Posts Tagged ‘baptism’

Posted on September 21, 2008 - by Tim L

Fix you

(On the occasion of the baptism of a 15 year old into Church)

Chris Martin’s words in “Fix you” echo the reality of what many, if not all of us, experience in life

When you try your best but you don’t succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can’t sleep
Stuck in reverse

Sound familiar?

You have led a charmed life if you cannot identify with at least some of those words.

When you feel so tired but you can’t sleep

What do you do? If you know that feeling you know haw incredibly frustrating it can be. Do you start counting sheep? Put the light on and read a book? Cuddle your favourite teddy,…..or person….

When you get what you want but not what you need

What do you do? Smile sweetly and say, “How nice” through a fixed grin. Take it back at the first chance you get?

Chris Martin is talking about the very stuff of life. The reason the song is so popular is because it echoes with each one of us. He is talking our language, sharing our lives,

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you.

Who is that?

Who is his light to guide him home?

Who will ignite his bones?

Who will fix him when he is broke?

We don’t get the answer in the song.

But I would just like to say

12Jesus once again addressed them: “I am the world’s Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in.”

John 8;12 (The Message)

“….My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.”

John 10;9 (The Message)

28“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. 29Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.

Matthew 11;28-30 (The Message)

Being a member of Mensa means you are good at solving puzzles. Some say it is the ultimate test of cleverness

Passing any kind of exams tends to mean you are good at remembering facts, dates and formulae. Employers will often look for the certificates that go with passing those exams.

But being clever is not the be all and end all.

In fact most of, just like Chris Martin, want to know how to live life. We want to be wise not clever.

Today a 15 year old has discovered;

Light to be guided by,

Power to her ignite bones and live life to the full

And somewhere to go when broken and in need of being fixed.

I know it might sound strange but I think that is wisdom. Wisdom in a 15 year old, that bucks the national trend!

Posted on June 29, 2008 - by Tim L

Transformed by Faith

Over the past few weeks we have been looking at people who encountered Jesus and were transformed by their faith in him.  This evening we will hear of people in the 21st Century who have met Jesus and been transformed by faith in him.

To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.

Hebrews 11;1

⁴John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins. ⁵People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a changed life. ⁶John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey.

⁷As he preached he said, “The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will change your life. ⁸I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism-a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit-will change you from the inside out.”

⁹At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God’s Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. ¹¹Along with the Spirit, a voice: “You are mine, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.”

Mark 1; 4-11 The Message

God says to everyone you are loved, come and join the party.  Come and join in with what I am already doing in this world.  I love you so much I don’t want anyone to miss out.  God says I am remaking everything, from relationships between us, our relationships with each other, our relationship with the world, he says he is remaking and even creation itself.

So, come, come and join the party, come and follow me, and your life will not be the same again.  It will be more life filled.