No.150.   14th April

Hi,
Like me, you probably thought, oh, it's the sesquicentennial edition of the church magazine already. Time flies and all that.

As I have said before it's always nice to have others helping out -  There is a list of terms I have stored up over the last wee while which are part of the interactions that came up over what has gone into the contents of the 149 editions. Terms like:
"Go Ahead" - I realise now that is in fact a dare, not permission.
"Whatever" - that's a death knell right there.
"It's okay" - basically, what you have done is trash, and at some point you will realise how wrong you were.
"Fine" - it's really not fine.

Particular shout out (as the young people say) to Margaret who checks things, and Scott and Sue for being supportive.

As ever, the mag needs input from Maxwell folk to make it interesting and informative - do get in touch. 

Enjoy the mag.

MB

 

Sunday 16th April

       Rev Scott Kirkland
     Bible passage: 1Peter ch3

Sunday Lunch

Soup and Roll Lunch in aid of Scripture Union.

We would love for you to join us this Sunday for a bowl of delicious homemade soup and rolls for a fundraiser for Scripture Union. Particularly their partnerships with other SU organizations around the world like Ukraine and Rwanda. There will be a short presentation from Jacob who will share some of his experiences working internationally with SU as well as how we as a church can support the work happening around the world. We would love for you to join us on Sunday to hear more about it. As a church, we have had many young people pass through SU Scotland in different forms, either in School or at camps and it will be a great opportunity to support the work of not only SU in Scotland but the work around the world. If you would like to donate you can via this link  Get in touch with Jacob if you have any questions

 

Sunday EVENING

Heaven - How I Got There

Sunday 16th April, 7pm (in sanctuary)We are showing a drama "Heaven - How I Got There" which is based on how the “thief on the cross” ended up beside Jesus on a cross and then amazingly with him in glory. Based on Luke’s Gospel.
This is a great opportunity to bring a friend so they can hear the Gospel in an extremely well dramatized way!

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From the Manse

Dear Congregation,

What a lovely Easter weekend we shared together. I do hope that those of you who were on holiday were able to worship somewhere and be encouraged. Though you are very much part of the local church here at "Maxwell Mearns Castle Church", you are also part of a universal church that stretches out geographically across the lands. I wonder if you have every had that experience of belong even when visiting a new congregation somewhere. That universal church stretches out not only across the lands but even through time. You are in union with believers who have now reached their resting place in heaven with the Lord.

It is a wonderful thing to understand from Easter Sunday, however, that a disembodied presence in heaven with the Lord is not the end of the story. We look forward, with believers from every generation, to that great resurrection life when body and soul will be reunited and the Lord will return to renew the heavens and the earth.

From our perspective within creation of time and space, there is a time gap between the spirit of believers entering “heaven” to be with the Lord and that final day of Resurrection when, like the Lord we will be given resurrection bodies. (1 Corinthians 15)

Doing the rounds on Facebook, is a little thirty second clip of atheist and cynic/comedian Ricky Gervais speaking of the need to make the most of every minute of life because it is the only shot we get at it. His point, once you are dead you are dead. He is right about living each moment fully, but for the reverse reason he makes. Because Jesus has been raised to new life bodily, we see that this human embodied life, lived in a physical world, is so important and to be lived so fully and valued. Jesus has stamped "important" all over it firstly by coming in the flesh himself, but then being raised bodily to new life. He has in his sinless life, death on  the cross and resurrection done all that is necessary to give this embodied life we live a beautiful eternity. All who turn in repentance and faith in him can enjoy that great blessing.

A man whose body was about to be consigned to the ground through death but whose soul would go to be with the Lord immediately has an odd name; “The Thief on the Cross”. What a way to be remembered! On a tombstone, words depict the most important thing about a person. Imagine his tombstone. Here lies “The Thief on the Cross”. While that sounds so negative (and it is!) the real point of that title is amazing place he ended up, with Jesus in paradise. “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

If he had lived and died in a later generation and had any breath in his lungs after hearing Jesus’s declaration, I suspect he would have hummed “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saves a wretch like me”. Or,
Nothing in my hands I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress, Helpless, look to Thee for grace: Foul, I to the fountain fly, Wash me, Saviour, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath, When mine eyes shall close in death, When I soar to worlds unknown, See Thee on Thy judgment throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.

That cross he may have sung about was not his cross as a thief, a cross of sin and shame. He would have clung metaphorically to the cross where the Lord Jesus died. On that cross, the Lord Jesus hung, bearing the sin and shame of the The Thief. He did that so that The Thief might be bear the righteousness of Christ.

This coming Sunday night we shall watch a dramatization of that last day of “The Thief on the Cross” in our special film evening (16th April 7pm in the sanctuary). The main actor is Stephen Baldwin brother of the more famous (infamous?) Alec Baldwin. The drama weaves creative imagination with biblical fact. Further details are below.

Come and be refreshed in the grace of God found in Christ’s atoning death for sinners. Bring someone with you. It is a movie. Who does not like a good movie?

Warmest regards Scott

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Easter Services

As Scott mentioned above, it was great to celebrate Easter together.


Early on Sunday morning, after a short couple of moments of worship outside (starting at Broom Church and then onto the trig point) we enjoyed a lovely breakfast - thanks to Sue A and a team of volunteers for organising that aspect of the morning. Great to have visitors from neighbouring churches and to see the young people out in force too.



You can almost feel Sandra's embarrassment as husband John tries to explain to the kitchen team that since it was the 'Third' day when  Jesus rose he was back for thirds.

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10.25am

Before the service on some Sundays the band have been leading us in worship - this is being used to try and introduce us to some newer songs.
This week's is 'Is he Worthy?' and you can have a listen to it here.

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The latest news from Hope for Glasgow is available here.

News of their Women's Work, Evening Meetings, Staff updates and Networking - and points for prayer!!

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The Great King's Wine

 

Samuel Rutherford said that when he was cast into the cellars of affliction, he remembered that the great King always kept his wine there!

Perhaps you enjoyed, as I did, some really nice wine over Easter meals. When I read the quote above I was reminded of some even better wine available. Some really helpful thoughts from John Piper... take a couple of minutes to be encouraged, or to pray for someone who needs encouraged (and maybe send this on to them.) 
We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

I have never heard anyone say, “The really deep lessons of my life have come through times of ease and comfort.” But I have heard strong saints say, “Every significant advance I have ever made in grasping the depths of God’s love and growing deep with him, has come through suffering.”

This is a sobering biblical truth. For example: “For Christ’s sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). Paraphrase: No pain, no gain. Or:

Now let it all be sacrificed, if it will get me more of Christ.

Here’s another example: “Although he was a Son, Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). The same book said he never sinned (Hebrews 4:15).

So learning obedience does not mean switching from disobedience to obedience. It means growing deeper and deeper with God in the experience of obedience. It means experiencing depths of yieldedness to God that would not have been otherwise demanded. This is what came through suffering. No pain, no gain.

Samuel Rutherford said that when he was cast into the cellars of affliction, he remembered that the great King always kept his wine there. Charles Spurgeon said, “They who dive in the sea of affliction bring up rare pearls.”

Do you not love your beloved more when you feel some strange pain that makes you think you have cancer? We are strange creatures indeed. If we have health and peace and time to love, it is a thin and hasty thing. But if we are dying, love is a deep, slow river of inexpressible joy, and we can scarcely endure to give it up.

Therefore brothers and sisters, “Count it all joy when you meet various trials” (James 1:2).

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Home Groups - Spring/Summer

The new dates for our next session are now available and your Home Group Leader should have sent them to you.
We are looking at 2 Peter this time (following on from 1 Peter  - seems reasonable to me!!)
Not been involved before? Ask Scott if you can be slipped into one of the groups which meet on Sundays, Mondays or Tuesdays fortnightly.

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Before The New Chairs 2020

Scott writes: I mentioned the installation of the chairs last week in connection with the taking down of the banners to paint.
I found these pictures I took before removal. Do you remember what the sanctuary looked like?

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Ladybird Book of Maxwell

 

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10 Words

Continuing four series of 10 Biblical Words...these words have the ability to point us to the truth and provide a path to live life to the fullest. Yet there are many words that can be confusing to the average reader. Understanding a little more about these 10 words will undoubtedly unlock deeper meaning as we seek to listen to God’s Word.

7. Gospel

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).
We refer to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as the Four Gospels. But where does the word Gospel come from, and what does it actually mean?
The word we know as Gospel has an interesting history. It is a combination of two words from Old English: ‘God’, and ‘spel’, which once had the meaning to tell, to talk, or to share news or a story. So ‘Gospel’ literally means something along the lines of ‘to tell the good news of God.’ These books of the Bible which tell us the good news of Christ give us an amazing overview of the life Jesus lived on the earth, and the hope that his life continues to offer us today.
Interestingly enough, the word Gospel is an English word that developed over time, and does not actually appear in the original Scripture writings. The word that translates as Gospel was originally written in Greek as euaggelion. You may recognize that this is where we get our word ‘evangelism,’ which also means to ‘tell the good news.’ The writings about the life of Jesus are indeed good news, and it is a joy to share this news as everyday evangelists to the world around us!

8. Resurrection

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die’” (John 11:25).
There is one thing that we all have in common, and that is that no matter what we do in life, we all must die. This is the one ending that none of us escape. Yet, death does not have to be the end of the story.
After Jesus had been crucified, his dead body was placed in the tomb. What happened next would forever change history. Jesus was fully dead, and on the third day he was resurrected from the dead –  fully alive! The Bible teaches that this defeat of death was now available to those of us who believe in him.
The resurrection of Jesus stands far above any other event as the single most import event in all of human history. His resurrection is the one event in which we find hope, strength, peace, and courage to continue striving towards Christ in a fallen world. And because of the resurrection, we have hope that death is not the end, and we too will one day be raised to eternal life in Christ

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Praying With The Christian Institute - May 3rd

We shall unite our Wednesday night prayer meeting on 3rd May with the gathering at Newton Mearns Baptist Church.
 
When? Wednesday 3 May,
7.30pm – 8.45pm
Where? Newton Mearns Baptist Church
2 Greenfarm Road, Newton Mearns,

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Pray Now  is a WhatsApp group for Maxwell members

It sends out occasional requests for prayer. In particular those which might be regarding things more acute or immediate.
Speak with Margaret Boyd is you would like to be added to this important ministry at MMCC, or just to find out more.

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Scottish Day Conference

22nd April @ Abbeygreen Church,
Lesmahagow 10am-2.30pm 

We are looking forward with eager anticipation to our Scottish Day Conference on 22nd April and to hearing from some of our mission partners, who are involved in different areas of ministry in partnership with UFM, about their ongoing part in the work of making disciples of all nations. There will also be a short update on the work of UFM generally. 
 
We warmly invite you to join us for this day conference. We trust that you will be encouraged to hear of some of our ongoing mission work and encouraged in your prayers for mission. We trust that some will be encouraged to connect further with the mission work we will hear about. The mission partners sharing are Justin Black(100fold), Andy B(E Europe) & Ruth McGarvey (France). There will a sandwich lunch provided. 
Ruairidh MacLean , Area Director based in Scotland 
UFM Worldwide 

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Car Parking

Can you help?
If you are able, please can you to start using the school car park again as we did pre-lockdown?
Numbers attending services are encouragingly high and it would be really helpful if those that are able could leave spaces in the main car park for those who have greater need.

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 Safeguarding at Maxwell Mearns