Mark Carey writes
This week at Lighthouse Church we celebrated a number of people making clear statements of faith in Jesus as Lord of their lives. Lizzy, Robert and Emma were baptised, Anthony and Nicky affirmed the baptism promises that others had made on their behalf. All five people have come to living faith through many challenges. Our job is to continue to support and uphold them as they continue to learn what it looks like for Jesus to be Lord all the days of their lives.
On Palm Sunday 2nd April we are holding a Confirmation Service. This is an opportunity to confirm the promises that were made for you at baptism. For me – confirmation was an important moment of commitment – you may be ready for this – if so, please contact your network leaders or the network office.
On Easter Sunday morning (9th April 10.30am) we will be offering the opportunity to be baptised. There are no shortages of points of commitment when you can declare clearly that Jesus is Lord of your life.
Revd Mark Carey Leader Christ Church Bridlington Network
Oli Preston writes:
Encounters in the wilderness.
We are now well into the season of Lent. Looking towards Good Friday and Easter. We remember Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness and join with Him symbolically through intentionally making space for prayer and focus on God - often by putting some things down for a time (‘fasting’) to take hold of deepening connection.
In the Bible the wilderness is a key place of encounter. It is not comfortable - in fact that is part of the point! In the wilderness the normal patterns of predictable, safe, and easy life are stripped away. This forces simplicity, a focus on basic needs, and an active trust in God. Some wilderness times are by choice, some by the Spirit’s leading, and others are simply a part of life (something to be grumpy about or to be embraced).
The wilderness is where Moses hears from YAHWEH through the burning bush; where the people wander for 40 years as they learn to trust God; where the prophets often go to or through, and where some of the most powerful images of God’s work of renewal and rebuilding come from. Our verse for the year, Isaiah 57:14, speaks of a building a road ("Build up, build up, prepare the road!”) - where? In the wilderness. This is a key part of Isaiah’s message, a developing theme as the prophet sees something of what God is doing: "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:19). This promise can give us real and trustworthy hope in wilderness times - that in God’s Kingdom nothing is wasted, that He walks with us through our wilderness times, that He is making all things new. The wilderness is often the place where God is most powerfully at work in us. If we are able to recognise the presence of Jesus with us in our wilderness, these challenging times can become a sacred space for a transforming encounter.
New Creation is coming. There may be snow on the ground, but we can already see the early spring blooms and taste the promise of summer.
Rev. Oli Preston Multiply Minister (Bridlington) and 'Green Dean' for Bridlington Deanery Christ Church Bridlington Network
Mark Carey writes
Hosting Paul Harcourt last weekend was a great joy. Those who attended ‘Remember the Former Things’ will have been struck by Paul's humility, ability to communicate simple truths and practically equip us to live a life led by the Holy Spirit. Actually that is the essence of New Wine - in this way we become 'local churches changing nations'.
We were reminded that Jesus is central to all we are and do.
That responding in the power of the Spirit is simple, but we have to step forward into it.
That everyone can take part in the things that God is doing by His Spirit.
I loved seeing Bishop Eleanor joining in and ministering in power. Hearing from Jackie Cray about the Holy Spirit moving amongst children and from Graham Cray on Sunday evening with a challenge to be empowered witnesses.
A group of us have also gone to the New Wine Leadership Conference - 1800 leaders gathering in Harrogate. On the back of our weekend in Bridlington it is not hard to see that there is a movement of the Holy Spirit - many of us brought to our knees in repentant humility before God. Not loads of hype and razzmatazz but a profound invitation to return to the Lord and learn from Him.
I'm reminded of the verse at the end of the second chapter of Habakkuk - all the previous arguments are brought to an end with these words:
"The LORD is in his holy temple;
let all the earth be silent before him."
We will shortly be able to make available the recordings of the main sessions of 'Remember the Former Things' - watch this space.
We'd love to hear your stories of how you met with Jesus - what healing, help or experience you had. Please talk to one of the staff team or email the office (office@ccbn.org.uk).
Rev. Mark Carey Christ Church Bridlington Network
Mark Carey writes
Our Bible verse for 2023 is Isaiah 57:14
And it will be said:
“Build up, build up, prepare the road!
Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”
As the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes says there is a time to tear and a time to build - my sense is that this is a building up time. Of course, this is tricky as we see around us so much tearing down. So, how do we participate with God in his work of build up?
Don't give up - build up::
Sometimes we are the obstacles to the progress of others - we need to work out how we decrease so others can increase. How we contribute so much to the lives of others that they are able to thrive in the full life that comes with Jesus. Serving is a key part of how we get out of the way of others - it occupies us and means we are less able to meddle.
Don't make obstacles - remove obstacles:
Sometimes we need to challenge our own wilful ability to make obstacles for others. This can be by doing the very thing Jesus said he came not to do: condemn the world. If it's not Jesus job to condemn others then it is not our job either! During the course of 2023 there will be lots of ways presented to us that tempt us to tear down and not build up. Having a rant on social media is just the tip of the iceberg. Let's choose not to create anything or reinforce anything that gets in the way of people approaching Jesus. For this we need lots of wisdom and to stay very close to Jesus.
So, have a good year of building up!
Rev. Mark Carey Christ Church Bridlington Network
Mark Carey writes:
Part of the way I travel through Advent is through looking back and looking forward. This is, in fact, what I'd call the travelling motion of this season – you look back to the birth of Jesus and look forward to the return of the King.
There’s a significant element of taking stock of things – being curious and thoughtfully prayerful about what has been, what is, and what will be.
Here are some good questions to ask yourself and to hold before God:
What have I learned this year?
How have I grown more like Jesus?
What is different from a year ago?
What am I going to leave behind?
What am I going to take forward?
On the back of exploring these questions – usually via some walks on the beach and some scribbling in a journal - I get a sense of what the shape of the coming year
is going to be and how I want to enter it.
So why don’t you have a go at this?
You will handle it differently from me – but I hope the results will be the same
– a closer walk with Jesus.
Mark Carey writes
This weekend we complete 10 days of prayer and fasting with a whole night of prayer (Friday night) and a day of prayer and reflection on Saturday.
Last Sunday evening I shared four reasons I have discovered why you would consider doing a fast.
In support of others for breakthrough
In preparation before an event
In a seasonal rhythm eg Lent
In obedience to a specific call from God
Jesus clearly expected his disciples to have a lifestyle that included fasting - the intentional self-denial of food for a specific time. When I fast from food it focusses me on Jesus who is the bread of life. As one of the communion prayers says - Jesus is the one "in whom all our hungers are satisfied". A simple fast such as denying yourself a normal simple pleasure such as a meal, something sweet, TV or social media empties you of the things that occupy your mind or comfort you and makes space for the one who has "filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty".
As we enter into the season of Advent this is my prayer for all of you:
May Christ the Son of righteousness scatter the darkness from before your path, and prepare you to meet with Him when he returns in glory.
Mark Carey writes
The world says, “If you are not making good use of your time, you are useless.” Jesus says: “Come spend some useless time with me.”
This has come to mind as I've thought about spending intentional and focussed time in prayer and fasting. What will we gain from this? What will be the benefits? Will anything change or are we simply dealing in wishful thinking and should really be doing something more useful?
I really don't think we should expect any time of prayer and fasting to be like a slot-machine where we put in our prayer and receive something in return. Instead we simply come making use of this time to draw closer to Jesus, making space for God at a time when everyone and everything around us competes to fill us up, preoccupy our minds, and focus us on things to worry about or be excited about.
Jesus said we are to set our hearts on God's kingdom and so that is what we are doing at this time - fasting and praying. And as well as that, we get on with the daily job of joining in with God's works of rebuilding, restoring and renewing.
Miriam Thurlow writes
Next week we are heading into 10 days of prayer and fasting as a network from Wednesday 23rd Nov through to Saturday 3rd Dec. So I thought it might be helpful to share some of the things I have been thinking about as we get ready for these 10 days.
Why fast?
Fasting is a spiritual discipline (or practice) that is a part of living the Jesus way, and it is about choosing to deny ourselves food (or something else) to help increase our focus on God. If we look at when people fast in the Bible we see that it is done alongside a time of intentional prayer, and often done as a community too. Jesus himself begins his earthly ministry with 40 days of fasting in the desert and continues to prioritise intentional prayer and fasting throughout his ministry. So fasting is about choosing to do without something so that instead we can give our focus to God in a more focused way as ask what God is saying to us.
What is a Daniel fast?
We are declaring a Daniel fast for these 10 days, but what does that mean? Daniel and his friends refused to eat the luxurious food of the King of Babylon and instead only ate vegetables and drank water (Daniel 1). Instead of becoming weak, it brought Daniel clarity and enabled him to be in a position of influence. He chose to do without the luxury foods and turn his focus on God and God’s priorities. For us, this might look like not eating dairy, meat and processed food and not drinking caffeine or alcohol for the 10 days. But it doesn’t have to be all those things, and we can tailor it to our own health and household circumstances. The main idea is about denying ourselves luxury foods (or another luxury) in order to increase our focus on God. We put down one good gift to receive something better.
How can you join in?
Individually - Individually (or as a household) choose what you are going to fast from for the 10 days and tell someone else to make yourself accountable to them
Collectively - there are several things going on which we would love for you to come and join in with in some way:
2 Half-nights of prayer in Christ Church (Wed 23rd & 30th Nov), 7pm-midnight
Whole night of prayer in Christ Church (Fri 2nd Dec), 7pm-7am
Day of Prayer & Reflection at Christ Church (Sat 3rd Dec), 10:30am-3pm
10 Daily Readings
You may want to join us for the entirety of the half/whole nights of prayer or you might like to pop down and join us for an hour or two. Also look out for other opportunities different Network Leaders are organising for spaces to come together and pray.
If you are interested in thinking more about fasting here are a couple of helpful links: https://www.24-7prayer.com/prayer_guide/try-fasting/ and https://bibleproject.com/podcast/practicing-faith-part-2-feasting-fasting/
Miriam
Mark Carey writes
Five years ago I became the Vicar here - it is a great privilege to serve here. I've found myself reflecting on three areas that on looking back seem to have been important.
Tales of the Unexpected
The last five years have been full of unexpected circumstances and events. Responding to the unexpected is part of being a disciple - we do it by leaning into trust in our Saviour.
No quick fixes
I've found that I have to put down my tendency to find short cuts in response to challenging circumstances. Jesus was offered short cuts by the Devil and he resisted temptation by leaning heavily into the promises of God in scripture.
Invest in the unseen
I've increasingly been drawn to the value of prayer. Picturing an iceberg with less than 20% visible and more than 80% unseen. When we pray, fast and give we are investing in the unseen. I'm sensing an increasing call from God to go deep with him in a world that usually only focusses on what is visible and seen.
Speaking of investing in the unseen:
I am calling us to 10 days of prayer and fasting from Wednesday 23rd November to Saturday 3rd December.
A significant part of this will be a Daniel Fast - Daniel denied himself what an earthly king offered in luxury food to prioritise what God provides. His intentional fasting brought him to a place of extraordinary influence. Taking part in fasting and times of prayer during this time is a significant investment in prioritising God first during this time of world-wide turmoil and change.
Everyone can join in with this in some way.
Will you?
Margaret Walker Writes
During a prayer meeting before the 6 o’clock gathering a couple of Sundays ago Mark reminded us of the divine exchange that is ours through faith in Christ.
After Christ had resisted the devil in the wilderness He was led by the Spirit out to Nazareth and went into the synagogue. There he stood up and quoted verses from the Prophet Isaiah 61 announcing to the people what would be the hallmarks of His ministry .
He said
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach Good News to the Poor, He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
Transformation of people’s lives would be at the heart of Christ’s ministry – transformation from areas of difficulty, pain, disadvantage and weakness.
Restoration would be a sign that Christ was present. This Good News is for all of us, and all people.
The prophet Isaiah writes of beauty instead of ashes, gladness instead of mourning, praise instead of despair.
Rebuilding, restoration and renewal are all at the heart of Christ’s ministry for individual lives – and should be evident in our lives and our awareness of ourselves as believers.
I think God is encouraging us to press into receiving all Christ can bring so our own lives bear the hallmarks of Christ’s presence with us.
Margaret Walker
Mark Carey writes
Hello!
On Saturday 29th October there is an Awakening the Coastlands day being held at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Scarborough. Andy Hall is speaking and Rob Parker and I are leading. We’ve also got Alan McKinlay leading worship.
The focus will be on passionate worship and prophetic input – I’d love it if you were able to take part in this day in a very active way – we sense that there will be lots of prophetic praying. Andy will be speaking around the way in which there has been a stifling of the prophetic ‘preaching’ of the word of God, and the consequent lack of direction, lack of freedom and spiritual weakness in the lives of many followers of Jesus.
We expect empowerment in the prophetic and much release of freedom.
You will see the adverts for the day being shared this week – with the basic information.
I’d love you to be part of this!
Blessings
Mark Carey
Leader of Christ Church Bridlington Network
Mark Carey writes
I’d love you to watch this short video I recorded this week https://youtu.be/Sg68-OmgmdM – after three years of learning to do such things you would have thought I would be pretty slick and professional – if only! It took me 14 attempts and even then, I got something wrong and Miriam had to do some extra editing! It has made me think about some key things for us here…….
We are not called to be slick and perfect but authentic and real. We are called to be generous in all the ways God is generous – we are blessed to be a blessing.
Last week Sophia White, Emma Miles and myself had the opportunity to be involved in a Tackling Poverty Roundtable hosted by the Archbishop of York. It showed that we have the capacity to be a blessing, to function in God’s generosity beyond the borders of the Bridlington area.
Next week Oli Preston and I are hosting a Cost of Living Roundtable bringing together lots of groups serving the health and well-being of Bridlington – we are able to do this – with great goodwill towards us – because we simply seek the prosperity of our town.
I’m reminded of the following verse: “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile” (Jeremiah 29 v 7). Let’s keep seeking the peace and prosperity of this town, area and region.
Giving for Living
Have you picked up one of our 'Giving for Living' leaflets?
As a Network we have been learning together about 'Giving for Living' this Autumn. It's good to ask 'What is God saying?' and 'What am I going to do about it?' when it comes to money just as we do in other areas of life. As a church we are heading towards more financially challenging times, but we still need to be a church that is Giving for Living not giving for survival.
