The Christian’s Magna Carta (Romans 8)

After losing a disastrous war with France, impoverishing the country and alienating the church, King John finally succeeded… in inciting his Barons to rebel and take control of London. Holed up in Windsor Castle, he had little choice but to agree to their demands, And so, on 15th June 1215, by the river Thames at Runnymede, King John signed the Great Charter, acknowledging that even the king would in future be subject to the rule of law. For 800 years, Magna Carta has inspired generations of reformers and radicals, statesmen and lawyers not just in Britain but the world over.

In the 17th Century, it was used to thwart attempts by Charles I to raise taxes without Parliament. In the 18th Century the American Founding Fathers found inspiration in drafting their Declaration of Independence and Constitution. In the 19th Century reformers invoked Magna Carta against Parliament in defence of the freedom of expression and independence of the press.

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The Parables of the Seeds (Mark 4 :26-34)

A small farming village was threatened with drought because the rains had failed to arrive. On a hot and dry Sunday, the pastor told his congregation, “There isn’t anything that will save us except to pray for rain. Go home, pray, believe, and come back next Sunday ready to thank God for sending rain.” The people returned to church the following Sunday. As they sat down the Pastor gently rebuked them. “We can’t worship today because you do not yet believe,” he said. “But we prayed” they protested, “and we do believe.” “Believe?” he responded. “Then where are your umbrellas?”

Faith is made visible by our actions. So let me ask you this morning “Where are your umbrellas?” Do you have umbrella faith? Please turn with me to Mark 4:26-34. Our gospel lesson this morning speaks about developing umbrella faith. Jesus is speaking about the kingdom of God and how that kingdom grows. It grows with an unwavering faith, a faith that we cannot see or understand but a faith demonstrated by results.

To illustrate the growth of the kingdom of God, Jesus tells two little stories, two parables, one about growing seed, the other about a mustard seed.

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The Enigma of Jesus (Mark 4:1-20)

NGW_partners_logo_NLWToday marks the final day of the Royal Horticultural Society’s, National Gardening Week. It is a celebration of all things green. The aim of National Gardening Week is to encourage people to help keep their neighbourhoods, environments and shared spaces beautiful through gardening. The tagline is ‘Start Something Beautiful.’

My father was a gardener, although his would never have featured in National Gardening Week. Although he did grow flowers for the table, his was primarily a vegetable garden. Through the winter, autumn, spring and summer I would watch him patiently turn over the soil with his fork, manure it, weed it, water it and lovingly nurture seeds and seedlings into organic potatoes, shallots, carrots, parsnips, swedes, peas, runner beans, broad beans, onions, tomatoes, cabbages, cauliflowers, rhubarb, black currents and fat, juicy, strawberries.

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You Were Made for a Mission (Ephesians 6:10-18)

This weekend is an auspicious one in history. In 1919, Benito Mussolini formed the Fascist Movement in Italy. In 1933, the German Reichstag granted Adolf Hitler dictatorial powers. In 1956, Pakistan declared itself an Islamic Republic and in 1983, during the Cold War with Russia, Ronald Reagan announced the Star Wars initiative. Today we live with the lingering consequences. This week the tragic atrocity in Tunis involving European tourists visiting a museum has made the headlines. But if you visit www.warsintheworld.com, you will discover that there are at least 68 other countries where it might be unwise to take your Summer holiday, because they are presently experiencing armed conflict. There are in fact over 600 different militias, guerrilla, anarchist or separatist groups involved in violent struggles. As a young adult I once visited a friend serving with the US military on Lakenheath Airbase. As I left the base, before reaching the checkpoint, on the perimeter wall, hidden from the main road and the gaze of British civilians, I saw a large sign, about 40 feet long with lettering two feet high. Intended for US military personnel only, it read “Danger – you are now entering a war zone.” Although probably intended to improve their survival rates on British roads, I’ve thought a lot about that message.

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When We Think About Money (2 Corinthians 8:1-15)

4-Credit-cards-getty“Look at your hands. When you were just an infant, you came out with your hands closed. And every time somebody put their little finger in yours, you would wrap your hand around it, hold on tight, and not let go. As a toddler, you started grabbing rattles and lit­tle toys. When another child came in your direction and wanted to take one away from you, you said, “Mine,” and held on tight.

When you were in junior school, you hung on tightly to bicycle handlebars and pencils and other things. In senior school you hung on to the hand of Sarah Jane, and you were not about to let that go. In college you hung on to a lot of different stuff—maybe some stuff we don’t even want to talk about here—but when you left, you were clutching a certificate with two hands.

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You were Formed for God’s Family (Ephesians 2:11-22)

tnYou made a healthy choice to be here this morning. According to medical research published recently by the National Institute of Health Care Research you are better off coming to Church than going to the gym. An analysis of 42 different research studies investigating the role of religion in health, in which 126,000 people were interviewed, reveals a simple but profound truth. Regular attendance of a place of worship will seriously improve your health and increase your life expectancy. Here are some of the other findings. Compared with those who do not regularly attend Church you are more likely to live longer and you will be less likely to suffer from stress, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, depression or obesity. Dr Raj Persaud, a consultant psychiatrist working at the Maudsley Hospital in South London, notes that one particular study of 21,000 people, found that those who never attend church are almost twice as likely to die in the following nine years than those who attend church weekly. Life expectancy for a 20 year old attending church regularly is seven years longer than those who do not. But perhaps we should not be surprised. The findings of this major study merely corroborate what the Bible has been teaching for thousands of years. This is how God prepared his people:

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