All Saints Church

A New Website

2011-11-06T12:49:00.001Z

Well! You've found us here but we now have a new website

www.all-saints-church.net

If your browser is working correctly you should be re-directed in a few seconds - if not click on the link above!

Is this what Disciples are meant to look like?

2011-05-08T20:30:00.002+01:00

Kings

2011-05-07T23:26:00.002+01:00

Kings on Prezi

"Woodlands Model Village" Model Village

2011-03-25T18:55:00.000Z

Bible Themes: Sacrifice

2011-03-12T22:06:00.000Z

Sacrifice on Prezi

Sing Choirs of Angels!!

2010-12-20T22:03:00.000Z

This word cloud was created from the words of the carols and songs used at the 2010 Carol Service. Can I say here a very public Thank You to all the musicians and singers who made it such a special occasion.

From the tower

2010-12-03T16:03:00.000Z

Panorama of From the tower of All Saints on CleVR.com

Snowman Competition

2010-12-02T17:30:00.000Z

And the Chest!!!

2010-11-28T16:06:00.000Z

The Vicar having his legs waxed!!

2010-11-27T17:14:00.000Z

Here is the first video link of Stephen having his legs waxed. For more details see the post below. If you would like to donate (even just £1) then you can do that via Paypal. Again, see below

Vicar to lose his hair for a good cause

2010-11-16T11:11:00.000Z

On Saturday 27th November at Midday Rev Stephen Gardner, the Vicar of All Saints Church, Woodlands and Highfields, will be losing some hair to raise money for a good cause.

His wife Jacquie is going to Ethiopia in March 2011 on a trip organised by the aid agency Tearfund and the New Wine network of Churches. The trip will be focussed on supporting local Churches in Ethiopia with their work with the poorest parts of Ethiopian society, furthering the development work of Tearfund in the region and learning lessons from the Ethiopian Church to bring back to the UK as the Church nationwide looks to serve the poorest members of our society.

Rev Stephen Gardner will be having his legs waxed to raise money to support the costs of the trip and in order to be even handed he is also having his chest waxed to raise money for All Saints Church. The waxing will take place at midday at the All Saints Community Centre Christmas Fayre which opens from 11am to 2pm. Despite requests from various people to participate the waxing will be done by an expert – Laura from The Beauty Spot on the Great North Road in Woodlands.

If you would like to sponsor Stephen then donations can be made either at the Christmas Fayre or by using Paypal. This is a very secure method for sending payment over the internet. PAyment should be sent via Paypal to "stephen@gardnerfamily.co.uk" stating whether the sponsorship is towards the Tearfund appeal (Legs) or All Saints Church (Chest). If no preference is expressed then it will be assumed that the donation is to be equally split.

Someone should do something

2010-11-11T22:54:00.002Z

Is the Church sometimes a bit like this... someone needs to do something!

A look inside All Saints

2010-10-27T22:22:00.001+01:00

Panorama of All Saints on CleVR.com

Just wanted to let you know what Techno-Vicars do with their days off?!!

Coffee with Jesus

2010-10-20T19:24:00.002+01:00

Word Clouds

2010-10-15T23:21:00.004+01:00

You may have seen these in various newspapers or on the BBC website - you can make your own on www.wordle.net.

This is a word cloud of the section of Common Worship which covers services of Holy Communion.

The next image is from a report I prepared on "Visual Theology" for a conference I've just attended.

More may follow!!

A Carpet once again!!

2010-09-19T08:02:00.002+01:00

Phase 1 of the Community Rooms Project is nearing completion - just a few key jobs left to do before we can throw away our jugs and buckets, move into the new kitchen and invite people from the village to make use of the room.

Yesterday (and most of the previous week) we spent hours painstakingly cleaning the church, removing the layers of dust which have built up over the last 4 months of building work. Our signature red carpet is back down - this time not just for a wedding but for keeps. The cross from the communion table at St George's in Highfields is back in place now forming a central focus for the new rooms.

Come and have a look - you'll be amazed.

Also everyone is invited to our formal service of opening and dedication on All Saints Day - Monday 1st November - where we will be joined by the Rt Rev Cyril Ashton, Bishop of Doncaster.

Some big words but something to ponder

2010-07-04T08:05:00.003+01:00

A study of teeneagers in the United States described their faith as "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism." Ouch! I can barely pronounce it - but I read further and found this as the description of what most teenagers there believed.

The beliefs were as follows:
1. "A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth."
2. "God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions."
3. "The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself."
4. "God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem."
5. "Good people go to heaven when they die."

I find myself wondering how much of faith in our society today is based on the same set of beliefs!

If you like chewing on big words then the article is from The Christian Post.

May festival

2010-05-31T08:11:00.001+01:00

More about the community rooms soon but first some video from the Woodlands May Festival starring the All Saints Church Family

and then

A Time to build

2010-05-07T17:28:00.009+01:00

Work started this week on a project to build new Community Rooms at All Saints Church.

The three pictures below show the area before work started

Plans have been around for over 20 years to provide a kitchen with running water and drainage. The current toilets are totally unsuitable for disabled visitors and with a growing Church Family with lots of babies some changing facilities would be very nice.

The vision for the current project came from conversations with the Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT). All Saints Church family is comitted to serving the communities of Woodlands and Highfields (North of Doncaster), and as part of that we manage the All Saints Community Centre, which has been very successful in engaging with community groups. There was a growing need for additional Community rooms, which would complement the existing suite at the Community Centre and provide for a different and more discreet location.

All Saints also hosts the Woo dlands May Festival and over the last three years the need for improved facilities in the Church itself has become clear. The project provides Community Rooms with separate access, as well as enhanced facilities to enable the Worship Area of All Saints to host a variety of community events.

The work is funded by an £85,000 grant from CRT and a £5000 grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation and we are very grateful for their very generous support. The Grant team was led by Rev Philip Ireson, the Chaplain to HMP Doncaster, who is an associate minister at All Saints where he worships when "off duty".

The pictures below show the current progress - just four days after work started - with work proceeding for the steel superstructure that will support the upper room.

All Saints vision statement is "Knowing Jesus, Showing Jesus, Sharing Jesus"

We hope that this project will enable us to do that more effectively with enhanced facilities for community engagement with the additional benefit to the Church family of the improved facilities in the Church itself.

For any further information please contact the Vicar of All Saints, Rev Stephen Gardner on 01302 339618 or stephen@gardnerfamily.co.uk

Exile - more thoughts!

2010-04-19T15:06:00.004+01:00

How much would it take for God to put us on the naughty step?

I spent some time with another local church working on the story of Daniel, Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego, (Daniel 1 & Daniel 3 & Daniel 6).

I was pondering about these men of faith trapped in a country that didn't understand them, that sought to enforce a religous worldview that was contrary to their deeply held faith, that used the force of law to insist that they comply with the latest cultural religous shift. They were in Exile and they were called to stand firm in their faith and not sucumb. The words of Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego ring in my ears...

"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Then I began to wonder about the Christians in our nation being told that they cannot wear crosses, that they have to approve of lifestyle choices that the Bible speaks against, that they must accept the new "secular" religion of Diversity without question... or else. And I being to wonder - Are we IN Exile already? Are we the Daniels, Shadrach's Mesach's and Abednegos, called to stand firm, called to say we will not serve you and even if God doesn't deliver us still we will not serve anyone else?

Are we as a nation reaping the rewards of lifestyles which God warned againt - the love of money, the love of self, the love of things rather than people? Are we ON God's naughty step?

And then I remember the words that God spoke to Solomon as the first Temple was dedicated - "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chron 7:14) - and I know what I have to do, what I think we have to do - Humble ourselves, Pray, Seek his face, Turn from our wicked ways and wait for His mercy and His grace to flood our land!

Exile

2010-04-07T07:13:00.003+01:00

I've been thinking a lot recently about Exile. In the Old Testament - the first part of the Bible written before Jesus was born - God's people end up in exile. First the nothern tribes known as Israel and then the Southern tribe Judah.

I've been reading the books written by two prophets - Isaiah and now Jeremiah, and we spent a lot of time in church thinking about Isaiah in particular.

One image just won't go away. When Jacquie was preaching she compared God sending the nation into exile because it had fallen away from Him and betrayed His trust to a paretn putting their children onto "the naughty step".

I know, I know, we're not allowed to call it a Naughty step any more - a "Thinking Step" then.

God, having called a nation for His own, puts up with a lot of hassle. He sends preacher after preacher, prophet after prophet, sign after sign. He's counting 1...... 2......

And when He get's to three the people are off, onto the Naughty Step of exile for 70 years. He lets them be taken away from the land He has given them because they have failed him.

It got me thinking - What would it take for God to put us on the naughty step? At what point will Jesus say, "Enough!" Is it enough that we live in a time of Grace rather than Law? Because of what Jesus did on the Cross God's love and mercy are now the standards by which we are called to live, not the demands of the Law. Surely "Exile" is not part of God's plan?

And then a disturbing thought comes to me. I love my children, yet I will send them to the "Naughty", sorry, the "Thinking Step", even though I will forgive them when they say sorry, even though I will hug them when the time of "Thinking" and "Repenting" (saying sorry), is over. Even though I use Love and Mercy and Grace in trying to bring them up (or at least I try to), sometimes some "time out" is needed to help them understand what they have done.

How close are WE to God's naughty step?

Marriage - Maybe it does make sense

2010-02-23T13:55:00.002Z

These figures come from a group called the Jubilee Centre - reported in the Daily Mail. They make interesting reading.

I know there are lots of issues at work here - perhaps people with more stable relationships will tend to marry earlier and not cohabit - there are exceptions to every statistic, but this makes for sobering reading!

I'd be interested to know what people think!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Figures show that in 1992, 70 per cent of couples who had children after they were married stayed together until their child's 16th birthday.

This increased to 75 per cent in 2006, showing that marriage has become a more stable family background for youngsters.

However, only 36 per cent of cohabiting parents stayed together until their son or daughter reached 16 in 1992. By 2006, just 7 per cent of couples who were unmarried when their child was born were still cohabiting by their 16th birthday.

This figure excludes those couples who were just living together when their child was born and later got married.

Around three in five couples who stop cohabiting decide to marry. Of these just 17 per cent are still together by the time their child is 16, the report says.

The study, Cohabitation in the 21st Century, from Christian thinktank the Jubilee Centre

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Christmas at All Saints

2009-11-24T14:54:00.003Z

"It's the most wonderful time of the year" or so the song goes. So this Christmas why not take the Bethlehem Challenge. Forget Jeremy Clarkson in a clapped out old Alpha, or Captain Slow in something boring but reliable. Take a journey to Bethlehem, find out why wise men, shepherds, Angels and billions of people the world over think that a stable is the place to be this Christmas.

Sunday 29th November
6pm "From Darkness to Light" - readings and prayers for Advent

Sunday 6th December
6pm - "A Christmas Present" - Music and drama to unwrap Christmas

Saturday 19th December
10am- Noon - Carol singing on the shopfronts

Sunday 20th December
6pm - All Saints Community Carol Service - a traditional serice of lessons and carols with just a touch of Christmas Spice

Thursday 24th December - Christmas Eve
3pm - "The Bethlehem Challenge" - A Christmas Crib Service for the Whole family

Friday 25th December - Christmas Day
9:30am - Christmas Communion - "What God REALLY gave you for Christmas!"

This year let's take up the Bethlehem Challenge and find out what a real Christmas present looks like!!

Key facts about the Church of England - Interesting Reading

2009-10-05T14:02:00.001+01:00

Church attendance and visits

1.7 million people take part in a Church of England service each month, a level that has been maintained since the turn of the millennium. Around one million participate each Sunday.
3 million participate in a Church of England service on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve. Thirty-nine per cent of the population attend a Christmas service of some sort, rising to 43 per cent among households with children and, nationally, 23 per cent among those of non-Christian faiths.
The Church of England has the largest following of any denomination or faith in Britain today. Almost half the people in England regard themselves as belonging to the Church of England, while 7 in 10 consider themselves Christian.
People support their local churches in many different ways at different points in their lives. Each year 3 in 10 attend regular Sunday worship and almost half attend a wedding in their local church, while still more attend a funeral there
In 2007, 43 per cent of adults attended a church or place of worship for a memorial service for someone who has died and 20 per cent were seeking a quiet space. Both these proportions are increases on 37 per cent and 19 per cent respectively in 2003 and 29 per cent and 12 per cent respectively in 2001.
85 per cent of the population visit a church or place of worship in the course of a year, for reasons ranging from participating in worship to attending social events or simply wanting a quiet space.
Every year, around 12 million people visit Church of England cathedrals, including 300,000 pupils on school visits. Three of England's top five historic 'visitor attractions' are York Minster, Canterbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.

Education

Seven in ten (70%) of the population agree that Church of England schools have a positive role in educating the nation’s children.
One in four primary schools and one in 16 secondary schools in England are Church of England schools. Approaching one million pupils are educated in more than 4,700 Church of England schools.

Ministers

At the end of 2007, there were 20,355 ministers licensed by Church of England dioceses, including clergy, readers and Church Army officers: one minister for every 2,500 people in England. The total does not include almost 1,600 chaplains to prisons, hospitals, the armed forces and in education, nor around 7,000 retired ministers with permission to officiate.
The Church recommended 595 future clergy for ordination training in 2007, maintaining the upward trend since the mid-‘90s. In 1994, 408 candidates were recommended for training.
It ordained 552 new clergy in 2007, the highest number since the year 2000. Overall, 262 women and 290 men were ordained in 2007, with nearly half ordained to full-time, stipendiary ministry: 162 men and 102 women.

Community involvement

More people do unpaid work for church organisations than any other organisation. Eight per cent of adults undertake voluntary work for church organisations while sixteen per cent of adults belong to religious or church organisations.
A quarter of regular churchgoers (among both Anglicans and other Christians separately) are involved in voluntary community service outside the church. Churchgoers overall contribute 23.2 million hours voluntary service each month in their local communities outside the church.
The Church of England provides activities outside church worship in the local community for over half a million (515,000) children and young people (aged under 16 years) and 38,000 young people (aged 16 to 25 years). More than 136,000 volunteers run children / young people activity groups sponsored by the Church of England outside church worship.
Church of England congregations give more than £45 million each year to other charities - that's even more than the BBC's annual Children in Need appeal.
More than half a million worshippers subscribe to tax-efficient giving schemes such as Gift Aid, accounting for half the voluntary income of parish churches.

Church buildings

Nearly half the population (46%) think that central taxation, local taxation, the National Lottery or English Heritage should be ‘primarily’ responsible for providing money to maintain churches and chapels. These churches and cathedrals are largely supported by the efforts and financial support of local communities. Often, they are the focus of community life and service.
There are 14,500 places of worship in England listed for their special architectural or historic interest, 85 per cent of which belong to and are maintained by the Church of England.
The Church of England has more than 16,000 churches, serving every inch of the country and open to every local inhabitant. There are 42 mainland cathedrals, plus one in Peel on the Isle of Man and the Diocese in Europe’s cathedral in Gibraltar.
People value their local church and 72% consider it an important part of their local community: 58% believe it makes their neighbourhood a better place to live and 63% would be concerned if the local church was not there. Those who would be concerned include 38% of people with no religion and 38% of adherents of other faiths.
Three church and cathedral locations are World Heritage Sites: Durham Castle and Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey & St Martin's Church, and Westminster Abbey and St Margaret’s Church.
Necessary repairs to all listed places of worship in England have been valued at £925m over the next five years, or £185m a year. £110 million is currently spent on repairs to Church of England churches per annum, 70% of it raised by the congregations and local community.

Sources:

Church Statistics 2003/4, 2004/5, and 2006/7

Opinion Research Business national polls 2000-2007

English Heritage and Church of England Cathedral and Church Buildings Division Joint Research

Church Life Survey 2001

Micah's Gang - Checlk out our portfolio

2009-06-19T22:52:00.001+01:00

Check out Micah's Blog http://micahsgang.blogspot.com

This is the new Bishop of Sheffield - Steven Croft - Fantastic talk!

2009-05-12T11:53:00.004+01:00

2009-04-09T07:34:00.000+01:00

2009 - and counting!

2009-01-12T23:55:00.002Z

I said to the man
who stood at the gate of the year,
'Give me a light that I may tread safely
into the unknown.'
And he replied ,
'Go out into the darkness
and put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you
better than light
and safer than a known way !'
So I went forth
and finding the Hand of God,
trod gladly into the night .
And he led me towards the hills
and the breaking of day in the lone East.

Minnie Louise Harkins 1875-1957

Whatever 2009 holds,
whatever struggles we will face,
whatever joys we will encounter,
whatever people come our way,
whatever work needs doing,
wherever we go,
wherever life may take us
we know that God will be with us
as long as we choose not to let go of his hand.

Let's face the adventure of a New Year determined to Know Jesus better,
to Show Jesus through our love for one another and our community
and to Share Jesus with everyone that we may meet.

All Saints Calendar of Events

2009-01-01T00:01:00.002Z

Shall we cancel Christmas this year??

2008-12-02T18:27:00.001Z

Chick Yuill shared this on Good Morning Sunday on BBC Radio 2 - I wanted to share it with you

"When I got to the ripe old age of 40 I seriously thought about cancelling my birthdays for the rest of my life. You know the feeling – you just don’t want to be reminded that you’re getting older – but I soon changed my mind on that one – it wasn’t just the presents – it was the fact that I realised that that’s what birthdays are all about – getting older I mean

It’s a chance to look back, to remember the good times and the not so good and to take a deep breath and head into the next year. So I’m not cancelling my birthdays.

I feel the same about Christmas. Sometimes you think you should just ignore it – cancel the festive season, money’s tight, it’s become too commercialised, things are hard, a friendship has broken up, we’ve lost someone very close to us, we’re uncertain about the future, we feel guilty about celebrating when there’s so much to be concerned about.

But that’s exactly why we shouldn’t cancel the yuletide festivities. Christmas is not an attempt to escape from the problems for a couple of days. Christmas is all about the fact that love breaks through all those things, transforms them, makes sense of them.

We celebrate the season because a young peasant girl, whose fiancée almost broke off their engagement, gave birth to a baby, without the help of a midwife, in an outhouse, in the busyness of a Roman census, in an out of the way town, in the back of beyond – and in all that confusion the Christ-child was born – Love came down at Christmas as the carol reminds us.

So let’s not cancel Christmas, let’s make it a time to pause, to give thanks and to believe again in the Love that is greater than all the problems of life."

With every blessing for a Happy and Holy Christmas

Operation Christmas Child

2008-11-13T09:42:00.002Z

Today 163 shoeboxes will start their journey to transform a child's Christmas - THANK YOU!

Which bus to catch?

2008-10-25T20:27:00.003+01:00

You might have heard about this bus...

Or would you like this bus instead...

You Choose!!

Just watch it!

2008-09-13T22:00:00.001+01:00

Do you like stories?

2008-09-06T22:05:00.001+01:00

I do. I love stories - I love the fact that Jesus did a lot of his teaching using stories - I love the fact that so much of my role as a vicar is telling stories - stories about what Jesus did, as recorded in the bible, but also the stories of what Jesus is doing - here and now in Woodlands and Highfields. It is great fun to be talking to someone who has pretty much dismissed God as a relevant part of modern life and then to tell them the stories of what He is doing here and now - broken shoulders, withered hands, people being set free from things that have held them for years - even down to the story of our stolen sat nav (ask me if you haven't heard!!).

Someone asked me a very challenging question recently - "How old is your most recent story of what God has done?"

The question stopped me dead! How old is my most recent story - a week, a month, a year - Am I still telling a story from 10 years ago because it shows how amazing God is or because I haven't paid much attention to what he is doing today. Do I bring out the same testimony each time because I've let myself drift away from what God is doing.

How old is your most recent story? I was challenged. Should it be within the last month, the last week, the last few days - or should I be expecting God to do or say something for me or for others each and every day that I can then share to show how much God loves each and every person who lives in these villages.

Quite a challenge! I'll keep working on my response - what about yours!??

Giant of Faith

2008-08-06T18:00:00.001+01:00

This song raised the roof at New Wine North and East at the Newark Showground

Six Weeks!!!!!

2008-08-04T21:38:00.001+01:00

Every year parents all over the country get to a point where they need a rest - the terms have been long and hard - the struggle to balance childcare and home time takes its toll - the pressures of work in all it's forms demand a time to recharge, re-energise and relax. So what happens..?

The schools close and the kids spend 6 weeks at home - 6 WEEKS!!!! - As a child I looked forward to the holidays but as an adult - 6 WEEKS!!! - it's CRIMINAL.

Joking aside - rest is an important part of our lives. Our bodies are designed to need rest every day - if we are doing it right nearly a third of our lives are spent in bed asleep. We need a daily pattern of rest. God ordained a weekly pattern of rest - "for 6 days you shall labour but the seventh day is to be a day of rest" - He knew that we needed times to rest, to have fun, to enjoy. Sadly in our modern lifestyles that idea of rest has gone - I'm not talking about the "Keep Sunday Special" campaign or the Scottish Presbyterian stereotype "You shall sit still on a Sunday unless you are in Church and you shall not do anything fun at all" - I'm talking about the fact that many lives are so pressured that we don't have time in families simply to enjoy time together, playing, talking, walking, whatever.

There is a balance between Work and Rest and our society is losing it. Sometimes the Church can lose it too. We see fun and enjoyment and relaxation as being "Unspiritual" - either in worship or in family life. I long for us all to rediscover the gently swinging pendulum between work and rest - this summer to find times simply to rest and to enjoy spending time together as families and as the church family.

So this summer I want to give you freedom from guilt about taking time out to rest - that's why our evening and midweek services won't happen again until September - try and find the God who created laughter, who put beautiful views at the tops of mountains, who made the sea to play on the beach and the sand to be perfect for sandcastles and who said "Come unto me all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest"

Ignorance is Bliss

2008-08-04T21:37:00.001+01:00

"Ignorance is Bliss" goes the old phrase - my response is "If that is true, why aren't there more happy people around!".

A curious way to start I know, but I've been struck over the last few weeks by the way some people behave. On four separate occasions when out with our two sons in town we've stood to one side to let someone come past us - usually when we could have kept going but I decided to teach our children the manners I was taught at their age. On these four occasions the people we let through said absolutely nothing - they saw us and what we did and chose to ignore us completely. One of the stall holders in the market even commented to us on the rudeness of the person in question - they had seen what we had done - and they went on to say they saw it all the time.

I hear a lot said these days about the way that young people have no respect at all - yet each of the four people we encountered were over 50. I know that there are problems, many of them in this village - the new play area has already sprouted the usual "Kaz luvs Kev" graffiti, much to my sorrow - but can we expect respect from a generation who are shown none? If those of us who are adults chose not to acknowledge the times that children and young people show us respect, how can we expect them to continue so to do?

Recently a team of seven young men and women from the Adwick Detachment of the Army Cadet Force were our waiters and waitresses at a meal for Bishop Jack and his wife Judith - many commented at their attitude and politeness - it stands in marked contrast to the attitude of many adults in our community.

Our children look to us to set an example - the book of Proverbs says "Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it." Perhaps before we criticise the children and young people of this generation we should take a long hard look at the example we, and our society, have set them.

Knowing God as Lover

2008-06-22T15:50:00.003+01:00

Latest Sermon from All Saints - Part of our Knowing God series

For more sermons see the link on the right ->

Something amazing...

2008-05-24T15:33:00.002+01:00

A little while ago I went to a Church Leader's conference in Harrogate organised by New Wine - which is a family of Churches from many different denominations. At one of the sessions we were talking about praying for people to be healed - the leader offered to pray with someone and he asked if anyone had one leg shorter than the other - such that they needed inserts.

A young lady responded and someone took a video of what we saw - I stood and watched this happen in front of my eyes.

The following day we spoke to Fran - who told us she was a presenter for the BBC - her story is also on the BBC Website.

Many people dismiss Christian healing with talk about the "power of the mind" or "a positive mental attitude". I don't really think that a positive attitude can make someone's leg grow 1.5" - for me that is a miracle and miracles speak of God!

Eat a peck of dirt....

2008-05-20T15:25:00.002+01:00

"Don't pick that up!" I hear myself saying, "It's not clean!"

With two boys dirt sort of comes as part of the package in our family! I shouldn't really complain (even though I do)as I remember coming home one day late for lunch, covered in mud, having been playing on "the banking" - the old disused railway cutting at the end of our road.

Dirt gets everywhere, along with melted chocolate, honey shreddies and the feathers that came off the latest offering from the cats to their beloved owners! It seems a never ending task to get rid of it.

Our world can feel a bit like that: no matter what we do, no matter how good we try to be, how faithful to God's word we seek to be, we end up getting soiled by the world. It would be better just to leave well alone - only to spend time with people who want to "stay clean" - wouldn't it? It is so easy to pull up the drawbridge, or circle the wagons, or set the security cameras and avoid the rest of humanity at all costs.

Under the covenant God made through Moses, if a leper (someone with an incurable skin disease) touched you, you were declared "unclean" - you couldn't join the rest of society until you had been purified - which took some time!

Yet under God's New Covenant, shown through Jesus, when a leper is touched they become clean - grace and righteousness are infectious, not sin and disease.

Too often, I think, we keep ourselves away from the world - afraid of being "contaminated". Yet I strongly believe that it is those who have put their trust in Jesus who are the "infectious" ones. It is those people who are prepared to go out and spend time amongst the "tax collectors and sinners" - as the Bible describes those in Jesus' day rejected by the "religious people" - who are the infectious people whom God can use to change the world.

Which do we believe? That we can be infected by sin, or that we are called to infect the world with righteousness. Which covenant do you believe? It's time to choose!

You're having a laugh!

2008-04-03T15:21:00.003+01:00

What makes you laugh?

Victoria Wood, Allo Allo, Carry On, League of Gentleman, Harry Hill or the Radio 4 Comedy Zone? But then again - why do we laugh? No evolutionary biologist has ever explained to me sufficiently the human ability to roll on the floor laughing at seemingly nothing - a play on words or a misquotation. Where is the advantage in using energy in this way? Then again what is the evolutionary advantage of stopping to admire a beautiful sunset - surely the only advantage of Early Man (or Woman) stopping to stare at the colours of evening would be to any passing predator who would take advantage of the distraction to help themselves to a juicy meal!! Being lost in wonder or joy is certainly not a survival trait - is it?

One of the things whcih convinces me of the existence of a loving creator is the existence of Joy and Wonder - without Joy our lives would be dull, without wonder a stunningly boring monotone of harsh reality. I am delighted that our children know how to use the word "Wow!" and know how to giggle!

This month of April starts with a festival of Joy - Easter - the joy of the resurrection promising us resurrection, the wonder of the empty tomb showing us the depths of God's love. Also that great festival of Joy marked by April 1st (By the way - don't believe EVERYTHING that you read on the internet!) and then the joy of April Lambs and fluffy chicks.

This April give thanks to God that he created us as creatures of joy and wonder - He shared that part of his nature with us for sure - what else would God have been doing on the very first April 1st than creating the Duck Billed Platypus - was there a glint in His eye when He wondered what the evolutionary biologists would make of that one!

Have a Joy filled April

Some ideas

2008-04-01T15:21:00.003+01:00

For some time we have been exploring ways for the Church roof to generate money for the church rather than the other way round. To this end we are examining the following proposal.

If you have any comments please do pass them on.

He did it for you too...

2008-03-04T23:43:00.005Z

What a month!

2008-03-01T11:49:00.002Z

March has happened at an odd time this year - I know that sounds strange but for me it's true. As we begin March we have the earliest Mothering Sunday I can ever remember - what will the local lads do when there are no Daffodils in the village gardens or verges to take home for Mum! Then before the month is out Easter is upon us - the schools staying open until Maundy Thursday to eke out the last few possible days of the spring term.

The whole of the Christian year is compacted to a month - on Mothering Sunday we reflect on the life of Mary and on her acceptance of her part in God's plan - to bear the infant Jesus into the world. We then walk the darker road that leads to Jerusalem and to Gethsemane where Jesus himself struggles with his doubts and fears as he contemplates the full implications of God's plan, of His plan to save the world. In our minds we will walk with Him on the final road to Golgotha - the place of the skull - and together "survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died".

Then in the silence and stillness of Saturday we wait as the disciples waited, but we wait not in fear but in hope and in joy to celebrate the truth that the tomb was empty on that first Easter morning, to quote the words of a modern hymn "Death is dead, Love has Won, Christ has conquered!".

In one month we follow again the story of God's love for us, from birth to death to a life that will never end. I want to encourage us to walk together this March - to remember the truth of God's loving purposes for us.

What a month lies ahead!

Who cares?

2008-02-02T21:23:00.000Z

The end of January is said to be the worst time of the year - days are dark and gloomy - the reality of the Christmas excesses has hit the bank statment and the bathroom scales - broken toys and new years resolutions litter the house. It's not a good time of year. Even the snowdrops and daffodils are a few weeks away. Yet I am full of excitement and hope as I look into February and the weeks ahead.

Over the last few months amazing things have happened in our church family, shoulders and withered hands being healed, the start of The 3:15 Community in Highfields, the amazing answers to prayer which have completely surrounded Jacquie's operation in mid-January - I am writing this article from the desk of the vicar of All Saints Church... in Islington, a friend whom I had never met until Joshua. Joel and I descended on their home to take up an amazing offer of hospitality just 15 minutes journey from the hospital.

If as you stand and look at 2008 with "end-of-January" eyes and heart just remember that we put our trust in a God who cares - who cares about shoulders and hands, who cares about hearts and lives, who cares about tube times and parking spaces, who cares about each and every one of us - deeply, passionately, truly - who cares even when we don't - who cared enough to become one of us.

Lent is not far away - let's take this time in the Church's year to remember a God who cares... and who acts. And let us do the same!

We are not alone!

2007-12-10T19:51:00.000Z

I hate being on my own - not those wonderful few minutes of peace just after the kids have gone to school, but those times when either my wife or I are away and I have to spend an evening on my own. Jokes on the telly don't seem as funny, the house doesn't seem to be as warm, I go to bed much later than normal. It's natural - human beings are made to need one another - it's the way we are wired.

There are some who would say that we are alone in the universe - that human beings are here by an accident of nature (or the demands of evolution) and that is it - we are alone - there is nothing more than what we see and hear - there is no "spiritual" reality beyond our own minds and hearts.

But then in my mind I see a stable, a young woman - barely old enough to be married - giving birth to her first child in absolute poverty, I see strange visitors - educated men bringing strangely meaningful gifts; shepherds, their faces aglow with the light of a million angels sent to share the good news, "Today in David's town is born a Saviour;" I hear the angel's words to the baby's mother - "He shall be called Jesus, for he shall save his people" - and then the echo of the words of a godly man from many hundreds of years before who said this baby would be called "Emmanuel" which means "God with us."

The Christmas story is an amazing example of the truth that we are not alone - that a God who cared about those he had made was prepared to become part of His own creation; to save it from its selfishness and its greed; to be with us - with us when the day is bright, with us when the dark times come, with us when we get up, with us when we go to bed.

This is the truth which I see written in a baby's smile in a cattle trough in Bethlehem - we are not alone - God is with us - Forever.

Happy Christmas

Light on the horizon...

2007-11-25T19:49:00.000Z

It is the least favourite part of Autumn in our house - Christmas is too far away for the children (and too close for the Vicar!!), the days are cold, damp and windy, the trees have dropped their leaves and the beautiful autumn colours are now just another garden nightmare. It's cold but not frosty with that wonderful winter sun. There is far too much to do without any of the fun bits on the horizon. We can't wait for Winter to arrive properly with Christmas hard on its heels.

The worst part is that the light has gone - days are drear and grey, evenings are dark - those of us who rise early are up before the Sun and it goes long before the kids are settled - the long summer evenings in the garden with a cold beer are a distant memory - all we can look forward to is a cup of cocoa huddled round the fire. SAD is a big problem - not depression but Seasonally Affected Disorder - the lack of sun affects many people, making them really unwell - for the rest of us there is a general increase of grumpiness fuelled by the endless round of colds.

Yet into this darkness comes the faintest glimmer of hope - a star began to brighten in the sky announcing the end of a long darkness, academics began heroic journeys to find it's source, a young woman waited for the time to come for the birth of her firstborn child. We too wait - we wait for the celebrations to begin, but also perhaps we are hoping for light to come into our darkness, for a liberator to come, a saviour - "the light shines in the darkness..." - are you still waiting for the light?

Happy Halloween?

2007-10-02T22:43:00.000+01:00

October is here and the nights are growing darker. Before long the clocks will change and it will be dusk before teatime!

Our Supermarket shelves are growing darker too. Halloween is on its way. Halloween - from All Hallow's Eve - was a great festival day for the church. On All Saints day Christians still celebrate men and women of faith who have been an example and an encoragement to us.

I can remember fancy dress parties full of pirates and soldiers and superheroes, a few skeletons (still the best costume my Mum ever made) and the odd vampire with plastic teeth from the little stall in the Corn Exchange.

Today however the choice seems to be between the most gruesome and terrifying images. Our children are encouraged to dress as if they were in the worst horror films by supermarkets with big advertising budgets.

I'm not against parties and fun at Halloween but maybe this year we can rediscover the fun part of the festival - lets make it a festival of light not of darkness - of joy instead of fear - lets leave the horror to Stephen King and celebrate all that is good in this community.

Happy All Hallow's Eve

Harvest Supper and Chocolate Puddings

2007-09-30T13:34:00.000+01:00

Well it's been a while since I posted but by popular demand here is the receipe for the Chocolate pudding which took our Harvest Supper by storm

Debden Chocolate Pudding

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour
Cool Time: 1 hour
Pre heat oven to 170°C or Gas Mark 3

Ingredients for 6-8 people
4oz/100-125g Plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6oz/175g Granulated sugar
1oz/25g Plain Chocolate-melted
2 tbsp butter - melted
1/4 pint/150ml Milk
2oz/50g brown sugar
2oz/50g caster sugar
3 tbsp cocoa
6 fl oz/175ml cold water

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.

Stir in the granulated sugar, melted chocolate and melted butter.

Blend in the milk.

Pour the mixture into a buttered 1.5 pint/850ml ovenproof dish.
Sprinkle over the top the brown sugar, caster sugar and cocoa in separate layers.
Pour over the cold water (yes pour over the cold water and don't fret!!)

Bake in a pre-heated oven for 1 hour.

A layer of chocolate fudge sauce will form under the sponge topping as the pudding cooks. Let the pudding cool for an hour before serving but do not chill.

Serve with whipped cream or ice-cream

(though it is also rather nice with custard!)

Enjoy!

Something to make you think...

2007-03-23T16:47:00.000Z

If you want a Bishop's response to the introduction of the SORs (Sexual Orientation Regulations) then you would have to go a long way before you get one better than that of Bishop Mike Hill, the Bishop of Bristol. Check out his blog here.

Bethlehemian Rhapsody

2007-03-20T19:49:00.000Z

Some things are just too good not to share. Thanks to an old friend, Ian, the Youth Officer at the Diocese of Oxford who has an excellent blog where I found this.

And the Lyrics...

2007-03-20T19:48:00.000Z

The soundtrack for the video clip in the next post is by a band called Apologetix who have written some excellent parodies of 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's music - lyrics below courtesy of Lyrics Download

Is this a real guy? Is he just fantasy?
‘Cause of his grand size, no one’s safe from fatality
Open your eyes, look up at Goliath, and see:
GOLIATH:
I’m dressed for war boys, I need no infantry
Because I’ll meet the one you propose
Israelites, pick my foe
Anyway, I’ll win, so it doesn’t matter to me
DAVID:
Mama, there’s still no man who can come against this threat
You might figure now we’re dead
Mama, Goliath is testing us
And know he’s gonna know they’re all afraid
Mama, he’s a mean and crazy guy
He’ll come back again this time tomorrow
Daring us, Scaring us- cause he wants to meet in battle
Hooray! My time has come
Been a shepherd all my life-but I’m taking on this giant
Goodbye, everybody – but not for long
God will lead me all the while I face this brute
C’mon (David you’re a whimp though) I’m not gonna die
The One who wins my battle is Lord over all
GOLIATH:
I see a little silly shepherd, not a man
What are you trying to prove? You’ll be chewed up and mangled!
Send a boy to fight me? A very very tiny flea!
DAVID:
Gol-la-liath! Gol-la-liath! Gonna die you big galoot!
I’ll kick your butt!
I trust the Lord but nobody trusts me
CROWD:
He trusts the Lord but suffers from insanity
Daring to fight ‘gaist this monstrosity
DAVID:
Evil comes, evil goes- you will get deposed
GOLIATH:
I will not, no! I will not get deposed
DAVID:
Yes, you will (repeat) Your head will roll
GOLIATH:
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
Come-to-me-a! Come-to-me-a! Let the eagles pick your bones
Beelzebub and his devils gonna fight for me for me for me
DAVID:
So you think you can scorn me and spit on my tribe?
So you think you’re above me just based on your size?
Oh, baby…. you ain’t just duelin’ David
You’e gonna get it now- cause God’ll win my battle here
CROWD:
Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!
DAVID:
Guys I’m really flattered-yet it wasn’t me
God wins every battle- God wins every battle for me
VOICE:
David will be king soon

More Sermons to download

2007-02-07T22:24:00.000Z

There are some more sermons available to download - just follow the link on the right to our E-snips gallery.

The sermons include a 4 part series on the Beatitudes from Matthew Chapter 5.

More Amour!

2007-02-03T21:38:00.000Z

Well February is upon us - the month for Luuuurve! (Well how else do you do a Barry White impression in print?) Valentines day is nearly upon us and before long a whole aisle of Asda will go red with hearts and cards and vastly overpriced red roses. Sadly one of the extra elements creeping into Valentines day in recent years is also red, but has horns and a trident. Not content with Halloween the demon is mounting a takeover bid for the feast of St Valentine. Cute cuddly demons - talking of "being naughty" or "wicked" but an image of a demon nonetheless.

So what about poor old St Valentine - what has he got to do with Luuurve? Well, not much really. The 5th Century Pope who established the feast in Valentine's honour said his acts of courage were "known only unto God" and all the legends about Valentine arose in the middle ages when he became associated with romantic love. So why celebrate the day at all?

I'd like to suggest two reasons - firstly I don't think I'm ready yet to abandon St Valentine to be the patron saint of cuddly demons and secondly I think that a day when we celebrate all that is best about romantic love is no bad thing. After all romance (and its ensuing activities) were God's idea in the first place - He created us male and female - He gives us guidance on the ways in which this sort of love should be expressed and He made sure that the Song of Songs was included in scripture.

So this February let's avoid the demons and celebrate God's wonderful gift of love - given to men and women to enjoy together.

Unresolved Resolutions

2007-01-05T12:47:00.000Z

New year - a time for turkey curry, cold weather and resolutions! New Year resoutions are funny things - I like them, because they give me a nudge to change a bad habit or to establish a good one - but I also hate them because I feel dreadfully guilty if I either don't make some or if I fail come mid-January!

But the New Year is a good time to take stock - to look back on what God has done in the past year and to look forward to what He is going to do. 2006 was a mixed year with all sorts of exciting things happening and then there were some struggles with Church family members being ill and some dear friends who have gone on ahead of us into glory! Ups and downs - highs and lows - yet through it all we can say one thing "God is good" - even in the difficult times God has been at work amongst us - building us into the family he longs for us to be.

I wonder what God's New Year Resolution for All Saints might be - where he is planning to lead us in 2007. What has God got in store for you this year? It would be great to know what is coming - what special times lie ahead - yet it would be awful to see the sad times before they come. Perhaps waiting for God to reveal things in His time is the best - even if it is a bit scary waiting!

So at the start of this new year the call is to put our trust in God, to rely on his promises not our fears and to know that "He will never leave us nor forsake us". Wherever God leads we will follow as best we can, knowing that He will give us the strength and the gifts we need along the way.

"I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'
And he replied, 'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!'

So I went forth and finding the hand of God
Trod gladly into the night
He led me towards the hills
And the breaking of day in the lone east."

Advent Calendars!

2006-11-20T22:29:00.000Z

When I was little Advent Calendars were of two types: The first type was the "non-religious" where the pictures which were revealed were of snowmen and parcels and Santa Claus and robins - even if the picture on the front was vaguely "religious" the innards certainly weren't! The second type was the "religious" type which usually had either a very arty nativity or a cartoon Bethlehem scene on the front and pictures of angels or wise men or shepherds or donkeys. If it was a particularly "religious" calendar then on the inside of the doors there would be one of the familiar Christmas verses

These days there is one qualifying factor for Advent calendars - they have to provide huge quantities of chocolate for every day of December. If they are particularly indulgent then there is an extra chocolate for Christmas Day (Horror of horrors - my advent calendars used to stop at number 24!!!) and even an extra countdown to the New Year.

It got me thinking about Christmas and how we prepare for the celebration. Are we like the first type of calendar with vaguely religious intentions but then we give in to robins and tinsel. Or are we like the second type where December is a month to be religious, to remember the familiar words and stories but then when January comes its back to normal. Or maybe Christmas is just a time to party - lots and lots of chocolate and then an extra party for New Year.

This December why not try something different - why not take a few minutes in and amidst the busyness to wonder why God should choose to be one of us, to become a baby, to live and care and heal and ultimately to die - the Bible says so that we could live life to the full.

So are we headed for a traditional December? I hope not!

Forgiveness

2006-11-07T23:33:00.000Z

Hmm. Have you ever struggled to forgive someone, or perhaps to be forgiven. Stephen preached on Sunday about this as part of our being the body series - check out the sermon using the "sermon downloads" link in the column on the right!

Sermons

2006-10-23T23:16:00.000+01:00

If you want to hear a sermon again then click here or click on the link on the right of the blog!

Remembering

2006-10-23T21:40:00.000+01:00

November is a time for remembering. We start the month with the annual competition to let off the biggest firework (with bonus points if you do it after midnight) in memory of Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators who attempted to blow up King James. Then comes a more solemn time when we wear our poppies and pause on the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month to remember the men and women who gave their lives in two World Wars and in many conflicts since. Later in the month on the evening of Sunday 19^th at All Saints Church we will take time to remember our loved ones have died when we gather to remember and to think and to cry.

You may have read the article in the Brodsworth Informer or the Highfields Village Chimes where I talked about my search for records of my Great Uncle Clifford. As a family all we had was a memorial plaque and the memory of my Grandma saying that he died in the war. Yet we knew that would have been barely 16 when the war ended. I tried for nearly 5 years to find records of Clifford, yet I couldn’t. Then I found an entry in the registers on-line which gave me hope. I sent for the death certificate and found that Private Reed, of the 3^rd East Yorkshire Regiment died in 1919, aged just 17. “I’ve found him”, was all I could say as I held the piece of paper.

Remembering, I discovered, is not something that just happens. It’s something we have to work at – whether remembering failed plots and treason, or loved ones, or brave young men and women. If we simply rely on them coming to mind then eventually the remembering will stop. We need to be deliberate about remembering.

The same is true of our faith – the Christian faith is about remembering – remembering that God created the world, that He loves each one of us so much that He came to save us – remembering His death and resurrection with the symbols of bread and wine – remembering that He is here now through his Holy Spirit. We need to be deliberate about telling the story of God, not just waiting for it to come up in conversation or in our homes, but actively remembering, reminding ourselves and others of the Good News – allowing God to make it real again in our hearts and minds.

November is a time for remembering. The hope we have comes from remembering God’s faithfulness in the past and then looking ahead to the future that he has promised.

Will your anchor hold?

2006-09-04T23:28:00.000+01:00

In loving memory of Gladys - A lady whose anchor held firm to the end and who is now safe in God's hands

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll;
Fastened to the rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love!

Will your anchor hold in the straits of fear?
When the breakers roar and the reef is near;
While the surges rave, and the wild winds blow,
Shall the angry waves then your bark o’erflow?

Will your anchor hold in the floods of death,
When the waters cold chill your latest breath?
On the rising tide you can never fail,
While your anchor holds within the veil.

Will your eyes behold through the morning light
The city of gold and the harbour bright?
Will your anchor safe by the heavenly shore,
When life’s storms are past for evermore?
------------
Just a question - where are you anchored?

Is there more to life than this?

2006-05-29T11:13:00.000+01:00

It's a good question.

Is there more to life than eat, sleep, work, shout at the kids, be shouted at by your wife/husband/parents/children?

Is there more to life than just what we can see?

Some people ask the question and despair because they haven't found an answer.

In the Autumn of this year there is a chance to explore the meaning of life;

to ask questions;

to talk.

At All Saints we are going to run an Alpha Course - which provides a very easy way to explore together some of the big questions of life

Questions about suffering, about religion, about faith, about how to cope with life as we know it, maybe even questions about God!

So watch out for more information over the coming months and maybe you could find out if there is more to life than this!

Up, In, Out

2006-05-21T13:43:00.000+01:00

Well, the Sunday after Easter Day is traditionally called Low Sunday - why that is I'm not sure but the modern take on it is that the congregation is usually very "low" in numbers.

This year our beloved Local Education Authority decided to put the two week Easter school holiday before Easter so it was back to work in a hurry on Easter Tuesday!!

Hence the long break in the blog - blame it on post Easter chocolate poisoning!!

So what's with the title - well over the last few weeks we've been learning about "Lifeshapes" a resource developed by Walt Kallestad and Mike Breen (former Rector of St Thomas' Church, Crookes, Sheffield).

The shapes are simple - you'll find a summary here - but they really help in living a Jesus-centred life.

Today we were thinking about the Triangle and about a truly balanced Christian life -

Up - our relationship with God - how we worship, pray, and learn to be God's friends
In - our relationships with each other - how we show love for one another in the church family
Out - our relationship with the world - how we share the good news of God's love with others

At All Saints we've been thinking about how these relate to us

UP - the word was "Listen" - we need to learn how to listen to God, not just telling Him what we think but taking time to listen to Him and what He says

IN - the word was "Love" - obvious but not easy - Loving everyone, even people that you really don't like - "Love your enemies" Jesus said - easy to say but to do it...

OUT - the word was "Go" - again obvious but have a read of the following story

Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry.

Week after week, month after month, and year after year, those who called themselves fishermen met in meetings and talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how they might go about fishing. Year after year, they carefully defined what fishing means, defended fishing as an occupation, and declared that fishing is always to be a primary task of fishermen.

These fishermen built large, beautiful buildings for local fishing headquarters. The plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and every fisherman should fish.

One thing they didn't do, however; they didn't fish.

In addition to meeting regularly, they organized a board to send out fishermen to other places where there were many fish. The board was formed by those who had the great vision and courage to speak about fishing, to define fishing, to promote the idea of fishing in faraway streams and lakes where many other fish of different colors lived. Also the board hired staff and appointed committees and held many meetings to define fishing, to defend fishing, to decide what new streams should be thought about.

But the staff and committee members did not fish.

Large, elaborate, and expensive training centres were built whose original and primary purpose was to teach fishermen how to fish. Over the years courses were offered on the needs of the fish, the nature of fish, how to define fish, the psychological reactions of fish, and how to approach and feed fish. Those who taught had doctorates in "fishology."

But the teachers did not fish. They only taught fishing.

Further, the fishermen built large printing houses to publish fishing guides. Presses were kept busy day and night to produce materials solely devoted to fishing methods, equipment, and programs, to arrange and encourage meetings, to talk about fishing. A speakers' bureau was also provided to schedule special speakers on the subject of fishing.

After one stirring meeting on "The Necessity of Fishing," one young fellow left the meeting and went fishing. The next day he reported that he had caught two outstanding fish.

He was honored for his excellent catch and scheduled to visit all the big meetings possible to tell how he did it. So he quit his fishing in order to have time to tell about the experience to the other fishermen. He was also placed on the Fisherman's General Board as a person having considerable experience.

Jesus said "I will make you fishers of men"

Have you been fishing lately?

Thinking outside the box!

2006-04-18T21:27:00.000+01:00

Easter!

I like Easter. Perhaps more than Christmas now that I'm all grown up and have to worry about how much presents cost rather than how quickly I can unwrap them all!

I think what I like best is that I can disentangle in my own mind the whole eggs, chocolate, bunny, chick, daffodil thing from the events just outside Jerusalem at the time of the Jewish Passover sometime around 33AD. At Christmas things get all jumbled up, but for me Easter is clear.

We celebrate the fact that Jesus is alive. That despite the best efforts of many people to put an end to Him, God's love proved to be stronger, stronger even than death.

I know he's alive because I've met him - that might make me sound mad, but it's true, and All Saints Church is full of people who would tell you the same thing.

My views on the alternative Easter images is summed up in the poster below which is produced by CPO

Now is a good time to find out who can!!

Happy Easter!

What's so good about "Good Friday"?

2006-04-14T22:24:00.000+01:00

This year more than any other I've been asked this question, mainly by the younger members of our church or those visiting. Why is it "Good" Friday?

The thing to remember is that it is our name, referring to our view of the day. That first Good Friday was not a good day. 3 men executed, one on seemingly trumped up charges, the curtain in the temple torn in two (See here for a reference), a man expected to be the saviour of his people dead and buried, betrayed by one of his own and deserted by everyone except a few weeping women, one close friend and his mother.

There is no easy way to say this - Jesus died in utter agony. Crucifixion was THE most painful way to die, and he had been flogged half to death first. Add to that what we blieve was happening - that all the powers of darkness and hell vented their fury on Him - what was happening in the visible world - the nails, the lash, the pain, the darkness - were echoes of what was happening also in the spiritual world - the whole weight of our sin, our wrongdoing, taken out on Him by the powers of evil.

But why then Good Friday - because of one word Jesus spoke - in english it is rendered "It is finished" - in the original language of Jesus' day known as Koine (Coynay) Greek it is one word "tetelestai" (te-te-less-tay). It was a word written on a bill which had been settled - it can also be rendered "paid in full"

Somehow Jesus paid the price of our sin - he broke down the wall which our wrongdoing had built between us and God, he opened the way for us to know the love of God again.

It wasn't "Good" for Him, it was "Good" for us.

Because of His death we can know forgiveness and a chance for a new start!

Indeed Good Friday!

A towel, a plate, a cup and a Traitor

2006-04-14T07:17:00.000+01:00

Well! Finally a chance to reflect on the Easter weekend.

Thursday evening found us sat around a low table set for 13. We remembered Jesus' words and actions as he washed his disciples feet, as they enjoyed God's goodness as they remembered His rescuing His people from Egypt and as Jesus took bread and wine and gave it incredible significance.

What always strikes me on Maundy Thursday is that Jesus did all this BEFORE Judas left to betray him - at least that is the way I read the Gospel accounts. Jesus washed Judas' feet, gave Judas the great signs of God's mercy.

All the disciples ran, Peter's denial was as much a betrayal as Judas. The only difference was Judas decided to take his future into his own hands, Peter stayed long enough to discover Jesus' version of Peter's future!!

The Passion of the Christ

2006-04-12T09:48:00.000+01:00

What is your image of Jesus?

Is it Robert Powell in "Jesus of Nazareth",
or maybe Max von Sydow in "The Greatest Story ever told"
or maybe it is the wonderful animated version "The Miracle Maker"

Last night we watched Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of the Christ" at Church.

If you've never seen it I would say it is a "must see".
There are lots of films which show the death of Jesus but none which capture the utter brutality of death by crucifixion. It was meant to be excruciating. Watching a crucifixion was designed to act as a deterrent - you would see the agony of the condemned and so you would toe the line.

When it came to punishment the Romans knew what they were up to!

There are two possibilities to consider when looking at the man Jesus nailed to a cross.

Either he was deluded about himself, in which case he must have been a complete madman to even consider dying in this way (and you have to say looking at the evidence Jesus did nothing to prevent his death by crucifixion)

OR

Maybe he was who he said he was - God himself come to restore the relationship which we had spoilt because of our wrongdoing - to break down the wall which we had built between us and God.

Don't take my word for it. Read some of the things Jesus said and decide for yourself whether you thought he was mad or not - because if he wasn't, if there is just a chance that he was who he said he was - then it changes everything.

Why not watch the film for yourself and then just ponder the idea that he went through all that pain because he wanted you to know just how much God loves you!

Now there's a thought!

2006-04-10T10:12:00.000+01:00

Revival in our homes

What a day Palm Sunday was this year. As well as a vicarage birthday we celebrated Jesus entry into Jerusalem and looked to Friday as we took our Palm Crosses.

The music group and singers sang two songs from Roger Jones' musical "Jerusalem Joy" whilst the children paraded around the church waving the palm branches thay had made.

Palm Sunday is a bitter-sweet sort of day - we celebrate Jesus hailed as a king knowing full well that by Friday the crowds will be baying for his blood - and all that without the modern media!!

In our last hymn we sang

"Sometimes they strew his way,
and his sweet praises sing,
resounding all the day hosannas to their King.
Then "Crucify!"
is all their breath,
and for his death
they thirst and cry."

For all the words click here

In the evening we went to the City Celebration in Doncaster - a town wide gathering of Christians of all denominations, Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Salvation Army, Free Church, and several other groups I haven't remembered to mention.

The speaker was Rachel Hickson and she was amazing. Very dynamic and very challenging but speaking right to the heart of what Doncaster needs! Her website is here. She spoke of the need to see revival happening first in our homes and then seeing the light spread out onto the streets.

We spent time praying for marriages, for families, for children, for businesses and for those who have no voices to speak out - the marginalised and the outcasts.

Very challenged but very encouraged!

What a start to Holy Week!

Christ in the Passover

2006-04-07T22:01:00.000+01:00

Today saw the start of our series of events for Easter.

A young lady from Jews for Jesus came to share with us about the traditions and symbols of the Passover. We were gently taken through the symbols of bitter herbs and salt water, representing the bitter slavery of God's people in Egypt and the tears they shed, on to the symbols of sacrifice (a roast egg!) and the shank bone of a lamb reminding of the passover Lamb which can no longer be eaten as there is no temple in which to sacrifice it.

Our friend showed us how Jesus in his Life, Death and Resurrection was the ultimate fulfillment of all the Passover promises of God!

One thing I found incredible - at one point during the meal a piece of the unleavened bread (caled Matzoh) is taken from a special cloth which has three pieces in it, ceremonially broken and then wrapped in a linen cloth and hidden, later in the meal a child will be sent to find the piece of Matzoh now called the "Afikomen". When it is found the child receives a reward and then the Afikomen is broken into small pieces and eaten in the place of the Passover lamb.

Jesus, part of the Trinity which is how Christians know God, came and he was "broken" on the cross. His body was wrapped in linen and "hidden" in the tomb. He was, three days later, found to be alive and that finding carried a reward - eternal life (and it still does, although really it is Jesus who does the finding!!). In church during communion we eat bread to remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us - eating bread in place of the true Passover lamb who died so that we could be God's friends and enjoy Him forever!

Oh! and just one last thought about the Afikomen - the Rabbis (who make a lot of the rules by which Jewish people live) decided that the Matzoh - the unleavened bread - should be pierced and striped! Hmm! Have a read of Isaiah 53 verse 5 and tell me if you don't think that God is trying to persuade His precious chosen people to believe in the the One who came to be their Messiah - the saviour of the world - Jesus.

More soon about Palm Sunday!

Well, It's a start!

2006-04-05T07:19:00.000+01:00

Hello!

I've been meaning to start a Church blog for a while but I've never got round to it. A friend directed me to Blogger.com and lo and behold here we are.

But who are "we"?

We are All Saints Church, which is based in the village of Woodlands, north of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire in the UK. Our parish covers 2/3 of Woodlands and all of the village of Highfields.

We are part of the Church of England - and our local part of the church is the Diocese of Sheffield.

Our building is quite distinctive - I'll post some more pictures as we go along but here is a nice shot from GenUKi.

Oh! Who am I?

I'm the vicar of All Saints - Rev Stephen Gardner - and we'll talk a bit more about the church family and what we do, and faith, and life as the vicar of a church, and about Jesus - who is reason All Saints exists!

See you soon

The Vicar!