A WORLD OF PAIN AND SORROW Welcome Jesus, Emmanuel!

1. A WORLD OF PAIN AND SORROWWelcome Jesus, Emmanuel! Penge Baptist Church New Year’s Eve Watch Night 31st December 2012

2. Matthew 2:13-18 • When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.

3. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

4. No isolated incident

5. Jesus came to a world of evil • Hunted by Herod • Tempted by the devil • Harassed by the Pharisees • Executed on the cross….and yet he triumphed! • “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:13-15) • “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18)

6. “Do not be afraid” • Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) • But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27) • When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”(Revelation 1:17-18)

7. A New Heaven and New Earth • Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.?He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new! Then he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. (Revelation 21:1-5)

8. A mission for God’s people • He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15) • For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed….. in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:19, 21) • “All that's necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)

9. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16)

10. Jesus’ presence in man’s need • For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’…. whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:35-36, 40) • What do we need to make the world a better place?

11. Compassion • Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:35-38)

12. Wisdom • “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.” (Psalm 111:10) • “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24)

13. Courage • “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

14. Generosity • “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.” (Proverbs 22:9) • “when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:13-14)

15. Teamwork • “it is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18) • “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up….a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) • “My prayer is not for them alone. 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. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:21-22) • “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth…. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:16, 18)

16. A new Penge • It was 8 o’clock on Monday morning • I was standing at Penge West station • And I saw a new Penge coming down from the heavens • I saw a teenager leaping out of bed with joy laughing with the freshness of the morning and jogging to school well on time • I saw elderly ladies skipping down Maple Road • I saw children paddling and catching fish in the clear water of the old canal by Betts Park

17. I saw a football game in Penge Rec and the teams were mixed teams from every people group, asylum seekers and taxi drivers, policemen and pensioners, Somalis and Irish, pensioners and hoodies, rival street gangs. People from every part of society playing and laughing in the sun. • I saw a street party where there was singing and dancing because there was hope again. • And I looked across the wider community of Bromley borough, it was a community of hope, a community of grace, a community of warmth • And in the clearness of the morning I looked into the Grove and there was no more asthma, no more unwanted pregnancies, no more evictions, no more debt, no more domestic violence, no more overcrowding and everyone had good jobs.

18. The lakes in Crystal Palace park were flowing with crystal clear water. There were no more needles and condoms and rubbish and dog mess in the park. • No more sorrow from family breakdown. • No more poverty, no more need. • No more unemployment or mind numbing jobs. • No more hopelessness, and lonely old people • No more sadness and tears, only joy and laughter. • No more discrimination, • No more drunken clubbing, no threats, no fears. • The dividing walls were gone. • Families and neighbours were restored. • There was no more rubbish, no guns, no knives, no drug-dealers, no dangerous dogs

19. There were no more racial or community tensions, just one harmonious mix • And I looked and I saw young kids playing football in the street and the neighbours cheering them on, • I saw homes without locks on the doors, where a welcome was always guaranteed. • I saw a playground where all the equipment was safe and new, where children threw themselves in the air without fear, where the teenagers helped the little ones up on the climbing frames • I saw a Penge where neighbours shared favours and returned them without pressure or obligation

20. I saw a Penge where hearts were unbroken, partnerships are lasting, peaceful and happy; children all had fathers who mentored, encouraged, protected them • I saw a Penge where families eat and play together • I saw a Penge where the hungry are fed • The thirsty receive drink • The homeless stranger is invited in • The naked are clothed • The prisoners are visited • God’s name is honoured, the churches are filled, the Gospel proclaimed • Everywhere is deliverance and healing • A Penge where tears have been wiped away

21. Our resolution for 2013 • At Jesus’ command, empowered by the Holy Spirit we shall seek to truly bring the kingdom into Penge, by prayer and action, with this vision of what could be: