Hi it’s Mick – welcome to Friday’s Podcast. I hope are finding these Podcasts helpful as you look to live out your faith in Jesus every day. If so, why not pass on these Podcast/website details to someone you know who might find them helpful – share the blessing!

REFLECTION

Our Podcast reflections in this first week of 2018 have been focused on our relationship with God – our personal walk with Jesus. We began on Monday with Kingdom – ‘the time has come … the Kingdom is here’ – God’s new way of living has arrived. On Tuesday God’s call – “follow me,” says Jesus. Wednesday, prayer – the discipline of spending time with God. Yesterday, kindness – Jesus reaching out to Levi with simple kindness and changing his life. Today Mark 3:1-19, Disciple – the simple model of living this Jesus life. Listen to v13-15:

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.

What is a disciple? The Greek word often used in the New Testament to describe a follower of Jesus is ‘mathetes’ – it means learner or more specifically ‘apprentice’. An apprentice is a practical person; someone who learns a skill from someone more experienced, puts it into practice and makes a difference. What a great way to describe our Christian journey – putting the Jesus life into practice, living it out everyday and so making a difference in our world.

How do we do this? Look again what Mark says – Jesus calls his followers, they respond and come to him and he appoints them to go out and live his life and make a difference. I am a Christian; I am a disciple, a Jesus apprentice and have been now for many years. At the beginning of every new year I still look to refocus my life on Jesus. To recommit myself to live his life, to have his values, vision and purposes in my life. To remember again, as with those followers on that hillside that he has called me and appointed me to live his life every day wherever he puts me, with his authority to speak and act in his name. To again count the cost as I follow his call. What about you?

It’s week one in 2018. I wonder if you have any plans for this year – I know some are better at this than others. It is good to make plans but I, like you, have absolutely no idea what this year might hold; family, finances, future, health, work, relationships, hopes, dreams the list goes on – top tip, get your holidays booked in early! We don’t know what this year’s holds but we do know who holds this year in his hands. Jesus was faithful to those first disciples on that hillside as he called them to follow him and sent them into the world to be heavenly channels – by their words and actions to bring heaven to earth and make a difference.

How do I keep close to Jesus this year? Here are some simple top tips – read your Bible, pray, be in church community, play your part in building community that makes a difference. Be determined to be the ‘kindness people’ in a world that is starved of kindness and hope. Be encouraged, as you listen to daily Podcasts like this, that in 2018 you are part of a Godly inspired movement of love – Jesus people are everywhere! In 2018 commit again to Christ! As we follow him this year, he WILL be faithful to me and you and those we love and our lives will make a difference!

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, I am your disciple. I commit myself to you again this year. As you bless me and those I love let me be your blessing to others. Amen.

READING: MARK 3:1-19

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shrivelled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus,...

Hi it’s Mick and welcome to today’s Podcast.

I said at the beginning of this week that Mark’s gospel is such an exciting read, full of examples of how to put this Jesus life into practice – how to live out our faith every day. Today’s passage is no exception, it’s Mark 2:1-17; it begins with this dramatic story of healing and forgiveness by Jesus as a paralysed man is let down through the roof by his friends. It’s a great story but let’s take a little time to reflect on v15 today.

REFLECTION

While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.

This is story about kindness – more particularly, the kindness of Jesus. Picture the scene if you can; Jesus invites this man Levi to follow him and then has dinner at Levi’s house with Levi’s mates. No big deal, you might say, except that this story is so mind blowingly radical! Why? Levi is a tax collector.

In today’s world the taxman is not the most popular people group unless you are one, or you are married to one, or you have one in your family in which case you are greatly loved! Seriously, it is a good, right and Godly thing to pay tax and we need to pray for all those involved in our tax system. However, in Jesus day the taxman was one of the most despised of people. They worked for the Roman oppressors, overcharged massively and pocketed the difference. They were real scallywags!

Jesus shows this man real kindness. To be kind is to show care and concern, to be considerate towards others and their needs, to be generous towards others, to show real affection. Kindness is powerful. Kindness is a characteristic of love (1 Cor 13:4); kindness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22); kindness leads us to repentance, to turn back to God (Romans 2:4). Paul writes to Titus these words ‘when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us’ (Titus 3:4) Jesus is kindness itself.

Jesus befriended Levi and shared his life with him and his friends over a meal. Verse 16 tells us that the church and political authorities didn’t get this at all – power brokers in suits never ‘get’ Jesus because kindness always challenges power and control, which at heart is all about me. Kindness confronts selfishness.

It’s 2018, the time has come to follow Jesus and proclaim his Kingdom. Let’s begin by showering people with kindness this year! Let’s resolve to show kindness to someone at least once a day this year. Imagine each of us showing 365 or so acts of kindness this year – that would really be amazing!

How? Top tip – keep it simple! Perhaps a smile, a thank you, a phone call, a text, a gift, a visit, offering your seat, buying someone a coffee, taking home-made biscuits to work, if you can’t bake just take shop bought biscuits to work till you learn how to bake! Invite someone for a meal, or perhaps even invite a Levi character for a meal, the list is endless. Start small – start where you are and with who you are and see what happens. Kindness is contagious; once you start it just takes over. Our vision at STC for 2018 is ‘Join Us in Building Community’ (listen again to Tuesday’s Podcast). It’s time to change the world one home and one kindness at a time!

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, you are so kind! You lived a life of care and concern and generosity towards others. It’s not always easy to be kind but we know it’s the right way to live – your way to live. Teach me to be kind today and every day. Amen.

READING: MARK 2:1-17

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came,

Hi, it’s Mick, and welcome to today’s Podcast reflection from Mark’s gospel. If you are back at work today, I hope it is going well; if you are still on holiday, enjoy the rest – unless you have small children in which case you will be experiencing little or no rest until that wonderful moment when they finally go to bed! Our Bible reading is Mark 1:35-45 – keep listening to hear it after the worship song.

REFLECTION

Our Podcasts in this first week in January focus on our own personal walk with Jesus. On Monday, Jesus’ words that ‘the time has come – the Kingdom is here’; yesterday, his invitation to ‘follow me’. Today, a bible truth on keeping close to God this year. One verse in particular for us to reflect on today

(v35) Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

This is how Jesus connected with his Father. Picture the scene; Jesus had been preaching all the previous day and healing people in the evening – I would call that a busy day! Then he gets up early, before dawn, finds a quiet spot with no one else around and prays. This verse both fascinates and challenges me.

As Christians we believe that Jesus is God – fully human and fully divine but he gets up early to pray – why? Three observations to reflect on. Firstly, Jesus saw prayer as vital; not just helpful or important but vital – so should we! Secondly, he found a quiet place away from the demands of the world and even his friends – so should we! Thirdly, let’s not miss this, he chose early in the morning to pray – so should we!

I have heard church leaders, preachers and commentators over the years modify this Jesus model of prayer in Mark 1:35. Comments like – this is not necessarily how we should all pray; or that prayer is so helpful but we shouldn’t get too intense about it. Or, it’s virtually impossible to find a quiet place in our busy and demanding lives today; or even, well not everyone is a morning person!

If we think about it, really think about it, we know deep down that this a a 100% cop-out! As disciples of Jesus our aim is to live lives which reflect his values, his vision and his lifestyle. We know it will be costly but the benefits are amazing as we draw closer to God. We know it’s the only way to live, the trouble is, it’s just hard to do … but it’s not impossible!

Every weekday at STC we meet at 9am for prayers. Thirty minutes when staff team and church family worship and pray; I love 9am prayers as it really sets me up for the day. But I also know that I need some ‘one to one’ time with Jesus in prayer if my relationship with him is to develop. Here’s a confession, I don’t find this easy – it’s something I really have to work on constantly because as an extrovert I just love being around others to pray.

How to begin? Find the time slot and ‘solitary place’ that fits for you and give it a go. You might be thinking that you just don’t have the time to do this, especially if you have a young family or busy job. Why not begin by using those few minutes in the shower at the beginning of the day, focus on God first not just on the day before you. Start by giving thanks then invite the Lord into your day. Jesus and me time is so vital if we are to set the right course for the day.

Of course we need all kinds of prayers and ways of praying, however Mark 1:35 is still a challenge. If Jesus prayed this way we should at least give it a go – maybe not a dawn start but as early as we can! It might just be the key to connecting closely with Jesus this year.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, thank you for showing us how to pray. Show me how to pray as you prayed that I might love as you loved.

Hi, it’s Mick here and welcome to Tuesday’s Podcast. The reflections in this first week of 2018 are focused on our relationship with God – our personal walk with Jesus. Today’s Bible reading is Mark 1:16-34; you can hear our reading after the worship song but do read the whole passage some time today if you can. It’s so important to do this as it allows God to speak to us through his word in the Bible.

REFLECTION

If yesterday Jesus was saying ‘the time has come’, ‘the Kingdom of God is here’ in today’s reading he begins by offering an invitation to us. Verse 17 is our focus verse for the day:

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

We read that Simon ((Peter) and his brother Andrew followed ‘immediately’ and a a few verses later they meet James and John who are offered the same invitation by Jesus and their response is the same. Jesus just doesn’t call them to follow he says this extraordinary thing that he will make them ‘fishers of people’. Their faith, their story, their very lives will become so attractive and inspiring that others will be drawn to them and through them to Jesus and this is the start of his world changing movement of forgiveness and love.

It all begins with four ordinary working men who make a decision to follow Jesus. These four men were the first of millions of men, women and children who since that day have decided to follow Jesus. If that includes you today, well done you made the right decision!

People are still attracted to Jesus, they just need someone to point them in his direction! I am a CofE vicar and I remember once being told as part of my ongoing training that the vicar needs to be the ‘theological resource for the parish’ which may include further academic study which would then equip you as the vicar to answer any difficult theological questions that may arise.

I didn’t get it then and I don’t get it now! My answer then was the same as now – people with questions about life and faith don’t need ‘a resource’ about God, they need ‘a relationship’ with God! After over 27 years of ordained ministry, my experience is that people just simply need pointing to Jesus so they can hear him say to them ‘The time has come … follow me, here is a better way to live your life’. Our vision as a church at STC this year is simply that, inviting people to ‘Join us in Building Community’ – communities made up of ordinary people like me and you who are following Jesus; encouraging each other as we look to learn from him and live out his life of love, generosity and kindness – communities that make a difference in our society. If all of us in our nation who called ourselves Christian did just this, simply pointed others to Christ by the witness of our lives and our church, who knows what might happen!

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, thank you for calling me to follow you. I commit myself again today to this wonderful calling. Show me how, by my words, my actions, my community and my life I can offer your invitation to other to follow you also. Bless my day in your service. Amen.

READING: MARK 1:16-34

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.

When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching,

Happy New Year! Welcome to a new year of Foundations Podcasts from STC Sheffield. My name is Mick and alongside my wife Tricia we have the great privilege of leading STC. Each day Monday to Friday members of our STC team offer a reflection on a Bible passage, a prayer and a song of worship – a great way to build Godly Foundations in our lives as we follow Jesus.

We began last September with reflection through letters written by a man called Paul on how the early church grew and attracted so many people with its message of love and new life found in Jesus Christ. We took a short break from this teaching in December to hear again the Christmas story of Jesus coming into our world. Next week we return to Paul’s letters when my colleague Liam brings his reflection on the letter to the church in Ephesus, but we begin this new year with a focus on our personal walk with Jesus as we consider His words to us in Mark’s gospel. Today’s passage is Mark 1:1-20; you can hear the whole passage read if you keep listening after the worship song, but our focus today will be on verses 14 -15.

REFLECTION

This gospel was written by a young man called John Mark. In Acts 12:12 we read that the early church met at his mother’s house and in later life Mark travelled with Paul and two other friends called Barnabas and Peter. Some believe much of this gospel is taken from Peter’s first hand stories of Jesus that Mark heard from Peter.

Mark was written between AD 58 and AD 70, about 30 years after the resurrection of Jesus and it’s written for ordinary everyday people like you and me. This gospel is a real action packed ‘ripping yarn’ – fast moving, exciting, relevant and real with amazing stories of Jesus as he begins his ministry. Jesus has spent the first 30 years of his life in the small town of Nazareth but he will spend the next three years travelling the land speaking about the Kingdom of God – the Good News, a new loving way to live life!

As we begin Mark we read that Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist (v9) then blessed by God (v10-11) before being tested in the desert by the devil (v12-13). An exciting beginning! There is so much in this passage but today’s reflection is from one verse, v15 “The time has come,” Jesus said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

The time has come The New Testament was written in Greek, the world language of its day and there are two Greek words which denote the word ‘time’. The first is ‘chronos’ which describes the passage of time and the second is ‘kairos’ denoting an appointed time. A simple example; you might say that the actual time is now 7.30am (chronos) but that it is also the appointed time for breakfast (kairos). Jesus is saying here that God’s appointed time has come.

You may remember a few week ago reflections on Isaiah 9 in our Advent Podcast, words describing the coming of Jesus ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given’. Seven hundred and forty years before his birth, the prophet speaks of the coming of Christ who will bring a new way of living, a new Kingdom of love that will change lives and nations. Then, at the end of the Old Testament nothing! Four hundred silent years before the story begins again with the coming of Jesus whose birth we celebrated just a few days ago at Christmas. This child has now grown into a man and says that the waiting is over, the time has now come, God’s appointed time for a new way to live.

As we begin this new year I wonder what you are waiting for? A new job, a new house, a new relationship or perhaps a new beginning. The Lord is speaking to you and me as we begin 2018 – the time has come, repent (turn back to God) and believe the Good News. All things are possible with God.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus,

Hello everyone, it’s Mick – and I’m back to complete our podcasts on this week before Christmas! I hope you have enjoyed this week’s reflections from Nikky, Malc and Rich from the Christmas story in Luke and Matthew. No Podcast next week but we are back and ready to go again on Monday 1st January. Today, we finish the week with the continuing story of the wise men found in Matthew 2:7-12. Again, you can hear the full reading at the end of the podcast after the worship song and you can read the full text on the Podcast section on our website.

REFLECTION

Over the past two weeks we have looked again at the Christmas story with reflections from Luke’s gospel. The traditional end to the Christmas story happens when the ‘wise men’ appear – this begins the post Christmas season of Epiphany. This term means ‘manifestation’ or ‘appearance’ and signifies the revelation of Jesus to these, now famous ‘wise men from the East’.

Rich spoke about these travellers from the east yesterday – they are indeed very mysterious; often called ‘the wise men’, sometimes Mägi and more traditionally the ‘three kings’ although there is no evidence that these travellers were kings. However, when it comes to dressing up in the church nativity, give me a king’s costume over a wise man costume any time – much more style! In fact, I have just met the ‘wise men’ in our church lobby as our church nursery lined up for their nativity – apologies for thinking the camel was a donkey!

Verse 11 struck me afresh as I read these familiar Bible verses As these travellers came before Jesus we read this in the NIV Bible.

they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures …

The Message Bible goes further and says they were ‘overcome’.

That really picks up what was happening here as the original words read like this:

They fell to the ground and worshipped him. Then opening their treasures …

If you were overcome you would fall to the ground wouldn’t you? The word ‘worship’ here means to ‘fall down or lay down and kiss the ground in reverence’. There’s something pretty powerful and significant happening here. These travellers, these seekers after the truth completely humble themselves in the presence of Jesus – they know they are in the presence of someone so special. It’s a far cry from how we perhaps approach Jesus in worship? – a little indifferent sometimes? same old same old? I love the picture here of these three individuals really humbling themselves before Jesus. Perhaps an invitation to us all as we worship Jesus this Christmas weekend.

They go further; the reading says they opened their treasures. We get the English word Thesaurus from the Greek word ‘treasure’ used in this verse. A thesaurus is a “storehouse (treasure) of synonyms”. It brings richness and depth to our vocabulary. These travellers were opening up their very lives to Jesus – not just the physical gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh but their ‘treasured’ thoughts and hopes and dreams stored away in their hearts and minds. The depth of their very being is offered to Jesus. This is powerful stuff for us to reflect on – love them as we do, this is a long way on from a tea towel nativity! I wonder, what are your treasured hopes and dreams? Maybe take some time today to free them afresh to Jesus.

These wise men sensed the significance of Jesus’ birth. They recognised that Jesus was the fulfilment of the hopes and dreams of ALL people – Jesus is the one who fulfils ALL of God’s promises for ALL time. Perhaps a challenge to us all as we worship Jesus this Christmas weekend.

As we come to the end of this year of podcasts let me say a big thank you to our STC team and guests who, week by week, have offered their reflections each day on what the Bible is saying to us – it is a big co...

Welcome to Thursday’s podcast, I’m Rich and I lead the student work here at STC along with James Brown. I’m excited to join you for the podcast this week, I hope you’re having a great time preparing for Christmas. This week we’re looking at how those around Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth came to visit the new King, God with skin and bones.

REFLECTION

Today we’ll be looking at Matthew 2:1-6 where the Magi, scholars from the East, found a sign in the sky which led them to the new King of the Jews. You can hear the full passage at the end of the podcast but I was drawn particularly to verses 1 & 2:

Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

The Magi are sometimes called the three kings or three wise men. These men were astrologers or astronomers, they were the top scientists of their day, and they would look at the stars as part of their day to day work. They would follow the pattern of the stars religiously and would be respected by society for their intelligence and large amount of wealth.

Then, in the midst of their usual work, all of a sudden, a star comes into view which is unlike anything they’d seen before. This star declares that a new king has been born, a new order has been established and the Magi want in. So they get themselves ready, pack their bags and follow the star which leads them to Jesus, they didn’t make this pilgrimage to just be spectators, they travelled to worship him.

At university I studied Biochemistry and while I wasn’t quite a scholar observing the stars, I would often find amazing ways to worship God through the things I was learning about. Like when I was learning about a molecular machine found in our cells which is even more efficient than any engine humans have designed. Or how the eye is better designed than any camera lens we’ve managed to muster up as a society, even with the best instagram filters. I was always amazed at God’s creation in the small details of molecules and cells, this led me into worshipping him.

But this spans out beyond science and stars. It was in their day to day lives that the Magi discovered the thing that led them to Jesus. So for us, today, in our usual routine where can we see God at work? What will be the thing that leads us to worship the King today? It might not be as obvious as a star burning bright in the sky but it could be that gentle voice when you’re doing the washing up, the prayer your kid says while they’re just about to go to sleep or that song that’s been on repeat on your Spotify. What thing is leading you to worship Jesus today?

When we get there we’ll fall on our knees, we’ll experience his love and in response we’ll give all of ourselves to Jesus. Just like gold, frankincense and myrrh were given so many years ago. We will encounter Jesus and we’ll be changed. Who doesn’t want that!

PRAYER

Father God, Thank you that you have placed things in our everyday lives; opportunities and signs that lead us to worship you. Whatever we’re doing today help us to look towards you and this Christmas come and encounter each and every one of us. Amen

READING: MATTHEW 2:1-6

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.

Hello and welcome to Wednesday’s podcast from STC Sheffield. My name is Malc and I am on the staff team here at STC. Well, we are just a few days away from Christmas and the excitement is growing, but the excitement we feel surely can’t be as great as the excitement the shepherds felt that first Christmas.

REFLECTION

Today we’re looking at the second part of their story and you can find it in Luke’s Gospel, chapter 2 verses 15 to 20.

What had been just an ordinary, boring working night had been transformed by the visit of the angels and their unexpected invitation.

Now it wasn’t often that shepherds in those days were given invitations to anything. Yet here they are, regarded by many as the lowest of the low, being invited to meet the Saviour.

Today, speaking of Christmas, we often ask the question, “Are you ready for it?” In the same way, the shepherds could have been asked that question.

Of course they weren’t ready, but they weren’t going to miss out on this. The shepherds could easily have said, “First, let me find somebody to look after the sheep.” They could have said, “I would like to go, but I am needed here.” Instead, like the fishermen who will leave their boats and the tax collector who will leave his tax booth, they accept the invitation to go. Not content to praise God with their mouths, they praise him with their feet—

I can just imagine them going as fast as they could, through the fields and down to the outskirts of the town and onto the streets, the young bloods at the front with the older shepherds, trailing behind, shouting “Wait for us!” Calling to each other, “ Where did they say? In a manger? Look for stables then, that’s where we’ll find a manger!” Eventually, they found that stable and there, lying in a manger, was the baby, with its mam and dad looking on at what was happening. This was so cool! Here they were, just about the lowest of the low, in the world’s eyes, and yet they were the first to meet this very special baby. The one who had come to reconcile man to God. After leaving the stable, they told everyone they met what happened to them.

Today, if you are a Christian, can you remember that first invitation to meet Jesus and your reaction, after that first encounter? Was it like the shepherds, you just couldn’t keep it to yourself no matter how it looked or what questions you were asked? It didn’t matter, because you knew what you had seen and heard and felt. Or did something or someone else stand in your way and so you kept quiet and walked the other way?

Today, will you take a fresh look at Jesus, no matter where you are in life? Can I, today, urge you to accept an invitation, this Christmas, to seek him out?

Are you ready for it? No, of course not, no one ever is, but Jesus is the greatest gift you can receive and the greatest invitation you can make.

As the song says, “Why don’t you look into Jesus? He is the answer.”

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, may this be the day that I accept that invitation to meet you personally, that my life may be renewed by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

READING: LUKE 2: 15-20

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Good morning and welcome to Tuesday’s podcast. My name is Nikky and I’m on the staff team here at STC Sheffield. I lead an Eden Team over in Fir Vale, in the North of Sheffield, and it’s a massive privilege to be able to share with you today what God has been speaking to me about through this great passage in Luke.

REFLECTION

Our reading for today is from Luke chapter 2 verses 8-14, and if you listen until the end of this podcast, you’ll be able to hear the whole passage read out for you, but for now I’m going to focus on verses 8-11. I’ll read them for us now…

“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 that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”

This phrase “do not be afraid” stands out to me as I read this passage. These 4 words crop up again and again in the Bible. They’re everywhere! They’re right back in Genesis 15, where God speaks them to Abraham, they’re in the Psalms, they’re in Isaiah, and you can even find them just a few verses prior to today’s reading, in Luke chapter 1, where the angel appears to Zechariah and then to Mary and speaks these very words. Time and time again God tells His people “do not be afraid”, “do not live in fear”.

If you’ve been watching, or have ever watched any of the TV show “I’m a celebrity, get me out of here!” you’ll know that as part of the show, contestants have to take part in Bushtucker trials. These are tasks designed around fear, things like holding live spiders in your mouth, lying in a pit of snakes, and swimming in a pool full of crocodiles. Doing well in these trials is all about who can be the most fearless, but at any point, if the fear gets too much, contestants can shout “I’m a celebrity, get me out of here” and they are immediately removed from the situation.

Now I don’t know how many times in the past year you’ve had to endure swimming with crocodiles, or being stuck underground with a load of snakes, I really hope it’s none! But if I had to hazard a guess I’d say that every one of us has experienced fear of some kind this year. I know I have. And the shepherds would have done too. We are told in this passage that they were terrified in the moment when the angel appeared and the glory of the Lord shone around them, but when the angel tells them “do not be afraid”, I have a feeling he’s not just speaking into this one moment of sudden fear, but also into something deeper. The shepherds, like us, would have experienced fear of some kind in their lives.

And whilst spiders, snakes, crocodiles, and having angels suddenly appear out of the blue can definitely bring out fear in us, on a day to day basis, the fears we experience are perhaps slightly different. They’re things like “I don’t know if I have enough money to get to the end of this month”, or “I’m ill, what if I never get better?”, there’s the fear of rejection, the fear of not being enough, the fear of not having enough. I wonder if you can relate to any of these fears?

And unlike the TV show, we don’t have the option of shouting “get me out of here” and being immediately removed from these situations. But despite that, God still tells us, in the midst of whatever is causing us fear, “do not be afraid”.

At first glance, this might seem like a bit of an impossible command for God to give us. “Do not be afraid”, great, thanks God, how the heck am I meant to do that? And in our own strength, it’s true, it would be impossible.

But that is not what God is asking of us. He is not asking us to try to get through it by ourselves. When God says “do not be afraid”, it is only the first half of what He says.

Hello, it’s Mick here and welcome to this final week of Foundation Podcasts for 2017.

This week has the same format as last week; you will hear me today and on Friday then three amazing team members at STC – Nikky our Eden team leader, Malc our Estates Manager and Rich who leads our Student Church. They will be sharing their reflections on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This week we continue the Christmas story in Luke’s gospel – Luke 2:1-20 with a snapshot of Matthew as the Kings appear in the story. Each day we will focus on a particular verse or verses followed by a reflection and prayer, a worship song after which you can hear the full Bible reading for the day. Lord Jesus, speak to us this week through your word…

REFLECTION

Today’s reading is Luke 2:1-7.

We have lots of babies at STC Sheffield; I don’t just mean ‘spiritual babies’ – although we have lots of those as well, people who have become Christians and decided to follow Jesus – we have lots of real life small babies. Maybe it’s something in the water or the teaching on Sunday but we are so blessed by having lots of babies, so much so that I sometimes think we need another new addition to our buildings to park all the buggies in!

Babies at Toddlers in the week on Monday, Thursday and Friday as well babies at Sunday Gatherings – we love babies at STC! Babies are such a gift, not just to their parents but to everybody else around them. It’s not just their cuddlyness (is that a word?) and the joy they bring but it’s much more than that. A baby is a life of great potential all in such a small frame; a baby is a little bundle of love; the gift of a baby brings hope for the future!

Listen again to these two Bible verses from today’s reading – two of the most famous verses in the whole Bible:

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

The baby is born … the gift is given. There is so much happening in these few verses but at its heart, as this baby is born, as this gift is given our God is saying this ‘Trust me, I am faithful’.

Everything that God had promised to Mary, Joseph through the angels visit really did take place – God is faithful.

We also see how Jesus is the fulfilment of all God’s promises in the Old Testament. As we will hear in this week’s readings, Jesus is born in ‘the town of David’ (v.11), and ‘of the house and line of David’ (v.4). He is the promised king, ‘he is the Messiah’ (v.11). God is faithful; that’s why the birth of Jesus is ‘good news… for all the people’ (v.10).

God is faithful – Mother Teresa said, ‘I do not pray for success. I ask for faithfulness.’ God’s faithfulness encourages us to be faithful in our own lives; in our marriages, our relationships, with our friends … the list goes on.

Tricia, my wife, and I recently became grandparents for the fourth time – little Ivy arrived into this challenging but wonderful world. Ivy is a gift of God to us as are all our grandchildren as well as our three children and their partners – they remind us that God is faithful. What God promises will come to be because the birth of Jesus, his gift to our world demonstrates that God is faithful! Remember that phrase today, repeat it throughout this day, let it sink into your very being. Whatever you face this day remember – Christmas shows that God is real and that God is faithful!

PRAYER

Thank you Jesus for this amazing story of your birth. That you are heaven’s gift to us and you show us that this day I can fully trust you for all I need and all I do and all I am because our God is faithful! Speak to us this week as we hear again the Christmas story through these Podcasts and bless our day. Amen.