Saint Nicholas’ Parish News

March 2009

SERMON NOTEBOOK

Preached in St Nicholas 25/1/09

How do I know I’m a Christian?

Because Jesus died in my place (1 John 1:1-2:2)

This month during the Woolworths sale I bought a copy of the Bourne Identity for 50p. I had never seen it but always wanted to. The movie is about a CIA agent who has been found in the Mediterranean sea. He has no memory yet is an expert in martial arts, speaks lots of languages and is a dab hand with a gun. He has no idea who or what he is.

Today we can sometimes find ourselves in a situation like that with Christianity. We don’t know what we are, are we a Christian, what is a Christian and how do we know? Then we come to 1 John. Here John shows us the proof to see whether or not we are Christians and what a Christian is. To do that however we need a trustworthy guide. We need to know that we can trust what John says.

A trustworthy guide (1 John 1: 1-4)

Everyone has their own view of Jesus. The amount of times I have heard the words; “I like to think of Jesus as…” We all hear it all the time, even from bible teachers. Often these ideas about Jesus and even what a Christian is contradict each other. Really who is the real Jesus and what did He have to say about himself and Christianity.

Well if you wanted to know the real Winston Churchill you would ask people who knew him. You would ask them what was he like. You would read what they had to say. It would be no use asking me because I didn’t know what he was like I would just tell you the way I would like to think of him, no you would go to someone who knew him and listen to them. And the same is true of Jesus if you want to know about Jesus go to someone who knew him. And that’s what we have 1 John. In 1 John 1:1 to 4, John tells us that he knew Jesus. He heard Him, he saw Him and he touched Him. So when we read 1 John we hear the real Jesus. We come face to face with Him, we are hearing the teaching of Jesus though John. So who better to ask if you’re a Christian than Jesus.

The broken relationship (1 John 1:5-8)

But what has Jesus got to say about knowing you’re a Christian. If I had two lamps. If I switch one on and the other off well there is going to be light. The darkness from the lamp that isn’t on can’t co-exist with the light from the one that is on. You can only have light or darkness, it’s one or the other. Well the same is true of our relationship with God. In 1 John 1:5 to 7 we hear that God cannot stand sin. God cannot have a relationship with anything sinful. He can’t be around it. And this creates a huge problem for us. Because in 1 John 1:8 we read that we have all broken God’s law and therefore we are all sinful. So God cannot have anything to do with us.

We are Christians because Jesus died for us. (1 John 1:9-2:1)

But we despite this 1 John 1:9 to 2:1 tells us we still can be Christians, despite all we have done against God we can still come to Him, if we say sorry. When my brothers and I where younger we used to fight the bit out. But by saying sorry my brothers and I would be friends again. And the same is true of our relationship with God. If we say sorry we can be his friend again. It is God who is offered when we break his law, it is Him who we are rebelling against. So it is to him we must say sorry. So how do I know I’m a Christian, well have you said sorry for your sins to God.

But God is just. He must punish sin. When I’m driving, the one thing that really annoys me is when I’m driving at the speed limit and someone flies past. I would love to see them half a mile up the road, stopped at the side of the road with a policeman. But if I stopped my car got out and paid the speeding fine I would be taking the punishment instead of the guilty party. And that a bit like what God does with Jesus. God must be just and that means we must be punished, but instead of demanding justice from us, He takes it out on Jesus on the cross. Jesus presents himself as a sacrifice to take all the punishment you deserve, I deserve, your granny deserves Himself so we can come to God and say sorry. At the cross God’s justice is done so guilty men and women can be forgiven and that is how you can know you’re a Christian. Because Jesus died for you.

So what does 1 John 1 tell us today after all it was written two thousand years ago. Well if you’re not a Christian, know that God and you are enemies but because of Jesus’ death on the cross you can say sorry and become a Christian. That’s all it takes. Simply say sorry to God for the times you have rebelled against him and lived your way instead of his way. If you are a Christian well stop rebelling against God. Stop living your way and start living God’s way. Also here we have a message we can trust from the real Jesus so let’s tell people about it.

How do you know you’re a Christian? Well because Jesus died in your place so you can come to God. A.P. Campbell

Sorted on …the Church’s injustice.

Last month we looked at how to answer the objection to Christianity of suffering, how could a just and loving God allow suffering. This month we will be looking at a similar objection. The atheist fundamentalist Richard Dwakins’ has acclaimed that he couldn’t believe in Christianity because of all the atrocities carried out by Christians. The same thing has been said by Christopher Hitchens in the book “God is not so great.” I have had this argument put to me on several occasions. The issue is that if Christianity is true why are Christians responsible for so much injustice. The objection has two forms. First “I know non-Christians who are more moral and better people than the Christians I know. Secondary the church is responsible for major injustices like the Crusades, inquisitions and racism.

We will first answer the first objection, “I know better non-Christians than the Christians I know.” If you’re a Christian you only have to look at your own life to see the huge character flaws and sins in our lives. (I know I can see awful faults in myself). We also look at the news and we will see that some religious figure is in trouble for something he or she has done wrong. We can see how people see Christians as hypocrites and want nothing to do with us. The problem however is that this misunderstands Christianity. First the bible teaches us in James 1:17 that all good works whether done by Christians or non- Christians come from God, this is what theology calls “common grace”. Therefore no one is morally better, every moral act is a gift from God. Secondly the bible tells us in Romans 3:10 that: “There is no one righteous, not even one”. So according to the bible Christians are hypocrites because no matter who you are we all live our way instead of God’s way. The Christian however acknowledges it, they know they are hypocrites. Timothy Keller writes:

“Christian theology also speaks of the seriously flawed character of real Christians. A central message of the bible is that we can only have relationship with God by sheer grace. Our moral effects are too feeble and falsely motivated to ever merit salvation for us, which we receive as a gift.”

It is a mistake to presume that when you become a Christian you instantly live a good upright life, (We are to repent and change our ways, but this takes time) on the contrary Christians like everyone else fall into sin and are flawed. “The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for sinners.”

The second problem is against the church as an institution and usually points to the Church’s violent history. It attacks Christianity on the grounds of injustice, the crusades being a big one. The problem here is that violence and atrocities are committed without Christianity too. The twentieth century was perhaps the most bloody in history. We had two world wars, several genocides, a cold war (which sometimes got hot) and countless civil wars. In almost all of these it was secular states who committed these acts of violence. The best example is perhaps the 1997 Black book. This recorded that between 85 to 100 million people had been killed in the atheist state of communist Russia. When atheists choose to compare atrocities with Christians they will never win. Crimes will be done in the name of Christianity or in another secular belief, both Christians and Atheists have their heroes (who helped humanity) and their villains (who have committed atrocities). The church was wrong to commit those horrific atrocities and it must repent and return to Jesus. It is interesting to note that the Church of England in South Africa once supported apartite but has since repented, apologised and the now majority of its clergy are black or coloured.

What does this point us to. Well it backs up the bible’s account of humanity. Again we return to Romans 3:10 to 18 which shows us the truth about humanity: We are all sinful. We all live our way and the consequences are dire. Without Jesus we mess up. The issue is not that we can’t believe in God because of the behaviour of Christians rather it is that because of the behaviour of all humanity we can see that the bible’s claim that we are all sinful is correct and therefore we need Jesus to be made right with God. A.P. Campbell

GOD’S DESIGN FOR WOMEN by Sharon James

I first read Sharon James’ book ‘Gods Design for Women’ as I wanted to know what exactly the bible said about women. I had read a lot of books in the past on the subject of biblical womanhood written by men, but this book really attracted my attention as it was written by a women!

Sharon James chapters cover issues such as the ministry of service, singleness, marriage, motherhood, work and beauty.

We live in a society where to treat men and women as different is deemed to be discrimination or ‘sexist’. This is something that is examined by Sharon James when she writes; Maleness and femaleness are and always will be a part of our humanity. Manhood and womanhood are part of God’s good creation, which Satan loathes and seeks to destroy. His strategy through most of history was to overemphasize the differences, and for men to use their greater physical strength to oppress women (this is still his strategy today in much of the non-western world). The feminist movement rightly worked against discrimination. But once equal opportunities were achieved, Satans next strategy was to deny the differences. When we are told that gender is just a construct or that our sexuality is plastic- Satan is at work to overthrow God-given distinctions. Similarly, in society today women may well enjoy benefits such as better education and employment opportunities but as is pointed out in this book women may have these opportunities and freedoms but yet we see; …increasing rates of depression, mental-health problems, anorexia, sexually transmitted diseases, infertility, the emotional pain of divorce, broken relationships and the sheer pressure of trying to succeed on both career and family fronts at once.

This book examines how with men and women one is not better or worse than the other, rather that we were made to complement each other-for instance how so-called weaknesses are the exact qualities which draw forth the corresponding quality in the opposite sex. The chapter on the role of women within the church (which was my favourite) illustrates this point brilliantly; We cannot do without each other, in the family, or the workplace, or the church. And any sphere in which men fail to listen to and learn from women (or vice versa) will be impoverished as a result. While the Bible gives a model of male leadership, it teaches equally that men need the help and insight of women. Male leaders cannot operate effectively without drawing on and utilizing the complementary gifts of women. God designed men & women with differences precisely so that we would need each other. I believe that men and women from late teens and upwards would really benefit from reading this book. Sharon James’ book is relevant, intelligent, easy to read and everything argued is backed up with scripture. It would be a brilliant book to read on your own or with someone else, there are study questions at the end of each chapter alongside brilliant additional notes at the back. I find myself coming back to this book time and time again for references and really cannot recommend it enough! Allison Groves

LIVING SACRIFICE by Helen Roseveare

A review of the book

'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' (NIV, Mark 12:28-30) This book is written by a missionary doctor, Helen Roseveare, about her experiences as she worked in the Congo/ Zaire. I particularly enjoyed this book and was challenged by it because I am a doctor and would be interested in doing missionary work at some point. However, this book is useful to all of us, whether we are doctors, missionaries or neither. It starts in quite an interesting way, challenging our sometimes subconscious beliefs about missionaries. We sometimes think of missionaries as “holier,” better Christians than ourselves. In the same way, when she first went to Africa, Helen says that she was challenged about her idea that she was superior to everyone there. After some time and prayer she came to realise that, subconsciously she did think this. She felt like she was the wonderful white doctor coming to single-handedly save Africa from disease and bring them all to Jesus. However, she was challenged to think about the idea that, instead of God needing her to go to Africa so she could change the world, rather, God needed to bring her to Africa in order that He may transform her into the person He wanted her to be. With all the distractions of Western society she would not focus on this completely. However, as a missionary He could change her into someone he could use. This is the basis of the whole book - God’s transformation of her life. She uses the illustration of how in their village a flock of weaver birds flew in and were destroying all the palm trees. The village desperately needed their oil for food and industry. Therefore she offered a penny per bird that the children killed. However the children started to destroy other necessary trees and bushes, e.g. coffee plants, in order to make arrows for this purpose. The village decided to compromise - the children could use only the bushes that had no use, other than looking pretty, for arrows. Therefore the leaves, thorns, flowers and bark were stripped off with the sole purpose of becoming an arrow. In the same way God used Helen’s time as a missionary in Africa to strip away everything that was preventing her from being the person that God wanted her to be e.g. her emotional attachments, materialism and reliance on physical strength. She uses the verse above to take us through how God helped her love Him with all her heart, soul, mind and strength. This book is a wonderful challenge to us to allow God to strip away everything in our lives that means that we will not “shoot straight and true” for him. It is not a book describing what she did as a missionary in Africa, but rather how God used her experiences to change her. Reading this book will give us a different perspective on everything that happens in our lives. Erin Dalton

WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP

The guest speaker at our February meeting was Susan Reid from the Open Doors Ministry. Susan spoke movingly of the plight of many Christians across the world who are being persecuted because of their faith and described the support that Open Doors offers to these people and their families. A number of our members undertook to write postcards with messages of Christian love and encouragement which Open Doors will then forward to those who are most in need of our prayers and support. We were pleased to present Susan with a donation toward the important work of her organisation. Our next meeting is on Tuesday 10 March when dietician Lorraine Bell will be joining us to speak about a very topical subject - "What's in Our Food?"This should be a very interesting evening and we look forward to seeing all our ladies there. We will also be holding a bring and buy sale that evening to raise funds for the various charities and organisations represented by our visiting speakers throughout the year. Please remember to bring along an item for the sale. Valerie Leighton, Honorary Secretary

POINTS TO PONDER

The rich are not always godly; but the godly are always rich. Anon Do what you can with what you have where you are. Theodore D Roosevelt Friendship doubles our joy and divides our grief. Anon Faith brings a man empty to God, that he may be filled with the blessings of God. John Calvin

LAUGHLINES

Jane was always glad to say her prayers, but she wanted to be sure she was heard in heaven. One night after the usual ‘Amen’, she dropped her head upon her pillow and closed her eyes. After a moment she said, ‘Lord! This prayer comes from 203 Seldon Ave. I’ll get you the postcode tomorrow.’

HEAVEN’S GROCERY STORE

I was walking down life's highway a long time ago. One day I saw a sign that read Heaven's Grocery Store. As I got a little closer, the door came open wide, And when I came to myself, I was standing inside. I saw a host of angels; they were standing everywhere. And one angel said, " My child shop with care." Everything a Christian needs was in the grocery store. And all you couldn't carry you could come back the next day for more. First I got some patience, love was in the same row. Further down was understanding, you need that everywhere you go. I got a box or two of wisdom, a bag or two of faith. I just couldn't miss the Holy Ghost for He was all over the place. I stopped to get some strength & courage to help me run the race. But then my basket was getting full, but I remembered I needed some grace. I didn't forget salvation for salvation was free. So, I tried to get enough of that to save you and me. Then I started to the counter to pay my grocery bill. For I thought I had everything to do my Masters will. As I went up the aisle, I saw prayer and just had to put that in. For I knew when I stepped outside, I would run right into sin. Peace and joy were plentiful, they were on the last shelf. Song and praises were hanging near so I just helped myself. I asked, How much do I owe? He just smiled and said, just take them everywhere you go. Then I said, How much do I really owe? He smiled and said, My child, Jesus paid your bill a long time ago. Anon

Posted by St Nicholas' Parish Church, Carrickfergus at 03:47 March 09 - Notices

Car Parking at the Church Halls

To all Car Drivers The Church Authorities have received complaints from residents of the Old Schoolhouse Apartments regarding inconvenience and nuisance in their Private Car Parking spaces. The complaints states that people are using their private parking spaces beside the church halls. It must be pointed out to everyone concerned that the area in question is not Church Property and that clamping measures are in operation for those without car parking permission. We would ask your co-operation in trying to avoid this situation of obstruction and nuisance to residents. At all times please use the main Car Park across from the Church Halls. We would ask that you please take notice of this problem facing the residents and avoid adding to the problem in future. Hon Secretary & the Select Vestry

GOD’S DESIGN FOR WOMEN by Sharon James

I first read Sharon James’ book ‘Gods Design for Women’ as I wanted to know what exactly the bible said about women. I had read a lot of books in the past on the subject of biblical womanhood written by men, but this book really attracted my attention as it was written by a women!

Sharon James chapters cover issues such as the ministry of service, singleness, marriage, motherhood, work and beauty.

We live in a society where to treat men and women as different is deemed to be discrimination or ‘sexist’. This is something that is examined by Sharon James when she writes; Maleness and femaleness are and always will be a part of our humanity. Manhood and womanhood are part of God’s good creation, which Satan loathes and seeks to destroy. His strategy through most of history was to overemphasize the differences, and for men to use their greater physical strength to oppress women (this is still his strategy today in much of the non-western world). The feminist movement rightly worked against discrimination. But once equal opportunities were achieved, Satan’s next strategy was to deny the differences. When we are told that gender is just a construct or that our sexuality is plastic- Satan is at work to overthrow God-given distinctions. Similarly, in society today women may well enjoy benefits such as better education and employment opportunities but as is pointed out in this book women may have these opportunities and freedoms but yet we see; …increasing rates of depression, mental-health problems, anorexia, sexually transmitted diseases, infertility, the emotional pain of divorce, broken relationships and the sheer pressure of trying to succeed on both career and family fronts at once.

This book examines how with men and women one is not better or worse than the other, rather that we were made to complement each other-for instance how so-called weaknesses are the exact qualities which draw forth the corresponding quality in the opposite sex. The chapter on the role of women within the church (which was my favourite) illustrates this point brilliantly; We cannot do without each other, in the family, or the workplace, or the church. And any sphere in which men fail to listen to and learn from women (or vice versa) will be impoverished as a result. While the Bible gives a model of male leadership, it teaches equally that men need the help and insight of women. Male leaders cannot operate effectively without drawing on and utilizing the complementary gifts of women. God designed men & women with differences precisely so that we would need each other. I believe that men and women from late teens and upwards would really benefit from reading this book. Sharon James’ book is relevant, intelligent, easy to read and everything argued is backed up with scripture. It would be a brilliant book to read on your own or with someone else, there are study questions at the end of each chapter alongside brilliant additional notes at the back. I find myself coming back to this book time and time again for references and really cannot recommend it enough! Allison Groves
LIVING SACRIFICE by Helen Roseveare

A review of the book

'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' (NIV, Mark 12:28-30) This book is written by a missionary doctor, Helen Roseveare, about her experiences as she worked in the Congo/ Zaire. I particularly enjoyed this book and was challenged by it because I am a doctor and would be interested in doing missionary work at some point. However, this book is useful to all of us, whether we are doctors, missionaries or neither. It starts in quite an interesting way, challenging our sometimes subconscious beliefs about missionaries. We sometimes think of missionaries as “holier,” better Christians than ourselves. In the same way, when she first went to Africa, Helen says that she was challenged about her idea that she was superior to everyone there. After some time and prayer she came to realise that, subconsciously she did think this. She felt like she was the wonderful white doctor coming to single-handedly save Africa from disease and bring them all to Jesus. However, she was challenged to think about the idea that, instead of God needing her to go to Africa so she could change the world, rather, God needed to bring her to Africa in order that He may transform her into the person He wanted her to be. With all the distractions of Western society she would not focus on this completely. However, as a missionary He could change her into someone he could use. This is the basis of the whole book - God’s transformation of her life. She uses the illustration of how in their village a flock of weaver birds flew in and were destroying all the palm trees. The village desperately needed their oil for food and industry. Therefore she offered a penny per bird that the children killed. However the children started to destroy other necessary trees and bushes, e.g. coffee plants, in order to make arrows for this purpose. The village decided to compromise - the children could use only the bushes that had no use, other than looking pretty, for arrows. Therefore the leaves, thorns, flowers and bark were stripped off with the sole purpose of becoming an arrow. In the same way God used Helen’s time as a missionary in Africa to strip away everything that was preventing her from being the person that God wanted her to be e.g. her emotional attachments, materialism and reliance on physical strength. She uses the verse above to take us through how God helped her love Him with all her heart, soul, mind and strength. This book is a wonderful challenge to us to allow God to strip away everything in our lives that means that we will not “shoot straight and true” for him. It is not a book describing what she did as a missionary in Africa, but rather how God used her experiences to change her. Reading this book will give us a different perspective on everything that happens in our lives. Erin Dalton

WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP

The guest speaker at our February meeting was Susan Reid from the Open Doors Ministry. Susan spoke movingly of the plight of many Christians across the world who are being persecuted because of their faith and described the support that Open Doors offers to these people and their families. A number of our members undertook to write postcards with messages of Christian love and encouragement which Open Doors will then forward to those who are most in need of our prayers and support. We were pleased to present Susan with a donation toward the important work of her organisation. Our next meeting is on Tuesday 10 March when dietician Lorraine Bell will be joining us to speak about a very topical subject - "What's in Our Food?"This should be a very interesting evening and we look forward to seeing all our ladies there. We will also be holding a bring and buy sale that evening to raise funds for the various charities and organisations represented by our visiting speakers throughout the year. Please remember to bring along an item for the sale. Valerie Leighton, Honorary Secretary

POINTS TO PONDER

The rich are not always godly; but the godly are always rich. Anon Do what you can with what you have where you are. Theodore D Roosevelt Friendship doubles our joy and divides our grief. Anon Faith brings a man empty to God, that he may be filled with the blessings of God. John Calvin

Gift Aid

Dear Parishioner,
We would ask you to take a few minutes to read the following information. It explains how, in certain circumstances, our Church can benefit further from your giving (Free-Will Offering; Personal Subscription; Building Fund Envelope; Harvest Envelope; or any other form of giving with which you are associated). It will refer specifically to the term ‘Gift Aid’ and how this can be used. Gift Aid – What is it? Gift Aid is a Government incentive which allows our Church to reclaim basic rate tax from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on donations (gifts) made by tax payers. It is calculated on the amount before basic tax was deducted. As tax will already have been paid it means that, at present, in simple terms, our Church can claim 25p in every £1 donated by a tax payer For donations received from 6th April 2008 our Church can also receive a further, separate Government supplement of 3p on every £1 given. Does it sound too good to be true? It may seem so but that is what the legislation allows. Who qualifies to give Gift Aid? Persons who pay tax and are:- Persons in employment or self-employed; or Persons who have tax deducted at source from savings interest; or Persons who pay tax on State Pension and/or other pensions; or Persons who pay tax on investment or rental income; or Persons who pay Capital Gains Tax on gains; and provided the person pays enough in tax to cover the donation. For example. If you give £100 to the Church in a particular tax year, £25 tax would need to have been paid for Gift Aid to be claimed. Simply divide the amount you give by 4 to gauge the tax amount. What is required from you? Provided you qualify as a taxpayer all that is required is for you to sign a simple form. We will do the rest. What will it cost you? Absolutely nothing. You will already have paid tax before our Church makes any claim. If you pay higher rate tax you can claim further tax relief in your Self-Assessment tax return. Who can give you advice? The Select Vestry has appointed a small team of four to look at how our Church could further benefit from Gift Aid. Any one of the team members can be contacted. They will be only too pleased to offer you advice. The team is:- Jacqui Kane – Telephone 028 9335 1949 Ann McVeigh – Telephone 028 9335 9736 Alan Miles – Telephone 028 9336 8821 Eric McMullan – Telephone 028 9086 7808 Gift Aid is not new. It has been in existence since April 2000 and some of you will have signed up for it in the past. At present, approximately 30% of those, who are regular givers, have so far signed these Gift Aid forms and the team feels that there is scope for others, in the remaining 70%, to sign the appropriate form now to enable our Church to maximise the full benefit of this Gift Aid scheme. As previously stated it will not cost you anything. Perusal of existing forms reveal that some need to be amended where, for example, there has been a change of address, or a change of maiden name to married name or death of a spouse, etc. If you are no longer a tax payer please let us know. The Government (HMRC) has reintroduced the “Gift Aid Declaration” form in a new design. Using that design, a form, suitable for use by our Church, has been produced and a copy is included in this Parish News. Although the forms, that have been signed in the past, can still stand it might be desirable to have this new form completed for uniformity of purpose. We would ask and encourage the following:- a. those of you who have not signed up for “Gift Aid” to give this serious consideration and authorise our Church to claim this additional revenue by completing the “Gift Aid Declaration”; b. those of you who have signed up for Gift Aid in the past to complete a new “Gift Aid Declaration” and re-submit. In each of the 2 areas above completed forms can be returned to any member of the Select Vestry or enclosed in an envelope and placed on the collection plate in Church. Under the terms of the Data Protection Act the details on the form will be used for confidential Church records only. E. McMullan (on behalf of the Gift Aid Team)

How your old mobile phone can top up development work

The Salvation Army wants your old mobile phone. In a new scheme, SALVageID, it is selling on or recycling old mobile phones in order to raise cash for international development work. Many people upgrade their mobile phones every 18 months, and dump their old handset in a drawer, to gather dust. Why not use it instead to help build a well, or campaign against human trafficking? Each donated handset is worth about £4. It’s easy to donate your old mobile phone. You can hand it in at a number of collection points across the country, or you can send it in free by post. (Request a freepost envelope to send your phone in by calling 020 7367 4777 or emailing id@salvationarmy.org.uk). Or simply send it to: The Salvation Army, Freepost London 16281, London, WC1N 3BR.

Confirmation Classes

On Sunday 17th May there will be confirmations. If you would like to be confirmed please speak to Andrew.

Church Tour Guides

There will be an informal meeting on Monday 9th March at 7.30pm in the vestry. This will be our last meeting before Easter and we hope to discuss suggestions for our outing. Everyone is welcome.

REQUIRED

St Nicholas’ Church Web Site Manager

The job involves updating of pages, adding links, uploading some of the Sunday services with new technology (when available) If you can bring your gifts to this position it would be very much appreciated. If interested please speak to any member of the Select Vestry for further details
Christian Burial
‘I am the Resurrection and the Life’
3rd February 2009
Elizabeth Alane Firth (Lillian), 16 Fergus Court
6th February 2009
Hamilton Loughlin Reid (Hammie), 12 Charles Legg Drive

SERVICES IN MARCH 2009

1st 9.30 am Holy Communion
11.30 am Holy Communion—The Sorrows He bore
Isaiah 53 v 1-3
Matthew 27 v 32-44
7 pm Evening Prayer
Special Events in Jesus’ Life-Transfiguration
Exodus 34 v 29-35
Luke 9 v 28-36
8th 9.30 am Holy Communion
11.30 am Morning Prayer—The Sufferings He endured
Isaiah 53 v 4-6
Mark 15 v 33-39
7 pm Informal
Special Events in Jesus’ Life-Teaching and Prayer
Luke 11 v 1-13
15th 9.30 am Holy Communion
11.30 am Morning Prayer—The Silence He kept
Isaiah 53 v 7-9
Matthew 27 v 11-18
7 pm Holy Communion & Prayers for Healing
Special Events in Jesus’ Life-Betrayal and the Last Supper
Acts 11 v 23-26
Luke 22 v 1-6
22nd 9.30 am Holy Communion
11.30 am Mothering Sunday-God’s Big Family
7 pm Youth Church-How do I know I’m a Christian?-Because I believe the truth
29th 9.30 am Holy Communion
11.30 am Morning Prayer—The Satisfaction He won
Isaiah 53 v 10-12
Colossians 1 v 15-23
7 pm Evening Prayer
Special Events in Jesus’ Life—The Garden
Genesis 32 v 24-32
Luke 22 v 39-46
Other Events in March 2009
3rd 7.30 pm Select Vestry
10th 7.30 pm Women’s Fellowship
18th 7.15 pm Widows’ Group
For ease of administration and to help Mrs Withers ordering flowers please let us know dates you will be donating for flowers, if possible, at least 6 weeks in advance. Thank you.
Flowers in Church February 2009 (not in last magazine)
15th Doris Close—In memory of my father
22nd Kaye Cheshire—In memory of my dad
Flowers in Church March 2009
1st Mr & Mrs R Mc Veigh
8th Jean Hamill—In memory of my sister Molly and friend Bett
15th Kaye Cheshire—In memory of my mother-in-law
22nd In memory of the Linn Family
29th Maureen McVea
If you would like to donate flowers for the Sanctuary please fill your name in against the appropriate space on the Flower List in the main porch–or contact Mary Withers ( 9336 2869)
Crèche Rota March 2009
1st Annie Crawford, Karen Bell, Heather Gingles, Hester Gingles
8th Lorraine Gibson, Sharon Lutton, Kathleen Arthur, Jonathan Nelson
15th Christine Stewart, Alex Stevenson, Carol Connor, Ruth Nelson
22nd Joan Gray, Deirdre Beck, Ann Hodge, Rebecca Patton
29th Katrina Todd, Faye Hamilton, Louise Bell, Sarah Nelson
The Crèche is in the Church Hall. Children can be left there at 11 15 am each Sunday. It would be appreciated if those who kindly staff the Crèche would be there by 11 10 am. If you can't be present on a Sunday listed please arrange for another of the volunteers to cover for you. Thank you for your co-operation.

MINISTER’S LETTER

Dear friends at St Nicholas, It is good to have this opportunity to say how much I have enjoyed returning to Carrickfergus and to St Nicholas. It has been lovely to meet so many old friends and to make new ones. Thank you for your welcome, it has certainly helped me settle into the new life God has for me in retirement. At present I am enjoying the privilege of sharing with Darren and Andrew in the Parish as we await the appointment of the new Rector. Waiting is something that I, and I suspect others are not very good at. We live in a world where everything tends to be hustle and bustle, we must have everything instantly. We celebrate Christmas from the middle of November and Easter Eggs are already in the shops. And yet, as Christians, we miss so much of what God wants to give us, if we do not experience waiting times and use them. Many of the great figures in the Bible had their waiting times. Abraham waited for the promise of a son to be fulfilled (Genesis 21); Moses was tending sheep “in the other side of the desert”, before God spoke to him (Exodus 3); David suffered exile and hostility of Saul before he became King (2 Samuel 2). For thirty years Jesus, the Messiah, lived as a village carpenter, before he began His ministry of preaching, teaching and healing which led to the Cross and His Saving Death. Even after His Baptism and the wonderful confirmation of His Father’s voice (Luke 3 v 21 & 22) Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness. It was during this time that the Devil tempted Him to take the easy, crowd pleasing way of Messiahship, and Jesus chose God’s way of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53). We remember this spiritual struggle during the season of Lent, from Ash Wednesday until Easter. It is customary to “give up something for Lent” - and this can be beneficial, but sometimes it is good to do something positive during Lent. To spend extra time reading the Bible and in prayer; to decide to read a Christian Devotional Book. It is in the waiting times that we learn more about God, we rely on Him and find He never leaves us or forsakes us. He moulds us and changes us, making us more like Jesus, day by day. May you know His love and blessing. Yours sincerely Kathleen

Prayer Diary – March 2009


Pray for Darren, Kathleen and Andrew, giving thanks for their dedication during the vacancy. Pray for our Parish Nominators and for God’s over-ruling in the appointment of a new Rector.
2nd March – Monday
Pray for families and communities devastated by the recent fires in Australia, particularly those in the state of Victoria who have lost homes, businesses, family, friends and neighbours. Pray for state and national government representatives that they would find the resources to provide for those left with nothing.
3rd March – Tuesday
The Select Vestry meets this evening. Pray for the members. Pray for a positive response to the Gift Aid letter in this month’s Parish News.
4th March – Wednesday
Bishop Alan Abernathy continues his seminars, ‘Equipping the Saints’ in Antrim this evening. Pray for him and for all those who will attend seminars in the various venues over the coming weeks. 5th March – Thursday
In Zimbabwe, thousands have died during the Cholera Epidemic. Resources are scarce and conditions for the people and for aid agencies are made more difficult by the regime of Robert Mugabe. Pray for the people of Zimbabwe.
6th March – Friday
Pray for the sick in mind and body, that by God’s will they would make a full recovery. Pray for those for whom there will be no cure, that they would know His peace.
7th March – Saturday
Pray for the Crosslinks Committee searching for new leaders.
8th March – Sunday
Pray for our church services today. Pray for our Sunday Schools and Bible Class, remembering especially Sharon and John at the afternoon Sunday School and their need for more helpers.
9th March – Monday
Church tour guides meet again this evening. Pray for parishioners who will give freely of their time to open the church to visitors during 2009.
10th March – Tuesday
The topic for this evening’s Women’s Fellowship is, ‘What’s in our Food?’ with guest speaker Lorraine Bell. Pray for Lorraine and for the ladies who will come along this evening to hear her speak on that topic and her own Christian faith.
11th March – Wednesday
Pray for the Officers, Helpers and boys in all sections of our Boys’.
12th March – Thursday
Pray for those recently bereaved in our parish. Pray for those who feel lost and alone. Pray that they would and draw closer to God and find comfort and peace in the days and weeks ahead.
13th March – Friday
Celia Richardson organises the purchase and distribution of SU Bible Study Notes. Pray for Celia and give thanks for her dedication.
14th March – Saturday
Continue to pray for the Diocese of Tabora.
15th March – Sunday
Pray for our church services today, giving thanks for the sound Bible teaching we receive each Sunday. Pray for this evening’s service, which includes prayers for healing. Pray for Stella Neill who gathers details of those asking for prayer and for the teams of intercessors.
16th March – Monday
The work done by carers is immeasurable. Often they themselves have health problems. Maybe they try to combine caring with employment. A day off if it is possible, is often overshadowed by worries about what might be happening in their absence. They can bear the brunt of the sick persons frustrations, and they’ll often have money worries. Pray for carers today.
17th March – Tuesday
Bring the preparations and arrangements, and those who will lead this year’s Holy Week services in Christ Church to God in prayer.
18th March – Wednesday
Pray for the ladies of our Widows’ Group meeting this evening.
19th March – Thursday
Pray for CMS Ireland, remembering Mark and Alison Gill.
20th March – Friday
This is the Soul Truth weekend. Pray for Philip Howe and his organisation of this event. Pray for young people from across the country travelling to take part.
21st March – Saturday
Pray for our Youth Leaders. Pray that we would have willing Christians to be available to lead our Youth Fellowship and our uniformed organisations.
22nd March – Sunday
This morning’s Family Service will celebrate Mothering Sunday. Pray for families and especially for mothers. Remember those mothers who find it difficult to cope or who have given up. Pray for children also.
23rd March – Monday
Our Secretary Catherine Wallace and Caretaker Uel Stewart provide an often overlooked service to the parish. Pray for them today.
24th March – Tuesday
Pray for any adults and young people who may be considering coming forward for Confirmation. 25th March – Wednesday
Pray for Carrickfergus Ministers’ Fellowship.
26th March – Thursday
The Parish Bible Study and Prayer Group will meet this evening. Pray for them and for this evening’s guest, Rev John Carrick from MECO. Pray for Parish News assemblers and distributors.
27th March – Friday

This evening the Cubs will have their sleepover ‘Stay Awake Night’ in the church halls. Pray for our Cubs, Scouts and Beavers.
28th March – Saturday
Pray for MECO and its work throughout the Middle East. Pray for converts from Islam, ostracised by family and in danger.
29th March – Sunday
Once again pray for Darren, Kathleen and Andrew. Pray for those studying for Christian Ministry, those who will soon be ordained. Pray for the leadership of the Church of Ireland, that they would be true to Bible teaching rather than give in to what is deemed popular. 30th March – Monday
Pray for our government, for Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Chancellor Allister Darling and their handling of the UK economy.
31st March – Tuesday
In the Gospels we read time and again of Jesus preparing his disciples for what He was to face, and how time and again they failed to understand. Today you may know someone who has closed his or her mind to Christ and His sacrifice for them. Pray that hearts would be softened and minds opened to the Easter message.
SERMON NOTES

preached in St Nicholas Christmas Eve 2008

RSVP-four letters through which we ask people to indicate their acceptance or not of an invitation. It’s a way of politely asking the recipient not to put the invitation away in the cupboard and forget all about it, or to delay their reply until the very last minute, but to respond as soon as possible. Would you come with me and consider a number of responses surrounding the events of the birth of Christ, and which are indeed repeated throughout His life and ministry. * First, it was Mary, asked to respond to God’s word pronounced by the angel Gabriel, and her response was swift and unreserved; Luke 1:38 38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." * Next, it was Joseph, challenged to think again about breaking off his engagement, his response equally prompt: Matt 1:24-25 24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. * Then, it was the shepherds, told that a Saviour had been born to them in Bethlehem, and from them too there was no hesitation: Luke 2:16-18 16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. * Then, there were the wise men, seeing the star in the east and immediately following it: Matt 2:10-12 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their gifts and presented him with gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. Well, we could leave it there with the four positive examples of how people responded to the coming of God’s Son but there is a final response and it is not like the others, rather it is a dark and sinister response. * It is the response of Herod and his advisors who refuse to acknowledge and who do all in their power to kill God’s Son. Matt 2:16-18 16Herod realised that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18"A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." The coming of Christ was an invitation to respond, and it is an invitation that God continues to extend today – to you, to me, to everyone. It’s no good just receiving it and then putting it away, like my father does with his gift vouchers; it is no good thinking that we can put off making a decision until some other time, for God is asking you, as He asked so many all those years ago and as He has asked so many since: RSVP1. 1Fawcett N., Daily Prayer, Kevin Mayhew LTD, 2003, p742

GET SORTED … ON SUFERING

This month sees the start of a new series in parish news called ‘Sort it out’. Over the next few months we will be looking at answering the big questions that people have against Christianity. This month we will be looking at the issue of suffering and asking - ‘does suffering and injustice prove that there is no God?’ This was the most common objection I faced when I worked in the University of Ulster. You can see their point, we only have to turn on the news to see people suffering and dying, with innocent people being killed in the Gaza, Soldiers being killed in Afghanistan and Iraq and those dear to us dying of illness. If God is so good and is all powerful why does he let this happen? Suffering creates a feeling of injustice and our response to this is always “It’s not fair”. But here lies the problem with the argument that suffering disproves God. In his book mere Christianity C.S. Lewis wrote: “My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of ‘just’ and ‘unjust’?… What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust… of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too - for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my private fancies …. Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple.” Suffering does not disprove the existence of God but proves it, because if there is no God then there is no such thing as justice or right or wrong. We can’t say “it’s not fair” because there is no such thing as fair if there is no God. If there is no God then we are simply an evolutionary accident, we are only amoebas with legs. There is no justice or morality only accidents if there is no God. Furthermore if there is no God we require suffering to evolve. Natural selection teaches us that we depend on death and suffering to remove the weak and strengthen the strong and therefore suffering is natural. The only person who can say “it’s not fair” is the one who believes in God. Christianity tells us that death and suffering is not a result of evolution rather it is the result of mankind’s rebellion against God. In Genesis 3 we read that both Adam and Eve rejected God’s way and lived their own why when they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and as a result God told them they would suffer and He removed them from the Garden of Eden and the tree of life so they would one day die. Death and suffering according to the bible are the result of sin. But Christianity tells us that God will one day fix the world of every thing that is wrong with it. The book of Revelation talks about a new perfect earth and in chapter 21 verse 4 we read “He will wipe away every tear from eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” So God will fix the world, but that means removing the cause of the problem; SIN. This creates a problem for us because if we do not believe that Jesus was God’s son and died in our place then we are sinful and will be destroyed and not enjoy this new prefect world. So we all have a choice either accept Jesus and enjoy this new perfect world or reject him and be destroyed with the rest of the world’s problems. Suffering, rather than disproving God, points to Him and Christianity teaches us that God will one day fix the world and if we want to enjoy it we must accept Jesus.

Yes to Little Things

From the book ‘Having a Mary Spirit’ by Joanna Weaver We tend to think that saying yes to God’s call on our lives involves the big issues – the dramatic “Here am I, Lord! Send me” events. But being available to be used by God can often be seen best in our willingness to do the small things – the little yeses that may seem unimportant at the moment but make a big difference. Helping others but, more importantly, changing us. · Saying yes to inconvenience so someone else might be blessed. · Saying yes to a backseat role though we’re fully qualified to drive. · Saying yes to doing the unseen, the unnoticed, and the underappreciated. · Saying yes to overlooking faults and inconsiderate slights. · Saying yes to patient listening though there’s much to do and more to say. · Saying yes to chores others should rightfully do. · Saying yes when we’d rather say no. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. Luke 16:10.

THE SHACK A short review of the book

Don’t read this book would be the wrong thing to say. I had heard so much about it and even read other reviews both good and bad before and after reading it. Yes the book has many errors theologically speaking and it is an insult to God in the way He is portrayed and in the way it shackles Him. (Excuse the pun) It does have to be pointed out to my mind that the book does more good than bad. It is a heart-warming, heart rendering story. It brings many to tears in the first few chapters. It answers questions maybe we sometimes are afraid to ask or even understand. This book was written by a salesman for his own children to understand something about the love of God; to understand why people suffer, to understand more of the trinity. It invokes discussion about God which is good in that it can offer a starting point for discussion with your atheist, seeker or other religion friends and work colleagues. Please do read it and you can decide your own evaluation, appraisal and assessment for yourselves and remember that it is only a fictional story. It may be better to go read a book from the bible and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand it, because that is one of the ways God talks to us. The bible is God’s salvation for mankind through Jesus. God’s love for each of us, if we accept Him by repentance and faith. Don Howe

WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP

At our January meeting our guest speaker was Rachel Surgenor who spoke about her work with the Trade organisation. In particular Rachel told of the Christian mission work which she is involved in among a community in Peru, where a number of artisans are successfully selling their products through the Fair Trade network and improving life for themselves and their families and the wider community. We were pleased to present Rachel with a donation towards the work of Fair Trade. Karen McCartney also spoke about the life and work of Karen Salmon from Knocknagoney Parish who is a Crosslinks Missionary working at Mekelle Youth Centre in Ethiopia. All of our members are asked to pray for Karen and we will be writing to her on a regular basis to support and encourage her in her ministry. Our next meeting is on Tuesday 10 February when we will be joined by Susan Reid from the Open Doors organisation and she will be speaking on the subject of the persecuted Christian church. All ladies are welcome to come along and join us. Valerie Leighton, Honorary Secretary

LAUGHLINES

The Reverend Billy Graham tells of a time early in his ministry when he arrived in a small town to preach a sermon. Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where the post office was. When the boy had told him, Dr. Graham thanked him and said, "If you'll come to the Church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to Heaven." "I don't think I'll be there," the boy said. "You don't even know your way to the post office." ********** Struggling to make ends meet on his first salary, the curate was livid when he confronted his wife with the receipt for a £250 dress she had bought. "How could you do this?" "I was outside the store looking at the dress in the window, and then I found myself trying it on," she explained. "It was like Satan was whispering in my ear, 'You look fabulous in that dress. Buy it!''. "Well," the curate replied, "You know how I deal with that kind of temptation. I say, 'Get behind me, Satan’. "I did," replied his wife, "but then he said, 'It looks fabulous from back here, too!’ ********** A rector had had a bad week. On Sunday he was very frustrated and he began his sermon, "Everyone in this parish is going to hell if they don't change their ways." One man in the back began to laugh. So the rector said it again louder. The man continued to laugh. The rector went back to him and asked him why he was laughing. He answered, "Because I don't belong to this parish!"

God's gospel As a church we are committed to the gospel which God gave through his apostles and prophets in the Bible. The message which God speaks as we read the Bible is at the heart of Christianity and it is really quite simple: either Jesus is your king or you're going it alone. There are two ways to live. About Us St Nicholas' Parish Church, Carrickfergus There are a variety of meetings and activities outlined in our monthly Parish News and on our web page. Details of our Sunday services are published here each month. You are very welcome to attend!