CONFESS YOUR SINS TO EACH OTHER
It is said that when George Washington was young, he chopped down his father's favourite cherry tree and when his father confronted him with the question, 'did you cut down the tree George?' he replied, 'father, I cannot tell a lie, I did it..'. George probably felt he didn't have much option but to confess, as most likely he was the chief suspect. But the story is remembered because it points out to us the importance of honest confession.
Right through the bible, there is a link between honest confession of our sins and our personal welfare. The psalmist writes: 'When I kept silent my bones wasted away then I acknowledged my sin to you and you forgave the guilt of my sin.' (Psalm 32). When we come to the new testament we find once again people confessing their sin as they are baptised in the Jordan by John.
With the coming of christian baptism as we know it, we find that it is for the forgiveness of sins, (Acts 2 v 38). It is clear from biblical teaching that a condition for becoming a christian is an honest ackowledgement of our sins. The problem can be that we think that there is where confesssion ends. The truth is that christians, although they have turned away from sin to follow Jesus, will still sometimes fail and need once again to confess their failure.
The human tendancy is always to hide our sins and failure and to put on display our virtues and achievements. This was the even the problem with many of the religious people of Jesus day, but Jesus called that sort of attitude hypocrisy, his kingdom is to be one where people do not flaunt their virtues and are honest about their sins and failures.
Unconfessed sin not only causes a barrier between ourselves and God, it also alienates us from each other. In his letter, John has to remind the early christians that if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sin God is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse. James tells christians to confess their sins to each other and pray for each other, so that they may be healed. The Roman Catholic church have the practice of private confession to a priest. In our protestant and baptist tradition, we are uneasy about the principle of a priesthood who has a monopoly of hearing confession, and we probably would not want to confess our failures to the minister anyway!
But acknowledgement of sin in the presence of a fellow christian is a safeguard against self-deception. We think it is easier to confess to a holy God than a sinful brother or sister, sometimes because we are not confessing to God at all, but only to ourselves, and subsequently granting ourselves forgiveness rather than receiving God's forgiveness when it is really God's forgiveness we need.
Being able to confess to one another is also a way of breaking the power of sin, when sin is confessed in this way, you can pray about it together and often it can be put in the past and left behind on the strength of God's forgiveness and grace.
But of course for this to happen, we need to be christians who are both honest, and willing to show Christ's forgiveness. John calls it walking in the light. He tells us that 'when we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son, purifies us from all sin.' And that is the sort of well being God wants us all to know.
Yours in Christ, Peter.
SEPTEMBER 1998 - PROGRAMME
All services and meetings will be held on our new church premises unless another venue is indicated in the programme below. Rev Peter Neale will be preaching at all services unless an alternative speaker is indicated in the programme.
Sun 8th 10.30 am A Cycle of Violence - 2 Sam 20
8.30 pm Old Testament Justice - 2 Sam 21
Lord's Supper
Mon 7th 5.45 pm Girls' Brigade
Tues 8th 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship - speaker Mrs Willey
Wed 9th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
7.30 pm Deacon's Meeting
Thur 10th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
8.00 pm Prayer and Fellowship Group
(Fri 11th- Sun 13th Church Break at Ashburnham Place)
Sat 12th 10.00 am Prayer Meeting at Margaret's
Sun 13th 10.30 am Mr John Troup
6.30 pm Mr Bill Conning - Sheviock Organ Dedication Service Video
Followed by cup of tea
Mon 14th 5.45 pm Girls' Brigade
Tues 15th 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship speaker - Mr Troup
Wed 16th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
Thur 17th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
8.00 pm Prayer and Fellowship Group
Sat 19th 10.00 am Church Cleaning
Sun 20th 10.30 am Cham Kaur-Mann
Lord's Supper
6.30 pm Faithfulness - 2 Sam 23
Mon 21st 5.45 pm Girls' Brigade
Tues 22nd 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship - speaker - Mr Cunnings
Wed 23rd 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
7.30 pm Church Meeting
Thur 24th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
7.30 pm Bring and Share Meal at St John's Methodist Church
Sat 26th 10.00 am Prayer Meeting at Margaret's
Sun 27th 10.30 am Sin and Sacrifice - 2 Sam 24
6.30 pm A New King Crowned - 1 Kings 1
Mon 28th 5.45 pm Girls' Brigade
Tues 29th 2.00 pm Tuesday Fellowship speaker - Mrs Heron
Wed 30th 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
OCTOBER
Thur 1st 10.00 am Minis and Minders Toddler Group
8.00 pm Prayer and Fellowship Group
Fri 2nd 7.00 pm London Baptist Association
Celebration at Solon Road, Brixton
Sat 3rd 10.00 am Harvest Preparations
6.00 pm Harvest Supper
Sun 4th 10.30 am Harvest Festival
6.30 pm Harvest Festival
Lord's Supper
GIVING TO THE CHURCH
Offerings and donations to the church during August amounted to £1070.76. Our Target for the month was £1000. Thanks to all those who have given. Anniversary gifts to date this year total £565. Thanks to all who have given towards these totals.
CHURCH BREAK AT ASHBURNHAM PLACE
A party of 32 including friends from East Hill United Reformed Church will be going to Ashburnham Place from 11th - 13th of September. The theme for the weekend will be 'Life in God's Kingdom'
ALPHA COURSE
Most of you will have heard of the Alpha Course, and some of you will have taken part in the Alpha course that we ran at the church last autumn.
The course is for anyone who wants to know more about the christian faith, it consist of a series of a dozen or so talks about Christianity, played on video, followed by opportunity for questions and discussion. It is particularly good for people who are not Christians but who would like to know more about the christian faith.
A national publicity Campaign will take place this month, aimed at inviting everyone in the country to take part in an Alpha course as hundreds of courses will be taking place across the country.
We are offering Alpha courses on Tuesday evenings at 8pm and Wednesday mornings at 10.15 starting 29th and 30th September. If you are interested please come. More importantly, think about who else you could invite along.
We need to know who would like to do the course, so please make sure that a form has been filled in for everyone who wants to come. We will need a minimum of four people to make a course viable.
If you have friends who do not live locally, or cannot make the times when we have courses, please encourage them to go to Alpha somewhere else, a list of other churches doing Alpha is on the display board in the church.
HARVEST
Our harvest festival services are on October 4th. Gifts of food for display at the services can be brought on Saturday 3rd from lOam onwards, or brought to the services on Sunday.
On Saturday 3rd at 6.OOpm we will be holding our Harvest supper folowed by a time of entertainment. We are inviting friends from Frimley Baptist church who so generously entertained us for tea on our recent outing to join us for this.
We will need help to provide food and help serve the supper. We are also looking for people who are willing to help provide entertainment. And of course we will also need to know who is coming. In due course lists will be put at the back of the church for you to put your name down regarding these matters.
MEMBERS LIST
We are currently updating the church membership list. Please let Peter know of any change of address or telephone number.
THANKS
Noreen and Geoff Molyneux and Jane and Peter thank all those who supported them in prayer whilst Noreen was seriously ill. Noreen is still in hospital but hopes to be home soon.
MONTHLY SERVICE AT HAZEL COURT
I have begun to take a monthly service at Hazel Court, a home for the elderly on the old St John's Hospital site.
The service is at 11am on the first Tuesday of each month. If any one would like to join me for this in showing friendship and support on behalf of the church, please do talk to me.
Peter.