No.17 8th March 2024
Hi,
We are coming up to a very busy period of events at church over Easter - make sure you take note of what is going on - and there is the opportunity to help out too.
I think all the busyness already started when the Hizkidz and their parents are going for an outing to soft play today after school - We will hear how they got on next week.
Enjoy the mag.
M
Sunday 10th March, 10.30am
Rev Scott Kirkland
Reading - Romans 5:12-21
This is an important week for NMNC as it is the first time Free Church representatives will meet us formally as a congregation.
There will be a meeting after worship.
Happy Mother's Day
We may know what it is like to be a mum and able to admit that you don't quite come up to even your own standards... or to have had a mum who didn't always get it right.
The best mum, in their best moments, would want to do their children good all the time ... so when we read
“I will make with them an everlasting covenant that I will not turn away from doing good to them . . . . I will rejoice in doing good to them.” (Jeremiah 32:40–41) we can reflect that even though no parent could match this the Lord can, and finds JOY in doing so. Can you think of any fact more encouraging than that God rejoices to do you good?
In Isaiah 49:15, that God says, “'Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? . . . . so I will not forget you,' says the Lord.” We are reminded of perfect love and that God loves like a perfect Mother.
The promises aren't fulfilled reluctantly. It is His joy to do you good. And not just sometimes. Always!
“I will not turn away from doing good to them.”
What a remarkable thing - what makes the Sovereign Lord Almighty happy is doing good for you and me!
Stay For Lunch next week!
Join us after church on Sunday 17th for a fundraising lunch to hear about the work of SU Scotland and also some of these events our young people have been going to.
Jacob.
YOUTH WEEKEND!
Thank you to everyone who prayed for the Youth Weekend away. It was a great time!
Jacob.
Getting to Church: Should anyone require a lift to Belmont House School, then please do let us know. Please email office@nmnewchurch.org
10ofthose have some amazing deals for World Book Day.
Hit the link below and see what is on offer.
BUT HURRY! OFFER ENDS SUNDAY!
"It’s World Book Day! What better way to celebrate than getting hold of books of real value, without burning a hole in your pocket…
We want everyone to be able to read books that point them to, and excite them about Jesus.
That’s why we discount books all year round, but today is special. So fill up your basket with £1 books and other ‘WOW!’ deals and get excited as you’re pointed to Jesus when you read."
Home Groups are on this week coming.
Study 4 is on the topic of our tongue and the words which flow - and how what we say is a clear indicator of our heart.
A really key area to work hard at in our lives -
Lord, save me from the sins of my tongue and the flaws of character that fuel them.
Make my words honest (by taking away my fear),
few (by taking away my self-importance),
wise (by taking away my thoughtlessness),
and kind (by taking away my indifference and irritability).
Amen.
(Tim Keller)
Make sure you get along to your group -and if you are still not tied in with a group have a chat with Scott.
Ladybird Book of New Church
Come and join us!
Tuesdays at Newton Mearns Baptist Church - 1.30pm
MMCC 50th Anniversary
In connection with the above Denise Lowson has asked if anyone has old photos (pre 2020) or artefacts that they would be willing to share to get in touch with her. Digital or hard copies are fine - anything pertinent to Maxwell would be gratefully received. (Any original documents will be looked after and returned.). Get in touch via... maxwellmearns@hotmail.com
We gather round the Word in our meetings on Sunday and other times, and we hold to it as the revealed Word of God for us today.
This is the 4th in the series of looks at God's Word from different 'angles' as we serialise Andrew Wilson's short book 'Unbreakable'
This week:
THE COHERENCE OF SCRIPTURE
One Bride for Seven Brothers:
‘Teacher,’ someone asked Jesus, ‘you believe in the resurrection, don’t you?’ ‘Yes.’
‘Well, there’s something that’s always bothered me about that. Moses says that if my brother dies and his wife has no children, I should marry her. But what if I’m one of seven brothers, and all of us marry her and then die without children? If the resurrection is real, that will mean she’ll have seven husbands to choose from, right? But that’s ridiculous. So the resurrection can’t be real, can it? Na na, na na na.’ And then they all did a little dance.
It might seem odd, in a serious debate, to make up a silly hypothetical scenario, and then act like you’ve debunked a crucial doctrine. (Lucky nobody does that today, isn’t it?) It might look like a bit of childish game-playing. But it’s actually quite a clever tactic. Not only is it an attack on the idea of the resurrection, but it’s also an attack on the coherence of Scripture.
The Sadducees, one of whom asks the question, didn’t just deny the resurrection; they also taught that although the Law was divinely given, the rest of the Hebrew Bible (the Prophets and the Writings) was not. So from their point of view, if something wasn’t taught in the Law, then it wasn’t true. The resurrection was a good example: yes, it was taught in the Prophets, but it wasn’t taught in the Law, and some of Moses’s instructions (like the one about marrying your brother’s wife) made it look like a lot of nonsense. The Law, in other words, contradicts the rest of the Scriptures. Hence the little dance.
But, Jesus explains, as if talking to a small child, ‘The reason you’re wrong is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know God’s power. For a start, the resurrection doesn’t involve marriage relationships anyway. But more importantly, the Law tells exactly the same story as the Prophets and the Writings on this one. If you would only read the Law properly, you’d see that the burning bush story reveals a God of the living, not of the dead. You’ve got it all wrong.
‘You’ve read God’s word so clumsily, and so superficially, that you haven’t noticed how coherent it is …‘
‘You don’t know the Scriptures. You’ve read God’s word so clumsily, and so superficially, that you haven’t noticed how coherent it is: how themes can appear in Genesis and then wait until Isaiah before they’re developed, and how doctrines like resurrection are hinted at in Exodus, even if they’re not stated fully until Daniel. So you play off one part against another, without recognising that they’re all given by the same God. If you understood the coherence of Scripture, the beautiful way in which it all hangs together, you would never make such a silly argument. But you don’t, so you do.’
It’s probably worth saying here that there’s nothing wrong with being puzzled by the Bible, and asking how we should read this bit in the light of that bit. Sometimes, biblical texts are intended to be held in tension with each other, to make us think about them carefully. Sometimes we may have to hold our hands up and admit: we don’t know. Sometimes a bit of imagination is required, to fit together accounts which differ in the details. Many important ideas are not taught clearly until a fair way through the story – we call that progressive revelation – including resurrection, the Trinity, the priesthood of Christ, and so on. But the later bits don’t contradict the earlier bits, any more than the fourth floor of a house contradicts the foundation it’s built on. Scripture, when you get to know it properly and think about it carefully, is coherent.
On the same topic...
A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO Scott quoted from Augustine, as we looked at passages from the Old Testament and Abraham's faith...
“The new is in the old concealed; the old is in the new revealed.”
This famous statement by Saint Augustine expresses the remarkable way in which the two testaments of the Bible are so closely interrelated with each other. The key to understanding the New Testament in its fullest is to see in it the fulfillment of those things that were revealed in the background of the Old Testament.
The Old Testament points forward in time, preparing God’s people for the work of Christ in the New Testament.
Read more about this topic here.
Wednesdays 7.15-8.15pm.
Meeting at Debbie and Sandy McDougall's.
If you need a lift please email office@nmnewchurch.org.
Prayer Guides x 2
Muslim Prayer Guide
Participate with hundreds of thousands of believers around the world for this annual prayer event for Muslims.
The prayer guide covers the period of Ramadan which starts on Sunday.
Click
here for more info.
Since 1993, the 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World prayer guide has been helping Christians to learn, love and pray for Muslims around the world.
This guide will inspire you as you discover the unique challenges faced by Muslims in cultures near and far.
There is a nominal cost.
Glasgow City Mission Prayer News
March 2024
Thank you for joining with us in prayer for men, women and families affected by homelessness and poverty.
Click
here to view the prayer sheet with prayer points for these three areas.
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City Centre
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Child and Family Centre, Govan
-
Overnight Welcome Centre (OWC)
SAVE THE MARCH DATES
'The Case for Christ' Movie Night
Sunday March 24th
Join us on March 24th to watch The Case for Christ based on a true story and inspired by the 1998 book of the same name by Lee Strobel.
A great event for the whole congregation. Please pray and bring along any of your interested friends and family.
Certificate PG … followed by refreshments.
We are planning to hold a drop in 'discover Easter' event on Good Friday in Belmont for families in our community.
An excellent opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus with others.
The afternoon will consist of various stations with crafts, challenges, drama, storytelling and an egg hunt with every activity pointing to Jesus and the real reason for Easter.
Can I ask you to do three things please?
1. Share the event info with families. Flyers will be available and an image which can be shared on Facebook, WhatsApp etc
2. Pray for the preparation and running of the event and that families will come and ultimately come to know Jesus.
3. Volunteer! If you are free on the day can you help with any of the following tasks: set up in the morning, car parking, welcoming, serving refreshments, helping at a craft, drama or challenge station or tidying up at the end?
If you can please speak to Pauline or Sandra on a Sunday or email Pauline - children@nmnewchurch.org
Good Friday Service. 29th March
We shall join with Newton Mearns Baptist church on their premises for a Good Friday service. Though worshipping on their premises and with them, they have kindly asked us to lead the service.
MORNING
Dawn Walk
Look out for details of a Dawn Walk - a time of fellowship as we head towards worship at church and remember that first Resurrection morning.
EVENING
Join us for the Origin Scotland Resurrection Event in Edinburgh on Easter Sunday at the Usher Hall!
An event that brings together Christians from all over the central belt to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus in an evening of music and worship on Easter Sunday. If you would like to come please book tickets in advance.
Chat to Jacob if you have any questions or if you would like to go but require transport.
Easter Cards
Getting a handwritten card is a treat these days.
If you are thinking of sending an Easter card you could also support the Leprosy Mission
They have a range of Easter cards on offer at the moment. click HERE
B.Y.O.C. please
CAN YOU HELP?
it makes such a difference if people bring their own cups rather than using the disposable ones each week - can you help?
Safeguarding at Newton Mearns New Church
Safeguarding – Ensuring a Safe Church for All
If you suspect or witness harm or abuse, or it is reported to you, you must immediately report it to one of the Safeguarding Coordinators:
Sue Anderson – 07970 261429
Giving at NM New Church
There are a number of ways to support the church financially. The giving page gives details - click here
A number of people have been asking if cash or cheques can now be given. From this Sunday you will have the opportunity to leave offerings in the plate or basket on the table at the back of the church.
If you have any questions please speak to our Treasurer Sandy or email him on finance@nmnewchurch.org "
The New Church has a What's App Group for Prayer
See magazine no.4 for an outline of how this Pray Now group operates.
Speak to Margaret Boyd if you would like to be added to this group or email your details to mandmboyd@hotmail.co.uk
You need WhatsApp on your phone to get set up
We live stream our services on YouTube from our first Sunday. You can find the service here.
You can also find the service by searching on YouTube for Newton Mearns New Church.