On 17 September 2011, the Government announced that it would be holding a public consultation on the redefinition of marriage as part of its stated intention of legislating for ‘gay marriage’ by 2015. Civil partnership for gay people already has equal legal status with marriage but the current push, in the name of equality, is an attempt to make the same what is fundamentally different. It would overthrow the historic definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman. This would mean that there would be no distinction between the two types of relationship and the term ‘parties to a marriage’ would replace the terms ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ in legal and public documentation.

Christians, as well as people of other religious traditions or of none, will be deeply disturbed by this turn of events and rightly so. Lynne Featherstone MP, the Equalities Minister, has recently written that marriage is not owned by the state or the church, but is instead ‘owned by the people.’ Christian people do not and cannot subscribe to this view. We believe that marriage was instituted by God as a sanctified relationship between a man and a woman and as a fundamental building block of human society. Because of this, no government has licence to redefine it and any such attempt represents a fundamental assault on God’s design for human living, and therefore on God himself.  

I do not think in my lifetime there has been such a blatant and brazen attempt to undermine God’s authority by the political leadership of the state. This is emphatically not an issue on which we should remain neutral and I urge all who identify themselves with All Saints to sign the petition on the website www.c4m.org.uk and to familiarise themselves with the issues involved. The PCC will be discussing this at its meeting on 19 March and I shall be writing further after that.
James

I wonder, if you look back over your life so far, what people, events and circumstances have brought you to know Jesus and keep on following him? What has kept you faithful even when life is difficult?

As I look back, I know the hardest time for me as a Christian was my teenage years. I found it really hard to follow Jesus faithfully at school and sixth form. As far as I knew, I was the only Christian in my year, and so it was incredibly tempting just to fit in with everybody else and live for myself instead of Jesus.  When I look back now, I can see that God faithfully kept me through those years, and second to my Christian parents, one thing stands out as absolutely crucial to my keeping going: Summer Camps!

The camps we at All Saints take our young people on are Venture Camps (11-14s – Stanbridge Earls 4; 14-18s - Maidwell 2), and they are just brilliant! We spend a week staying at a school, sleeping in dormitories, eating delicious food, doing all sorts of exciting activities, playing sports, creating crafts and taking part in huge amounts of silliness.

There is sport, drama, arts and crafts, swimming, film making, off-site activities such as rock climbing and kayaking and much much more! There is also plenty of time to relax with old and new friends. Most importantly of all, the priority of the camps is that we all grow in our relationship with Jesus. 

There are meetings and bible studies each day where we learn from the bible about Jesus, and how we can know him and grow in our relationship with him; there are bible studies to work through and apply the truths to our own lives more deeply and there are dorm times to chat through all sorts of issues and ask any questions. 

From my own teenage experience, I can say that spending a week with Christian leaders and other young people and being removed from my normal situation freed me to take real steps in my walk with Jesus and grow in my knowledge and love of him.  I wouldn’t have done anything else with that week for the world!

If you’re aged 11-18, go on: ‘Stanbridge Earls 4’ or ‘Maidwell 2’! You will have an amazing time!

If you are a parent, encourage your children to go!

If you are neither, pray for the camps as they are very significant to many people’s lives.    
Jez Lowries

Pancakes go down a storm in ‘Pymble Towers’. I’ve managed to teach the children that golden syrup, Nutella and granulated sugar are the trinity of toppings! But of course, Lent is not all about burning off the calories from one of my pancakes! Rather, it’s about preparing to focus once again on the cross of Christ, and that first Easter.

Former Bishop of Liverpool, J.C. Ryle helps us immensely:
‘As we use Lent to prepare for Easter, we may follow Jesus all through, from the bar of Pilate to the minute of his death, and see him at every step as our mighty substitute, our representative, our head, our surety, our proxy–the divine friend who undertook to stand in our place and, by the priceless merit of his sufferings, to purchase our redemption.

Was he flogged? It was done so that ‘by his wounds we are healed’ (Isaiah 53:5).

Was he condemned, though innocent? It was done so that we might be acquitted, though guilty.

Did he wear a crown of thorns? It was done so that we might wear the crown of glory.

Was he stripped of his clothes? It was done so that we might be clothed in everlasting righteousness.

Was he mocked and reviled? It was done so that we might be honoured and blessed.

Was he reckoned a criminal, and counted among those who have done wrong? It was done so that we might be reckoned innocent, and declared free from all sin.

Was he declared unable to save himself? It was done so that he might be able to save others to the uttermost.

Did he die at last, and that the most painful and disgraceful death? It was done so that we might live forevermore, and be exalted to the highest glory.’

Consider what we have in Christ, and thank God, for his death in our place, this Lent.     
Adam Pymble

_ The Bible is very expressive when it comes to speaking about how God can forgive our sins.
It uses many descriptions to tell us how our sins are both forgiven and forgotten.

Here are some of the great promises:

Our sins are ‘forgiven,’ (Psalm 32:5);
‘washed thoroughly’ and ‘blotted out’ (Psalm 51:2, 9);
‘forgiven and covered’ (Psalm 85:2);
‘washed whiter than snow’ (Isaiah 1:18);
‘taken away’ (Isaiah 6:7);
‘put behind his back’ (Isaiah 38:17);
‘laid on him’ (Isaiah 53:6);
‘remembered no more’ (Jeremiah 31:34);
‘pardoned’ (Jeremiah 33:8);
‘destroyed’ (Romans 6:6);
‘purged’ (Hebrews 1:3)’
‘borne for us’ (1 Peter 2:24);
‘washed away’ (Revelation 1:5).

What glorious news this is! In Christ we are truly forgiven! Our sins are cancelled! God will not hold our guilty past against us!

The prophet Micah has a very dramatic way of telling us this.
He says that God has cast our sins ‘into the depths of the sea’ (7:19).
So how deep is the sea?
Far out in the Western Pacific Ocean, two hundred miles from the island of Guam, lies the deepest part of the earth’s oceans. It is called the Mariana Trench. It is more than 1500 miles long and over 40 miles wide but it is its depth that is awesome. It plunges down into the ocean bed for some 35,800 feet. By comparison, Everest, the world’s highest mountain, is 29,000 feet in

height. That means that the Mariana Trench goes lower into the ocean bed than the peak of Everest stretches up to the clouds. At that frightening depth the pressure from the waters above is more than eight tons to the square inch!

While these geographical facts and figures compel our attention, the theology of our forgiveness is even more wonderful!
When we are ‘in Christ’ as his redeemed people, our sins are truly forgiven. God has thrown them into the depth of the sea, never to be resurrected! They are buried forever in the vast abyss of God’s unfathomable love and mercy.

What great, good news the Gospel brings! Our guilty past is both forgiven and forgotten!
Alan Tuddenham

Is ageing, something to be feared?
As our physical bodies become less agile and our hearing and eye sight less clear, is it okay to feel regret?
What does the Bible say about old age?
And how as a church do we act counter-culturally and affirm the aged?
We live in an ageing society. By 2050, it is calculated that there will be over 12 million people aged over 70, that’s 1 in 5 of the whole population. Yet our society dreads old age and considers ageing as something to defy or to disguise.
However, the Bible sees things differently. According to Proverbs 16 v31: ‘Grey hair is a crown of splendour; it is attained by a righteous life.’ Indeed, many of the great heroes of the Bible were well advanced in years. Moses was 80 years old when he and Aaron first went before Pharaoh to
demand that he let God’s people go free. Abraham was 99 when God promised him Isaac. Anna was at least 84 when she saw baby Jesus in the temple and told everyone about him. Age is no bar to great fruitfulness and service for our Lord.
Yet ageing does have its limitations. Dementia affects one in five 80 year olds; blindness one in four; and hearing loss one in three. As a church we are called to serve and care for older people in our church family and in our wider community.
On Saturday 18 February Roger Hitchings will lead a morning seminar at All Saints on this subject. The morning will start at 9.15am for 9.30am and finish at 1pm. Roger is a Trustee of Pilgrim Homes and a pastor in the Midlands. He was formerly a Director of Age Concern and has co- authored the inspiring A Crown of Splendour
book ‘Could it Be Dementia?’. To book your free place at the seminar call the Church Office on 482405.
Let’s be counter-cultural in our attitude towards ageing. Let’s cherish each moment of life the Lord gives us to serve Him, for His glory.
Sarah Jones

In POD (Place Of Discipleship, 14-18s Bible Study Group) this week we were looking at part of Colossians chapter 1.  It's an amazing couple of paragraphs all about who Jesus is and how awesomely supreme he is.

As wonderful as it is, though, we can often come to a passage like that, read it through, agree with everything it says, and yet be completely unmoved by it.  Somehow, the fact that Jesus is 'the image of the invisible God,' 'the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead,' the one in whom 'God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell' can leave us cold.  Though these thing are true facts, what difference do they make to my life at the office tomorrow, or as I do my homework, or spend time with my friends?

In fact, these incredible truths make a huge difference because they describe a person.  Here are a couple to consider:

 ‘Jesus is the image of the invisible God.’  We can know God personally through Jesus.  He is with us as we work, and as we relax.  He shows us who God is, and we can know him! 

'All things were created by him and for him.'  Jesus made everything and everyone, including the people we don't get on with, and including us.  That means that everyone has value - they are the handiwork of a master craftsman, and they belong to him, so that affects how we see them.  Each of us is likewise made by and for Jesus.  Whose life are you living?  Yours or Jesus's?  He made you and you belong to him.  You are precious and you matter to him.  That’s got to affect your day!  (and mine . . . ).

At POD we discovered how knowing who Jesus is can turn your life upside down.  It's not just a series of dry facts - it's knowing the supreme Lord of the universe personally, and there's no one more exciting and life changing than him!

And that’s without even mentioning v20-23 . . .
Jez Lowries

_ A New Year is a time for self-examination, so let’s try a few of these . . .

Funny how we call God our Father and Jesus our brother, but find it hard to introduce them to the rest of our family?

Funny how much difficulty some have learning the Gospel well enough to tell others, but how simple it is to understand and explain the latest gossip about someone else?

Funny how small our sins seem, but how big ‘their’ sins are?

Funny how we demand justice for others, but expect mercy from God for ourselves?

Funny how we can't think of anything to say when we pray, but don't have any difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend?

Funny how we are so quick to take directions from a total stranger when we are lost, but are hesitant to take God's direction for our lives?

Funny how so many church goers sing ‘Standing on the Promises’, but all they do is sit on the premises?

Funny how people want God to answer their prayers, but refuse to listen to His counsel?

Funny how we sing about heaven, but live only for today?

Funny how people think they are going to heaven but don't think there is a hell?

Funny how it’s okay to blame God for evil and suffering in the world, but it’s not necessary to thank him for what is good and pleasant?

Funny how when something goes wrong, we cry, ‘Lord, why me?’ But when something goes right, we think, ‘Hey, I did well there!’

Look, hold on a minute . . . this isn’t that ‘funny’ at all.      

Alan Tuddenham

_ The sermons in our morning services this term follow on from what Ian Coffey spoke about at our Ashburnham Weekend last September. We join Paul (and his companions Silas, Timothy and Luke) as they cross over from Asia into Europe. We will be following them in their travels and work through Greece and Turkey. We share in the good times and the bad experiences they had. We will be covering Acts chapters 15 to 20; why not take the opportunity to read these chapters through, perhaps with an atlas to follow their route.

These five years were a vital stage in the spread of Christianity, and they have much to teach us:

v    A key moment: as the Gospel reaches Europe for the first time, and so would eventually come to Britain and even Sussex!

v    A key strategy: as Paul establishes bases in the major cities of Athens (the intellectual capital), in Corinth (the commercial capital) and Ephesus (the religious capital). From here the gospel would spread out into the surrounding areas.

v    A key lesson: we’ll see the way in which Paul had to work out how the Gospel could cross cultural boundaries, reaching folk who knew little or nothing about the scriptures or what God had done for his people.

We too live at a time when many people know little of the background to the good news about Jesus, so these events will challenge us to think about how we can effectively share our faith and bring the Kingdom of God to a post-Christian generation. At Thessalonica Paul and his team were accused of ‘turning the world upside down’ (Acts 17.6); could that accusation be made against us, I wonder?
Jeremy Taylor

_ The Christmas Day Lunch in the Tiger was once again this year a great success! Just under 50 people were present, most of whom would have been on their own if the lunch hadn’t been arranged. As ever, they were hugely appreciative of all the hard work that had been put in to make the day such a tremendous success.

Very grateful thanks on behalf of the whole church fellowship to Dave and Clare Clark and family and their wonderful team of helpers who laid on and hosted the event. In recent years this lunch has become, for many, a highlight of the All Saints’ Christmas programme and we praise God for all those who have helped to build up this very worthwhile and practical ministry. 

In addition, I would like to pay tribute to all the many other individuals and groups who have made Christmas 2011 so special - flower arrangers, tree decorators, sound and vision operators, sides-persons, Christingle makers, service sheet folders, and many, many others who have contributed in small ways and large. I would like to single out two groups for special thanks: Jonathan Robinson and his teams of musicians and singers who have made our Christmas festivities so joyful and celebratory; and also to our Office team led by Ken Markham and Sarah Hagger who did so much of the behind the scenes work in the run up to Christmas.

Christmas 2011 has been special—a great family atmosphere into which we were able to welcome once again many occasional visitors (nearly 2000 people attended services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day alone) - a great springboard for 2012 and for our Christianity Explored course which begins on Tuesday evening (10 January)
James

Happy New Year everyone!

I do hope that you had a great Christmas and New Year and are thinking about getting back into the routine of things this week.

Starting later this week we begin the season of 'Epiphany.' While all our recent nativity plays had the wise men entering stage right with everyone else, actually, we think about them this week! 
Matthew's gospel tells us about them, but we don't know much, except one important detail—that they 'came from the East.' 
They were non-Jews (Gentiles) and were star gazing astronomers. 
This is striking. 
The first to worship Jesus, were a bunch of shepherds (a noble profession, but not the political movers and shakers of Jerusalem) and now, a bunch of magi, with no heritage of Jewish faith.

Friends, what a God we have! We've just celebrated the extraordinary truth of Christmas, 'Immanuel, God with us.' Now we're reminded, that just like the wise men, we too can put our trust in Jesus. 
Some of us have the prayers and example of Christian family to thank for raising us to know Christ. 
Some of us don't, neither did the wise men. 
No Sunday School or CU for them. 
In fact both the shepherds and the wise men trusted God, before actually seeing Jesus - which puts us all in the same boat!

What we learn from them, is their response. They ran to Jesus, over hills from the East. The wise men bring gifts fit for a king - no babygros or talc in sight, but gifts which honoured Jesus as King. We can do the same in 2012: bowing down, and offering our very selves in service of our wonderful Saviour, King Jesus.

Adam Pymble