The assembly of gods


Upcoming services

There will be no services the following two weekends, 3rd–4th August and 10th–11th August.

Usual services will resume on Saturday 17th August onwards.

The next expected email will be Wednesday 21st August.

Apologies for any inconvenience.


Dear Friends

Modern Christians become squeamish when faced with pagan gods. “They don’t exist!” we want to say, which is true on a certain level—pagan gods don’t exist in the way that God exists, they are creatures of Creation—but belies the witness of Scriptures and of the Church.

The gods of Egypt, or Baal, or any of the gods presented in Scriptures are not shown as fictions but as beings who have fallen short of the role in Creation that God has appointed for them.

God stood in the assembly of gods;
He judges in the midst of gods, saying,
‘How long will you judge unjustly,
And favour the persons of sinners?’

Psalm 81:1–2 ʟxx

The gods do not offer the glory to the Most High God, and in their assembly God brings down judgement, they are cast down from their lofty height.

I said, ‘You are gods,
And you are all sons of the Most High.
But you die like men,
And like on of the rulers, you fall.’

verses 6–7

And when the Satan is cast down from the Divine Council, the Lord has found replacements.

Then the Seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.’
And he said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven.
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Luke 10:17–19

We, you and me, are called by the Lord to take up our citizenship in Heaven, which is to say to become “partakers of the divine nature,” (Second Peter 1:4) and sit in God’s Assembly. The gods failed in this regard—they accepted worship which was due only to the Creator—and will be cast into the everlasting fire (Matthew 25:41) but we are called to a higher purpose. Yet the Lord has a warning for us,

Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven.’

Luke 10:20

Because you and I are not to sit on our laurels, we are not to become complacent, we are to turn to the living God who has offered himself to us and made us heirs of everlasting Life.

Let us then, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, rejoice that our names are written in Heaven, rejoice that we have been brought from death to Life, from earth to heaven, rejoice that we may partake of the divine and be transformed into true human persons.

Come and see!


We serve a meal following the Liturgy on Sundays. All are welcome.


Do you, or someone you know, want to join our mailing list and receive our weekly email? Then let me know.


Sermon

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.

Why go to Church? Really, why? Because for many our life in this world is simple and straightforward. In our liberal democracy we can get on in our lives and choose on what we want to focus. For some it is making money, for others it is having a good social life, others still to have a family. And if some find Church beneficial to fulfilling themselves, so our society proclaims, that’s fine but don’t impose it on others, because Church is not necessary, not essential.

“But even if our Gospel is veiled,” says the Apostle,

“it is veiled to those who are perishing,
whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the Light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” (Second Corinthians 4:3–4)

That there are those outside the Church who have been blinded to the reality around them—that the world is still subject to the Satan—is heartbreaking, yet the greater tragedy is that there are those within the Church who do not realise this, who think that Church is a “spiritual top-up” to prepare them for the week, or weeks, ahead.

“And you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the Prince of the Power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:1–2)

Since when the Satan tempted the Lord and offered him all “the kingdoms of the world” (Matthew 4:8) it was within the power of the Evil One, the Prince of the Power of the air, to give it.

Read this Sermon, Why go to Church?
Archive of Past Sermons.


Attending Church

We meet at 3rd URC Scout HQ, Kings Rd, Chandlers Ford SO53 2EY. The Scout hall is behind and to the left of the URC Church. Come and See.


Can I help you?

I am here for you, you need only ask. Is there a way I can support your life of faith? Get in touch.

Can you help the parish?

Yes, absolutely. Offer yourselves to the Lord: pray! Make available to him all your talents and ask him how he would like you to use them — listen for his reply.

Your prayers!

With love in Christ

Fr Alexander
[email protected]