Praise God!

Some 50 people joined in our fifth quarterly Songs of Praise, last Sunday evening. We not only had the chance to sing some magnificent songs and hymns, but we learned more of each other as people explained their reasons for choosing them.

Some hymns brought memories of how people first came to faith. Some brought memories of how God had helped through periods of particular problems or suffering. Others were just felt to express people’s faith clearly, while yet others were associated with happy memories.

We were reminded that the Christian message is timeless as we sang songs ranging from Charles Wesley's "Jesus! the name high over all" of 1749 to Stuart Townend's "in Christ alone" of 2001.

People left feeling that they had come to know God and each other better. We hope to have another Songs of Praise in three months. So watch out for the advertising and come and join us!

What did you promise? St Paul's Lent Course

At our baptism, very serious promises and statements of belief were made. If we were a baby, they were made on our behalf by our parents and godparents and as we grew up we had the opportunity to accept them for ourselves. If we were adults, we made them for ourselves, but that may have been many years ago. These were the promises (as in the present service):
Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God?
I reject them.
Do you renounce the deceit and corruption of evil?
I renounce them.
Do you repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour?
I repent of them.
Do you turn to Christ as Saviour?
I turn to Christ.
Do you submit to Christ as Lord?
I submit to Christ.
Do you come to Christ, the way, the truth and the life?
I come to Christ.

It is easy to ignore these promises and many take them very lightly. But they are very serious promises by which we commit ourselves to God. In France, serious thinking atheists have looked at their serious implication and have demanded the right to be unbaptised! We do not wish to do that! But we do want to take them seriously.

This year, we shall be holding an 'in house' course based on our baptism promises. Each week we shall be looking at one of the promises. We will meet in the Barnabas Centre, on Wednesdays, from 2.0-3.30pm in the afternoon or at 7.30-9.0pm in the evening.

During our service on Easter morning there will then be the chance for us all to renew our baptism promises together. This is a great chance to study our faith together. Do come along.

Prayer

Prayer is an important part of the Christian faith. I offered a challenge at the beginning of the year to make 2012 a 'Year of Prayer' where we deepen our prayer life and experiment with new ways of praying. After my sermon on 5th February about prayer some people have asked about books on prayer. Below are a few recommendations from the hundreds of books available.

Books on Prayer

'How to Pray: A practical handbook' by John Pritchard (SPCK)
For those starting out in prayer and those who want to deepen or refresh their prayer life. An excellent book with lots of practical suggestions for different styles and traditions of prayer.

'Too Busy Not to Pray: Slowing down to be with God' by Bill Hybels (IVP)
For those who know more about prayer than they have time to put into practise. Recognising the importance of prayer and making time for it.

'Prayer: Does it make any Difference?' by Philip Yancey (Hodder)
Not afraid to ask the big questions and share from his own experience Yancy writes honestly and thinks deeply.

'God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer' by Pete Greig (Survivor)
The fonder of the 24/7 prayer movement writes honestly about unanswered prayer with reference to his wife's suffering.

'Personality & Prayer: finding the prayer style that suits you' by Ruth Fowke (CWR)
Linked to the Myers-Briggs personality types a great resource for exploring prayer in a way that suits you, recognising that one size does not fit all.

Bible Study Guides on Prayer

'The Lord's Prayer' by Douglas Connelly. Lifebuilder Bible Study (Scripture Union)
8 sessions working through the Lord's prayer in stages and using other passages of scripture to help you go deeper into Jesus' teaching.

'Great Prayers of the Bible: Applying then to our lives today' by Jennifer Oldroyd. Cover to Cover Bible Study (CWR)
7 sessions looking at the prayers of different characters in the Bible.

Something different for Lent – a Carbon Fast

In Lent, we remember the discipline that Jesus knew as he spent 40 days in the desert resisting the temptation of the evil one – the devil. As a result, many people try to improve their self-discipline by giving something up during Lent. This is usually a luxury like chocolate or alcohol.

But at St Paul's this year we are trying something different. We are supporting TEAR Fund’s "Carbon Fast." TEAR fund’s main work is as a Christian Relief and Development Agency. But this year they are recommending that we try to do something to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and thus reduce the rise in CO2 emissions.

At St Paul's we will be recommending following the TEAR Fund Lent programme which will give members something different to do each day that will reduce our dependency on carbon. Hopefully this will not only be good for our self-discipline but also make us aware of the crisis that the world faces, as carbon emissions rise, and in some small way help to reduce them.

And Down Came the Snow!

Like many places in Britain, we awoke on Sunday morning, 5 February 2012, to find St Paul's under a 10cm blanket of snow. Snow means such different things to different people. For the elderly it means great difficulty in getting out – and certainly getting to church. For those going on a journey it means the disruption of travel plans. For birds it means that they cannot get at their food sources. But for children it means a playground like no other. I have great memories of family outings with sledges to Thurnby, Gumley or Old John.

But in the Bible Snow is symbolic of supreme purity – what our lives can become with God's help – “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” _{Isaiah 1:18}

Once the sunlight comes out, nothing is brighter than snow – mountaineers can even suffer from snow blindness. In the Bible books of Daniel and Revelation, God himself is described as bright like snow.

As the brilliant snow turns to a dirty slush, may we remember what God really wants us to be like.

Pray for Nigeria

One of our members, Emmanuel, Oladipo hails from Nigeria. On 23 January he preached to us about the great wedding breakfasts to be found in the Bible. But after the sermon, he shared with us his concerns about his native country:

"Nigeria’s population of about 150 million people is split roughly half and half between Muslims and Christians. The two lived happily together without any serious incidents until about ten or fifteen years ago when some of the States instituted Sharia law and radical Islam started causing trouble by killing Christians and burning churches at the slightest excuse, such as when one of their number is converted. Christians felt they were not adequately protected, and church leaders were struggling to restrain some of the youth who believed they should not merely defend themselves but fight back in retaliation for the killing of Christians.

A new element came into the picture just a couple of years back when a new sect arose which does not only want to bring all of the country under Sharia Law but also to banish western education. They frequently target pastors to be killed and destroy churches and police stations. They were responsible for the suicide attack on the UN offices in Nigeria which killed 25 people in August 2011 and for the Christmas day bombing of a church which left 37 dead. They are known as Boko Haram, which literally means “western education is sinful.” Their latest atrocity was a series of coordinated attacks on Police and immigration offices in the largely Muslim city of Kano, killing 186 people.

It is difficult to see how security services which cannot protect police stations can protect churches! Please pray for wisdom for the leadership to know how best to handle the crisis and for Christians to realise that the real battle is not against flesh and blood but against the powers of darkness which inspire these satanic acts."

Let's join Emmanuel in prayer for Nigeria.

Principal Services – January - March

Happy New Year! Welcome to the start of 2012. In a year which offers us some amazing one off experiences such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Olympic and Para-Olympic Games everything else may seem like the same old thing. Whilst God stays the same and never changes there are always new things for us to discover and experience of God. We worship a living and active God who is always at work in the lives of His people, a God who is faithful and good.

If 2011 was the year of the Bible then maybe 2012 should be the year of Prayer. Could you make your New Year’s resolution to pray more than you already do? You are very welcome to join us in our worship and prayer at any of these services.

In Christ,

Revd Steve Bailey.

See the New Programme

War Horse - A Modern-Day Parallel

The film "War Horse" is on general release and has come to Leicester. I went on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it – if that's the right phrase for an occasion when you get through several handkerchiefs!

In outline it is a story of a teenager from a troubled home who breaks-in and trains a difficult horse, forming a strong bond with it. The boy and horse are separated as the horse is sold for use in the First World War. After multiple exploits the two finish together in a field hospital with the boy unable to see. But when someone describes the horse to him, he calls and the horse comes to him. Eventually, someone pays the auction price and gives the horse back to him. (A totally inadequate précis, but go and see the film)

I was fascinated by the parallels to the story of the Bible. Jesus said: "My sheep hear my voice and come to me," just as the War Horse heard Albert's call and went to him. Is our relationship with Christ equally strong to that of War Horse and Albert?

And there was a second parallel. At our origins, we were God's because he created us but humankind became separated from Him. The Bible tells us that by dying on the cross Jesus bought us back (redeemed us). A price was paid. So, we are now able to be children of God again, just as the War Horse was bought back and he and Albert were reunited.

An interesting modern day parallel.

Half night of prayer – well 3½ hours at least

Prayer is a mystery. Why does God need our prayer? We know that he can answer before we pray. Yet we know that just as a parent loves to hear their children talk to them, God delights to hear us pray. Prayer was never an option for Jesus. He never said "if you pray." He said "when you pray."

So, as we enter 2012 with new initiatives and new concerns, our vicar, Steve, called us to a half night of prayer on Friday 13 January. (Perhaps the best thing we could do on Friday 13th !).

About 20 people came, although at each half hour people were given the opportunity to come and go as we broke from prayer to sing songs of worship.It was good to meet together to commit each aspect of our Church's programme to God and bring all our hopes and fears to him. We ended by joining together in saying "Compline" a service of Night Prayer.

Good News! The Christian Church is Growing in Numbers

– at least in London. An article by Peter Oborne in the Telegraph on Sunday on 1 January, called "The Return to Religion," highlighted the increased numbers in congregations, over recent years, in London churches.

It featured the increase in congregation at St Mary's Islington, where our previous vicar, Simon Harvey, now serves. (However unlikely his description of Simon as “… an anachronistic figure. His white surplice flapping in the wind” might seem.)

Yet this rise was very modest compared to some of the other churches mentioned. The increase had been found in churches with widely different styles of worship – from Pentecostal churches to Anglican cathedrals.

When Bishop Tom Butler, the previous Bishop of Leicester, was asked in 1999 what he hoped for the church in the new millennium, he replied: "bums on seats aren't everything, but it would be a good start."

We must rejoice for this evidence of the increased numbers of "bums on seats," which is a change from the previous trend. But what is important is not the number of people in church but whether they have met with the living Lord Jesus and whether that experience has changed their lives. As the church attenders encounter Christ, may that become their reality.

At present, this growth in church attendance is mainly in London. Our prayer must be that it should spread to Oadby and Leicester. To all and sundry: you would be very welcome at St Paul's.