Lord was most profound and probably a little unusual.

While Zechariah is going about doing his duties in the temple, the angel Gabriel appears to him.

Gabriel “God is my strength”in the Abrahamic religions, is an archangel. It was first described in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently developed by other traditions.

In the Hebrew Bible, Gabriel appears to the prophet Daniel, to explain his visions (Daniel 8:15–26, 9:21–27). Gabriel the archangel is also a character in other ancient Jewish writings such as the Book of Enoch. Alongside archangel Michael, Gabriel is described as the guardian angel of Israel, defending this people against the angels of the other nations.[6]

In the Christian New Testament in the Gospel of Luke, the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah and the Virgin Mary, foretelling the births of John the Baptist and Jesus, respectively (Luke 1:11–38). In many Christian traditions including Anglican, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic, Gabriel is also referred to as a saint.

Worshippers are praying outside the temple and Zechariah is alone inside the

temple and he’s praying too and suddenly at the right hand side of the altar, the Angel Gabriel appears.

He is startled and gripped with fear. Do you know that feeling ?

We always have fluffy white winged pictures of angels but if you look through the scriptures most people were afraid when one appeared and this is not just any angel but the Archangel Gabriel. We know also about Michael who appeared to Moses when he was taken away before the crossing over the Jordan into the promised land. These are powerful representatives of the Lord and I believe Harry and Margie gave you more of an understanding of this last week. Revelation 12:7 ;Daniel 10:13;Jude 9.

The power of this story as you heard last week is the message that in their late years Zechariah and Elizabeth would have a son and this announcement is difficult for him to believe –

The angel says some profound things about this boy and I believe that this is a wonderful tool for us today when it comes to affirming

He questions the Angel which seems totally logical and normal but because of this cannot speak later.

The power of this encounter needs to be noted as something completely extraordinary but also brilliant in so many ways. Men we know ourselves that we would not find it easy to keep quiet about such an experience.

The Words we speak over our children. What the angel says to Zecheriah is for me a powerful testimony to the importance of speaking words of blessings over our children. We must remember how powerful this is. Mickey Mouse on Friday.

A joy and a
Many will rejoice because of
Many will come back to the Lord because of
He will drink no wine.
He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from
He will go on in the Spirit of Elijah. Remember Elijah’s chair at the passover and the doors open waiting for the presence of the

It’s powerful to speak positive words over people not only our children and we are to think before we use red language verses green language. Explain.

John’s mission It would seem to me that despite John being a bit strange and a rebel – eating locusts and honey and living a little bit like a bergie that he had a good relationship with his earthly father.

His mission tells me a little bit about this because he (John) is prophetically called by God to :

Turn the hearts of the fathers to their children. Most of our problems in this time in SA is due to the absence of children have good role models and father figures. We have to start somewhere and maybe it’s just with ourselves being available to be a role model to others and our own children/grandchildren, Fathers do not exasperate your

Ephesian 6:4 instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Turning the disobedient to the wisdom of
Make ready a people prepared for the

Isaiah 40:3 A voice calling in the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord. We are still called to do this.

Vs 18 – HOW WILL THIS HAPPEN ?

Let’s not find ourselves silenced without any ability to make a change but rather let us become the CHANGE AGENTS FOR THE FUTURE. THIS TIME OF CHRISTMAS IS AN IDEAL OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTISE THIS AND TO START TO REALISE THE REASON FOR THE SEASON.

Elizabeth was in seclusion for 6 months and then later Mary visits her and we will chat about this on another day.

View Details

Guest Minister – Harry Munnings 25th Nov 2018 Partnership The Amazing truth is that the Lord God Almighty creator of the Universe has entered into partnership with us and communicates with us and works with us his creation. He enlists both men and women and informs us of what his plans are and what he is doing here on earth. Because we are entering into the Christmas season we are going to highlight this involvement by God in the birth of his Son Jesus who he sent as saviour to this world

People he spoke to before and at the time of the birth of Jesus

Zacharias God Spoke through Angel Gabriel

When Zacharias saw the angel, he was troubled and overcome with fear. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, because your petition [in prayer] was heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have great joy and delight, and many will rejoice over his birth, for he will be great and distinguished in the sight of the Lord; and will never drink wine or liquor, and he will be filled with and empowered to act by the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. He will turn many of the sons of Israel back [from sin] to [love and serve] the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children , and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous [which is to seek and submit to the will of God]–in order to make ready a people [perfectly] prepared [spiritually and morally] for the Lord.” And Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I be certain of this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in age.” The angel replied and said to him, “I am Gabriel; I stand and minister in the [very] presence of God, and I have been sent [by Him] to speak to you and to bring you this good news. Listen carefully, you will be continually silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe what I told you; but my words will be fulfilled at their proper time.”

LUKE 1:12-20 AMP

Mary God Spoke to Mary through the Angel Gabriel

Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, the angel said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly perplexed at what he said, and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin and have no intimacy with any man?” Then the angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a cloud]; for that reason the holy (pure, sinless) Child shall be called the Son of God. And listen, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.

LUKE 1:26-36 AMP

Joseph

God spoke to him four times through an Angel who appeared in a dream

Matthew 1;20 2;13 2;19, 2,22

Take Mary for your wife

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:20-21 NIV

Flee to Egypt

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,

Go back to Israel

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.

Warned go to Galilee not Bethlehem

But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Matthew 2:19-23 NIV

Shepherds God spoke to them through An Angel of the Lord, joined by a Heavenly Host

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

Luke 2:8-10 NIV

Simeon He was divinely communicated to by the Holy Spirit

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord” ), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

Luke 2:22-32 NIV

Men God warned them in a dream

And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,

Matthew 2:2, 12-14 NIV

Angel Gabriel Mentioned 4 times in the Bible . Bringing Good News about the Messiah

And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai calling, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.” As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”

Daniel 8:16-17 NIV

while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

Daniel 9:21-22, 24 NIV

After Jesus Death and resurrection.

Peter and Cornelius Acts 10

Phillip Acts 8;26

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,

Acts 8:26-27 NIV

Saul and Ananias Acts 9;10

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.

Acts 9:3-5 NIV

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.

Acts 9:10-11 NIV

Paul’s Call to Macedonia Acts 16;6 -10,

Jesus sent his twelve harvest hands out with this charge: “Don’t begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don’t try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously. “Don’t think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. You don’t need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light. “When you enter a town or village, don’t insist on staying in a luxury inn. Get a modest place with some modest people, and be content there until you leave. “When you knock on a door, be courteous in your greeting. If they welcome you, be gentle in your conversation. If they don’t welcome you, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way. You can be sure that on Judgment Day they’ll be mighty sorry—but it’s no concern of yours now. “Stay alert. This is hazardous work I’m assigning you. You’re going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don’t call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove. “Don’t be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. Don’t be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they’ve done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don’t worry about what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words. “When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you’ve run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.

Matthew 10:5-23 MSG

Stories from the persecuted Church, Missionaries Call of the Irish to St Patrick

God still speaks to us today?

Study Questions * List different ways in which God speaks to us in the Bible and today * Do you believe in Angels, What are they like today? * Share some stories of God speaking to people in stories you have heard about * Share how you have ever experienced God speaking or guiding you. Dreams or Angels

View Details

The birth narrative retold. Prophecy about Jesus Sunday 11th November 2018 Isaiah 60:1-5 Matthew 1:18 -25 10am service

Isaiah 60:1-5 (TNIV)

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon
See, darkness covers the earth

and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you

and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

“Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you;

your sons come from afar,

and your daughters are carried on the hip.

Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy;

the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.

Matthew 1:18-25 (TNIV) [18] This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. [19] Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

[20] But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

[22] All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: [23] “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

[24] When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. [25] But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

The chances of prophecy coming true. Peter Stoner, Chairman of the Departments of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena College, was passionate about biblical prophecies. With 600 students from the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Stoner looked at eight specific prophecies about Jesus. They came up with extremely conservative probabilities for each one being fulfilled, and then considered the likelihood of Jesus fulfilling all eight of those prophecies.

The conclusion to his research was staggering. The prospect that anyone would satisfy those eight prophecies was just 1 in 1017. In Science Speaks, he described it like this: “Let us try to visualise this chance. If you mark one of ten tickets, and place all of the tickets in a hat, and thoroughly stir them, and then ask a blindfolded man to draw one, his

chance of getting the right ticket is one in ten. Suppose that we take a 1 in 1017 it’s impossible.

I have become very aware that when we come to the time of celebrating the birth of Jesus at this time of the year there is a lot of tinsel lights Christmas cards and of course much joy that our Light truly has come into the world to transform and change the way that we see things forever. However, the major part of the story and the prophetic words are not emphasised and the warnings are not heard.

We have to return to the prophetic stories of the past and find out why Jesus’s birth becomes an event which caused an enormous challenge to the history of the world. For us to mark our calendar all be it slightly out ,we all record our year as 2018.

So a few basic facts on the birth of Jesus.

Philip Yancey says in his book the Jesus I never knew: “I thumb once more through my stack of Christmas cards, I realise that we in Christian countries do much the same thing. We observe a mellow, domesticated holiday purged of any hint of scandal. Above all, we purge from it any reminder of how the story that began at Bethlehem turned out at Calvary.

In the birth stories of Luke and Matthew, only one person seems to grasp the mysterious nature of what God has set in motion: the old man Simeon, who recognised the baby as the Messiah, instinctively understood that conflict would surely follow. “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against …” he said, and then made the prediction that a sword would pierce Mary’s own soul. Somehow Simeon sensed that though on the surface little had changed—the autocrat Herod still ruled, Roman troops were still stringing up patriots, Jerusalem still overflowed with beggars—underneath, everything had changed. A new force had arrived to undermine the world’s powers.

At first, Jesus hardly seemed a threat to those powers. He was born under Caesar Augustus, at a time when hope wafted through the Roman Empire.

Perhaps the best way to perceive the “underdog” nature of the incarnation is to transpose it into terms we can relate to today. An unwed mother, homeless, was forced to look for shelter while traveling to meet the heavy taxation demands of a colonial government. She lived in a land recovering from violent civil wars and still in turmoil—a situation much like that in modern Bosnia, Rwanda, or Somalia. Like half of all mothers who deliver today, she gave birth in Asia, in its far western corner, the part of the world that would prove least receptive to the son she bore. That son became a refugee in Africa, the continent where most refugees can still be found.

I wonder what Mary thought about her militant Magnificat hymn during her harrowing years in Egypt. For a Jew, Egypt evoked bright memories of a powerful God who had flattened a pharaoh’s army and brought liberation; now Mary fled there, desperate, a stranger in a strange land hiding from her own government. Could her baby, hunted, helpless, on the run, possibly fulfil the lavish hopes of his people?

Even the family’s mother-tongue summoned up memories of their underdog status: Jesus spoke Aramaic, a trade language closely related to Arabic, a stinging reminder of the Jews’ subjection to foreign empires.

Some foreign astrologers (probably from the region that is now Iraq) had dropped by to visit

23

Jesus, but these men were considered “unclean” by Jews of the day. Naturally, like all dignitaries they had checked first with the ruling king in Jerusalem, who knew nothing

about a baby in Bethlehem. After they saw the child and realised who he was, these visitors engaged in an act of civil disobedience: they deceived Herod and went home another way, to protect the child. They had chosen Jesus’ side, against the powerful. Growing up, Jesus’ sensibilities were affected most deeply by the poor, the powerless, the oppressed—in short, the underdogs. Today theologians debate the aptness of the phrase “God’s preferential option for the poor” as a way of describing God’s concern for the underdog. Since God arranged the circumstances in which to be born on planet earth— without power or wealth, without rights, without justice—his preferential options speak for themselves.

Philip Yancey “The Jesus I never knew “

As an introduction on these prophecies, I would like to just look at four and the fulfilment of these in the life of Christ : David’s offspring will have an eternal kingdom

Prophecy:

“When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12–13).

Fulfilment:

“This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1)

A virgin will give birth, and he will be called Immanuel (God with us) Prophecy:

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

Fulfilment:

“The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

The Messiah will end up in Egypt Prophecy:

“When Israel was a child, I loved him,

and out of Egypt I called my son” (Hosea 11:1).

Fulfilment:

“So he [Joseph] got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son'” (Matthew 2:14–15).

The Christ will be born in Bethlehem Prophecy:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me

one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old,

from ancient times.” (Micah 5:2).

Fulfilment:

“When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.'” (Matthew 2:4–6).

My prayer is that you will begin to understand the way in which Jesus came into the world as the underdog to be with the underdogs. We are called to come alongside of others and to see the way Jesus reached out to others in powerful ways. Maybe be the same in our dealings with those who suffer injustice, the poor and the marginalised. May we be those who begin to understand Jesus a little better from this story and may we go and allow the kingdom of God to be revealed on this earth.

Questions. 1. How do you think Mary felt the she knew she was pregnant ? 2. What were some of the challenges she would have faced in her time? 3. How do we see the prophecies in the Old Testament being fulfilled in the New Testament. 4. How can we come alongside of the underdogs in our own community?

View Details

The birth narrative retold. Prophecy about Jesus Sunday 11th November 2018 Isaiah 60:1-5 Matthew 1:18 -25 10am service

Isaiah 60:1-5 (TNIV)

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon
See, darkness covers the earth

and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you

and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

“Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you;

your sons come from afar,

and your daughters are carried on the hip.

Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy;