Open again

July 2020

The church is a lifeboat, not a cruise ship.  It’s not a place to indulge ourselves as we float in luxury to our destination.  The church is a ship’s lifeboat – perhaps uncomfortable, but better than drowning – and those of us who have been hauled into the boat should not be idle but looking for others to pluck from the sea.  We should be working very hard to be welcoming to anyone at all who might be looking for rescue.  “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” is the description of the constant flow through the open-door of the first New Testament church (Acts 2:47).

It has therefore been frustrating that our church doors have been closed for the past few months even though individual church members have been doing all they can to look out for and to support others.  I’m pleased to say that restrictions are lifting and we are re-opening our buildings.

I wrote this on 20^th June and the situation may now have changed so do please look for updates on our website www.burtonandholmechurches.org

The church building is now open for Private Prayer each Wednesday, 11am-12noon.  Anyone who would like to make use of the quiet space for thinking or prayer is more than welcome to come in, whether for the full hour or just for a few minutes.

Funerals in church are now allowed (though still with restrictions on numbers etc).  A Christian funeral service in church followed by burial in the churchyard or elsewhere can be requested for anyone with a connection to the village.  I also take Christian funeral services at Beetham Hall Crematorium, Dalton Woodland Burial Ground and other places.  Please feel free to contact me directly to talk about funerals, or you can tell a funeral director that you would like my involvement and they will check with me before dates are fixed.

Sunday Services in church may be allowed to begin again sometime in July.  If you have discovered our online services in recent weeks then you will be very welcome to come and take part in the real thing.  We will still be subject to various restrictions but over time we hope that these will diminish.

And for those who will not be ready to join us yet we also expect to continue some form of Online Sunday Service that will be open to anyone who would like to ‘tune in’ via our website.

Finally, LegoBuilders Online continues with new videos arriving every Monday on our website www.burtonandholmechurches.org under 'Children and Families'.

‘Lockdown’ has been very hard for some but what follows could be even harder as ongoing restrictions and closed businesses continue to impact many and to put some people and families under huge pressure.  If I, or someone from one of our congregations, might be able to help please do get in touch.  It would be very good to talk to you and to pray for you.

Sincerely

Graham Burrows

Jesus' other name

June 2020

I gather that some people have been using ‘Lockdown’ to research their family histories.  Do you know what your surname might mean?  Perhaps it indicates what an ancestor of yours did for a living (Smith or Farmer) or where he lived (Wood or Lancaster) or who his father was (Johnson or McDonald).  But Christ is not a surname like those; it is a royal title, like Elizabeth ‘Regina’ (or ‘Reg’ as it is inscribed on the coins in your pocket) which means, of course, ‘Queen’. 

The arrival of a figure called ‘The Christ’ was eagerly anticipated, an honest and noble King sent from God who would replace the selfish, unjust and destructive rule of their average human leader.  At first it did not seem that Jesus of Galilee deserved such a title: he was born in morally suspect circumstances to an ordinary family, he had no political or military training and by the age of 30 he was still an unknown.  But Mark begins his account of Jesus boldly: “The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God” and very quickly he is showing us how this ‘travelling preacher’ is behaving like a King with authority. 

Jesus commands people to down tools and join him and they obey him.  He confronts the demon-possessed and the demons obey him.  He goes to those who are sick and dying and the diseases obey him.  He proves that he has God’s authority to forgive sin and, when he and his friends are about to be drowned at sea, he commands the wind and waves and they obey him too.  And all the time people are asking “Who is this? Who is this who has such authority?”  Peter is the first to dare to speak what others have only wondered, “You are the Christ”.

Has it been a while since you read one of the Gospels and asked yourself, “Who is this?  How do I account for this man?”  While ‘Lockdown’ continues perhaps you still have time to engage with one of these short biographies that claim to be eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life.  You may well have a Bible at home but I’ve also got a pile of Gospels here and you’d be welcome to have one without charge.  Just let me know your address and I’ll send one to you.

Sincerely

Graham Burrows