NHS – safe in Conservative hands?

Posted on August 18, 2020 by helenbeech

NHS Safe in Conservative Hands?

Why did they refuse help from the EU for the correct masks?

Why did the fund companies with no expertise to make the masks as the firms supported the conservative party and refused masks from those companies who already had the technology as they did not donate to the Conservatives?

Why did they ignore advice from Scientific advisors and employ Serco to fund them?

Why did they waste public funds with no account of how it was spent?

Why did they not admit that the so-called NHS trace ap had failed to trace people?

Why do they presume that private companies know best?

Why do they appoint the failed Talk Talk Ceo to lead the ‘new’ private company to follow NHS trace?

Why do the Government not say where the tax payers money has gone?

 

Why do the West Yorkshire Area fail to explain that knee surgery will ignore a person’s condition unless he or she can afford to pay privately or the wait is 2 years?

Why do people realise that there is no access to syringing on the NHS so a friend, who is a probationer in Yeadon has to pay £70 to Specsavers?

Why now do the Prime Minister and his advisor do not admit that the funding cuts to the local Government to the NHS were ideological rather than necessary?

Why does funding for Green Energy lost its subsidy?

What happens if you have a chronic illness and insurance will not pay out?  What about the times that a Private Hospital fails; are they accountable or does the NHS have to pick up the costs?

Why does no-one realise that Private Health Insurance does not have to be accountable even if there is failure?

 

Why do NHS workers get clapped but they do not deserve a pay increase to make up for many years of cuts?  Why do they have to pay for parking and not get a pay rise?  Why do the Government not listen to public opinion and not support our wonderful NHS workers by a pay increase and free parking?  They may have lost lives but they are not valued?  Empty claps mean nothing!

 

Surely your Conservative supporters should listen to the truth about chronic illness?

 

There needs to be accountability.   I for one would be happy to fund the NHS by a local income tax, especially those who have worked for us and are not considered skilled enough to be rewarded.

 

Consultations mean nothing if advice is ignored!  Temperatures should be taken and then all with whom they have been in contact notified.

Is there one rule for the Cabinet and one for the rest of us?  Democracy means all elected MPs should have a vote not just the Cabinet?  Show people that Chronic illness will not be funded by Private Health Insurance?

 

 

 

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Walking and Living

Posted on August 11, 2020 by helenbeech

You can’t understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.”
The person who first uttered this American saying is lost to history. The fact that it’s so well known is a good indication of the importance of empathy in living a meaningful life.

“If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” 
– Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Thoughts: This scene from the beloved novel depicts a father imparting some thoughts to his young daughter on the advantages of employing empathy.  In a practical sense, employing empathy is also the greatest possible advantage in your ability to communicate with other people in every scenario.

We cannot truly understand how another person feels or acts until we have lived like that.  ‘Common People’ by Pulp, vocalist Jarvis Cocker, shows that the rich girl could never be like ‘Common People’, as she had never had nothing in her larder or fridge, a home with rent or bills too high to pay, no money for electricity or heating, no money to buy any food in a supermarket, no carpets, curtains if she lives somewhere, hand me down clothes.  When Malcolm was at Hull University, as a mature student, some of his fellow students did not understand why he did not live in the more rundown areas of town, which was cheaper. ‘To play at being deprived’, as Malcolm commented; he had lived with little money security, as his father, an itinerant pastor, moved regularly renting on a low income.’ Such deprivation Malcolm and his elder brother Dave had not really understood, because their mother Ann, in service as a housekeeper from her teens, somehow kept them fed and clothed. {Malcolm had also survived bed-sitter life on a minimal wage whilst working in central London in the first half of the 1960s]

There’s an old music-hall song entitled She was poor but she was honest.  The chorus goes like this.

“It’s the same the whole world over.  It’s the poor what gets the blame. It’s the rich what gets the pleasure.  Isn’t it a shame?”*

* The song was written by Billy Bennett. https://monologues.co.uk/musichall/Songs-S/She-Was-Poor-But-Honest.htm

Nowadays those words of the above music hall chorus are unfortunately just as true.  Divide and rule continues of the tabloid distinction between the ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving poor’. Jeremy Corbyn made no distinction; he met needs, not as a believer, but so-called ‘hard left socialist’.  Jesus served the outcasts and sinners; need was the only category. I grew up with a full cupboard; I still have pasta, rice and the staples in my cupboards.  I have no real understanding.  As a child I just wore more jumpers, socks and snuggled getting red faces if I hugged the open fire.  Stone water bottles and blankets for bed kept me warm. Central heating for both my beloved and I is too warm, because of years as children in barely heated airy Victorian houses.

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Obesity can be solved by losing weight and riding a bike.

Posted on July 28, 2020 by helenbeech

This is a reflection on PM Boris Johnson’s simplistic and potentially problematic recipe for tackling obesity.

************* 

I would recommend the book by Amanda Prowse called the ‘Food of Love’, which talks about the complication of anorexia and self image. It is an illness as they would rather die than eat, as it is difficult to eat and they think they are too fat; it can happen in the most loving family. They pretend they are eating to please the family, but hate food, so they make themselves sick or hide that. This will only exacerbate people with eating disorders, who feel they are hated. I grew up being told to leave a meal with an appetite and that only made me feel hungry all the time, so I would take currants and raisins from mum’s containers. My father did not understand and was trying to help,but it made me more conscious of it, so when I had what I thought was tonsillitis at the age of 17, later at university I found it had been glandular fever. It was the first time I could lose weight so I felt that would make me more attractive and acceptable to my parents. I was thrilled to be able to control my weight and even had no period for 10 months, especially when an army apprentice exposed himself to me and frightened me, so I ended it. Then my mother, who worked with her girls and putative fathers, PFs asked if i might be pregnant. That made me feel I might be pregnant; what would happen; me an Anglican priest’s daughter and a mother who was a social worker! I thought I was fat because of my big breasts like my mum, so was pleased when I weighed only 8 stone 10; even though my breasts hung like sacks. I was told that it was not eating enough that had caused me not have periods for so long. I had to eat sensibly. I always felt that if I was petite like my younger sister Fran, I would be more attractive to boys and please my mum and dad. I hated myself if I ate the wrong thing and felt I was bad. I remember seeing my mother pregnant with David, when she had put on 4 stone, so I was determined to eat sensibly. It always felt to me when I was told I was just like mum, that it meant I had to watch what I ate. If I was insecure I needed to eat comfort food, but that made me feel guilty. I even felt I had let mum down by getting a 2:2 instead of a 2:1 but she knew I had done my best. I needed coaching to encourage me in writing, even though I had written stories at junior school. When I went to the Grammar school having come from a mixed ability class, I felt so ignorant except in French, as we were all new to that, but you had to be good at everything to go into an A class so I could not do another language. In 1965 we went by liner to Australia, as my father had got an inheritance from a maiden aunt; for me it was wonderful seeing all the places once I got my sea legs. We went to school in Melbourne and I found I my confidence; I did German and other subjects and my mother asked Mr Hill to allow me to repeat 2nd year in an A form and I did.

When I married Stephen in 1976 I lost weight to 9 stone 3 to feel acceptable. Stephen was all skin and bones as so worried about marriage to me. I wanted to get pregnant so much, more so when Stephen would not adopt, until I thought I had a job and a good marriage and then I got pregant. I ate healthily, but we had to be weighed each time we saw the midwife and I was told off in the last weeks for putting a pound on too much and being terrified of being fat, I ate less! When she was born 6 days early I was back to my pre pregnancy weight of 9st 3, but part of my placenta had died and Beth weighed 6lb and she was the only baby who lay there happily being tube fed! She would not latch on properly and needed more frequent feeds, not allowed at that time once she had gained a few grams. I was in tears, thinking I would have to give up breast feeding, but fortunately the doctor at the hospital said what you and baby need is to go home. Stephen picked me up from school and dropped me and Beth at home at 11am and went back to school, having a parents evening so he arrived later. It was just me and Beth. She wanted only to feed from one side and I could not be lopsided. I hung her off at one side and she began to feed. She gained weight and at 10 weeks slept from 10 pm and I woke soaked and she was fine. I did everything one sided, but felt bad when she had a club foot as she had to be turned at 33 weeks as she was the wrong way up. I could breathe again. She had to be in plaster to help straighten the feet for 3 weeks and did not gain weight, so they considered giving her a bottle, but with me drinking more and feeding her frequently she gained enough, She took half an hour each side and still is a slower eater, However I fed her till I found I was expected Cathy on her first birthday. She would not take a bottle, so Stephen put honey on a drinking cup, so I could give more to my unborn child. Cathy was very active, so I knew I was pregnant and so did Solomon, our cat. He was a kitten and slept on my bump, as Beth hardly moved, but I have photos of Solomon below or above the lump, as Cathy would not stay still. 10 weeks before Cathy was due, Stephen had a psychosis and had to go to Cliffton Hospital in York; I had to travel alternate days with Beth to visit him. The only time I could lose weight was in pregnancy and it was discovered that I had lost weight, so they scanned Cathy and discovered she was 3 weeks too small for dates. I had to go in hospital and leave poor Beth; she spent the days with Granny, but I felt it was so important she slept in her own cot at night, that my lovely younger sister Fran came and stayed with Beth at night after work. Dave her husband spared her. Beth could make me understand but I had to translate Beth’s sounds for Fran.

Cathy grew 2 sizes in a week in hospital and I was allowed home but not allowed to visit; Stephen came home at weekends which helped, but I was threatened with induction, as I lost weight again. I stopped resting and went in on the Friday in labour and as before they broke my waters and Stephen having been discharged 3 days earlier, was with me and she was born at 1.30 so I was back on the ward for visiting time. However I could not feed Cathy at 5pm, as too soon, so she was like a swaddled baby in my hands. Then at last I could feed her at the 9pm feed and she latched on and gobbled. She had refused water earlier! She weighed 6lb 11oz and as Stephen had just been discharged I went to the maternity place on Leeds Road. By the time she was home she was 61b 13oz and fed so fast she would often be sick from wind and you can guess it I was told to cut down as Cathy put too much weight on! She was a hungry baby. I put on loads of weight breast feeding; my weight went up and down dependant on how Stephen was. I needed comfort food at times. I could not control it, if I was stressed. I had low self esteem.

 

The only other time I found my appetitie affected was when I wondered if Malcolm would be there to marry me and felt he could leave me. I realised I was more like Father in personality later on, after hating him at 17, but I was always compared to my mum in looks. I was the only girl who had the big breasts, my tray, as mother called it. I still have to realise that that is who I am. After my open heart surgery in January I found it difficult to eat; salads and healthy foods did not appeal. I seemed to be heavier in hospital, but that was only from fluid retention, but after I came out, accepting I did not fancy chocolates or sweet things as much, everyone seemed to say I had lost weight! I am part of research for the heart foundation to compare outcomes from aortic valve replacement and I had to be weighed, which I still hate and measured. My waist is always to fat, compared to my narrow hips, an apple figure is not so good for health; they seemed surprised and that did not help me. However I had tried to eat sensibly and that paid off in healthy arteries, just my inherited heart valve problem.

 

We need to realise not everyone’s metabolism is the same. Lack of self esteem does not help. I still hate being weighed and weigh myself every week, feeling I have a fat tummy and feeling guilty when I eat too many hot cross buns or sliced fruit loaf and expect to be huge. Being weighed is still awful for me, even though Malcolm loves me as I am; I am still having to work at accepting my shape. I always wanted to comfort Cathy and hold her if I told her off, and sadly gave her chocolates to cheer her up, not good. However we are none of us ideal parents and do our best.

 

 

 

 

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Sunday November 1st Worship remembered at Wesley Chapel

Posted on June 24, 2018 by helenbeech

Our minister Trevor Dixon led worship on Sunday November 5th.  Worship began when we sang, ‘For all the saints who from their labours rest’ before Trevor led the prayers of praise and confession.  We sang, ‘The kingdom of God’ before the reading from Ephesians 1.11-25 and we sang, ‘God of my faith, I offer you my doubt,’ and I found the words very good.  It was good to learn a new hymn.  Luke 6. 20-31 was read.

On November 1st it was All Saints Day and Trevor was at a restaurant on Halloween, the eve of All Saints Day, which was quite empty.  Apparently parents were going out with their children trick and treating.  He got into conversation with the manager and his daughter had been to a private school for girls with a Christian basis.  She was the only Moslem attending the school.  Halloween was mentioned and she was asked her if she knew where the term came from; she thought it came from America.  All hallows eve was the all Hallows/Saints day.  Trick and treating did come from America for Halloween, but the eve of All Saints Day was the time to prepare for All Saints Day.

Who were the saints? They were not stained glass figures with hallos.  A child once asked about who were in the stained glass windows and was told they were the saints. The child’s reply was they are the people the light shines through; very true in my opinion; a saint has the light of Jesus shining through his or her life.  In his conversation with the Moslem, Trevor learnt that their pictures did not include people.  In the school his daughter attended he had noticed that the chapel was full of pictures of Jesus.  Trevor told him that saints were ordinary people with hopes and dreams, stumbling in the dark, knowing fear; they struggled to follow and serve Jesus.  Trevor read the words of a hymn, God of my faith, I offer you my doubt; God of my hope, I offer you my fear; God of my joy, I offer you my grief; God of my love, I offer you my pain; those words show how saints often had those thoughts and cried out to God in confusion and frustration.

However the saints are still the ones who still run the race, although their hearts beat like drums, they keep on going, feeling inadequate and helpless.  They work for the way of love and peace, care for the needy, and hold onto faith when secularism stalks the land.  They are those who have a forgiving, responding love and a passion for justice.  Luke’s version of the Beatitudes is a remembrance of what Jesus had said. The gospel was written in a time of opposition and persecution.  Luke also included the woes; keeping on integrating faith in difficulties. Pilgrimage in Christianity is filled with uncertainty; as we see in Pilgrim’s progress to the Celestial city.

We are all taking part in that journey.  John Bunyan experienced healing as he wrote the book.  We are not tested more than we can bear.  We pray in the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  Saints are ordinary people, like Bunyan in prison renewing his life as he wrote Pilgrim’s Progress.  Sydney Carter challenges us to take one more step along the way. Incidentally that hymn was very important to Kate, best friend of my daughter Cathy, who lost her battle with a brain tumour at age 30, leaving her poor husband Luke to care for her lovely son Joseph as a baby in 2010; we sang it at her funeral.

Paul was also a pilgrim, who wrote authoritarian letters like the letter to the Ephesians.   He remembered them in his prayers and reminded them of the hope to which God called them.  The Christian journey is a journey of endless discovery; we spend our whole lives getting to know him.  To know him is to love him.  The hope and ground of our faith is Jesus; the reward promised to us is undeserved by our merit; Jesus went through trials and tribulations for us. We are all saints in the making, being challenged on the way and called to love the world with God’s immeasurable love.  Let us not give up but keep on serving and loving with our eyes on Jesus daily.

Trevor led the prayers of intercession, asking our Lord to make us worthy of our calling to be saints.  We shared the peace before we sang, ‘Jesus calls us here to meet him’ before we shared communion.  Worship concluded when we sang, ‘Have faith in God my heart.’

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Sunday Worship remembered at Hampsthwaite Chapel October 29th

Posted on June 17, 2018 by helenbeech

On Sunday October 29th I led worship at Hampsthwaite Chapel.  We began worship when we sang, ‘Immortal, invisible, God only wise’ a hymn which acknowledges the otherness of God, before I led the opening prayers.  We read Psalm 90 responsively, before I gave a short talk about loving your neighbour as yourself.  We sang ‘O God our help in ages past’ before we heard the reading from Thessalonians 2.1-8 and had a dramatised reading based on Matthew 22.34-46.  We sang ‘My God how wonderful thou art’, before I preached.

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus which commandment he regarded as the greatest to test him.  Jesus said that the greatest commandment was that you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.  We are to love God totally with a love which guides our thoughts and actions in our whole life.  The second commandment Jesus regarded as important was to love your neighbour as yourself.  Do we love ourselves?  That is something I always found difficult but I realise that God loves us so much he was willing to give us his son to draw us back to himself.  As God loves me so much I want to return that love to him with all my heart, soul and mind.  I also want to share that unconditional love with those in need; especially the vulnerable and weak as Jesus did.  Jesus challenged the Pharisees to say what role they expected the Messiah to have.  Jesus told them that the Messiah could not be David’s son as was expected; after all David had been referring to someone he referred to as Lord.  In other words the Messiah was not going to be an earthly conqueror as King David was; instead he would be the Son of God, whose sacrificial love would lead to his being prepared to die, even on a cross.  In that way he would reveal the extent of God’s love for them and us.

Paul replied to accusations based on scandalous rumours that he had been at fault for the trouble at Philippi, explaining that it was the message of the good news that he preached which led to the problems.  He just had to share the message, but they supported themselves so as not to be a burden to them. Both Paul and the Psalmist recognised the shortness of human life, yet filled with suffering.  That did not stop them from proclaiming God’s message and having compassion on the vulnerable marginalised outcasts and trying to meet their needs.  Paul felt the large number of laws stifled the love of God.  Like Jesus he recognised the two greatest commandments to love God with your whole heart, mind and strength and to love your neighbour as yourself.  May we be daily filled with your Holy Spirit, so that we are strengthened to share your love and do your will this day and always.

We sang ‘Teach me, my God and King’ before I led the prayers of intercession.

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Immortal, invisible, God only wise

Posted on June 12, 2018 by helenbeech

On October 27th our minister Trevor led worship at Wesley Chapel.  We began worship as we sang ‘Guide me O thou great Jehovah’, before Trevor led the prayers of adoration, confession and thanksgiving.’  We then sang ‘Through all the changing scenes of life,’ before Isaiah 45.1-7 and 1Thessalonians 1.1-10 were read.  We sang, ‘A rich young man came seeking God’s Kingdom was his aim’, which was one I had not sung before.  The words were very good.  Matthew 22.15-22 was read before the sermon.

Trevor described an interview situation, a call to ministry explored, when open ended questions were asked, which expected answers in more detail than simply ‘yes or no’.  Questions are the oldest technique possibly leading to controversy; sometimes open ended or to trap a person but not in this case. The perfect question is the one that even the questioner does not know the answer.  Here Jesus was asked the perfect question; whichever way he answered it he would either alienate some of his followers or be trapped by the authorities.  Taxes were paid to the Roman usurpers, so he cannot be regarded as the expected Messiah if he did not want to get rid of the Roman oppressors.  However if he said they should withhold tax then he would be arrested by the authorities for not paying tax.  The authorities thought they had caught him, but the trap did not work, as he answered the question with another question!  They as religious leaders were supposed to be an authority the religious leaders.  It did not occur to them that he would say, give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s!  Why do the authorities hate Jesus so much?  They could not be sure whether Jesus was an imposter of not.  They did not want God to get too close.  If God were like Jesus they might have to recognise him again and again and give him everything.  God’s authority and power is higher than any human authority and there is nothing God does not own.  God cares about everyone; he is beyond definition, bigger than we can grasp; He holds all creation in the palm of his hand.  We have only a little understanding of who God is; we have come to worship Him,, who is worth more than we can ever grasp.  All comes from God and we give to him some of what he has given us.  We often have more faith in earthly authority than divine.  As Christians we remember Jesus has risen every day and are called to live in that faith, no matter what happens, even when it is not easy to see God in what happens around us.  We need to render to God the things which are God’s, so that God is in charge and the guide for our lives in both good and bad days.  When we are going through bad times, let us have confidence in God’s presence touching our living.  We need to pray that we do not lose a sense of his hold on us, even if we don’t feel he is with us. If God has moved, who has moved?  God weaves his presence into our everyday lives.  Do we dare to believe that God knows what he is doing and will do it right.  People are meant to see God through Christians.  Have we domesticated God?  God is God and will be God and we can’t alter that, but we can give God what is his, serve him and be his people working in his way.

We sang ‘Teach me, my God and King, in all things thee to see’ trying really to know what we were singing, as Trevor suggested.  Trevor led the prayers of intercession and the Lord’s Prayer, before we sang ‘Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness’ to conclude worship.

 

 

 

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Recollections from October 15th and Thoughts for Today

Posted on May 1, 2018 by helenbeech

On Sunday October 15th I led worship at Kearby Chapel.  Worship began when we sang ‘Thy hand, O God, has guided’ with gusto even though it is a small congregation in the village chapel. I led the prayers before the dramatised reading based on Exodus 32.1-14. I then read two short extracts; the first a Celtic poem about buckling under the weight of sin, relieved when the poet lets go of the sin and a passage on how we learn from mistakes.  We sang ‘Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, before we heard the readings from Philippians 4.1-9 and Matthew 22.1-14.  We sang ‘Jesus, lover of my soul,’ before I preached.

It was the normal Jewish custom to send out invitations in advance of a great feast without giving the precise date. Once everything was ready then the invited people were expected to drop everything and go to the feast.  The guests refused to go, offering a number of excuses; one had to attend to his estate, another his business and others rebelled by beating up the servants and even killing some.  The King was so angry that he sent his armies to destroy the murderers and burn their city.  Here Matthew was describing the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in AD 70, because the Jewish people had failed to follow Jesus’ example of love, humility and sacrifice and rebelled against Roman authority.

The guests who declined the invitations to the feast were the Jewish leaders, whom God had chosen as his people in Old Testament times, when he made a covenant with them promising to be their God and lead them.  Yet when God’s Son came into the world and they were invited to follow Him and serve him, they refused.  Just in the same way the Israelites had rebelled and made a golden calf to worship, and Yahweh had wanted to destroy them, but Moses spoke up for the people so God did not destroy them.

The king then told the servants to invite the poor and marginalised from the highways and byways, who had never expected an invitation into God’s kingdom. They represented the sinners and Gentiles, who did not expect an invitation, but Jesus came to welcome those who recognised their need of God into the kingdom.  However once we have accepted God’s invitation into his kingdom we have the responsibility to live as Jesus did, as Paul encouraged the Philippians to do.  Paul was concerned by the way that Euodia and Syntyche could not agree with each other; he urged them to try and agree through their common relationship with the Lord.  He even asked an overseer to help them agree as they both worked so hard for the spread of the gospel.  We too need to be prepared to accept change when we accept the invitation into God’s kingdom.  The guest who had come without wedding clothes, when invited had not been prepared to change and accept the undeserved gift of grace and show his gratitude.  We need to come to worship prepared to meet with God, listen to him and grow into his likeness through Jesus. Paul knew life was hard for Christians in the early church facing persecution, but encouraged them to rejoice always in the Lord.  We need not feel anxious when we realise God cares, as long as we set our mind on whatever is admirable, excellent or praiseworthy.  That passage has always been special to mean, since my late mother gave that passage to give me comfort as I was an anxious, depressed teenager at times and lacked confidence.  I do try to remind myself of those words when all around in the world there is fake news and so much injustice and marginalisation of the vulnerable, but that is hard.  I am standing in the local election as a Labour party representative because Jeremy Corbyn’s attitude of listening and meeting people has given me hope.  I too remind myself that God is still sovereign and pray that others might work too for justice and bring in God’s kingdom now.

We sang, ‘For the healing of the nations’ before I led the prayers of intercession.  Worship concluded when we sang, ‘May the mind of Christ my Saviour’.

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Sunday Worship on October 1st 2017 at Park Grove Chapel Knaresborough

Posted on April 28, 2018 by helenbeech

On October 1st I led worship at Park Grove Chapel Knaresborough.  We sang ‘At the name of Jesus’, before I led the opening prayers. We heard the reading from Exodus 17.1-7 where the Israelites were complaining about the lack of water in the wilderness and blamed God.  I gave the children 4 scenarios when the children were dissatisfied with their lives; why did one have to take the dog for a walk; why could she not have her own flat like a little girl who wished she could walk.  We often complain that the grass is greener on the other side, but we need to learn to be content and enjoy what we have, remembering that some children do not have homes, enough to eat or money for a pet or for treats or good health.  We need to say thank you for all we have and not wish we had more.  We sang ‘When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word,’ before the children left for their groups.  We had the reading from Philippians 2.1-13 and a dramatised reading based on Matthew 21.23-32 before we sang ‘Meekness and Majesty’.

I preached on the readings.  Jews liked to debate in the time of Jesus so it was not surprising that the authorities challenged him after his triumphant entry into Jerusalem and his cleansing of the temple.  They questioned his authority and in the way of rabbinic debate Jesus replied with a question about John the Baptist’s authority.  If they said John’s authority was from God they would have to say that Jesus was the Messiah under God’s authority.  If they said John’s authority was not from God they would have incensed the crowds who believed he had God’s authority. The authorities had to admit they did not know, so Jesus would not say where his authority came from.  The authorities were meant to be the spiritual leaders of the community but were obviously failing, nor could the Sanhedrin seem to be able to distinguish between true and false prophets.  They did know the truth but were afraid to admit it.  The Israelites also questioned the authority of Moses and by implication God when they needed water.

Jesus told a parable which showed two kinds of people; the people who initially said no and then repented and those who had initially repented but their lives did not reflect true repentance.  They resisted John and Jesus because they lacked trust.   John and Jesus had tried to show that they could trust in being accepted by God if they did acknowledge their need of repentance and made a fresh start through Jesus.  I am encouraged by a notice I heard about outside a church, which read, ‘Sinners welcome here’, as I am always aware of where I fall short.

Paul in Philippians reminded the church not to seek their own interests, but to concentrate on walking the way with Jesus, humbly serving others as he did. There was no place for personal ambition.  Jesus himself took on the form of a servant to show us how much God loved us.  He became obedient even unto death on the cross.  He won people’s hearts by loving and accepting them; he served them to glorify his Father in heaven.  God raised him to life and through what Jesus has done we can all be raised to life, provided we follow the way of humility and obedience in service.

We sang ‘For the healing of the nations’ before the prayers of intercession.  Worship concluded when we sang, ‘May the mind of Christ my Saviour.’

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A remembered Harvest Festival on September 24th at Wesley Chapel

Posted on April 9, 2018 by helenbeech

On Sunday September 24th our minister Rev Christine Gillespie led our Harvest celebration at Wesley Chapel. We sang ‘Come ye thankful people come’ as the opening hymn.  Christine then led the prayers of praise, confession and the Lord’s Prayer before we sang, ‘We plough the fields and scatter.’  The reading from the Old Testament was from Genesis 9.8-17 Noah and the rainbow covenant before we sang, ‘Yes God is good.’

The reading about the banquet to which the poor, crippled and lame were to be invited Luke 14.7-14; all who exalt themselves will be humbled.

Christine described two old ladies who gave generously and regularly to the Air ambulance for those in need of assistance, although they were unlikely ever to use it.  True Christian giving is to those who need it without any thought of personal gain.  We too have responsibilities for our families and other members of the community of the church as the body of Christ.  We each have gifts to use to build up the body of the church and its mission.  Giving to our local church and beyond where there is need.  True Christian giving involves hospitality and helping those in need who cannot give anything back to us.  Jesus spoke of the banquet with a lavish spread for those who could not invite them back.  We must not just invite friends who can invite us in return, but those who cannot reciprocate.  We are called to give in response to what God has given us; those who can afford it can give.

Harvest reminds us of all the plenty we have; not just material gifts; we are given so much we need to give to others in return.  Noah made the first covenant with every living creature as to how he would care for the earth.  God has made a promise using the rainbow in the sky to remind us; that is God’s gift out of his generosity. In 1 John 1 John reminded us that we loved God as he had first loved us.  We are not to take the sign for granted. We need to give thanks for all his gifts freely given to us.  We need to be reminded about all he has done for us, as in the hymn. ‘Tell me the story slowly and hymns like that help us to celebrate all God has done and give thanks.  Our response to that provision is to invite the needy to celebrate with us and not those who can invite us back. John the Baptist told his followers, who had two tunics to give one to someone who had no tunic. The parable of the sheep and goats praised the sheep who helped those in need but criticised the goats who did not meet those needs.  Whatever we do for the least of these my brothers we do it for Jesus.  Harvest time reminds us to respond in the same way to support the homeless and marginalised.  Even when harvest is over, God’s love and generosity will not end.  We need to recognise God’s love and generosity and rejoice in it and respond.

We sang ‘Praise and Thanksgiving’ before Christine led the prayers of intercession. Worship concluded when we sang, ‘For the fruits of your creation.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My recollections of my service on September 17th

Posted on March 25, 2018 by helenbeech

On September 17th I led worship at Kirk Hammerton.  Our opening hymn was ‘O God our help in ages past,’ before I led the opening prayers.  The first reading was from Exodus 14.19-31.  For the children’s address I told the story of a boy stealing Lord Shaftesbury’s treasured watch.  Through his contacts the boy with the watch was found and left in a sack on his doorstep.  The boy had been given no choice but to return the watch and was expecting to be sent to prison, but instead he was given the opportunity to go to school. Lord Shaftesbury was merciful to the thief and gave him a second chance.  God was merciful to the Hebrew slaves, even when they were so ready to grumble when they saw the Egyptians pursuing them. God just made sure the cloud moved behind them so that the Egyptians could not see them; the cloud brought light to their side and dark to the Egyptian side.  God was still protecting them even though they were blaming the Lord and Moses for putting them in greater danger by leading them out of Egypt.  God could easily have got so exasperated with them, and allowed    the Egyptians to catch up and destroy them, but He kept telling them to calm down as He was fighting for them.  When they realised God had given them passage through the Red Sea that he was protecting them they did then put their trust in Him.  However they would keep letting the Lord down but God would keep giving them a fresh start. We sang ‘Great is thy faithfulness’ before we heard the reading from Romans 14.1-12 and the dramatised reading from Matthew 18.21-35.  We sang ‘There’s a wideness in God’s mercy’ before I preached.

We all remember the example of Gordon Wilson, who hours after the Enniskillen bombing said that he forgave the perpetrators who had killed his daughter; it was known worldwide as an exceptional act.  Forgiveness is at the heart of our faith, but it is not easy.  Peter thought he was being generous when he offered to forgive his brother up to seven times.  Rabbis taught that you could be forgiven up to three times, but Jesus took that far further, when he said that a Christian must forgive seventy times seven; in fact there is no limit to forgiveness. The Hebrew slaves wished they had not left Egypt when they saw the Egyptians in pursuit.  Moses had to reassure them that God would deliver them that very day.  God must have been so frustrated when the Hebrews kept grumbling and failed to trust in Him.  We know that God’s patience and longsuffering was endless, when the freed slaves let him down again and again. Many of us battle with feelings of inadequacy, maybe from childhood failures and find it almost impossible to forgive our

selves.  How do we accept such an overwhelming loved and forgiveness, especially when as I do, we keep making mistakes?

Jesus told the story of the servant who was forgiven a great debt; and then went out and dealt unmercifully with a fellow servant who owed a tiny fraction of that amount and he was utterly condemned for his lack of mercy on his fellow servant.  Jesus explained that unless we are prepared to be merciful and forgive those who hurt us we will not be forgiven.  Divine and human forgiveness must go hand in hand.  That is especially true as there is such a contrast between the two debts; the first servant owed his master 10,000 talents, a talent was about £240 so £2,400,000, which was an incredible debt, a king’s ransom, impossible to pay and yet he was forgiven it all.  However the second servant owed about 100 denarii; a denarius was about 4p, so the total debt was about £5.  There is nothing that people can do to us, which in any way compares to what we have done to God.  If God has forgiven our debt then we must forgive others who have wronged us.  Nothing we have to forgive can even begin to compare with what we have been forgiven.

Paul reminded his readers not to look down on or judge others, as each of them is answerable to God not our fellow Christians.    He did not mean that they should ignore others failings or sins but not to expect them all to come to the same conclusion.   My husband and I are not teetotal but share a couple of bottles of wine a week with one or two glasses at a time and alcohol free days in between.  When our friend Graham comes we have only non alcoholic drinks to respect the fact that he no longer drinks as he was an alcoholic.  I know many people choose not to drink alcohol and I support them in that choice, even though I drink, as I think, responsibly.

We teach our children to say they are sorry and we too need to repent of our wrong attitudes. We forgive our children as we love them and they in turn forgive us.  We need to repent of our mistakes and restore our relationship with God our Father.  When our patience runs out with our children we need to say we are sorry as we know God never gives up on us, no matter how many mistakes we have made.

We sang ‘Just as I am without one plea,’ before I led the prayers of intercession.  Worship concluded when we sang my favourite hymn; ‘And can it be’.

 

 

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