Beckenham Baptist Church

  Thought for the Week: In her book, Music of Eternity – Meditations for Advent with Evelyn Underhill , spiritual director and retreat leader Robyn Wrigley-Carr explores the spirituality of this early 20 th Century writer and spiritual guide and writes of the presence of God as we embrace the coming of Jesus to earth and his continual coming to us every day. She says Underhill invites us to respond in worship as we adore God, seek to be humble, loving and forgiving and share the peace of Christ with others. Underhill writes, ‘The old mystics always insist that love and humility are sisters. As we learn about love, we seem to get smaller and smaller and the wonder of God to get greater and greater. The more we realise the fact of this love pouring out from the heart of God to draw all things… the deeper grows the love which is demanded from us in return’. As we once again remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, we thank God for his incredible act of love in giving his p...

  Dear Friends,  In his book ‘ Preparing for Christmas – Daily Meditations for Advent ’, the Franciscan priest and founder of the Centre for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Richard Rohr, reflects on the genealogy of Jesus at the beginning of Matthew’s gospel, and what he calls ‘the amazing thing of the deliberate inclusion of four foreign, non-Jewish women, of whom at least three were of easy virtue, or even public “sinners”’. In a piece entitled, ‘The Authority of Those Who have Suffered’, Rohr wonders why the gospel would risk such characters appearing in the list, concluding that ‘it clearly wanted to say that Jesus came from the ordinary, the human, the broken, the sinful suffering world, as all of us do. His birth accepted the full human condition, which becomes his first step toward the cross’. For Jesus, his authority is found in ‘the authenticity of his message and because of the transformative power of his journey through death to resurrection’....

  Dear Friends,  As you may be aware we are now the owners of a dog called Marlow, a cute fluffy Cavapoochon. One of the things that I’m discovering about owning a dog (and there are many things I’m discovering) is that he does like to come and sit next to me on the sofa, and when I say next to me, it is more like he is trying to sit on me, he is that close. The upside of course is that it is like having my own personal hot water bottle to keep me warm. In The Little Book of Advent , a collection of Bible readings, prayers and reflections for each day of Advent, in section called ‘God is near you’, David Adam who was the Vicar of Holy Island, Lindisfarne and published several books of prayers, reflected on Isaiah 43, where the Lord says, ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burne...

Dear Friends,  For the Advent season this year I’m using again The Little Book of Advent , complied by Canon Arthur Howells, it is described as ‘an indispensable collection of readings from some of the most celebrated modern-day spiritual writers’ including Henri Nouwen, Kathy Galloway, Jane Williams and David Adam. In a reflection entitled ‘Be Still’ by Michael Stancliffe, a Church of England priest who was a canon of Westminster Abbey, a former chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, and Dean of Winchester, he reflects on the prophet Elijah’s encounter with the Lord on Mount Horeb where God met him, ‘not in the roaring of the wind, nor in the commotion and convulsion of the earthquake, nor in the terrible power of the fire – but in a still, small voice’, and as Stancliffe, describes, Elijah ‘had reached the still point at the centre’. He says, ‘For the still centre is the source of all life and power and might… ‘Be still and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10) … We are t...

  Dear Friends, This week sees the beginning of the COP28 Climate Summit taking place at Expo City in Dubai. The conference runs from 30 th November until 12 th December and will be attended by a number of major world leaders, leading scientists, journalists, as well as members of the public. Themes being discussed will include food and agriculture, finance and accountability, technology and innovation, health and education, children and youth, gender and inclusion, and it is hope that there will be some positive progress on the state of the ‘Loss and Damage Fund’ that was established at COP27 in Egypt last year with the aim of assisting nations that are most vulnerable to the climate crisis. As this conference begins and many people will be looking with hope perhaps tinged with uncertainty and doubt about the future, I’m reminded of words from the Psalms, ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and establis...

Dear Friends,  In my daily Bible Study notes we have been thinking about ‘thankfulness’ and thanksgiving which enables us to look back and recall what God has said and done in our lives, to be grateful for what he is doing and what he has provided, and to look forward with grateful hope and expectation. We read in the apostle Paul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus, in a section about instructions for Christian living, that we should ‘be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Ephesians 5:18-20). That call to give ‘thanks to God for everything’ we sometimes may find difficult to do. When life is going well for us, thanksgiving to God may be easy, but what about when we are facing life’s challenges, or when we see around us those things that are destructive and unhealthy to ourselves and others, ...

  Dear Friends,  During this early part of the month of November we are drawn in the church calendar to ‘remembering’, and as a friend recently reminded me it is sometimes called ‘remembrancetide’. Some remember the saints of old in All Saints Day on November 1 st and others remember loved ones who have died on All Souls Day on November 2 nd . Perhaps our focus for remembering falls on November 11 th , Armistice Day, and November 12 th , Remembrance Sunday, when we will once again remember the fallen and all victims of war. We will call to mind the cost of wars and conflicts, both historic and present day, the huge numbers of precious lives lost and the damaging and lasting effects that such battles leave. It was the former prime minister Neville Chamberlain who is quoted as saying in 1938, ‘In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers.’ In the world today we need to redouble our efforts in working for peace and in praying for ...