The BFPC and Langton Verse for 2012

"Step Into The Light"

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 Over the Christmas period, we have heard those carol words "Light and Life To All He Brings" many times, as we have sung of the wonders of the child born to us. The wrapping paper is now on its way to be recycled and the cards will no doubt shortly follow. Christmas is over for another year and we go back to the "normality" of life (whatever that means). We leave the child to grow up and to become a man - and for many that means "out of sight, out of mind". The Light and the Life fade into the normality of our human existence ….

In the coming months, we will be looking at the life and ministry of Jesus through incidents, meetings, people, miracles and the way that Jesus' life touched others around him. He met with them, very often the conversation was subtle and didn't talk about salvation and yet he said "Follow Me" - and they did. Through our series of sermons and in our Home groups (are you in one yet?) we shall be looking at these stories and asking what they say to us about our lives and how we respond to that self-same question invitation to Follow Jesus. If we do that, it changes our lives: the light and life of Christmas begins to shine brighter, as his light shines in us and through us, we become part of the Body of Christ and the words of Peter begin to make sense.

Firstly, we are a "chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God". It means that we are a people that God wants to live a different way of living, a way which lives in the confidence that God has chosen us to live this way, a way which encourages us to live our lives in ways which show that we follow Jesus and belong to God. But, secondly, we are called so that we "may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light". We are a people who reflect the light and life that Jesus has brought us, the light we live in and reflect him as "The Light of the World". Peter is encouraging to live as people of Light, a pure and beautiful light, an intense and glorious light, the light that comes from the throne of God himself.

In John's Gospel, we read "The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world." (John 1:9). His light will never dim. What can so easily dim is our willingness to reflect that light. The challenge for us as Churches in 2012 is to follow Jesus from Bethlehem to Calvary, letting that light reflect in us, and out from us, to those around us, so that we may truly declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Have a wonderful 2012!

Tim Storey, Rector