‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in him, will not die, but have everlasting life’ Amen.

Those comforting and reassuring words, the most well known from the Bible. As we invite God into our midst, we thank him for those words of inspiration.

Reading 1: Parable of the prodigal son, Luke 15:11-32

Reflection: The Windows of Gold

There is a legend that has often been told
Of the boy who searched for the Windows of Gold.
The beautiful windows he saw far away
When he looked in the valley at sunrise each day.
And he yearned to go down to the valley below
But he lived on a mountain that was covered with snow.
And he knew it would be a difficult trek,
But that was a journey he wanted to make.
-So he planned by day and he dreamed by night
Of how he could reach The Great Shining Light.
-And one golden morning when dawn broke through
And the valley sparkled with diamonds of dew.
He started to climb down the mountainside
-With the Windows of Gold as his Goal and his guide.
He traveled all day and, weary and worn,
With bleeding feet and clothes that were torn.
He entered the peaceful valley town
Just as the Golden Sun went down.
But he seemed to have lost his "Guiding Light"--
The windows were dark that had once been bright.
And hungry and tired and lonely and cold
He cried, "Won't You Show Me the Windows of Gold?".
And a kind hand touched him and said, "Behold!
High on the Mountain Are The Windows of Gold"
For the sun going down in a great golden ball
Had burnished the windows of his cabin so small.
And the Kingdom of God with its Great Shining Light,
Like the Golden Windows that shone so bright.
Is not a far distant place, somewhere,
It's as close to you as a silent prayer...
And your search for God will end and begin
When you look for him and find him WITHIN.

Reading 2: Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, Luke 11:1-13

Reflection: Personal feelings about Alpha.

We don’t often hear testimonies in Church and it's not so much my testimony, but I’m going to talk to you a bit about The Alpha Course, and a few things that have happened to me, because I can base it on my own experiences and hopefully you might be able to relate some of it to your own.

What is Alpha, you might ask. Its a structured course aimed at non-Christians and those Christians wanting to ask questions. Its set in a relaxed atmosphere, you sit in groups of about 8, have a meal, watch a video then break into groups to discuss the video and share opinions, and ask questions.

Its a 10 week course, covering 10 topics and the ones that struck me most, I’m going to share with you. There was a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and friendship generated during the course and I was amazed, watching the videos, week in and week out that I could say “Yes, that has happened to me! Now I know why!”? A lady who attended our Alpha course, wrote a poem that you can read, if you so wish, by clicking here.

1. “Filling the gap”, “I am the bread of life, “ Jesus told them, “He who comes to me will never be hungry, he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35 – If you didn’t eat you would be hungry and I believe that you can be spiritually hungry –you need food for the soul. I think that everyone is on a Spiritual journey and that it is most unlikely for anyone to be in the exact same place as another at the same time, but it is important to keep moving on in that journey.

Seven years ago I was in University. I would have called myself a Christian, I read my Bible, I prayed every day, but I always felt that I was searching for something more; that there was something missing. I only found what I was missing, when I moved house and started going to Chapel. I remember passing the Chapel before I moved in and thought “When I live here, I’ll go there.” What I had been missing was the fellowship - the sharing of thoughts & ideas, the friendship, the love for one another. During my time in Uni, I was being spiritually starved. My faith was “stagnating” because I just wasn’t learning anything or growing.

2. “Jesus’ love for us” What I find amazing is that approximately 1945 years before I was born, a man that lived across the other side of the world, chose to be nailed to a cross by his hands and feet and die for me. He chose to die, so that my sins could be forgiven and offer me a chance of eternal life. But he didn’t do this just for me – he did it for you too. In fact if you were the only person on earth, he would still have done it. Wow.

In the parable of the prodigal son, its not the prodigal son that we should concentrate on - but the love of the father. Even when the son had asked for his share and squandered it – his Father welcomed him back, unconditionally. Of course his other son, was jealous having faithfully served his father and I think we can understand his reasons for being so, but this parable tells us how it is in Heaven. The father said, “I love you, I’m always with you, but my son that was lost has come back”. There is the same joy in Heaven when someone gives their life to Christ.

The reading from Luke 11 says “Would any of you who are fathers give your son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or would you give him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? Bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more then, will the Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
It tells us to seek for the kingdom of God first and everything else will fall into place, it doesn’t mean that life will be perfect, but we will be carried by the strength of God in those times.

“Psalm 37 v5 says “Commit your way to the Lord and he will act.” We need to be patient. It’s a long term plan and we all make mistakes in our journey, but God will forgive us. He can take the mess that we make of our daily lives and turn it into something beautiful.
When I was young, I wanted to live in the country. When I was a bit older, I visited the area where I now live and decided that it was perfect. It had both country and seashore. Little did I know that some fifteen years later, I would be here. I never really planned it, it just sort of happened.

Two years ago, I was travelling three hours a day to work and back. I knew that it wasn’t a healthy long term situation and that I needed to find an escape route. I knew that one would come along because I thought and I still do believe that I have been brought here to serve a purpose.
The escape plan came to me one day in February 2002, by August it had materialised into reality, but not without me making a few important decisions. I wanted to be self-employed, because I had become disillusioned with how many businesses operate these days; I found it difficult to combine my Christian life and my professional life, so I decided that I wanted to run my business fairly, honestly, in the way that God would want me to run it. I promised God that I would dedicate my life and business to him, if this was really the way that he wanted me to go.

I still have days when I have doubts that maybe things aren’t going quite as well as they could be. It’s on those occasions that I say “If I’m not going in the right direction, please let me know and tell me what you want me to do differently”. This situation cropped up a few months ago. I’d had a difficult week, I asked what I should do and the sermon on Sunday told me to “Try again and try harder”. What more can you say?”

3. “Telling others” – All this Jesus stuff is great news, but God doesn’t want us to keep it to ourselves. In Alpha, they used a phrase “Holy Huddle”. It was meant to represent those Christians who only talk about Jesus to other Christians - with those outside the group unable to penetrate it.

In the weeks following this part of the course, I spoke to many people about Alpha and I made certain that it wasn’t me initiating the topic of conversation - the opportunities just arose.
At the end of 2003, I was told, without doubt, to “Go forth and tell” and that’s how the local Methodist website was born. I guess that this ‘telling others’ that I am supposed to be doing has not just ended with that website…

4. “How can I make the most of the rest of my life?” At the end of the course, the minister asked me if I was going to run an Alpha course in the village where I live. I dismissed his comment with a laugh and thought that it was a daft suggestion!
My discussion group didn’t want to disband so we have had house groups during the Summer. One night, the leader of the group brought an article that had appeared in the Methodist Recorder. It spoke of a couple who felt that they had been 'called' to run an Alpha course for their street. At the end of their course, the 8 or 9 attendees had either become a Christian or had their faith strengthened as a result. I remember saying “That must have taken a lot of guts. Imagine the ridicule that you would have to put up with living amongst these people. It’s like me doing a course in my village.”

They say that if God is calling you to do something, he is persistent. The idea came to me in bed one Monday morning about two months ago. We all have a little moan about having a small congregation now and again and ask how we can attract more people to join us. In reality, it’s very unlikely that anyone will just wander in off the street if they have never heard of Jesus. Why had I been avoiding the idea of an Alpha course, assuming that I would have to run it alone? Why not run it as a joint venture with the Church and the Chapel in the village both helping? It all seemed to make sense all of a sudden and so I volunteered to become a group leader in the Alpha Course that is running in town, so that I can get some experience to lead one in my village in the early part of next year.

During the weeks leading up to this service, a little phrase cropped up again and again – “From little acorns big oaks grow”. I’ve always liked that phrase. Even as a child I thought that there was something special about acorns, something wholesome. Now I realise why. They are a metaphor for God and us. How often do you hear people say that you can see God reflected in nature?
Look at acorn, what is it? A seed in a cup that’s holding it and supporting it, but what happens if we turn it upside down? It’s a seed wearing a hat, something that is protecting it and covering it.

Let’s suppose for a minute that we are acorns, and that the shell is God’s hand. When everything is fine and dandy with our lives, God is blessing us from above, but when something goes wrong and our lives are turned upside down – it’s then that the hand of God is carrying us.

Just think though, that that acorn, planted and nourished can grow into a huge tree and eventually produce acorns of its own. It brings to mind the parable of the barren fig tree. The owner wanted the tree to produce figs, not apples or oranges, just stuff that it was capable of doing – just like an oak tree and acorns. In the same way God does not ask us to produce stuff that we can’t. We ALL have our own God given talents and its up to us to use them in the best way that we can to serve God and produce ‘holy fruit’.

How can I make the most of the rest of my life?
Four months on from the end of the Alpha course, embarking on a new one next week and planning for one in my village, I can at least make a start at answering part of the question
The question that I want to leave with you is this; if Jesus was running an Alpha course here today, and it was the final session and he said “How are YOU going to make the most of the rest of YOUR life?” What would you say to him?