SAD

 
HAPPY

 
WINK

 CRYING

 
ANGRY

:-p

TONGUE OUT

;-o

SURPRISED

:-*

KISS

:-I

DISAPPOINTED

Bible reading

⁵“And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
⁶“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage.
The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
⁷“The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. ⁸Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. 
⁹With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you ar
¹⁰Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
 as above, so below.
¹¹Keep us alive with three square meals.
¹²Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
¹³Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
 You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
¹⁴“In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. ¹⁵If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.
¹⁶“When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it 
 It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. ¹⁷If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. ¹⁸God doesn’t require attention-getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.

Matthew 6: 5-18 (The Message Bible)

We showed a whole load of emoticons earlier on.  Many people use them every day of their lives for txting to people or on facebook or even in e-mails.

They are a method of communication, they can help us to say what we want to someone else, but because they are pictures they can also convey very effectively some of the emotions we might be feeling.

Now there are dangers with that, because what we say, or what we send in a txt message is only a very small part of the message that we send to someone. Perhaps you have misunderstood the meaning of a txt msg and the emoticon that has gone with it. Often that is because we don’t get the whole picture, sometimes texting or e-mailing is a poor method of communication. It does not work very well.

Prayer is about communication, it is about listening and speaking, it is a 2 way process.  You might feel that it does not work very well. You might believe that it is a waste of time because God does not exist, or that if there is a God he certainly does not listen or is interested in what we have to say,..

I often think that praying is about keeping it real – it says as much in Jesus’ instructions to his Disciples, we need to do it simply and honestly.  Role playing is not allowed.  It is no good going to God with our prayers and not being honest. 

But something else goes on when we pray. There is a shift of focus when this communication process takes place.  And it is there right in v7
The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

There is a shift on who and what it is about.  As we communicate with our Father in Heaven a change takes place. It becomes less about us, and in our flabby consumer world, that can only be a good thing, and it becomes more about God as we begin to sense his grace at work.  Wow!

That sounds like a powerful incentive to give it a try, whether you believe or not. In fact over 70% of people will admit to praying at one stage or another in their lives.

As we start the next 7 weeks looking at the Lord’s prayer what about learning it? What about finding a special place, with no distractions, turning off your mobile phone, and in all honesty and simplicity sitting down and telling God exactly how things are?

Some of you might come back to me and say you cannot find the time and space.  Well, I am not sure you are right and I think you have your priorities wrong somewhere along the way.  Relationships die without effective communication – speaking and listening honestly.  Relationships die without a willingness to change on behalf of the party who is speaking – that’s what prayer is all about.

How about this for an interesting website to have a look at One Minute Man

It’s aims are;

1. To increase men’s emotional fitness

2. For men to learn to take responsibility for their emotions, language  and behavior.

3. To provide tools, resources and workshops for men to develop  their emotional fitness.

I dare you! Go and have a look. What do you think?

Christian Aid Week begins on Sunday (13 May) and there are lots of ways to get involved. You can send a special prayer by text message, donate to the charity’s work or even get involved in a spot of fundraising.

People kept coming to Jesus from one town after another; and when a great crowd gathered, Jesus told this parable:

Once there was a man who went out to sow grain. As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it up.  Some of it fell on rocky ground, and when the plants sprouted, they dried up because the soil had no moisture.  Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up with the plants and choked them.  And some seeds fell in good soil; the plants grew and bore grain, one hundred grains each.

And Jesus concluded,
‘Listen, then, if you have ears!’

His disciples asked Jesus what this parable meant, and he answered,
‘The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of God has been given to you, but to the rest it comes by means of parables, so that they may look but not see, and listen but not understand.

 This is what the parable means: the seed is the word of God.The seeds that fell along the path stand for those who hear; but the Devil comes and takes the message away from their hearts in order to keep them from believing and being saved. The seeds that fell on rocky ground stand for those who hear the message and receive it gladly. But it does not sink deep into them; they believe only for a while but when the time of testing comes, they fall away. The seeds that fell among thorn bushes stand for those who hear; but the worries and riches and pleasures of this life crowd in and choke them, and their fruit never ripens. The seeds that fell in good soil stand for those who hear the message and retain it in a good and obedient heart, and they persist until they bear fruit.

Luke 8:4-15 (The Message Bible)

Talk

One of the things that most people know Jesus for is his parables..  Parables like the prodigal son, the lost sheep, the Good Samaritan, are well known stories.  But no so well known are the sentences which are also parables; “Can the blind lead the blind?  Will they both fall into the pit?”  or even the 3 words, “Physician, heal yourself”(Luke 4;23)

So what is orange and sounds like a parrot?  A carrot.

A riddle is a figure of speech that needs to be worked out by lateral thinking, parables are riddles.

Jesus told parables.  This parable was included that we might take it to heart – as a mystery or riddle to ponder.  We need to get inside it, to enter into it with fresh eyes and a new perspective.

Jesus’ parables and questions, and perhaps everything else he did were intended to make sitting on the fence far more difficult and less comfortable.  He was and still is asking us to make a choice.

So,…what about this parable?

Well there is less of mystery in this parable because Jesus makes an explanation to the Disciples so that is a help.

The parable is about seed but it is also about four different types of soil.  The seed is the word of God or the Gospel, the Good News.  The soil is made up of four different types that produce different results.

1. Seed that falls on the path hears the message but the Devil comes and takes it away before it can even germinate.  Some us might struggle with thoughts of a Devil or deceiver but Jesus us very clear here, and through the rest of the Gospel, that the Devil exists.
2. Seed that falls on the rocky ground begins to grow but when a time of testing or hardship come then the roots are not strong enough to resist and the plants initial growth withers and dies.  A time of testing or hardship can come in a whole different variety of ways.
3. Seed that fall amongst the thorns never ripens.  The worries and pleasure of this world, whatever you might understand those to be, strangle the plants and it never produces fruit.
4. The final soil is good soil.  It is able to bear fruit and there is a harvest.

So we need to get inside this parable, here are a few questions to get you thinking and discussing.

Discussion

Now the focus has been on what type of soil we are.  But from what I understand of this parable we are also called to be gardeners, we are called to sow seed, we are called to share the Gospel.  That is a sign of fruitfulness, if a plant grows to maturity it will reproduce.  It will produce more seeds to be sown.

I think that is why Jesus says to the his audience.

 ‘Listen, then, if you have ears!’

It’s a clever play on words.  Crops such as wheat and barley have ears, i.e. they have borne fruit, there is a harvest.  Fruitfulness is about attentive obedience,

So let’s turn this around.

Followers of Jesus are all called to be gardeners.  So here are a few pointers for seed sowers;

• Seed sowers are in a cosmic battle.  There is a battle going on between good and evil, between the Good News of the Gospel and the deceiver.  We need to be aware of this fact, we need to arm ourselves for the fight, otherwise we are left exposed and at risk.  Ephesians 6 is a good place to start. Learn a simple Celtic circling prayer.
• There are consequences of falling away.  There are consequences of soil never doing what it is supposed to do when the seed is planted within it – bear fruit.
• Worries, riches and pleasures will take nutrients out of the soil, the consequences are fruitlessness.  Seed sowers need to be fed with things that will feed the seed and plant of the Good News growing within you.  Luke talks more about the consequences of the worries, riches and pleasures than any other Gospel writer. It is Luke who has the stories of the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12) , the rich man and Lazarus(Luke 16), the rich man (Luke19) the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19), the warnings of storing up riches in heaven, the Widows offering (Luke 21).  Maybe reading Luke’s Gospel over and over again wouldn’t be a bad thing to do.
• Good soil is those who hear the word and hold it, they hold it tight,….Fruitfulness is brought about by an honest and good heart who perseveres.  Associating with Jesus will not bring us popularity.  This parable calls for reflection, we need to cling to the Good News in patient faith to bear fruit and to sow fruit.

How can churches become communities that envision, equip and support their people to be fruitful on their daily frontlines – wherever those are?

Throughout this year, Neil Hudson will be leading training workshops for church leaders and leadership teams who want to help create whole-life disciplemaking churches.

Read more about Imagine: On the Road.

imagine flyer coventry

The guest speaker this time is Mrs Pamela Murphy (Rev Andy Murphy’s mum).
She comes as an ambassador for the charity COMPASSION supports children worldwide,
but Pamela’s interest is COMPASSION’S work in Ethiopia.
You are invited to this supper plus speaker event which is Wed. May 2nd , 7.00 for 7.15,
tickets £5 from Rosemary Bradburn. Please book early.

Event: Laser Quest & Burger King

Date: Sunday 13th May

Time: 11:15 – 14:15pm

Place: Crosspoint Business Park in Coventry

Meet at: 29 Henry Street, Hinckley, LE10 0HA for a lift

For: 11-18 year olds

Contact: Joy at joy.hatfield@thebridgeonline.co.uk or go to Mingle on Facebook