With God on our Side: Film Launch on Sunday 28th February, Christ Church, Virginia Water, GU25 4PT, 2:30pm
“With God On Our Side takes a look at the theology of Christian Zionism, which teaches that because the Jews are God’s chosen people, they have a divine right to the land of Israel. Aspects of this belief system lead some Christians in the West to give uncritical support to Israeli government policies, even those that privilege Jews at the expense of Palestinians, leading to great suffering among Muslim and Christian Palestinians alike and threatening Israel’s security as a whole.
This film demonstrates that there is a biblical alternative for Christians who want to love and support the people of Israel, a theology that doesn’t favor one people group over another but instead promotes peace and reconciliation for both Jews and Palestinians.”
The title for our film, “With God on Our Side” was inspired by the verse:
…while Joshua was there near Jericho: He looked up and saw right in front of him a man standing, holding his drawn sword. Joshua stepped up to him and said, “Whose side are you on—ours or our enemies’?” He said, “Neither. I’m commander of God’s army. Joshua 5:13-14a (The Message)
We believe this verse is still true today, that God does not take sides with certain people groups, nations or agendas. Rather He is for all people. Throughout history, those who have claimed God was on their side have used it to justify atrocities done in the name of Jesus. We believe once again certain Christians are approaching the people in the Middle East claiming God is on their side in a way that disregards human rights and gives unilateral support to a secular State, elevates one people group over another while using the Bible as justification. We believe there is a better way, a way of justice, peace and love for Jews and Palestinians. One that is inclusive, not exclusive. That is the heart of God.
In between the two Christianity Explored conferences in Kiwoko and Bweyale, the team spent 24 hours at the Paraa Safari Lodge near Murchison Falls. Here are two really short videos to wet your appetite…
Bishop Stanley Ntagali of Masindi, Uganda, speaks at the launch of the Swahili translation of Christianity Explored in Bweyale, in January 2010.
A high proportion of the residents in the area are refugees and live in resettlement camps. The hope is that those trained will help resource other churches to use CE Swahili into Sudan and Congo as well as Tanzania and Kenya.
Uganda is a country of striking beauty with a bright future but with momentous demographic and economic challenges ahead. With God’s help, The Church of Uganda, with its schools and hospitals, as in Kiwoko and Bweyale, will help its people realise their full potential, to the glory of God and the extension of his kingdom.
Next Sunday, 7th February, we are hosting a seminar at Christ Church on Climate Change with Professor Scott Elias of Royal Holloway, University of London from 3:00-5:00pm. All welcome.
Professor Scott Elias will give us the latest evidence for climate change. You will not want to miss this event. Do invite your friends.
“Since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made its last assessment of global warming in 2007, new data have emerged that point ever more clearly to the growing threat of climate change, and mankind’s role in creating these problems. It is now clear that human-induced climate change is already affecting both the physical environment (e.g., rising temperatures, melting sea ice, etc.) and the biological world (e.g., changes in ecosystems, threats to the habitats of many species). Global precipitation trends have also been linked to human induced global warming.
These changes include increased precipitation in Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes, drier Northern Hemisphere tropics and subtropics, and wetter Southern Hemisphere tropics. The magnitude of these changes is greater than what has been predicted in previous climate models, and may already be affecting ecosystems, agriculture, and human health in some regions.
The world’s oceans are becoming acidified as more CO2 gas is dissolved in ocean waters. Ocean acidification threatens the world’s coral reefs, shellfish, and marine ecosystems generally. The latest estimates now predict that global sea level will rise between ½ and 2 meters by the end of this century, as much as four times the estimate made by IPCC in its 2007 report.
The situation is grim, but because it is human-caused, there is much we can do to remedy the situation. The whole world must take this problem seriously. Governments as well as individuals must act quickly.”
The Road from Jericho to Jerusalem is just 14 miles. A half-day’s journey, uphill all the way. Bethany is just on the other side of the Mount of Olives. A natural place to stop and rest before the final ascent and panoramic view of all Jerusalem. But it is not the road that should capture our attention. Dusty roads through dramatic scenery were as common then as now, indeed little has changed. Israeli checkpoints, barbed wire, military settlements and the Separation Barrier have replaced the Roman garrisons but it is still Occupied Territory. It is ironic that if Jesus were born in Blackpool he would have no problem getting from Jericho to Jerusalem today. But because he was born in Bethlehem he would not be able to make the journey to the Mount of Olives, let alone join the Palm Sunday procession into the Old City. Like thousands of West Bank Christians he would be unable to visit Jerusalem today. He would be turned back at a military checkpoint – because he was born in Bethlehem. Pray for your brothers and sisters today in the Holy Land who are denied the most basic of human rights – freedom of movement, freedom to worship, freedom to live in the land of their birth. In March, Bethlehem Bible College is hosting an international conference called “Christ at the Checkpoint” with Lynn Hybels, Tony Campolo and many other evangelicals. Come and meet Christ’s family living at the checkpoints.
Richard Bewes, former Rector of All Soul’s, Langham Place, London, spoke at Christ Church, Virginia Water on Mission Sunday, 10th January 2010. In this sermon he draws out four principles of mission from the Apostle Paul’s encounter in Athens recorded in Acts 17.
In this sermon, he considers the mission lessons learnt from the story of Caleb in Joshua, and in particular, Caleb’s drive and energy, even as an 85 year old, to claim the promises of God.
I wonder whether you saw the New Year in at a party? When people have had a glass or two you often find out what they really think. I heard of a guest at a rather noisy party, who approached his hostess to complain, “I find the whole situation absurd,” he shouted rather loudly over the din, “no-one here seems to realise how silly they look all dressed up, how pathetic their little lives really are, their behaviour is so grotesque…their small talk is so…so superficial…” “Ah,” said the hostess, smiling sweetly, “you must join the sociologists in the far corner. The rest of us realised all that a long time ago but we decided to ignore it and just enjoy the party….” Ecclesiastes was written by a man who decided not to ignore reality any longer but joined the deviants in the corner who are confronting the absurdity of life. And he invites us to listen in on their conversation. The first verse suggests this is the work of King Solomon but most commentators doubt it. The writer gives himself the name qoheleth which is translated teacher (TNIV) or preacher (ESV). For convenience, I am going to assume it is Solomon. What matters is that we read this as an autobiographical journey by someone in search of meaning in life. In the opening chapter, Solomon introduces us to three people, a scientist, an historian and a philosopher, who each help him to answer the ultimate question, “Is life worth living?”
And Solomon gives us his answer in verse 2, even before asking the question. “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Eccl.1:2)
This is like a detective novel in which the writer begins by telling you who did it then proceeds to reveal how they did it and how the clues fit together. While popular in fiction, few people are really comfortable with this “Sherlock Holmes” style of ruthless elementary deduction when applied to real life.
During the Spring when we explore Ecclesiastes together, we are going to unmask some of our fantasies and take off our rose tinted spectacles. Ecclesiastes does not allow us to escape back into our Disney make-believe world where the blood is only tomato ketchup, and everyone rides off into the sunset, living happily ever after.
A hard look at life can be very disconcerting. Have you noticed the way the TV news typically ends? The news will move from a story about army casualties through a road side bomb in Afghanistan, to a suicide bombing of a mosque in Pakistan, to the latest revelations of Iran’s clandestine nuclear programme to a devastating cyclone in the Philippines, then, almost without a pause, we move to the latest cricket and rugby scores, and then with a smile and a shuffle of papers we end “on a lighter note” with a trivial or eccentric story with a happy ending… and in a millisecond it’s straight into the make-believe world of the adverts. T.S. Eliot rightly warned that “humankind cannot bear very much reality.”
But bear it we must if people are to realise that the message of Jesus Christ is good news. You cannot save a drowning man if he does not realise his predicament. Francis Schaeffer, the most influential 20th Century Christian philosopher, once wrote,
“There is a time, and ours is such a time, when a negative message is needed before anything positive can begin…People often say to me, “What would you do if you met a really modern man on a train and you had just an hour to talk to him about the gospel?” I would spend forty-five or fifty minutes on the negative, to show him his real dilemma-to show him that he is more dead than even he thinks he is…Then I would take ten or fifteen minutes to tell him the gospel…Unless he understands what is wrong, he will not be ready to listen, and understand the positive.”
This is the stance that Ecclesiastes takes. Solomon drags us through the pointlessness of life without God, often with great humour. We greatly misunderstand this book if we imagine that Solomon is merely a cynic. He never lets us forget that the posture he is taking is not a divine viewpoint. Rather it is the rationale of a secular person looking at the world with all its problems, horizontally. Or, as Solomon puts it 27x from “under the sun.” He does not accept these secular assumptions. He is deliberately putting on the mantle of the secular mind to force us to think the way the world thinks, and takes us to the logical end of such a world view.
It may be uncomfortable, even disconcerting, to deliberately try and imagine the world without God, but this we need to do if we are to identify with our family and friends who avoid God.
Who think the Church irrelevant. We are going to find that Ecclesiastes will help us a great deal to get into the mind of the unchurched Harry and Mary. There are some amazing similarities between cultures separated by thousands of years and thousands of miles. Human nature does not change with the colour of the skin. Solomon, would have concurred with the view of Black Elk, the great Sioux religious leader, “Everything an Indian does is in a circle”,
he said, “Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood.” For centuries, wise people in different cultures have been pondering the mysteries of the “circles” of human life. Whenever you use phrases like “life cycle“, or “the wheel of fortune,” or “come full circle,” you are taking a cyclical view of life and nature. If life is only part of a great cycle over which we have no control, what’s the point? Why carry on? “Eat, drink and be merry…” (Eccl. 8:15). While much of the world, for most of the time ignores such questions, pretending life is one long party, lets return to the corner of the room and overhear the conversation between Solomon and his friends, a scientist, an historian and a philosopher, debating the ultimate question. Solomon looked at the cycle of life “under the sun” and he came to three bleak conclusions.
From the view point of the scientist, nothing in life is changed (1:4-7); in the opinion of the historian nothing is new (1:8-11), and in the experience of the philosopher, nothing is understood (1:12-18).
What do you do for an encore on the Day After Tomorrow? As a follow-up to Doomsday, Armageddon or Independence Day? If your name is Roland Emmerich then it had to be producing the apotheosis of all disaster movies, 2012. To be more precise, the 21st December 2012, i.e, tomorrow, in two years time. Because that’s the day the Mayan “Long Count” calendar ends. On that day, in the film at least, a solar storm results in changes in the Earth’s core, triggering gigantic earthquakes, super-volcanoes, and truly apocalyptic disasters. I confess – I enjoyed the film – if you can ever ‘enjoy’ a portrayal of the end of the world. The wide screen set pieces are literally jaw-dropping. The heroes race through a disintegrating landscape, literally riding a rolling cataclysm consuming the earth directly under their wheels. Crumbling skyscrapers, tumbling vehicles and heaving shelves of rock, slide whole cities into the abyss or beneath the waves. The other memorable scene occurs when a crack runs the length of the Sistine Chapel ceiling—directly between the adjacent fingers of God and Adam. Outside, a crowd of thousands keep vigil in St. Peter’s Square. They hold candles, while the pope looks down from his balcony and a group of cardinals pray within the basilica. But St. Peter’s, along with the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio, go the way of all landmarks in an Roland Emmerich film.
Is he making a religious statement? Well, probably, for, without giving too much away, the concluding scene resembles another well known story from Genesis. My worry is that the film typifies the “apocalyptic subculture” fuelled by books, websites, YouTube videos and movies at a time of heightened fear—about terrorism, al Qaeda, Iran, nuclear weapons and religious fundamentalism. Add to that climate change, global warming, natural disasters, disease pandemics, AIDS, the economic meltdown, the debt burden, diminishing fuel reserves and food shortages, and we are at the mercy of ‘chick-little’ gloom and doom prophets who predict the end of the world. Sadly some popular Christian writers seem just as determined to stir the pot and bring on death and destruction to our world. One day God will indeed wrap up history as we know. But that shouldn’t paralyze us. It should energise us. God doesn’t want to destroy this world. He wants to deliver us.
“God is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.” (Ezekiel 33:11)
God is not mad with you. He is mad about you! That is the message of Christmas. You may have good reason for feeling uneasy or lonely or even depressed at Christmas. Maybe relationships are strained or uncomfortable. Maybe you will be alone this Christmas. Maybe you’re just exhausted, worn out from all that’s happened in your life this year. This Christmas, please know that God cares deeply about you. His purpose for Christmas really is the best news on earth. Beneath all the trappings of the Festive season there are some simple truths that will transform your life for the better now, and forever in eternity. Right now there’s nothing more important for you to understand than the purpose of Christmas. It is no accident that you are here. God planned your birth, and before you were even born, he knew this moment was coming. It may well be that all your life up to this moment has been preparing you to receive God’s Christmas gift. On the first Christmas night, the angels announced three purposes behind the birth of Jesus.
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.” (Luke 2:8-14)
Christmas is a time for celebration, a time for salvation and a time for reconciliation. Tonight we will dwell on the first. On Christmas Eve we will consider the other two. We have here an indication of the importance of this message in the number of angels who brought the announcement.
“A great company of the heavenly host appeared”. The words used to describe the number of angels indicates that there were thousands upon thousands of angels. For all we know there may have been millions. What does this tell us? It tells us of a God who is excited beyond our wildest imagination about coming to be with us, to be one of us, to rescue us, to save us, to restore us to a right relationship with him. The first purpose of Christmas therefore is celebration! That is why we say “Merry Christmas” Christmas is a celebration. Why? Because God had wonderful news to share: We learn this from the angel’s opening statement. “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10). Observe first that it is personal: “I bring you.” Not only that but it is positive: “good news of great joy.” Good news. Positive, personal. And notice also it is universal: “for all the people.” For all the people, not just some people, not just good people, not just young people, beautiful people, articulate people, intelligent people, or religious people, but all people. So it doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, where you’ve been, or where you’re headed — this news is for you. Its personal, its positive and its profligate. The angel brought the best news in the whole wide world for the whole wide world. The message of the angels is worth celebrating because it is greatest news ever told.
And what specifically is that good news? The good news of Christmas is three things. When God sent Jesus Christ to earth, He was saying three things. One, God loves us. Two, God is with us. Three, God is for us. Reason enough for mulled wine and mince pies tonight.
1. God loves us
The angels said “Do not be afraid”. Many people are afraid of God because of what they have done or because of what they have been taught. But that is not the message of Christmas. The most famous verse in the whole Bible is Jesus’ explanation of Christmas – why God sent him to earth.”God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) We are celebrating Christmas because of the love of God. God loves you so much that he came to earth that first Christmas as a human so you could get to know him and love him back.
God created us in his image, which includes the ability to enjoy a personal relationship with him. He took the initiative to send Jesus so we could experience his love. So that we could be restored to a right relationship with him. Of course, we know a little about God by simply observing his creation. For instance, by looking at nature we know that our Creator loves variety:
He created an incredibly diverse universe. Think of the limitless array of plants, animals, rock formations, snowflakes, and people. No two human beings, even twins, are exactly alike. God doesn’t make clones or copies. Every one of us is an original. After you were born, God broke the mold. By surveying nature, we also know that God is powerful and organized, and that he loves beauty. God must enjoy watching us enjoy what he’s created. Otherwise, why would he give us so many ways to enjoy it? He gave us taste buds, then filled the world with incredible flavours like chocolate and cinnamon and all the other spices. He gave us eyes to perceive colour and then filled the world with a rainbow of shades. He gave us sensitive ears and then filled the world with rhythms and music. Your capacity for enjoyment is evidence of God’s love for you. He could have made the world tasteless, colorless, and silent. The Bible says that God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” He didn’t have to do it, but he did, because he loves us. But until Jesus came, our understanding of God’s love was limited. So God invaded planet earth to save us. God could have chosen many other ways to communicate with us, but since he designed us, he knew the best way would be face-to-face. The Bible tells us that God is love. It doesn’t say God has love, but “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Love is the essence of God’s character. It is his very nature.
The reason that everything in the universe exists is because God wanted to love it. “The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” (Psalm 145:9). Think about this. Everything you see, and the trillions of things you can’t, were made by God for his enjoyment. He loves it all, even when we mess it up by our sin. Every star, every planet, every plant, every animal, every cell, and, most of all, every human being was created out of God’s compassion. You were created as an object of God’s love. He made you in order to love you! His love is the reason you’re alive and breathing and here tonight. Every time your heart beats and every time you take a breath, God is saying, “I love you.” You would not exist if God had not wanted you. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. Did you know that God was thinking of you even before he made the world? (Psalm 139:16). In fact, it is why he created it. He designed this planet’s environment with just the right characteristics so human beings could live on it. “God decided to give us life through the word of truth so we might be the most important of all the things he made.” (James 1:18). We matter to God more than anything else he has made. Because God’s love for you is unconditional, he loves you on your bad days as much as on your good days. He loves you when you don’t feel his love as much as when you do.
He loves you regardless of your performance, your moods, your actions, or your thoughts. His love for you is unchanging. Everything else will change during your lifetime, but God’s love for you is constant, steady, and continuous. It’s the foundation for unshakable confidence. There is nothing you can do that will make God stop loving you. You could try, but you’d fail — because God’s love for you is based on his character, not your conduct. It’s based on who he is, not what you’ve done. The Bible says, “Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love.” (Ephesians 3:19). Christ’s love was supremely expressed when he paid for every sin we commit by dying on a cross in our place. This is the Good News. When the Romans nailed Jesus to a cross, they stretched his arms as wide as they could. With his arms wide open, Jesus was physically demonstrating, “I love you this much! I’d rather die than live without you!” The next time you see a picture or statue of Jesus on the cross, remember, he is saying, “I love you this much” This is the 1st reason to celebrate at Christmas – God loves us. Here’s the 2nd reason to celebrate Christmas:
2. God is with us
Sometimes we give babies names to honour their relatives. God gave Jesus several names to explain his purpose for coming to earth. Matthew’s gospel, quotes one of those names,
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” which means “God with us”. (Matt 1:23; Isa 7:14)
In Jesus Christ, God has made himself known fully and finally. He is now with us. God came to earth at Christmas in Jesus Christ to be with you. To be with you, not just for Christmas but forever. God’s presence in your life has nothing to do with your feelings. Your emotional state can be the result of memories, hormones, medicines, food, lack of sleep, tension or fears. The Bible says “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7). Space and time are irrelevant to God. God is always everywhere at the same time. No wonder the angels told the shepherds “Do not be afraid”.
C.S. Lewis put it, “We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with him.” That’s a fact whether you feel it or not. You may have been abandoned in life – by a spouse, by your parents, by your children, or by people you thought were your friends. We have all experienced the pain and heartache of rejection in some way or another. You may have experienced the sting of racial or ethnic prejudice, gender bigotry, or religious intolerance. But God will not abandon you if you trust in Him. He never will. In the Bible, God says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5). Whatever difficulty you are facing or where the heat is on in your life, God knows about it, cares about it, understands it and is with you. You are not alone. God loves us. God is with us.
3. God is for us
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10). He’s not only loving you, and He’s not only with you, but the Bible says God is for you. He’s on your side. He wants you to win. He wants you to succeed. He wants you to live. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). Not just with us but for us. So many people are afraid of God. They feel that God is just waiting to catch them in something bad, so he can pounce on them and punish them. Maybe you get nervous when people start talking about God. You know why? It’s called guilt. Guilt separates us from God. You may think, “If I get close to God, He’s going to scold me. He’s going to remind me of all the things I’ve done wrong. He’s going to tell me the bad stuff.”
But the Bible says Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world. He came to save it. The Bible says – “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.” (John 3:17).
He didn’t come to scold you. He came to save you. That’s the good news. And if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). No wonder the angel said “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10). Good news of great joy that God loves you, God is with you. God is for you. These are the reasons Christmas is meant to be a celebration. On Christmas Eve we will consider the other two purposes, salvation and reconciliation. For now, remember, Jesus came to save you, not to scare you. That’s why the very first words of the angel were, “Don’t be afraid.” There are actually 365 “fear not’s” in the Bible. That’s one for every day of the year. God is saying, “Get the message” You don’t need to be afraid. Because, “I love you, I’m with you, and I’m for you.” That’s good news. And that’s what we are celebrating tonight. Lets pray.
Dear God, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, so I could get to know you. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being with me all my life even when I didn’t know it. I realize I need a saviour to set me free from sin, from myself, and from all the habits, hurts, and hang-ups that mess up my life. I ask you to forgive me for my sins. I want to repent and live the way you created me to live. Be the Lord of my life, and save me by your grace. Save me from my sins, and save me for your purpose. I want to learn to love you, trust you, and become what you made me to be. Thank you for creating me and choosing me to be part of your family. Right now, by faith, I accept the Christmas gift of your Son. Fill me with your Holy Spirit to give me your peace and assurance so I can be a peacemaker, and help me share this message of peace with others. In your name I pray, Amen.
This sermon and prayer is adapted with sincere thanks from Rick Warren’s The Purpose of Christmas (Howard Books, 2008)
Coming 2010: withgodonourside.com “With God On Our Side takes a look at the theology of Christian Zionism, which teaches that because the Jews are God’s chosen people, they have a divine right to the land of Israel. Aspects of this belief system lead some Christians in the West to give uncritical support to Israeli government policies, even those that privilege Jews at the expense of Palestinians, leading to great suffering among Muslim and Christian Palestinians alike and threatening Israel’s security as a whole. This film demonstrates that there is a biblical alternative for Christians who want to love and support the people of Israel, a theology that doesn’t favor one people group over another but instead promotes peace and reconciliation for both Jews and Palestinians.”
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