Our October newsletter is now available to download – please click here.
Minister’s Message
As part of our always colourful, vibrant and prayerful Harvest celebrations, this year we made a special emphasis on the Bible as a source of nourishment in the Christian life.
Scripture is scattered with analogies about the word of God being “as sweet as honey”, to be “devoured and relished”, and “as essential to life as milk is to a new-born”. Jesus—the ultimate expression of the word of God—refers to himself as the bread of life, suggesting that those who nourish themselves on him will be spiritually fulfilled and sustained.
In his short, simple but profound book ‘Being Christian’, the always-inspiring Rowan Williams has this to say about Jesus—about how the rest of the Bible relates to his life, death and resurrection and and vice versa:
“All these stories, narratives of God’s initiative and human response pivot around that one central fact. Here, in the story of Jesus, is the story in which we see what an unequivocal obedience and love look like. Here is the story where we see a response to God so full of integrity, so whole, that it reflects perfectly the act of God that draws it out. Here is the story in which the speaking of God and the responding of human beings are bound together inseparably. And so if the whole Bible is about the speaking of God and the responding of human beings, then of course it is by looking at the story of Jesus, the luminous centre, that we discover how to read the rest of it. Jesus, living, dying, raised from the dead, breathing his Spirit on the Church – it is in his light that you read the rest of the Bible.”
As with the bounties of Harvest, the revelation of Jesus in Scripture is a wonderful gift from God. But—just as the harvest requires the dedicated work of faithful human beings for the crops to reach fruition, and to then end up as delicious and sustaining meals on our plates—so too does the word of God require committed and faithful work to reach fruition in our spiritual lives.
So, as well as gathering to worship and explore the Bible together on Sundays, Histon Methodist also offers the opportunity for more in-depth studies; our House Group meets on the afternoons of 2nd and 4th Thursdays and is always happy to welcome new faces (do talk to me, Christine or Jean if you’d like more details); our Young-ish People’s Gathering meets monthly on a Tuesday night in the Red Lion (ask me for more details), and we continue to have the opportunity to explore creative methods of prayer and bible reading on Wednesdays during the Coffee Shop if anyone has any interesting ideas!
And for those who want to develop their private devotional life, we’ve made available a selection of resources which might suit different tastes and personalities. Again, do talk to me or Jean Simmonds if you’d like more information.
Exploring the Bible is not always easy, and I must confess that I often struggle to find the space and time myself, but it just might be worth the effort!
Simon