Talks

In “The Purpose Driven Life” - Rich Warren says that life is:
... a test
... a trust (makes more sense if you read the book!) and
... a temporary assignment
Matt welcomes us into the new year with the added bonus that life is also a “Great adventure!”
Adventure is defined as: an unusual, exciting, or possibly dangerous experience, journey, or series of events.
Looking at the bible, we can interpret that adventure could also be described as:
Something new or different to see or experience! - Isaiah 43:18
An element of wonder and mystery! - 1 Cor 2: 7-10
Exploration! - John 1 (Come and see!)
It’s not boring! - John 10:10
We can live this full life only by the grace of God: Grace is the free undeserved goodness and favour of God to mankind!
Even though we are and will be facing many hardships in our lives, Matt emphasises the importance to always remember that God’s grace is enough: Grace is God-given power to live differently and there is never a moment in your entire life when God’s Grace is not sufficient for you!  During the next 2 weeks Matt encourages us to pray: Heavenly Father, what do you want to show me this year? I embrace the great adventure (again) for my life today. Help me to put my trust in you each step along the way. I chose to receive the grace I need to follow you today. Amen

Due to copyright reasons, this page can’t display the video of our Sunday service. Please find it on https://fb.watch/uJhRzb4gJv/

Gill tells us the true story of Pete, a homeless man who was overjoyed when somebody gave him £20.00 some Christmas. But he didnt’ buy anything for himself: His biggest joy was to give it all away to good causes. That is just like Jesus who held nothing back, but gave himself! He lived among us and died for all of us! That’s the best Christmas gift ever!

Bob retells us of the story of the shepherds based on Luke 2:8-20. They were not the people we would expect to hear the great news of Jesus’ birth first, news that would change the world! They had a difficult job, defending their sheep from wolves and thieves, instead they were met by a host of angels!

We enjoy singing carols accompanied by our special “worship choir”, we listen to well-known readings of the Christmas story and a great message about an unsung hero of this story: Joseph.
Gill explains the turmoil Joseph must have gone through, finding out that his fiancée Mary was pregnant. Not only did he have to deal with the thought that she was unfaithful, but according to the rule of the law of the day (Old Testament) she should have been stoned. Joseph chose a different route, we read that he planned to divorce her quietly, and therefore not bring the kind of justice of the day.  Joseph chose Love and Grace, it probably meant he would have to endure ridicule for the rest of his life.
God knew exactly who He wanted to be the stepfather of His son Jesus. We might forget that Joseph will have been a role model for Jesus.  Teaching him the family trade (carpentry) and allowing him to observe his behaviour.  Who knows - without Joseph’s compassion, love and obedience, the Christmas story could have been very different!

Once again, our beautiful children bring many smiles to our faces as we watch them telling and singing to us the story of Jesus being born in Bethlehem.
Of course, Mary and Joseph are there, trying to find a place to stay, the innkeeper who isn’t very helpful, but in the end gives them shelter in a stable, the three wise men who travel far, follwing a star and the shepherds, hearing the good news from the angels.
The invitation still stands today: Oh come, let us adore Him!
If you would like to watch it (again), please find it on our facebook page under 10th December 2023 following this link: https://www.facebook.com/ashwoodchurch/

This week, Matt speaks to us about Mary’s perspective and “Mary’s Voice” in the Christmas account in the book of Luke.
“Mary’s account is historical and detailed but it’s also laden with meaning and prophetic nuance.  Mary’s perspective is unique, profound, domestic, beautiful, good and true! The earthiness and the wonder of the incarnation are both captured in Luke’s account of Mary’s account!” (Amy Orr-Ewing)

In Luke 1:26-38 we read about the amazing encounter of the angel Gabriel with a young Mary, announcing that she - a virgin - will give birth to the son of God – the most high!
Her whole life as it lay before her is shaken, turned upside down and even in danger. What is her response? Is she overwhelmed? Is she afraid? Does she panic? Probably all of them! 
But incredibly we read Mary’s response, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.”
She surrendered to God.
We pray that we can adopt that attitude of trust and faith in whatever situation we find ourselves in.
We also pray for people who feel overwhelmed. Taking a leaf from Mary, giving our circumstances, and our very lives into God’s hands.
To listen to the talk, follow this link

This Sunday morning, Matt finishes “the Church I see…” Series.  He inspires us to have the same perspective as Jesus has for His church.  He talks about 5 more qualities that we want to be part of our future. (Starting now!)

The Church we see is an Honouring Church.  The Bible teaches us to:
Honour God
Honour Parents
Honour Those in authority
Honour One Another
Honour Church Leaders
We Honour people because it’s a spiritual principle, but because it also builds people up and releases them to go to the next level.

The church we see is a Responsible Church: Our Broken world faces many challenges. We live in a climate emergency with many injustices in the world.  We are called to “Shine Bright”.  Practically, we can give, we can pray, we can partner with other organisations and sometimes we can go! “To act justly and responsibly and be Heaven’s change agents here on earth!”

The church we see is a Faithful Church: “Faithfulness is making the right choices, consistently, day after day after day!”

The church we see is Family!: God’s original design and plan is that everyone should be part of family. He said “It’s not good for man/woman to live alone.”  We want our church to be a place where all backgrounds, all ages, all races can be family together.  Paul saw no segregation and that’s what we want too.

The church we see is a United Church: Leonard Ravenhill said: “Church Unity comes from corporate humility“ To be united is what Jesus prays for us in John 17: “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”

This week we continue our series on “The Church I See”
Bob reminds us that God is gracious to us. Ashwood is thriving because of what God is doing, but there is more for him to do and for us to see!
We see:
A generous church
We are generous financially with our giving. Not just for us, but for the community and to bless others around the world, so his will can be done. Giving includes our time as well as stewarding our money to see God’s kingdom come.
A grateful and supportive church
Bob reads Galatians 6:7-10 and encourages us to be grateful for everything. Even small things, like a smile or encouraging word are important to be grateful for.
When we are grateful for what people have done for us, it can spur us into action to serve others.
A powerful, serving church
1 Peter 4:7-11 reminds us that we serve in the power of Christ. When we spot a need and step into it, God gives us the power to bring about change!

Bob challenges us think about:
What are we sharing?
What are we using?
What are we giving?

In the fourth talk in our series “The Church I see”, Gill reminds us that it is also the church God wants to see:
A Church that is missional and in the Community motivated by love and compassion.
Reading the story from Luke 7:11-17, where Jesus met a funeral procession in Nain and resurrected the son of a widow, Gill points out a few things that we can learn:

Jesus was in the community, out on the street, speaking and acting into a situation. Where are we positioned to connect with people God wants to love through us? It’s not just in the volunteering roles we do in Church (which are great!) but also in our everyday life with neighbours, work colleague and people we’re queuing with in a supermarket. What a great encouragement Zoe Jones shared with us to illustrate that point!

Jesus was moved by compassion and love. He could see the desperate situation of the widow who lost her only son and with him, her only source of income and potentially the chance of survival. And his heart went out to her: “Don’t cry”.

Jesus was unafraid to intervene, to speak up, to introduce change, to say and do the unexpected. Are we?

We love hearing Helen continue the Series “The Church We See” with some more great characteristics of a Godly Church:
The Church is relational: We have a relation with God that strengthens us to have a trusting, respecting relationship with each other that fosters a sense of belonging.
Welcoming and Hospitable: We have a great welcome team, but let’s all support each other in making people feel welcome and at ease.
Kind
Forgiving
The Church is praying: The apostle Paul is a brilliant example of how to pray for our Church and the worldwide Church in quite a few of his letters. We are encouraged to pray for families, friends, authorities and to expect miracles. Please get in touch with admin@ashwoodchurch.org.uk to find out how you can join in praying with the church. Let’s pray together!
The Church is growing
Growing Faith and Expectations: If we remember the good things God has done in the past, we can trust that He will do it again and more!
Growing Spiritual Maturity: We can help each other to do that in LifeGroups
Outreach: Each of the areas where we serve the community can grow and reach more people.
Growing in Numbers: Growth in numbers should only happen alongside the other growths listed above. But we want Ashwood to be a place where we feel comfortable to bring family and friends along.