SCAPEGOAT HILL BAPTIST CHURCH NEWSLETTER – MAY 2023
Dear Friends
Do you sometimes get fed up of turning on the news programmes and coming away feeling depressed, or wondering what on earth is going on in the world at present? It seems the news outlets are full of bad news or violence or rebellion or scandals. There seems to be a pervading attitude of blowing holes in the reputations of people and destroying their standing – sometimes just by implication. Which of us could stand as blameless if every action we had made and every word that passed our lips was put under such scrutiny. How would Winston Churchill have been viewed in these days? Then we look at all the strikes. But the surge in acted out rebellion is to me, even more troubling. In these days it is spreading out over all sections of society. With Extinction Rebellion, Stop Oil Now and countless other groups emerging seemingly weekly, they have the power to close major roads, disrupt industry, destroy or deface works of art etc.
If the media was our only staple diet what a state we would be in! And yet for so many people, that is their ‘daily reading’. Thank the Lord, that does not have to be our portion. As believers we have the option to listen to a different ‘drumbeat’.
We are aware as a church that there are many people in the fellowship or connected to the fellowship who are going through really difficult health or personal situations. It seems a time of real struggle. So what do we have that so many out there in the world do not have?
We have a God who cares about us in our struggles & distresses (Isaiah 63:9)
We have a God who has compassion on us (2 Cor 1:3-4)
We have a promise that even in this world of trouble our Lord Jesus has overcome this world and will lead us through ours (John 16:33)
We have a promise that He will strengthen us and uphold us (Isaiah 41:10)
We have a promise that He will never leave us or forsake us (Deut 31:8)
We have a strong and certain hope that when our journey here is done, we will be with Him in Heaven for eternity (John 14:2-3)
So, please let us continue to love one another, pray for one another, encourage one another in faith and help to carry one another’s burdens – and so fulfil the law our Lord and Saviour, Jesus gave us.
On another note, are you looking forward to The Coronation? This is a sacred rite We knew where the Queen stood in her spiritual walk. We are not quite so sure of where Charles stands. Can we pray as we watch the ceremony, that God would reveal Himself deeply to our new King. May the Holy Spirit move upon Charles and put a deep and abiding sense of his spiritual responsibility towards God as Monarch of this land
On yet another note, on Wednesday 14th June at 7.30pm we have a speaker who is visiting UK coming to speak to us at Scape. Sondra Oster Barras was born in USA, trained as a lawyer and moved to Israel as a young adult. She lives in the biblical heartland of Samaria, close to many of the sites we are familiar with from the Scriptures. She runs an organisation helping the pioneers living in that area who are “rebuilding the ancient ruins”. She has made many links with Christian communities around the world. Sondra, a serious bible student herself, teaches on zoom, going through the Old Testament. Her charity raises money for medical and security needs
In the communities. She is a lovely lady. I have learned much from her. Every blessing, Liz