Christ in you the hope of Glory

I spoke on Luke 18  v  .
9-18 this morning.
It is a powerful parable and reading it reminded me that God is great ,Christ is everything. He must increase and that any hope we have is down to Jesus Christ alone.
I finished with this youtube clip that Jude sent me ,(apologies to those who have seen it before) but it is a powerful reminder ikts not our good deeds or our church attendance but Christ in us that is our Hope of Glory!

Hope

Thought this was good from Actuate consulting

hope..where can I get some?


We have been talking about the importance of leaders having real hope and how that can help the people in their teams to move ahead with enthusiasm. However, the past few years of the global financial crisis has really knocked many people's hope levels down. Hopes of a business being successful or of long planned investments paying off richly or hopes of finding a great job have taken a battering for many people.


Also, as we see so much political unrest and huge social problems around the world, it is easy to become burdened with a sense of hopelessness. When hope is in short supply, apart from feeling down, it can lead to increased stresses in relationships both at home and in the workplace. A deep and ongoing sense of hopelessness can also lead to people doing some terrible and desparate things.


There are also different areas in which we place our hope, for example relationships, people, finances, resolution of world problems and spiritual hope.


How is your level of hope at the moment?


                  1                2               3            4            5        
              empty                                                     bursting


This leads on to a deeper question of  Where can we find hope?


Some people find it easier to have hope than others. Certainly people  with positive optimistic personalities do seem to find hope as a natural extension of their personalities.


Others find it hard to be hopeful. It may be that they are very analytical and logical and when they look at all the data they can't help feeling a little hopeless and overwhelmed.


10 tips for building hope


1..Try to keep focused on the good things that are happening in your life
     and in the world. Savour and celebrate them.


2..Don't let set-backs and disappointments with people derail you. Put
    them into perspective and keep going.


3..Spend time with people who are positive and who have hope. It does
    rub off. Laugh and hope with them.


4..Don't panic when things go wrong. Try to keep a clear head and
     strategically do the things that will help solve the problem and restore
     hope for others in the team.


5..Learn to accept the things that you cannot possibly influence or
    change.


6..Don't get overwhelmed by a media that seems to concentrate on
     feeding us bad news. Spend time reading about amazing people
     who are making a real difference in the world.


7..Invest your hope into things that have a real future. Be realistic about
    what you hope for.


8..Have a variety of things that you are hoping for. If you focus on
     one thing and that doesn't happen..ouch!!!


9..Don't let hopelessness win. It is a negative cloud that needs to be
    resisted.


10.Develop a source of enduring hope that is well grounded. Enduring
     hope is something that we can have in all circumstances. It is a very
     worthwhile exercise to examine what beliefs and values you have
     placed your hope in. Question and test your hope foundations and if
     they are built on solid rock they will help you withstand the storms of
     life.


     My Christian faith is the source of enduring hope that keeps me
     anchored. It is not a faith that I have taken on lightly or blindly.

Hope- Radio Shropshire Pause for Thought 23/01/11

Imagine the scene….The band plays, the dignitary says in as loud a voice as possible “ I name  this ship the Mary Rose” ,a bottle of champagne is smashed against the side and the new vessel glides gracefully down the slipway and into the water.

Tonight I am going to the launch  not of  a new ship but a new church. There won’t be a slipway, I am guessing there won’t be champagne, but I am hopeful there will be a band!

This is a new church formed as a result of a merger between 2 churches that have served Shrewsbury well over the years The Grange and North Shrewsbury Community Church

They have chosen a great name for the new church Hope Church.

Now in certain contexts hope can be a weak word I hope it doesn’t rain I hope we win, I hope I don’t lose my job. In this context it really does little more than express a wish that something might or might not, happen

However Hope can also be a mighty word

In the darkest days of the Second World War Churchill inspired hope for survival and then victory by in Jack Kennedy’s phrase mobilising the English language and sending it into battle

Nelson Mandela implanted hope in the hearts of millions that together they could build a better country

Their expressions of Hope changed history

Hope church is a strong name chosen as Phil the churches leader puts it and I paraphrase because the church wants to bring hope to children and young people, the community, the unemployed and families.

Perhaps you’re listening today and hope is in short supply. You’re in debt, unemployed, your marriage is in trouble, or your ill .Someone said to me not long ago I am not living I am just existing …without hope!

It is tough to survive without hope

Now many people have said Christianity is pie in the sky when you die

And it’s true to the extent that we do have a future hope…. A hope that because Jesus died and rose again from the dead that those who believe in Him will in His own words Though they die  yet shall they live “ That is a future hope ….call it pie in the sky but  it is a future hope of life beyond the grave and life beyond the crematorium.  However  that future hope should also inspire  present hope, right here right now   not just pie in the sky when you die but it is also steak on the plate while you wait!

Inspired by his future Hope Jesus spent His time  ,giving sight to the blind ,feeding the hungry helping the lame walk , ministering to the poor and needy  speaking out for justice

In other words our future hope should inspire us to believe in  and indeed work to build a better world here and now for the depressed , the vulnerable, the  hungry, homeless, abused , paranoid , the hopeless and despairing

In that sense every church should inspire hope in the community every church  should be Hope Church

Maybe you think of church as boring  but a church doing those kind of things can be challenging and demanding but never boring

Hope church sets sail on an exciting journey into the future tonight

To use a nautical metaphor God Bless her and all who sail with her!

Hope when Life hurts most

I have known Louie since 1988 and watcehd this on Saturday morning .It is a very powerful and biblical answer to the questions often asked about where is God in our suffering ?We are going to show it at church in evening of Nov 1st as part of our First Sunday series .Come if you can!