John Sherbourne 
It’s hard to believe but this morning was the 19th Service we have broadcast via Facebook and YouTube since the beginning of lockdown.
Watch again as David and Sue Gladman welcome us to CHURCH AT HOME… HERE
For FAMILY AT MOORTOWN click HERE.
And for our all pre-recorded YouTube material, that’s our notices, music, prayers, bible reading and messages simply click HERE
The statue of the slave trader and philanthropist Edward Colston statue has been torn from its plinth and dumped in Bristol’s harbour. He joins a list of toppled US statues including Christopher Columbus and Robert E Lee – and they may soon be joined by Oriel College Oxford’s controversial monument to the Victorian colonialist Cecil Rhodes.
A new wave of anger about who we choose to memorialise has been fuelled by the killing of George Floyd, and this programme asks – if we are to better reflect our country – how should our public spaces change?
Samira Ahmed is joined to discuss solutions and the future by the the artist Hew Locke, who was born in Edinburgh and raised in Guyana before returning to the UK. He has made works directly featuring controversial statues. We hear from historian and former director of the British Museum Neil MacGregor, and philosopher Susan Neiman, author of “Learning From The Germans” a book about memorials and remembering difficult history, especially around race. And Danna Walker, an architect, and founder of the social enterprise “Built by Us” which aims to diversify construction and architecture to create a more inclusive built environment.
A statue represents what our values, our gratitude, our emulation. To make and care for a statue spells out who we think we are and want to be. A statue can shape our aspiration, actions and relationships.
A statue involves us in itself, if we let it. Most statues are ignored by most people most of the time. Let them moulder. When they are noticed, they raise awkward questions which are not to be ducked, questions not so much about the statue but about ‘us’.
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
Is a statue a standing denial of this truth?
Is it a truth?
I cannot put up or defend a statue thinking that I celebrate a person who is an exception to this truth.
A statue should not publicise a claim to glory that attains and shares the glory of God.
‘All have sinned…’ means I have sinned, we have sinned, not just, you and they have sinned.
Do not accuse, while exempting myself. Do not point the finger at the statue and away from ourselves. Do not protest our relative innocence by covering statues with reminders of their crimes as though we are impeccable judges.
Truth and fair judgment means being open to the whole history of the people we choose to celebrate and be represented by. We live in cocoons of histories which comfort us by affirming our rightness and glorious achievements.
If you Lord should mark iniquity, then Lord, who should stand? (Psalm 130.3)
Take down the statues of all who are found to have sinned: will there be any statues left?
Let anyone who is without sin amongst you, cast the first stone (John 8.7)
What to do?
Add in clear print on every statue, put it in indelible stone: ‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’.
Must we leave it there? Will not human beings waste away in depression and hopelessness, if this stands as the final verdict?
Add further: ‘But there is forgiveness with God, that God may be revered’ (Psalm 130.4).
And: ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing’, (Luke23.34) – even though they should and could have known.
Pray with them for that forgiveness. And set about forgiving in practice. Come into the light of the shining of God who forgives sin, the same light that exposes sin, the light we tend to shun because our deeds fall short (John 3.19-21).
‘Our Father in heaven….Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us’ (Matthew 6.12).
What will happen to statues and statue-making and statue-celebrating if we come into the light of God?
They will, in their feeble, pretentious, not knowing way, preach the gospel of the judgment and the redemption of God. They will remind us of our sins, particularly the sins we rely on and benefit from, and the sin that confuses us because it mixes itself with goodness of one kind or another. Now we will not be deceived by them, but will be open to hear the truth, in the light. So we will know, and knowing we will be called and guided to do more than denounce sin we see in others, we will renounce it in and for ourselves.
And we will work to live in truthfulness about ourselves – all have sinned, and at best, we are but earthen vessels (II Corinthians 4.7ff) – with hope in the grace of God in Jesus Christ, who bore the sins of all and who now lives in glory for all.
broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 8 July.
On Thursday July 2nd more than 50 supporters of Leeds Citizens, including members from here at MBC and from Stainbeck URC formed a socially distanced human chain around Sunny View Nursing Home in Beeston as a show of support for care workers to be paid the Real Living Wage after the Covid crisis has revealed the absolute, key importance of these dedicated people.
The Vicar of Beeston and Bishop of Kirkstall together with representatives of the Muslim, Jewish and other Christian communities – plus a number of secular organisations presented gifts to workers from the Home before praying a blessing on all its patients and staff.
The 50 plus attendees then encircled the large building out to the main road. The demonstration was planned to highlight the insecure terms of employment of many care workers on so called “zero hours contracts” which means that they have often have to risk their own and their family’s health by either going into work or not being paid. Sadly, this situation also applies to care workers who care for people in their own homes (this includes some MBC members) who are sometimes only paid for hours of ‘client contact’ and not the travelling time between patients.
Representatives of Leeds City Council were also present at the event and were urged to press for the Living Wage for all Leeds Care Workers.
Please pray that, as the current crisis reduces, we as a nation do not forget those who we have recently applauded on our doorsteps but have taken for granted for far too long.
Thank you, Roger Robson
Susan Dabrowski and Gill Duffy were our bakers for the cake drop-off on Wednesday 1st July. This was a more complicated process than their usual role as Lunch Club cooks, as it had to take into account Leeds City Council guidance on providing food to the public during Covid. They did a fantastic job of preparing and packaging everything safely. Gill had worked out a clever way to hang the cake boxes in bags on people’s front door handle (once they had stepped back from the door) so that we could maintain our distance.
Twelve willing volunteers delivered cake boxes with 4 different types of cake to 28 seniors, who were surprised and delighted to receive them! Several of the volunteers also stayed for a doorstep chat – we had brought our camping chairs and umbrellas and sat outside to enjoy some face to face time together, whilst the seniors remained indoors in the dry! Some of our seniors have been isolated for a long time, so this was a really welcome time to talk and smile together, and catch up on how everyone is doing.
A huge thank you from me and from all our seniors to the amazing Lunch Club team! We are planning more doorstep chats and another baked drop-off over the next couple of months whilst our plans to meet again in a group remain up in the air.
Carole Smith
Don’t forget you can catch up with our live introduction to today’s Church at Home Service any time you like by clicking HERE
Many thanks to today’s hosts Cas and Mike Stoodley (not forgetting short guest appearances from Josh and Chloe) for doing such a great job.
The link to our FAMILY AT MOORTOWN, Light and Shadows, programme is HERE and the link to all our pre-recorded material is HERE
My father was an ex coal miner in the Welsh town of Tredegar. He had left the mine in the late 1930s because of dust on the lungs, and with his father and brother had a fish, fruit and vegetable shop half way up Castle Street which is where we lived. At the bottom of the street was the Circle and 4 roads led into it with a large clock tower in the centre. On the corner of the next road round from Castle Street there was a small corner office and on the window were the words ‘Medical Aid’
It all started in 1890 when a group of small societies amalgamated into one called ‘Tredegar Workman’s Aid Society’. 95% of the town were members and paid halfpenny each week into the society. By 1909 this was raised to a penny.
Starting from nothing and with help from the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company and also some wealthy people, the Society was able to build a Hospital (I was a frequent attender at its casualty department). There were also two surgeries and a maternity unit (which is where I was born). The Society also had five doctors, two dentists and nurses. There was a pharmacy in both surgeries. A surgeon based at the hospital had oversight of all the medical services provided by the Society. If for some reason there was not appropriate medical support for the patient they would be sent to Newport or Cardiff for treatment paid by the society. I went to Bristol to have my tonsils out.
Aneurin Bevan was the MP for the area and when Labour came into power after the war he became the Health Minister. He was frequently in the town and as children if we saw him we would cheer and shout. He would sometimes speak to the crowds from the clock mound or the veranda of the Castle Hotel which was opposite our shop. The stones shown in the picture are a memorial to Mr Bevan and his achievements.
The people of the area could see that when the NHS started the vision was based on its Medical Aid Society. The Medical Aid was finally wound up in 1994 with 114 members who had paid 18p a week. The assets from the closure were given to the hospital.
When I think of what the NHS has achieved over the years, and particularly 2020, I am pleased to remember those men and women in 1890 who had the foresight to set up the Medical Aid Society which was the foundation for the NHS today.
Robert Owen.
MBC Youth have been meeting regularly throughout lockdown. All of our contact has been virtually on Zoom which has made it possible for us to stay in touch even when apart.
The youth team have been running weekly Sunday evening Zoom calls where we have been exploring the same themes and bible passages as ‘Church at Home’. This has helped us all to feel connected and part of the whole church.
God has been speaking to us about how Christ is the head of the church, which is the people – not the building! We are all still able to be part of Christ’s church, even when we are physically apart.
We have also been running mid-week groups:
We have been really encouraged by the engagement from some of our young people and have been able to continue to build and strengthen relationships during this time. As we come towards the end of a what has been a long and difficult term for many of our youth, there is certainly a sense of “Zoom fatigue” and a desire to meet together again in-person.
As we head towards the summer holidays, we are discussing as a team what we might be able to offer our young people during the break.
Thank you for your continued support and prays for our amazing young people and their leaders.
Next week we are planning on bringing you a more comprehensive roundup of how other areas of MBC’s ministry are coping with the changes that Covid-19 has forced upon them.
So, I have had my contract extended. After 6-weeks of meandering musings we hit week 7 and another chance to pause and ponder. The beauty of being out with a 3-year old on a bike, is that all kinds of things are said that don’t normally come up in every day conversation, so I often have to pause and make sure I heard correctly!
For those of you that have met my daughter (or seen her starring role in any of the Moortots or Oasis Facebook LIVE sessions – see above) you’ll know she can be strong willed! If she believes something is right or wrong, she lets me know! Usually with volume!
Well, this week there was one such incident and it caught me completely off guard. As a family we were chatting about cycling. The children know I like to get on my bike and recently Shelley has been zipping about north Leeds on hers. We were chatting about when Rowan gets a little more confident on his and then (in unknown error), I dared to utter the phrase, “…and then at some point we can take your stabilisers off Daisy…”
Who knew such a seemingly positive, encouraging, future-facing comment could create such a reaction?! She was devasted at the idea, and just before the tears began she yelled at me…
“I WANT MY STABILISERS! YOU CAN NEVER TAKE MY STABILISERS OFF!”
I was genuinely taken aback and started to try to explain my idea…but she was gone. Off upstairs in a flurry of rage, tears and melodrama! Shelley and I looked at each – more than a little perplexed, and decided that we should park that topic for now!
Bring that whole thing into my context. My life, my walk with Jesus, my ways of thinking…and again, I see some real similarity.
God wants me to keep on learning, growing and developing. He wants me to learn more about Him, His word, His Spirit. He wants me to learn to listen for his voice speaking to me. He wants me to be braver in prayer, more confident in faith, more gracious in life. He wants to see more of the fruit and gifts of the Spirit in my life, so I can have a greater impact for His kingdom.
But to do these things and for me to grow, He might need to take off my stabilisers. Some of the things that I cling to because they have me where I am now, might need to go. It might be I have new things to learn, but to do that, I need to unlearn some stuff. There might be hurts that I am holding onto, because it helps me to justify my opinion – but also stop me moving on. There might be half-truths that I find comfortable, so there is no way I am putting them down, to pick up the full truth that challenges me to change.
I think many Christians get to a point with their faith where they get comfortable. Their belief system is now defined and as such human nature means they then filter all new information to make sure that what they hear and see reinforces their position. They have certain favourite bible verses, and perhaps haven’t looked at other bits of the bible for years. Or perhaps the opposite it true. They have studied the bible so much and know it so well, their ‘stabiliser’ has become knowledge – so there is a risk that a fresh revelation through God speaking now is unlikely!
Churches fall into this trap too. What are the things that have stabilised us in the past…well then, let’s keep them forever! Let’s weld the stabilisers to the bike so that they can never come off. They can then serve as a reminder of the good old times. We can make sure new people are educated about how good ‘those times’ were, and how they have shaped where we are now – thereby sending a second message; “Don’t mess with the things that came from the good old times!” Or, in other words, “Don’t touch our stabilisers!”
I am sure that at some point Daisy (pictured left with brother Rowan in a video shot for Church at Home) will calm down; it has been a few days and at some point the stabilisers will come off, but imagine if they didn’t.
During lockdown we have discovered so many new paths through the woods and have been on so many adventures. We won’t be able to go down these new paths or discover new ones if Daisy has her stabilisers on. We won’t be able to go as far or as fast as I will be carrying the bike. We will never get to go out as a family on bikes, as I will always be running alongside her or carrying the bike.
In short, the stabilisers that had been so helpful will actually now be the thing that limits her.
And I see this in my life. My prayer today (and every day I am brave enough) is that God will remove my stabilisers, so I mature, develop and grow – so I can go on more adventures with Him, discover new paths and go further with Him than I imagined possible!
I know they didn’t have stabilisers in Ephesus at the time Paul wrote to them, but I wonder if this is what he was getting at in Chapter 4:
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
