How to Avoid Flat Tyre Syndrome (Nehemiah 13) from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

Ever had a flat tyre? You know, the kind you are aware of, but you just don’t get round to fixing. You’re too busy and you think you’ll make it to your destination. My most embarrassing flat tyre was late one night, in central London, near Lambeth Palace actually. And I had a sleeping Bishop in the passenger seat. That is until I hit the curb and blew the tyre.

He ended up changing the tyre for me. Very embarrassing.  Most flat tyres don’t occur as a result of a blowout. They go flat gradually because air leaks out over time, slowly, imperceptibly until one day you are grounded.  Apparently, a tyre can lose one or two pounds of air a month in cool weather, and even more in warm weather. Sometimes you don’t even know you’re going flat until the car becomes difficult to steer, and then it is too late. Spiritual decline is very much like that.  Spiritual decline or back-sliding is like a slow flat tyre. We have all been there. We go a week without praying or reading our Bible. We miss a couple of home group meetings. We are so tired by the week or a late night on Saturday and we have a lie in on Sunday morning and before you know it, its lunch time.

As we conclude the story of Nehemiah, we come face-to-face with the reality of what I call ‘flat tyre syndrome’. Now you would think that the last chapter of this great book would contain encouraging and compelling stories of how God’s people, back in the Land, the walls of Jerusalem rebuilt, experiencing God’s blessing. As we left them last week in chapter 12, having rededicated themselves to love and serve the Lord, having signed a solemn covenant to hold each other accountable, you would expect to find God’s people taking their spiritual commitment to the next level. Frankly, this script does not have a happy ending. Between chapter 12 and 13 Gods people had a flat tyre. They backslide as a nation. The verb “backslide” means “To relapse into bad habits, sinful behaviour, or undesirable activities.” Lets find out how it happened, what they did about it and what we can do to avoid a similar flat tyre. Continue reading →

How to Love Your Enemies (Matthew 5 43-48) from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

You either love him or loathe him. He is one of the most popular, well known, larger than life faces on TV. Usually Jeremy Clarkson is to be seen extolling the virtues of shiny new cars on BBC2’s Top Gear. But a while back he talked with a passion of something far more fundamental – the often forgotten heroism of men who risked their lives for their country.

Clarkson presented a BBC documentary, “The Victoria Cross: For Valour”, examining the stories of some of our VC heroes, focusing on the one he found so personally inspirational, including his father-in-law he never knew but deeply admired.

The scene was Holland, in mid-September 1944. Airborne forces were attempting to capture a key bridge at Arnhem during the ill-fated Operation Market Garden.

Major Robert Cain commanded a company of the South Staffordshire Regiment. These men landed eight miles from the so-called “Bridge Too Far” where the British were fighting desperately to retain their foothold at the north end. Disaster struck. The Germans sprang an ambush and 300 of our men lost their lives, including two of Robert Cain’s closest friends.

With the remnants of his force retreating, Major Cain and the remainder of the company had a stark choice, to fight or surrender. And fight they did, losing another 40 men before being ordered to the last-stand defence of a village surrounded by 6,000 German troops armed with tanks, rocket launchers and 100 heavy guns. Single-handedly, Cain destroyed three Tiger tanks, standing in the open. He was temporarily blinded but after recovering, he turned the defence into a counter attack with such ferocity that the Germans were eventually forced to withdraw, allowing Cain’s men to escape across the Rhine.

For his courage and leadership, Major Robert Cain received the Victoria Cross, the highest, most prestigious award bestowed for gallantry. It is a sobering to remember that nine out of every 10 recipients died in the action which led to their being honoured. In its 149-year history, only 1,354 have ever been awarded, and as Clarkson discovered, the feats of the men who received it were truly remarkable. Major Robert Cain was one of the few who survived to enjoy the honour of being presented with his VC.

Jeremy Clarkson was clearly moved by the stories he told in the programme, not least that of his own father-in-law. And it prompted him to ponder a simple question which, in this period of remembrance for British soldiers lost in battle… I want us to spend a little while reflecting on this morning…  He asked: “How can we call the likes of David Beckham a hero for scoring a goal?  I wonder who your heroes are today?  And what about your children and grandchildren? Who are the heroes pinned to their bedroom walls?  What kind of people do you aspire to be like? What kind of people do we want our children to aspire to be like?

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What is an anniversary? What anniversaries do you celebrate in your family? Why do we celebrate wedding anniversaries, husbands? For a quiet life? No, because we are thankful that our wives put up with us… Remembering our anniversary helps us give thanks for one another. Helps us renew our commitment to one another. Helps us try harder in the future. That’s why we are encouraged when we hear of couples celebrating their 25^th, 30^th, or 50^th wedding anniversary.  Do you remember your parents anniversary? Think about it. If they hadn’t got married you probably would not be here. Anniversaries are important.

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