Is our church perfect?

C H Spurgeon, the famous Victorian preacher, minister and theologian, once said this about finding the perfect church: 

If I had never joined a church till I had found one that was perfect, I should never have joined one at all; and the moment I did join it, if I had found one, I should have spoiled it, for it would not have been a perfect church after I had become a member of it. Still, imperfect as it is, it is the dearest place on earth to us.

I love our church (that is the people) and the way in which they love and support one another and show a loving and warm welcome to visitors at our Sunday morning worship services at 10:30am; and at other times of community fellowship during the week (e.g. Meeting Point coffee mornings 10:30am-12pm on Tues, Arty Crafts 2pm–3:30pm on Weds, and Prayer and Bible Study 10am-12pm on Thurs.). Our desire and mission is to make the love of Jesus known to you, our neighbours, through our words and actions.

But maybe our welcome banner over the front door of the chapel should include the words: “not for perfect people.” That’s because being Christians does not mean we are perfect. We are still fallible human beings like everyone else and not immune from making mistakes. While all of us mess up (sin) sometimes and fall short of the required standard of the Kingdom of God, we always try to do our best to live as Jesus wants us to do: to love one another and to love our neighbour.

Our focus is on Jesus’ loving example, as we seek to do God’s will in Headcorn. So, I guess I’m with Spurgeon, while our church isn’t perfect, it is the dearest place on earth to us. So why not give us a try? A warm and loving welcome awaits you not only on a Sundays but also during the week. 

Best wishes, 

Pastor Robert and the church family.

Dedication or Christening

One of the joys I have in being a minister is to dedicate (bless) infants. We do this because we believe in the loving example that Mary and Joseph set us 2000 years ago when they entered the temple courts in Jerusalem with the infant Jesus (Luke 2:21-40). In those days it was customary, and a legal requirement, for all Jewish infants to be dedicated to God. They would be blessed in the temple (the house of God) by a Rabbi or Priest in the presence of family and in the sight of God, .

Mary and Joseph, chosen to be Jesus’ surrogate parents, trusted and obeyed God to fulfil His future salvation plan. But they also did what was legally required of them as responsible and loving parents. Jesus Christ is a very special person. He is God’s son, who came down as a tiny baby as an act of God's love to save us from the bad things (sin) we sometimes do and to show how we should live and love one another. An infant dedication is not a christening or baptism because we believe that believer’s baptism by full immersion should be up the individual to decide whether it is for them when they are old enough. Nonetheless it recognises the important commitment to God and to one another that is being made.

In this special act of dedication all are invited to participate through the spoken promises made to show that God’s love is for each of us. It does not matter who we are, how old we are or where we come from. We just have to believe and trust that it is true and then choose to accept it for ourselves. 

Smile!😊God loves you! 

Best wishes, 

Pastor Robert and the Headcorn Baptist Church family.

Photo by Multimedios Del Sureste from Pixabay

The best book to read is the Bible

Recently my Dacia car told me it was unwell when an orange warning light appeared on the dashboard. Being not mechanically minded, I consulted the car’s manual, and it told me there was malfunction and to visit a garage as soon as possible. 

When things go wrong it’s well to have a go-to place to get help and this is where the Bible comes in. We read the Bible because we believe that it is God’s maintenance manual giving helpful hints for our everyday lives. 

To some the Bible is a made-up fairy tale, to others it’s a book full of boring rules, and some regard it as an irrelevant, outdated history book. But this is not true. The Bible was written to tell the story of everyday people living their lives amidst highs and lows, just like you and me. To provide help and wisdom in all aspects of our lives e.g. marriage, parenting, redundancy, retirement, illness and death. It was written to bring hope, peace, joy and love through the life and ministry of God’s son, Jesus Christ, in those times when we are feeling anxious or worried of what the future may hold. 

Psalm 46:10: Be still and know that I am God, 

gave me great comfort as my mum received end of life care. It calmed my fears and anxieties during her sudden, unexpected illness and brought peace as I grieved her passing. Christians are not immune from bad stuff happening but our faith in God through Jesus and reading the Bible helps us to cope. We believe, as the lovely children’s worship song goes: 

The best book to read is the Bible, 
the best book to read is the Bible, 
if you read it every day, 
it will help you on your way, 
Oh the best book to read is the Bible. 

Best wishes, 

Pastor Robert.