May 2010

Choices, choices everywhere, and such a lot to think!

find yourself a God / Believe in which one you want”

We have recently had elections for Church Wardens and Church Council places at our Annual Meetings. There is an element of democracy in the Church of England! We will very soon be asked to vote in a General Election, and I hope we will all prayerful ly consider which candidate to vote for. We are all free to choose. We live in a democracy; choice is extremely important in our culture. “Allowing people to choose” and “giving people more choice” are phrases which are used all the time in political speeches. Choice is king.

Rights?

This extends to the divine also. The actress Dervla Kirwan (Ballykissangel) once said in a Radio Times interview, in rejecting the Christian faith of her native Ireland, that she asserted her right to worship the god of her choice. The Stereophonics echoed this sentiment in their 2007 song ‘It means nothing’, with the lyrics, “You can

It also extends to what is right or wrong. I remember the historian David Starkey arguing on Radio 4’s The Moral Maze saying something like “…in a liberal democracy what is right or wrong is what the majority say it is”.

Subject to rule

What are we to make of this as Christians who follow Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords? Firstly, let’s vote this week and let’s pray for o u r g o v e r nme n t , remember ing Paul ’ s words in Romans 13:1 about the authorities that exi s t having been established by God. Also we remember Paul’s instructions to Titus –

“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and author i t ies ,

to be

obedient, to be ready to d o wh a t e v e r i s

good” (Titus 3:1).

But there is a higher authority, and as Peter

said "We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts

5:29). As Christians we are subjects of a sovereign God whose rule is not democratic, but is absolute. Scripture also tells us that God reveals himself as our Father, who cares for us, loves us and gave his Son for us. Within the early Church we read that Paul

described himself as an apostle “by the command of God our Saviour” (1 Timothy 1:1). Paul in turn appointed Timothy to leadership in the Church. So it’s all well and good to have elections (and they do give us a system of accountability), but leadership in the Church i s a l s o a b o u t a p p o i n t m e n t , discernment, eldership.

Dare to disagree

One danger in the church is that we may be tempted to go along with the majority or the prevailing culture of the society around us. But as one Christian leader once said, if the world and the Church agree, the Church is wrong; if the world and the Church disagree, the world is wrong.

More and more we find ourselves as Christians in disagreement with the norms of our society, but just because the majority say something is right doesn’t make it so. We live in a democracy, but we are also subject to a sovereign, a higher authority with altogether greater claims on our lives.

Choose right

In the words of the modern worship song-

Your majesty, I can but bow; I lay my all before You now.

www.stgeorgeschurch.net

Page 5—Parish Weekend

Inside this

Edition …

Page 2—Creation Care

Alternatives

Page 3—Finance Update

The new PCC

Page 4—Book Review

Page 6—Network

Page 7—Diary Dates Sermon Series

Page 8—What’s on…

In royal robes I don't deserve, I live to serve Your majesty.

You want to exercise your right to choose?

“then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, ….But as for me and my household, we will

serve the

LORD." (Joshua 24:15)

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