The Eight O’Clock
News December 2019 8 am Service, Christ Church Kenilworth 021-797-6332
Picture the Scene Do you remember your first Nativity scene?
Was it a work of art or did you participate in a living re-enactment? I recall that my first artistic attempt was creating a scene in a tissue box standing on its side with cut-out figures. I played Joseph in the Christmas play just because I was then the tallest in the class and we were all girls. The Independent Newspaper published a rather amusing piece entitled: ‘Here’s what your school Nativity character says about you’. Mary: you had a louder-than-average voice for a 5-year old, you were not averse to holding hands with boys and your parents were likely to contribute to school funds in a significant way. Joseph: always does his homework, is definitely going to be a prefect, is quite quiet but also somehow annoying and will grow up to invent an app that will make him a millionaire. Narrator: is the one who always organizes social engagements, loves the sound of their own voice and ends up doing everything because they don’t trust anyone else to do it right. Shepherds: are real lads, sometimes a bit naughty but it is really a cry for attention. They pretend not to enjoy wearing a tea towel on their heads but secretly love it! Wise Men: are well-behaved, the top of the class type who can be trusted with expensive looking props and their introspection and dignity translate into a sombre, thoughtful expression when presenting gifts to Baby Jesus. They also have a good sense of direction especially when following stars. Donkeys: are cheeky, they can be a bit of an ass at times; they’re too cool to take the play seriously but love being an important part of the story. Angels: in the background, crave attention, are constantly disappointed, jealous of other people’s success and rebellious in the face of obscurity. They are capable of entertaining themselves for hours with a piece of tinsel that ‘fell off’ the halo. The Star: thinks they got the role because of their star quality— actually it is because they’re too nervous to speak in front of the parents. They are team players though. As we enter the Christmas season, it is helpful to contemplate the figures who were there at the first Christmas and consider how they give us an example today. First, surrounding Jesus, are the holiest ones, Mary and the angels. As Mary received Jesus in her womb with humility and complete openness to God’s will, we are called to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour—with such humble courage and prayerful service and to bring His love to the world. With the angels, we announce the Gospel by word, deed, prayer and sacrifice. The word “angel” comes from the Latin angelus or Greek aggelos, which mean “messenger.” Alongside is Joseph. He never wore a crown but he lived out the virtues of great leaders and fathers: prayerfulness, courage, purity December 2019 Eight O’Clock News
and justice. Like him, we seek, not the glory of this world but act in a fashion worthy of a heavenly crown. Likewise, in humble dedication are the shepherds, who were looked down upon by society, but privileged by God as the first to receive the Gospel. Called in the middle of daily work, they brought their labour to Jesus in the form of sheep, a model for us to see Jesus in our daily labour, joyfully accepting the duties we have been given. Coming later at Epiphany are the magi who journeyed with a mysterious revelation from heaven that they did not fully understand. We are also called to journey toward heaven along paths that we often do not comprehend but trusting in the guidance of truth from God. Even the animals in that stable are important, especially the donkey and the ox. Among other things, they represent attentiveness to God’s calling, fulfilling the words of Isaiah (1:3), “An ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people have not understood.” The world may ignore the word of God and the Word made man, but here nature honours her Creator. In imitating their humble adoration, and in seeking the virtues of those people at that first Nativity, we welcome Jesus, the Son of God who, as the poet Chesterton put it, became homeless that we all may find our final home. - Cheryl Anderson
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Four Frozen Dinners We as the Morgan cell group enjoyed our fellowship year-end dinner where 17 of us—and two grandchildren—enjoyed communion and then shared dinner, fellowship, music and poetry (thanks to Neil Veitch and John D’Arcy Evans.) ‘How good and pleasant it is when God’s people dwell in harmony’ (Ps 133:1). As we are a group that attends Torah on Tuesdays when possible, Edie (Edith Sher) was our invited guest, and Gerry Adlard—who has contributed at some of our meetings. The strain of ‘When Irish eyes are smiling’ and ‘White cliffs of Dover’ accompanied our dessert!
We made up four frozen dinners with left overs for the sick and needy. We wish all other groups a wonderful and blessed Christmas season and New Year. If you are not part of a cell group you don’t know what you are missing—join one! (Hear hear, says the Editor!) - With love and blessings, Ed & Ronnie Morgan
JI Packer—God’s Purpose in Adversity
The Servant Song ‘We are pilgrims on the journey We are travellers on the road We are here to help each other Walk the mile and bear the load I will hold the Christ light for you In the night time of your fear I will hold my hand out to you Speak the peace you long to hear. I will weep when you are weeping When you laugh, I'll laugh with you I will share your joy and sorrow Till we've seen this journey through Will you let me be your servant Let me be as Christ to you Pray that I might have the grace To let you be my servant too' - David Haas
- Quoted in article by Theresa Keay, p3 December 2019 Eight O’Clock News
But how should we respond to baffling and trying situations when we cannot now see God’s purpose in them? First, by taking them as from God, and asking ourselves what reactions to them, and in them, the gospel of God requires of us; Second, by seeking God’s face specifically about them. If we do these two things, we shall never find ourselves wholly in the dark as to God’s purpose in our troubles. Knowing God (p. 97) Cheryl and Ev wish all our readers a blessed Christmas and a God-filled 2020. Thank you for your contributions and fellowship in Jesus.
I will hold the Christ Light for you In the night time of your fear* Just nearby is a hospital most of us are afraid of—the people there
suffer from mental illness. But we need not be afraid: the people who have aggression as one of the symptoms of their illness are confined in the maximum security ward. Dr Christine Dare who was a member of CCK and founded St Luke's Hospice as well, worked in this ward for a while. Once she made an impassioned plea to our congregation for donations of blankets and warm sweaters for the people there. Conditions are not always comfortable in this ward. We can show our concern for these patients in such practical ways. Do you stigmatise the mentally ill community? In Biblical times it was often confused with demon-possession, epilepsy and leprosy. Today there is still great ignorance surrounding it and it is arguably the most stigmatised of the disabled communities. I think this is because of ignorance so I would like to introduce it to you. Included amongst the disabilities are schizophrenia disorder; the affective (mood) disorders including bipolar disorder and the depressive disorders; and the personality disorders. The symptoms are often psychoses—those of hallucinations and delusions, but these occur within the person's thoughts and are of no hindrance to 'normal' people. To give a couple of examples of delusions: the person may believe others are plotting against them or that they are of great importance with a mission to fulfill. One individual suffering from hallucinations saw evil beings at night when he could not sleep and consequently dreaded night-time. Another saw horrible faces leering at him when he showered; these faces appeared on the tiles and frightened him so much he avoided showering. Hallucinations may be pleasant as well. Someone saw brilliant shows of colours, colours, she said, that did not exist in real life, a gift from God, she exclaimed. These symptoms are not a threat to society. Some are not so badly affected and live among us, functioning under difficult circumstances. In our congregation there are people suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar and depressive disorders who hide their struggles and illness because they fear discrimination and even the loss of their job, should it become known that they are psychiatrically 'affected'. There are also those brave enough to disclose their 'status'. Such a person was Courtney Dickens who suffered from schizophrenia and was a member of our church in the 1980s. Sadly he was run over nearby. He made it his lifework to help those suffering from mental and emotional illnesses. He could also be trying: Revd John Frye in 100 Years of God's Grace: "Courtney could be intimidating and combative if his medication went awry. I remember one such week when I had seen him several times and was looking forward to a day off without him. Not a bit of it! By eight o'clock on Friday morning he was banging at the door of the rectory. I opened it and said that I would not see him that day, as it was my day off. Shock! Horror! "DID JESUS HAVE A DAY OFF?" he demanded." I think the seriously mentally ill can be compared to the lepers in Jesus' time, set apart from 'healthy' people. Jesus didn't show any distinction between the illness people brought to him. Of the sick Matthew says in 4:23: 'And he healed... sickness and all manner of disease amongst the people.' They are often poor and broken. Of the poor Paul says in Galatians 2:10 : 'Their (James, Peter and John) only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor.' There are many people living in shelters and on the streets who make their way to the grounds of our much feared state hospital every day to spend time there. They go out of their own free will to socialise because they are accepted. There is a cafe, a thrift shop, a club, a library, a hair-dressing salon and places to sit and chat in December 2019 Eight O’Clock News
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the vast grounds. Within this community I have noticed great love and affection amongst the people. They show support and empathy, sharing similar difficulties and encouraging one another. I believe they, and they alone, reserve the right to laugh at themselves and in jest—they often do: "We're mad to sit in the sun on such a hot day!" "Don't be insane, today's activiy at the club is physical hygiene, but we're not that far gone, they're having a braai so it may be worth it. Let's go." They are often deserted by their families because they are undesirable and their families are ashamed of them. They receive state disability grants which are insufficient to live off. Once when I was in hospital for a short while receiving treatment for a depressive disorder, there was a man who was reluctant to be discharged because he had no-where to go. Eventually after his discharge he returned to the ward every day to eat the remaining scraps of food that would normally have been thrown away. Few people wish to offer employment to those with obvious mental illness, although many are able to hold down a job that is not too stressful. Some hold university degrees from former years and are above average in intelligence. Their frustrated lack of opportunity in the open labour market often leads them to express themselves through art. A great number write poetry, play musical instruments and produce paintings which they then try to sell. Creativity often accompanies mental illness—Vincent van Gogh who suffered from a mental illness, painted valuable artwork and sold only one painting while he was alive. It is rare but churches and other interested communities have reached out to the psychiatrically disabled, to broken people and social outcasts. Many years ago there was a man who would stand outside our church and shout abuse while a service was in progress. This was quite disconcerting. One evening I was inside the church while this was happening. John Atkinson took the microphone and explained that it was Peter (not his real name) who was making the noise outside because he was psychotic and we mustn't get too upset. Peter stayed around the church and eventually we decided to help him. Our social worker, Alison Bourne, took him to the state hospital to receive treatment and medication. She took him off to social services to get a disability grant. Now every morning Peter comes to the office where he gets peanut-butter sandwiches and coffee for breakfast. This is made for him by Zoleka, our receptionist, who then gives him his daily medication with a glass of water. He receives his quota of money for the day and then goes on his way. He is friendly and wellknown to the people who frequent the area. What can we then do to make a difference?: 1) Be aware of this marginalised community. Afford each person the dignity of being a human being. 2) Don't stigmatise 3) Educate others. Ignorance leads to prejudice. 4) Accept the psychiatrically ill. They are disabled and not 'crazy'. 5) Care Awareness is growing—more articles in the media, 10/10 is World Mental Health Day; more research on cures and specialists show increasing concern for mental suffering.
- Theresa Keay, Resource Centre Librarian *The Servant Song, p2
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Do You Know Me? Jesus asked his disciples, ‘who am I?’ and he still asks us today, ‘Do you know me? In this season of the year, we ask, Who is this baby born in a manger? In Colossians 1:15-20, Paul answers this question:
1) He is God—He is the image of the invisible God. Jesus is not just one of a number of angelic beings as the new teachers were suggesting, or just one of a number of optional gods to pray to, as many would suggest today, but Jesus Christ is God himself. Jesus brings a full revelation of the Father—Yahweh has shown us a human face. Jesus made three explicit statements concerning himself to Philip: If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. I am in the Father and the Father is in me. The Father is manifested in Jesus (John 14). The idea that God, who holds the whole universe in his hands, took on human form and chose to impose limitations on himself is quite frankly beyond our grasp. Scripture says he made himself nothing, he emptied himself. He remained God but he set aside his glory by becoming one of us. CS Lewis writes of the staggering nature of this great condescension: The Second Person in God, the Son, became human Himself; was born into the world as an actual man—a real man of a particular height, with hair of a particular colour, speaking a particular language, weighing so many stone. The Eternal Being, who knows everything and created the whole universe, became not only a man but before that a baby, and before that a foetus inside a woman’s body. If you want to get the hang of it, think how you would like to become a slug or a crab! God is mystery but Jesus gave us one clear reason when he prayed: I have made you known to them. The incredible thing is that God wants to be known— that he wants to be known by you and me. He invites intimacy with each of us. The more we look at Jesus the more we discover that God is intensely personal. He knows, he feels, he wills, he acts, he pursues. He says know me as Abba. We can therefore choose to see God in Jesus but we can also choose not to see God in Jesus. We know that knowing God is the most important thing in our lives but also the hardest. We can choose to not put in the effort but settle for the god of our own imagination. Paul’s intent is to keep us looking at Jesus Christ, so that we’re looking at God himself.
2) He is the firstborn over all creation. Because he is God, he is also supreme over all that is made. Father, Son and Holy Spirit brought the world into being. And Christ, says Paul, is at the centre of this creation: For by him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities: all things were created by him and for him. Jesus Christ is not a created being, his life did not December 2019 Eight O’Clock News
begin in the manger but he participated with the Father in the creation of all things. As theologian NT Wright stated: Jesus Christ was the one through whom and for whom the whole creation was made in the first place. It was his idea, his workmanship. It’s beautiful, powerful and sweet because he made it like that. When the lavish and beauty of the world makes you catch your breath, remember that it is like that because of Jesus. He also sustains all creation. Paul goes on to write, He is before all things and in him all things hold together – big things, little things, joyous things, difficult things— Jesus is at the centre of all life, and this includes the whole scope of creation. Paul’s statement reassures us that we can therefore a) trust that he will always have the last word—if he can hold all of creation together, he can hold together each of our little lives; b) that he holds us together with his power through his Spirit within us. Power is God’s unseen work within us developing the endurance and patience we need as we wait; c) Jesus entrusts us to take care of creation.
3) He is the head of the body, the church. The church is central to his holding all things together. This is the church, with people like you and me in it, that Christ loves, in and through which the Holy Spirit abides. It’s the means through which God is going to transform his people and always will be central to his plan in reconciling his world. We need also to remember that since Jesus is head we receive nourishment and power in worship, through hearing his Word, through communion and through sharing ordinary life together. We also shouldn’t underestimate how God answers, perhaps in many ways unseen, the prayer we pray together most Sundays, Send us out into the world in the power of the Holy Spirit…
4) He is the firstborn from among the dead. So that in everything he might have the supremacy. His resurrection shows that Jesus is who he said he was—God himself—the one who holds everything together. His resurrection began the new creation. Paul reminds the Colossians that Jesus, through whom the world came into being in the first place, is the same one through whom the world has now been redeemed. It was God in an unstable manger and it was God on a cross made of wood. 2 Cor 5: For God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. Our sins are forgiven and no longer counted against us, we’re free from the curse and fear of death, powers and principalities have been conquered and all creation will be redeemed. Through the incarnation He makes himself known, through the cross He brings us back to himself. God was pleased—again we’re given a glimpse of God’s heart. Joy came to the World—the Lord has come, given to us by a God who loves the world so much that he sent Jesus as a baby to show himself to us. Paul’s great confession of faith for the Colossians— Salvation is found in Christ alone. [Continued on p6]
I Take On Counter-cultural Competitiveness The title of this my third article for the 8 O'Clock News in as many
months is not a repudiation of the preceding pair of ‘I give up’ articles. ‘I give up’ self and pride (October) and riches (November) are not negative approaches to Christian living that require a positive counterweight of ‘taking on’ new approaches. Rather ‘taking on’ is the inevitable corollary of this self-denial. To give myself up is to automatically take on new approaches to living. This is not an agenda for isolationist ascetism (though some ascetism is certainly part of it). What I aim to do here is to put some tentative aspects of these new approaches down on paper. Why do that? Is that not just the puffing up, self-vaunting attitude that the October ‘I give up’ article denied the Christian; putting the widow’s mite into the offertory bag (November article) with a song and dance rather than in the shadows? There is a paradox here that St Paul recognised, and that I have called ‘counter-cultural competitiveness’. Paul stretched himself to ‘win the race’ of the Christian life (1 Cor 9:26). He urged Christians to ‘outdo each other’ in honouring one another (Rom 12:10). Competitiveness is core to each of these metaphors. This competition however is not against each other. There is no dogeat-dog capitalism here; if I win, you must lose. That kind of competition can't be right. The kind of competitiveness that Paul refers to and true Christian humility can co-exist. We encourage each other in a joint competition with—the finish line! And rather like a tag team, we assist each other's journey to that point. We ‘spur each other on’ (Heb 10:24-25). And you know what? Our Lord Jesus is doing the same. [A spur is not comfortable—we can be too gentle with each other. Humble insistence is something to cultivate in the Body of Christ.] So, my ‘I take on’s that make up the latter part of this article are discussion points for the tag team. Perhaps they're helpful to others; perhaps they raise questions (spurs) that can move us all towards the finish line. But before the bullet list appears, one question: why ‘countercultural’? Firstly, in this mutual approach, there can be no virtue signalling or ‘holier than thou’-ness. We compete collaboratively and carefully—careful of others’ primacy in God’s eyes (see the Bonhoeffer quotations in October’s 8 O’Clock news). That is
Quotations by James Bryan Smith Spiritual life is not a life of laws and precepts but a life of participation, affection and love, a life mingled and mixing with God.
“Christ in me” means Christ bearing me along from within, Christ the motive power that carries me on, Christ giving my whole life a wonderful poise and lift, and turning every burden into wings... not as something you have to bear but as something by which you are borne.” You must let him love you as you are, not as you intend to be. Let him love you as you are, December 2019 Eight O’Clock News
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certainly counter-cultural. It takes some unlearning and new learning. The only measure of perfection is Christ. [I had a ‘Wow!’ moment when thinking this article through recently when I realised that, through Christ, God sees me as perfect. How encouraging is that?! What a spur to live up to His view of me! What a spur to seek forgiveness when I see my sin or some humble fellow Christian gently provides a hint of my waywardness. Wow indeed! Gee up, Westwood!] I think that the CCK journey over the last three years, the messages in repeated sermons this year (look back to your sermons notes or go online and review), and what I expressed in the two ‘I give up’ articles make this clear. To be a Christian is to be counter-cultural. The Kingdom does not ‘fit’; it marches to a different drum. I have felt challenged by God to write down my ‘take on’s as part of the need for us to drown the dominant cultural and behavioural drums that invade our church and my life overtly and subtly, and to do it and learn how to do it together. The ‘I take on’s are not thematically ordered, nor are they comprehensive. This approach will, I believe, enable each idea to stand on its own and not be too much to engage with. So, family, I take on : * putting your rights before my own * learning to listen, really listen, not only with my ears * turning my face to the city, looking full in its suffering face * competing only in Kingdom living, and God-ordained good works * singing ‘we’, ‘our’ when hymns and worship songs say ‘I’ and ‘my’ * spending less and less money on myself * finding ways to enjoy and use God's gift in creation without overuse and damaging it and of undoing the damage already done to creation (advocating, reducing, reusing where I can, and assiduously recycling) * dropping my many reflex unthinking self-justifications (reducing reflex reactions in general) * getting involved in U-Turn and other socially transformative and social justice activities * continuously working on finding my need-greed pivot points in relation to food, clothing, leisure etc. (October 8 O’Clock News) * having meals with unexpected people So, let’s talk about and do these things and many other and far greater ‘take on’s in counter-cultural competition in Christ, to the glory of God through the church. - Tony Westwood
without a single plea for reform. It is all about grace. All of life is grace. We deserve nothing; we are given everything.
I've failed many times to avoid those kinds of temptations. But that's not what the devil was really interested in. What he was trying to do is make me feel apart from God.
Do you know me? Jesus says: I am the image of the invisible God—through me, and me alone, you can come to know God I am the firstborn over all creation. I’m holding all things together. I will have the last word I am the head of the church—stay with the church, it will keep you on track with me and my purposes for the world around you I am the firstborn among the dead—you need not fear life or death. In love, and joy, you have been redeemed. The incredible thing is that we have the right to say, I know God. As Paul demonstrates this is the Incomparable Jesus Christ. Or as a modern song puts it—Jesus is the Glorious Impossible!
- Yvonne Kane Sermon 24/11/2019 and adapted with permission
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HAPPY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY Margaret Clark 30/12 ‘For by grace you have been saved by faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one can boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.’ Ephesians 2:8-10
To the Editor … Thank you, Editor, a really great edition.
- Wendy Gunn
Congratulations—there wasn’t a single article or news item
Sand Sculpture on Fish Hoek Beach
Ahoy There ! Ed McCarter and the yacht, Mojo, he helped to sail from Zanzibar to Richards Bay during November. December 2019 Eight O’Clock News
that wasn’t relevant and interesting... I was especially struck by Theresa’s account (A Bruised Reed He will not Break) of her lifelong struggle with depression. Many of us have experienced clinical depression at least once in our lives and some of us have to live with it chronically. There are also times when people close to us have needed help and support and it’s been so hard to know what to do. Much of what Theresa said was very helpful, including the biblical references. Thank you, Theresa for sharing your story so openly! Also very inspiring was Jessica McCarter’s of Staying in the Way and it’s inspired me (a lazy Bible reader) to subscribe to Nicky Gumbel’s guide and get reading again. Jeremy Clampett and Tony Westwood wrote about two of the many uncomfortable paradoxes of life—education and the wealth gap—in today’s SA. Both were highly relevant and thoughtprovoking as we struggle to reconcile our lives as relatively well -off Christians in what is supposedly the most unequal country in the world. I loved all the news snippets about people at CCK too—what a fantastic community it is and how lucky Alec and I were to find a little niche here some 18 years ago! - Sara Pienaar
Editorial Team Tel/e-mail Ev Els
021 696 0336 emichael@iafrica.com
Cheryl Anderson
083 272 1530 canderson@beckman.com