'When Heaven and Nature sang': A Christmas poem

We enjoyed a wonderful double Christmas carol service yesterday at Redeemer Church London, welcoming hundreds of you through the doors to celebrate the birth of Jesus together.

The services began with a new poem from church member STEVE PAGE who took one of the lines from ‘Joy to the World’, the events in Bethlehem and then a reflection of the Oasis band reunion. You can read his words in full below.

We hope to see you at one of our two Christmas family services this Sunday (December 21) at 9.30am and 11.30am at the University of West London.

Merry Christmas from everyone at Redeemer!

‘WHEN HEAVEN AND NATURE SANG’

The reunion had been planned for ages. They hadn’t sung together for… Well, it was difficult to remember the last time.

They had once been a successful duo, if not the most successful. So many hits.

The brothers had sung together from their earliest days. Always in harmony. Their songs would bring tears to your eyes.

They did their own compositions, which were A-MA-ZING, and they did covers, which is where you might have come across them – old angelic classics, like ‘Hosanna In The Highest!’. Or maybe you’ll remember their version of: ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord God Almighty Reigns!’ Gives me chills just thinking about it.

Well, after their big falling out, things hadn’t been quite the same. You might still see them together occasionally but never singing. Those days seemed to have gone.

They had slowly drifted apart, and we weren’t 100% sure this reunion concert was going to go well. The younger brother was a little temperamental you see. I think he felt upstaged by his big brother. You might remember reports of his more rebellious days.

But when the King of Angels, the first born of Creation - when Jesus asked them to sing… When he said how much it would mean to him, how could they refuse?

And so, on the night the opening act was of course the Angels – not just one choir – but the biggest gathering of the citizens of Heaven since creation – all the choirs of Angels singing in exaltation, filling the sky.

And they were loud I tell you – “Glory to God in the highest! Peace on Earth!” Their voices filled the heavens. You could feel it right down to your bones.

How could anyone top that?

And as their last note faded, that’s when we saw them - Heaven and Nature walked on stage – they embraced as we were cheering. I couldn’t believe they were together once again.

I thought I was ready but man, that sound? When Heaven and Nature sang, I mean! When Heaven and Nature sang, it resonated through all creation – the fields, the hills couldn’t help but repeat the resounding joy.

It was everything we could have hoped for – the glory of God’s righteousness, the wonders of His love! They sang their hearts out and we sang along, knowing every word. Everyone coming together to let Jesus know just how much He is adored.

You know, it was like Heaven and Earth had never been apart.

And by the end of their set the applause was deafening. They of course did an encore – it had to be: ‘Joy to the World’. Brilliant!

All the way home we kept the song going – glorifying and praising God for all we had seen and heard. The Messiah – bridging the gap, heralding peace between God and humankind.

“The wonders of His love! The wonders of His love!”

I can’t wait for when Heaven and Nature worship Jesus together again for a permanent reunion.

I recommend reserving your seats early.

Meanwhile – we have the set list. And we can sing.

Alpha Starts Tonight!

Here at Redeemer we want to be a church which encourages people to ask questions, and seek deeper relationship with God. You might be reading this and have a friend who has lots of questions about your faith, you might have just started coming to Redeemer and are looking for deeper relationship with God, you might not be a christian, but you’ve got an interest in finding out exactly what it looks like to live as a follower of Jesus.

If any of the above applies to you, then I have good news! Tonight is the beginning of our next Alpha course! We will be meeting at Osteria del Portico every Wednesday night for the next 9 weeks, eating great food together, hearing a talk on an aspect of the Christian faith, and then taking time to ask questions and have friendly discussion together around the topic which has been spoken on.

Alpha is a fantastic opportunity to get to hear different people’s views, and discuss what we believe as Christians, and why we believe it is worth talking about! We also hope that over the 9 weeks you will get to build great friendships and learn things about the Christian faith which encourage you to dig deeper into what it means to be a Christian.

You can hear just one story of Alpha below:

We hope to see you tonight for Week 1 - ‘Is There More To Life Than This?’

I'M NOT MOVING

I'm listening to news reports of a cabinet reshuffle not going to plan and the speculation about power struggles behind the scenes. 

Sometimes we dig our heels in and get our own way.  Sometimes we stand strong and find ourselves forcibly moved. 

When were thinking of making a stand, we need to make a judgement call whether we are willing to accept the possible consequences of our stance.  

Are you ready to lose your [job, friendship, advantage, stake - insert here] for the sake of principle, for the prospect of gain?  Is this important enough for you?

It's easy to understand why some (most?) take the path of least resistance.  Least risk. Least pain. Least soul-searching.

But some things are not negotiable.  Some things are worth fighting for.

Friends.
Family.
Faith.

Acts 4 sets out an account of A situation where Peter and John had to decide whether to obey the authorities and to stop speaking about Jesus or to continue to speak openly about what they knew to be true.  It was a no-brainer:
"Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

This was no easy thing - there were significant consequences for taking their stance.  

So ask yourself: what's important enough for you to take a stand?  How will you respond when it's put to the test?

Standing strong is easier with like-minded people to support you.  Find out more at Redeemer on any given Sunday morning at Ealing Town Hall. 

We'll stand with you. 

INGREDIENTS FOR CHRISTMAS

This advent and Christmas they'll be a lot of partying going on. Friends and family celebrating life, love and friendship.  For some it will be a joyful time and an opportunity for a family break.  For others it will be tough as the weight of troubles are considered through a fresh lens.
For both, without an understanding and experience of the love and life Jesus brings, without the family of God, Christmas will lack an essential ingredient.  
This Christmas I wish you each a chance to spend time with those who love you with no strings attached.  And I pray that the Christ of Christmas will come and bring with him love, new life and family that will change your life forever.

Here's what I believe: 

I believe baubles have way too much glitter,
that another new year won't make it all better.

I believe turkey tastes bland without stuffing,
that my secret santa was better than nothing,

that rich Christmas pud needs plenty of cream,
that thin paper hats are as cheap as they seem.

I believe parties can get out of hand,
that still silent nights need to be planned.

I believe Christmas can bring people down,
that relentless fake smiles hide many a frown.

That without the real Jesus it's a real waste of time,
that if He was here He'd call it a crime:

The way we ignore those under our feet,
the times we brush past the poor on the street.

Jesus just cries to see our behaviour,
so far from the path He set as our Saviour.

So this Christmas ask Jesus to soften your heart.
He'll give you forgiveness and bring a fresh start.

You can live with new hope and sing with new meaning,
don't waste any more time with any more dreaming.

Happy Christmas to all and to all my best wishes.
May your Christmas be more than merry wet kisses.

May the God of this Christmas visit this year
and give you good reason to be of good cheer. 

By Steve Page

Not too big to weep: A poetry anthology  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1549894706/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_DGj4zbZZK23D6

A BRAND NEW SEASON

God gives us seasons for a reason

I don't like the winter months, if I could live anywhere in the world then it would be LA where it hits more or less 25 degrees everyday. 

As I sit here and look outside my window, old leaves fall to the ground and collect. The tree withers and becomes barren. As much as I love for summer to stay, Autumn is heading and I can't do anything about that...

A Time for Everything

There is a time for everything and a season

for every activity under the heavens.

A time to be born and a time to die.

A time to plant and a time to uproot.

A time to kill and a time to heal.

A time to weep and a time to laugh.

A time to mourn and a time to dance

(Ecclesiastes 3:1-4) 

As the tree sheds its leaves, often a shedding takes place in our lives that causes us pain. In my case, I made a difficult decision to leave a situation in my life that was not helping me. This has led to loss and a mourning of what use to be and has resulted in unrest and uncertainty. I've experienced cold and dark nights where I've been forced to become dependent on God through prayer, not knowing when difficulties will end and what the outcome will be.

Growth through pain

Naturally I don't always want to embrace the pain that is often associated with growth but through the storms, all I can do is hold on and be still and know that he is God (Psalm 40:10). 

Throughout it all God points me to his mercies by reminding me that "His grace is sufficient and his power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Perhaps God allows us to experience arid seasons for that reason - so we draw close to him. He swoops us up in his arms and tells us "to fear not for I AM with you"(Isaiah 41:10). See this is not some trite platitude from God because he really was with us and he really  did live like one of us. God gave up his rights in heaven and came down as flesh and experienced every human emotion we experience so that "we don't have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses" (Hebrews 4:15) but one who suffered in every possible way. Our true companion is Jesus who wants to walk with us in season and out of season.

Surviving the storm

Weathering the storm is not easy, it doesn't just happen but it takes intentionality. In the same way that squirrels gather acorns so they have enough food for winter. On better days, I make faithful deposits by investing in my relationship with God and filling myself with his meaty truths and promises so when the inevitable strikes, I can withdraw from a full bank having roots anchored in HIM. 

Ultimately, my pain without God is pointless but my pain with God is not, and is not without effect for "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purposes"(Romans 8:28)

I understand that this can only be fully understood backwards but this is where faith steps in. My faith gives me hope that by setting my mind on the Spring around the corner, I can endure - looking ahead to the harvest that's to come.

But made to thrive

You see, we were made not only to survive but to thrive and by coming to the true fountain of living water, this produces in us a long term effect. We replenish, we soak up fresh nutrients and in the doing so God produces flourishing fruit within us.

In many cases to yield good fruit, we need to do more than just shedding, a gruelling uprooting needs to take place in our lives and a replanting into fertile and healthy soil. 

This may mean fleeing the temptations that causes us to sin or escaping the weeds that compete for our joy.  Do you know if a shedding or more of an uprooting needs to take place in your life?

Start by giving up former ways of thinking and "be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2)

Letting go and trusting God

Autumn 2017 is almost here and dark nights are drawing in. Butfinally I see a ray of sunlight breaking through the clouds in my life that assures me that my patience in him was worth it. I'm trusting in the wise words of King Solomon - after weeping there will be a time to laugh, after mourning there will be a time to dance.

Letting go is not easy but journey with God and embrace this new season in your life. "Forget the former things, do not dwell in the past for I AM doing a new thing" (Isaiah 43:18)

By Ann Ajet

Starting Oct 3, Anne is helping lead the Alpha course, which includes a weekly meal and chance to explore life and the christian faith. Get in touch for more info.