Beckenham Baptist Church

Dear Friends You may be familiar with the hymn, ‘Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin?’ ( Baptist Praise and Worship 561). It was written by an Anglican bishop Edward Henry Bickersteth in 1875 whilst he was on holiday in Harrogate. He had been to church and the Vicar of Harrogate had preached on Isaiah 26:3, ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee’, noting that the word ‘perfect’ is not found in the original Hebrew but that ‘Peace, peace’ is twice repeated, but translated as ‘perfect peace’, and through his musings and thoughts on the sermon, Bickersteth wrote this hymn. Now Hebrew grammar does not have comparative and superlative adjectives like good , better , best , and to show degrees it just repeats the word, henc e ‘Peace, peace’. The word peace here in Hebrew is shalom , which is used as a greeting, but it is much more than a simple hello. Shalom means may you be filled with a complete and perfect peace and be full of well-being; may healt...

Dear Friends, This last week I have attended the Order for Baptist Ministry’s yearly Convocation which took place online over two days. I’ve been associated with the Order for several years and last year, at another online Convocation, I took my vows and commitments which are to live a life of prayer and discipleship, to covenant to maintain community in Christ with the Order, and to live a life according to the rule of life that the Order offers. Part of this is the saying of a Daily Office which includes these words under the title, Reflecting on our Roots . ‘Living God, enable us this day to be pilgrims and companions: committed to the way of the Christ, faithful to the call of Christ, discerning the mind of Christ, offering the welcome of Christ, growing in the likeness of Christ, engaging in the mission of Christ, in the world that belongs to Christ.’ The Convocation this year focused on being attentive to God, in the rhythms of grace in our vulnerability, to the world and plan...

  Dear Friends, As we celebrate another year in the life of Beckenham Baptist Church on this Anniversary Sunday and begin to look forward to the future seeking God’s direction and leading, I’m reminded of a quote from the former American President Dwight D. Eisenhower who said, ‘Plans are nothing, planning is everything’. We all like to make plans and know what the future, at least the short to medium term future, is going to look like for us. In his book Soul Fuel , the adventurer and TV personality, Bear Grylls, says, ‘When life is busy and our workload is full, we naturally have to make a lot of plans. But when we make plans for our lives, it matters that we try to do so with humility. You know the old expression: if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. Wisdom says to focus on our hearts before we focus on our plans’. In other words we need to be right with God before we step out in faith seeking his will and purpose for our lives. The prophet Jeremiah, in his lett...

  Dear Friends,  COP26 is here! Postponed from last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, some 25,000 delegates from nearly 200 countries and over 100 world leaders will meet in Glasgow for the two-week conference hosted by the UK. In the official COP26 booklet Alok Sharma, COP26 President, writes, ‘ COP26 needs to be decisive. Whether future generations look back at this time with admiration or despair, depends entirely on our ability to seize this moment.’ It also highlights four things that need to be achieved at the conference: a) secure global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach – countries are being asked to come forward with ambitious 2030 emissions reductions targets (NDCs) that align with reaching net zero by the middle of the century. b) adapt to protect communities and natural habitats – the climate is already changing and it will continue to change even as we reduce emissions, with devastating effects. c) mobilise finance – to realise these f...