Christ Church Selly Park

Becoming disciples

Chris Turner | Acts 2:42-47 

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Chris Turner continues our series "Big Church Little Church" by considering how we grow into our identity as disciples (or 'learners') of Jesus, and lay strong foundations in the Word.  He encourages us to work with and alongside one another, and offers some resources to help us.

Those resources are available here and here.

All involved

Ben Green | Mark 10:35-45 

Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’

We begin a new series "Big church, little church" by looking at Jesus' example of service. The recording begins with Bobbie leading a brainstorming session to list all the things that happen in Christ Church (and some were missed) - things which only happen because people serve and use their gifts.

Then Ben introduces the new series, and after the reading from Chris Powell, Ben returns to challenge the way we think about gifts and how we discover, value and use them.

Below are some photos of the whiteboard at the end of the brainstorm session.

Receiving the Spirit

Ben Green | Acts 1:4-5,8 | Acts 2:1-21 

[Jesus said], ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

We finish our series "Resurrection People" by celebrating the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to bring the church into being and empower it to live out Jesus' resurrection life. This All Age service tells the story in dramatised form, and Ben Green explains how we can know the Spirit's power each day. 

A longer, edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube.

Returning to the Father

John Lanchbury | Acts 1:1-11 | Hebrews 4:14-16 

[Jesus] said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.’

We do not have a high priest who is unable to feel sympathy for our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin.

The recording begins with a dramatised version of the first reading (performed by Pat Clayton), as one of Jesus' disciples tries to make sense of the recent events - from the Resurrection to the Ascension. Dilys Garrod follows with the second reading, and then John Lanchbury looks at what all this means and the implications for us today. Jesus knows what it is like to be human, to go through our struggles and pain. What should our response be?

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube.

Restoring work

Susan Haynes | John 21:1-14 | Isaiah 65:17-25 

Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. ‘I'm going out to fish,’ Simon Peter told them, and they said, ‘We'll go with you.’ So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing... [Jesus] said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’ When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
    or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
    so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands.
They will not labour in vain,
    nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,
    they and their descendants with them.

Once again Jesus appears to his disciples after the Resurrection, and this time he turns up at their workplace. Does "secular" work - or related activity such as studying or volunteering - have any value in God's kingdom? Susan Haynes explains what we can learn from this encounter and how work fits in with God's purposes.

The recording begins with the readings from Kate Routley.

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube. The song Susan refers to at the end of her talk is also available to hear online.

Raising doubts

Ben Green | John 20:19-31 

Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’

Thomas was hurting. He had missed out on the experience, shared by the other disciples, of having met the risen Jesus, and he remained trapped in the grief of the crucifixion. How can we avoid being trapped by our doubts? A few days later Jesus freed Thomas from his pain, and as Ben says in his talk, he can do the same for us.

The recording begins with Bobbie reading some Bible verses where people asked questions of God. The Bible reading isn't included in the recording due to a technical problem which affected the sound quality.

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube.

Resurrection bodies

Graham Romp | Luke 24:36-49 | 1 Corinthians 15:12-23 

Jesus himself stood among [the disciples] and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.’

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised... And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost... But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

At the first Easter, Jesus showed himself not as a disembodied spirit but in bodily form - a true resurrection. Graham Romp explains why this matters and what it means for us as we live our lives today. Jesus is risen, and we share in the promise of eternal life with him.

The recording begins with the readings from Susan Mole.

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube.

Restructuring imagination

Ben Green | Luke 24:13-35 

‘Jesus of Nazareth... was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body.’

It's natural, if difficult, to refer to someone who has just died in the past tense. For these two disciples, walking to Emmaus, hope had died too. The stranger who walked with them transformed their way of thinking and opened their eyes to see what was really true: that Jesus, and hope, were alive forever.

Ben was speaking in a short service on the morning of the Birmingham Half-Marathon which we then went out in the street to support. The recording begins with the reading from Bobbie Frere.

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube.

Renewing joy

Susan Haynes | John 20:1-18 

Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she said, ‘and I don't know where they have put him.’ At this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realise that it was Jesus.

We can only imagine the range of extreme emotions Mary went through in those few minutes, but we know where it ended up: joy. It took longer for some, but all the disciples were transformed by the knowledge that Jesus was with them forever. Susan points the way for us to experience a joy that changes us from deep within.

The recording begins with the reading from Matt Fox. Susan's talk is followed by a short meditation from Janet Chalmers.

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube.

Easter Celebration

Bishop David Urquhart | John 7.37-39 

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

We welcome Bishop David to lead our Easter celebration which also included baptism and confirmation. The Resurrection is central to the Christian story, but it also completely disrupted the expectations of those who were around at the time - and it still has the power to transform our lives today.

The recording begins with the reading from Sarah Crooks.

An edited video recording of the Sunday service can be viewed on YouTube.