I did the teaching session at York Summer Soul this morning. I was asked if my notes could be available so here they are.
If you were not there they may not make too much sense. As usual with my stuff, feel free to use it or adapt it.
Supposedly by Mary Frye, though authorship is disputed:
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.
Quoted on P16 of Tom Wright’s “Surprised by Hope”.
The above is pagan, pantheistic and certainly not Christian. At funerals I have editorial control over what readings will feature. I will not have this poem. I have given my life to serve, why switch my brain off at such a time?
You did die, and worms or fire will consume your body. But as Job said, (Job 19:26 ) “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”
Reading Tom Wright it seems there is a loss of confidence in some circles over the resurrection promised us in the Bible.
See the words I use at funerals:
General Readings in funeral service
Romans 8:35-39Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
BENEDICTION
Jude 1:24,25 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy–to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and for evermore! Amen.
At Grave
1Co 15:42-44, 50 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in imperfection; it is raised in perfection: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither does the imperfect inherit the perfect.
1Co 15:51-53 Behold, I tell you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Committal
Cemetery - Christian
For as much as it has pleased Almighty God in His great mercy to take to Himself the soul of our dear brother/sister here departed, we therefore commit his/her body to the ground, earth to earth ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is He who is able to transform those who trust in Him. So that our lowly bodies will be like His glorious body. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Cemetery - Non Christian
And now, trusting in the great mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords, we commit the bodily remains of ??????????? to the ground, earth to earth ashes to ashes, dust to dust; until that great and final day when all will appear before His throne to receive their reward and death will be no more
Q: How do you imagine your resurrection?
1) What of our journey?
We use general terms like “heaven”. I am comfortable with the lack of precision but we can understand more than that.
To the thief Jesus promised paradise that same day. A good place but not the final destination. More of that later.
Our journey goes by the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 1
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 2
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved.
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
In some way we are already citizens of that new land, though living here for the now.
See
Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Ephesians 2:19
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household,
Where did John go to (see Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet..)?
By faith we are there too, see Hebrews 12:18-24. That is where we are on the Lord’s day.
2) Where will we be when we arrive?
1 Thessalonians 4
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord for ever.
18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
He is coming:
Rev 22:7 “Behold I am coming.”
v12 “Behold I am coming soon.”
v20 “Yes I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
We will be in our bodies. See 1 Corinthians 15
We don’t stay in that place of greeting, we arrive with him to rule on earth.
Rev 21
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
5 He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new! Then he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.
6 He said to me: It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.
7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
To the church in Philadelphia - Rev 3:11
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no-one will take your crown.
12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Q: “The lost.” Do hear this term often? Do you feel comfortable with this term? What do you think is meant by that term?
3) What should we being doing until we arrive home?
Luke 11:2-4
And he said unto them, When you pray, say,
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins;
for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Because I pray “Thy kingdom come” I can go on to pray “Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven”
When I pray “Thy kingdom come” I am inviting his rule to be expressed.
By praying “Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven” I am pronouncing that I am asking that not the will of flesh nor the will of the enemy, but the will of the Almighty God be seen.
Q: In what way can the prayer of “Thy kingdom come” and “Thy will be done” be used in your encounters on the streets?
Revelation: What it Really Says
A new course from York School of Theology, taught by John Wilson, pastor of Gateway Christian Fellowship in Acomb, York.
The book of Revelation has perplexed and enthralled Christians down the ages. Is it a crystal ball, foretelling the future, or is it more like an x-ray which reveals the underlying structures by which we live.
The course begins on Tuesday 27th November, 7.30 to 9.30 pm at St Cuthbert’s Church Centre, Peasholme Green, York.
To book a place, phone 07804453616 or email office@ystyork.org or write to YST, St Cuthbert’s Centre, Peasholme Green, York YO1 7PW. You can also also book in person on the night.
On Sat 1st Dec Wycliffe Bible Translators are holding a “Wycliffe and Me” day at Acomb Baptist Church, which is for anyone who is interested in finding out more about them - whether they are thinking about joining, or are already supporters of Wycliffe members. All the details can be found on their website:
http://www.wycliffe.org.uk
just click on the link for the two-page pdf file.
Ministering to Muslims - One Day Seminars
- Letchworth - Tuesday 9th October 2007
- Halifax - Tuesday 30th October 2007
- Cheltenham - Thursday 1st November 2007
Star: 9.30am End: 3.30pm
Speaker Biography
Martin [British] lives in Bromley with his wife Jensie [Swedish] and their Swenglish sons . Martin & Jensie have a passion for taking the Good News to Muslims and have worked amongst them for over 25 years, having spent much of that time iun the Middle East.
Martin currently provides support and development for church planting teams, shares the Gospel with Muslim friends, teaches around the world on Muslim evangelism and represents OM on interagency networks. When he can fit it in he works as an independent cultural consultant and executive coach for clients such as GSK, PWC, Motorola, Rolls Royce, GM, Ford and Ericsson.
He has a Masters Degree from Fuller Theological Seminary where he completed a double specialisation in Islam and Christian Leadership Development. In 1997 Martin reveived the Paul Person Award for Innovative Vision and Creativity in the Task of World Evangelism.
Why Attend?
- Feeling equipped and able to share the Gospel with Muslims in your locality.
- Understanding the cultural adaptations needed, where appropriat, to increase trust and respect with Muslims.
- Being able to answer some of the standard Muslim objections to Christianity.
- Knowing some of the basic beliefs and practices of Muslims and be able to use these as bridges when sharing the Gospel.
- Encouraged that God is clearly and powerfully at work in the Muslim world.
- Motivated to increase your prayer for Muslims both here and abroad.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A BOOKING FORM
Thinking Of Going To Bible College?
Elim’s national training centre, Regents College in Nantwich, Cheshire, will be holding a “Just Looking” weekend from 6th-8th November. It will be a chance to sample lectures and college life. Click here for more details.
This is a very popular course of the York School of Theology in their Flat-pack series. Now for the first time it is being offered during the daytime.
Many people know about Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, David and Goliath, Daniel and those lions, Jesus’ death and resurrection, and Paul’s journeys, but how do they all fit together and make sense as a whole?
This overview of God’s amazing collection of books is taught by Derek Wooldridge.
- The life of Jesus - the Gospels
- The Acts of the Apostles and their Letters
- The Books of the Law: Genesis to Deuteronomy
- Under the Judges and the first kings: Joshua - 2 Samuel and the Wisdom Literature
- Kings and More Kings: 1 Kings - 2 Chronicles and the Prophets
- Exile and Return: Ezra - Esther and the Later Prophets
Handouts, Maps, Questions, Discussion.
Six Mondays from 25 June at 2.00pm
80, Grantham Drive, (off Acomb Road & Poppleton Road, Holgate)York
£5 per session
RENEW is an Elim training day for worship leaders on October 7th.
Go to the website for more info and to book in. Take a look through the programme, it looks great!
ELIM WORSHIP TEAM
The programme for the day will be as follows:
9:30 Registration
10:00 Worship
10:30 Teaching Session 1: Neil Hudson “Worship and Discipleship”
11:30 Tea and Coffee
12:00 Seminars I
Seminars will run twice, so have a look at the seminar information below.
13:00 Buffet Lunch
14:00 Worship
14:30 Seminars II
15:15 Tea and Coffee
15:45 Teaching Session 2 and Ministry Time: Tim Hughes
17:00 Dinner Break
19:30 Evening Celebration.
Worship led by Tim Hughes and team Speaker: Tim Hughes
SEMINARS:
Dance Wendy Wray
Wendy Wray leads the dance ministry at LGCC and believes that God has called her to get as many people dancing as possible! In this seminar Wendy will be sharing her heart and vision for dance in the church and answering the questions such as: why have dancing in church? How do you get a dance ministry started? How can you get different groups of people involved? No previous training or experience is necessary, just come in loose-fitting clothing and with some flat shoes as there will be some practical work as well!
Media Support Martin Gardner and Peter Sterling
Whether you’re using acetates or a multi-station tech desk, you’re providing media support! Many church ‘techies’ are now providing behind-the-scenes support in virtually every area of church life; from service audio visuals through to website management. Our team will talk you through our current set-up and we’ll discuss areas such as sound, projection/video, vision mixing, DVD and audio recording, stage equipment and lighting. We’ll also spend time answering your questions to help you develop your own media support.
Worship and Creativity Sarah Ottaway
We all know that worship is more than just music, in fact everybody worships all of the time, its just who we direct our worship towards. This seminar is going to take a look at a more creative and broad approach to worship, it will cover questions like: Why do we need to consider creativity in our worship times? What creative ways can we consider? How do we practically facilitate creativity in our church services and small groups? Come along ready to consider some alternative approaches to worship.
How to Organise A Worship Team Andy Boxall
This practical seminar will look at how to facilitate worship team rehearsals, song arrangements and orchestrations. This session will look at how to make your worship team sound ‘tight’ and also look at how to use different instrumentalists and musicians of varying abilities.
Worship in a Youth Context Tim Sanders
Tim Sanders will be sharing in this seminar about some practical how to’s for leading worship in a youth context.
Vocals I and II Rita O’Neill
Rita O’Neill will be running two vocal seminars.
The first vocal seminar will look at vocal exercises for the uninitiated! If you are a worship leader or singer and you’ve never had any vocal coaching before this would be an excellent venue to get some how to’s and great vocal exercises. This seminar will only run at 12:00.
The second vocal seminar will be for those who have either been to one of Rita’s seminars before or for those who have had some vocal coaching in the past. This seminar will run only at 14:30.
Go to the website for more info and to book in!
