“For just as through the disobedience of the one man,the many were made sinners,so also through the obedience of the one manthe many will be made righteous.”
Key notices: Confirmation Cake, Charities, St. Luke’s 150th
Coming Up: Thanet Churches Together Prayer Gathering, Confirmation Service, ACTS Preparation for Easter Cracked, Men’s Group Games Night
Interesting Blogs: Childen’s emotions and behaviour, staying human in the age of AI
Prayer Requests
Weekly Calendar
Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training
Scroll on…
Opening Reflection
This week we began Lent. For many Lent is reduced to the time when you give something up, whether it be chocolate, alcohol, coffee or something else, but traditionally it is meant to be much more than that.
The aim of Lent is to reflect on our lifestyles and ask ourselves whether we are truly living the way God called us to live. It is a time to focus afresh on God, to acknowledge our sin, give thanks for his grace and mercy and seek to live in obedience. Giving something up or taking on new spiritual habits may help with that, but they are not the ultimate aim of Lent.
Lent is inspied by the forty days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. During that time, Jesus was preparing for his ministry and was tempted by the devil. The big question for Jesus was whether he would take the hard route and obey God or the easy route and give in to temptation. It was a preparation for a ministry of obedience, which climaxed in his ultimate act of obedience: dying on the cross to bring us forgiveness of sins.
All this is in contrast with Adam, who famously disobeyed God’s one rule not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We are all descendants of Adam, and like our ultimate father we all continue to disobey God. The Bible calls that sin.
Yet, God sent Jesus as a second Adam, a new humanity. In contrast to Adam, Jesus obeyed. Now, we have a choice of which humanity we want to belong to. The disobedient one founded by Adam or the obedient one launched by Christ, through whom we can be made righteous in God’s sight.
Paul Worledge
Key Notices:
Confirmation Cake
There will be four candidates from St. George’s being confirmed at St. Luke’s on Saturday 28th at 5pm. For after the service refreshments we want to provide hot drinks and cake. If you can make a cake for the service, then please sign the list at the back of church.
Charities
At our PCC, we agreed to support the three following charities:
Active Christianity in Thanet Schools, a local charity that seeks to bring the Christian message to children where they are.
Christians Against Poverty, a national charity that helps people break free from debt.
Christian Aid, a charity that seeks to alleviate poverty around the world.
If you are interested in being a representative for any of these, then please see Paul.
Coming Up:
Thanet Churches Together Prayer Gathering
Sunday 22nd February, 6:30pm, St. James’ Church, Westgate, CT9 5JU
Confirmation Service
Sat. 28th Feb., 5pm, St. Luke’s Church
Please come and support candidates from St. Luke’s, St. George’s and other local churches being confirmed and baptised at the end of February. There will be around nine candidates from St. Luke’s and four from St. George’s. Bishop Rose will be taking the service.
ACTS preparation for Easter Cracked
There is going to be a training and resource making session for all the Easter Cracked events across Thanet on Wednesday 25th February, 12pm at St. Peter’s Baptist Church, run by Active Christianity in Thanet Schools.
Men’s Group Games Night
The next event is a Games night at St Lukes, 12th March.
Interesting Blogs to Share:
Children’s Emotions and Behaviours
A short video (90seconds) helping parents to consider how to work with their child to understand how they are feeling and why. Find out more…
Staying Human in the age of AI
With the growth in AI and its use, questions are raised about what it means to be human and how not to lose our humainty in the face of being replaced by AI. Read more…
Will you dare to share the Christian life with others? Life groups are a great way to meet together regularly with a small group of other Christians, for mutual support, to share in reading God’s word and to pray for one another.
Please see Paul if you are interested in joining one. There are groups at the following times:
Monday evenings
Tuesday afternoons
Wednesday mornings
Wednesday evenings
Online Forms:
Under the ‘Contact’ tab on the website, there are now three forms that you can use to help us in managing the church:
Events Application Form. Use this if you are organising a church event that needs a church room booked, advertising or ticketing.
Submit a Notice. Use this if you want to ask us to include a prayer request or other notice in the church notice sheet or email.
If you volunteer in anyway at church the national authorities are strongly encouraging you to take at least the Basic Module in safeguarding training once every three years.
If you have not completed the training in the last three years, then the module can be completed online and takes about ninety minutes. You can access the training by following this link. You will need to first register, to access the training. Once the training is completed, you will be sent a certificate. Please forward that certificate to James (office@churchramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.
Finally, let’s align ourselves with the new humanity of Jesus.
“We did not follow cleverly invented storieswhen we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty.”
Interesting Blogs: Ideas for Lent: Draw near to God, Go Green for Lent,
Weekly Calendar
Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training
Scroll on…
Opening Reflection
Could the Winter Olympics be held in Africa? The obvious response is, of course not, it is too hot. Yet, in Morrocco, in the High Atlas mountains, there is plenty of snow in the winter. So much so, that there are ski resorts there.
On our holiday in Morocco, we could see these mountains, and as all mountains there was something majestic and awesome about them. Mountains, themselves provoke feelings of awe, but in the Bible, true moments of awe often happened at the top of mountains. Most famously, in the Old Testament, Moses went up on to the top of Mount Sinai to meet with God and receive the Ten Commandments, the law for God’s people to live by. Elijah also went to meet with God on the same mountain.
In the New Testament, Jesus takes his three closest disciples up a mountain. Unlike Moses and Elijah, Jesus does not go up the mountain to meet with God, but to reveal his Divinity. At the top, the three disciples become eyewitnesses who see Jesus in his true awe-inspiring glory as he is transfigured before them. Moses and Elijah also appear not now meeting with God, but meeting with Jesus.
This was an unforgettable moment. It helped to underline to the three disciples who Jesus truly was, but also that they should take his teaching seriously. Moses went up the mountain to receive the Law, which the people of God needed to listen to, but the disciples on the mountain hear a voice telling them, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” In the Old Testament, God gave the Law through Moses, now Jesus is shown to be the true law-giver. We need to learn to listen to him and follow his teachings, because of who he is, God come to be with us.
Paul Worledge
Key Notices:
Charities
At our PCC on Thursday, we agreed to support the three following charities:
Active Christianity in Thanet Schools, a local charity that seeks to bring the Christian message to children where they are.
Christians Against Poverty, a national charity that helps people break free from debt.
Christian Aid, a charity that seeks to alleviate poverty around the world.
St. Luke’s 150th
In preparation for St. Luke’s 150th later this year, they have produced a newsletter about the upcoming celebrations, and also the future plans for our two churches. Copies are available at the back of church.
Coming Up:
Ash Wednesday Service
Wednesday 18th February, 11am at St. George’s Church. Join us for this simple and reflective service at the start of the season of Lent.
Thanet Churches Together Prayer Gathering
Sunday 22nd February, 6:30pm, St. James’ Church, Westgate, CT9 5JU
Confirmation Service
Sat. 28th Feb., 5pm, St. Luke’s Church
Please come and support candidates from St. Luke’s, St. George’s and other local churches being confirmed and baptised at the end of February. Bishop Rose will be taking the service.
Easter Cracked
St. Luke’s will be hosting 80 Year 6 pupils from St. Lawrence College and Newlands School on the morning of Tuesday 24th March. If you can volunteer to help host and run the workshop (setting up from 9am and tidying up until about mid-day), then please let Paul know.
There is also going to be a training and resource making session for all the Easter Cracked events across Thanet on Wednesday 25th February, 12pm at St. Peter’s Baptist Church, run by Active Christianity in Thanet Schools.
Interesting Blogs to Share:
This week we offer a couple of potential resources for Lent.
Draw Near to God:
During Lent, reflections are centred around a summary of the Christian Way from Common Worship, which identifies six activities essential to our calling as disciples.
Each week a different contributor explores a different aspect of Christian discipleship – worshipping together, praying, exploring the Bible, sharing communion, offering service and sharing the good news with others.
A parallel 40-day challenge for families and children will also be available – exploring the life-giving habit of generosity in partnership with 40acts.
You can order a booklet or access the material through the EveryDay Faith app.
If you volunteer in anyway at church the national authorities are strongly encouraging you to take at least the Basic Module in safeguarding training once every three years.
If you have not completed the training in the last three years, then the module can be completed online and takes about ninety minutes. You can access the training by following this link. You will need to first register, to access the training. Once the training is completed, you will be sent a certificate. Please forward that certificate to James (office@churchramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.
Finally, let’s set our eyes upon Jesus and his true glory…
Coming Up: Marjorie Woodward’s funeral, Prayer Breakfast, Men’s Group Bowling, Ash Wednesday Service, Thanet Churches Together Prayer Gathering, Confirmation Service
Interesting Blogs: AI and the future
Weekly Calendar
Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training
Scroll on…
Opening Reflection
Over the last few weeks we have been going through the book of Numbers. The book starts with a lot of hope. Israel have been rescued from slavery in Egypt, have entered into a special covenant relationship with God at Mount Sinai, and set up the Tabernacle at the centre of their camp, a sign of God’s ongoing presence with them. So, they set out for the Promised Land.
Things don’t go to plan. The people lack faith in God and refuse to believe his promises. The result is that God condemns that whole generation to die in the wilderness over the following 40 years. What follows are a number of stories, where again and again God acts in judgement on the Israelites, because of their rebellion against him. They look like a nation under his curse, not his blessing.
But this is not the end of the story. God’s ultimate aim is always to bless. Yes, Israel have to learn the hard way to trust and obey God, but he will eventually bring the next generation into the land flowing with milk and honey.
Towards the end of the book, there is a long story about Balaam, a mysterious figure who has the reputation as someone who can pronounce curses on others. Israel enemies hire him to curse Israel. But God has other ideas and (with the help of a talking donkey) makes Balaam bless Israel.
Despite Israel’s constant failures and God’s regular judgement, the story emphasises that God is committed to blessing Abraham’s descendants and through him the whole world. Like Israel in the wilderness we may find life tough at times, perhaps because we keep failing to live in God’s ways. Yet, we can know that God’s ultimate aim will always be to bless us and bring us into his ultimate promise of life, just as he brought Israel into the Promised Land.
Paul Worledge
Key Notices:
Parish Safeguarding Officer Role
Safeguarding in church is the responsibility of everyone. However, we need someone to champion and promote safeguarding in the church and to be a point of contact for any concerns raised. There is a lot of Diocesan training and support for this role. If you think you might be the person to take it on then please let Paul know and he can share more about what is involved.
Life Groups
Will you dare to share the Christian life with others? Life groups are a great way to meet together regularly with a small group of other Christians, for mutual support, to share in reading God’s word and to pray for one another.
Please see Paul if you are interested in joining one. There are groups at the following times:
Monday evenings
Tuesday afternoons
Wednesday mornings
Wednesday evenings
Coming Up:
Churches Together in Ramsgate Prayer Breakfast -This Saturday
Sat. 7th Feb, 9am, Centenary Hall, Hardres Street
Marjorie Woodward’s Funeral Service – This Tuesday
Tue. 10th Feb, 1pm, St. George’s Church, 2pm Thanet Crematorium
For those who knew Marjorie Woodward, please join us for her funeral service.
Men’s Group Event – Bowling
Thursday 12th February, 6:15pm, 10-Pin bowling at Bugsy’s in Margate. Lifts available from St. Luke’s at 5:45pm. Trophy for the highest scorer and food available at the venue. Cost £10, please let Bruce Stokes know as soon as possible if you would like to attend (07708, bruce.stokes@btinternet.com )
Ash Wednesday Service
Wednesday 18th February, 11am at St. George’s Church. Join us for this simple and reflective service at the start of the season of Lent.
Thanet Churches Together Prayer Gathering
Sunday 22nd February, 6:30pm, St. James’ Church, Westgate, CT9 5JU
Confirmation Service
Sat. 28th Feb., 5pm, St. Luke’s Church
Please come and support candidates from St. Luke’s, St. George’s and other local churches being confirmed and baptised at the end of February. Bishop Rose will be taking the service.
Interesting Blogs to Share:
AI and the Future
Watch this fascinating discussion between John Lennox and Glen Scrivener on the issues that AI raises. Watch the video (45 minutes)...
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 8th February – The Second Sunday before Lent
If you volunteer in anyway at church the national authorities are strongly encouraging you to take at least the Basic Module in safeguarding training once every three years.
If you have not completed the training in the last three years, then the module can be completed online and takes about ninety minutes. You can access the training by following this link. You will need to first register, to access the training. Once the training is completed, you will be sent a certificate. Please forward that certificate to James (office@churchramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15)
This Sunday we continue our series on Israel travelling in the wilderness.
Our Bible reading this morning, from chapter 21 of the Old Testament book of Numbers, naturally falls into three sections, each section being two verses long. So, of course, it makes sense for this sermon to be divided into four parts!?! – or in any event I will do my best to say, when it comes to it, why it should have four parts! And those four parts can be summed up in the phrases ‘from bad to worse’ and ‘from great to greater’. We’ll start out with the bad, and see how far we get.
If you’ve been here of a Sunday morning at any time in the recent past, when there have been a series of sermons on the book of Numbers, you’ll be familiar with the situation the Israelites found themselves in, being led by Moses through the wilderness . After the first sermon a month ago, which was called ‘Setting out with God’, the last three sermon titles have been ‘grumbling about provision’, ‘grumbling about plans’, and ‘grumbling about leadership’. The working title I was originally given for today is ‘grumbling about everything’, and that is essentially what we read about in Numbers chapter 21, verses 4 and 5:
They travelled along the route to the Red Sea, but the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’
So that ‘grumbling about everything’ title is perfectly good as a description of what took place there, as long as we recognise two things: first, that to say that the Israelites were ‘grumbling’ is a polite way of expressing the frantic desperation they must have felt, and second, that if we were in their shoes, we would most likely have said and done exactly what they said and did.
Last year, Carolina Wilga, a German backpacker on a solo trip around Australia became lost in the outback. The four wheel drive she had been travelling cross country in developed a fault, which led to her losing control of the vehicle and ending up stuck in a bog, without a map, 100 miles away from the nearest township or mobile phone signal. The news reports said that Carolina stayed with her car for a day “before panicking and striking out to find help”.1 She “used the sun’s position to head west”, and “had minimal food and water with her”, but “drank water from rain and puddles to survive”. “At one point, she sought shelter in a cave.” “In her mind, she had convinced herself that she was not going to be located”, and “got to a point where she thought no one was coming”.
Indeed, she had not given herself the best chance of rescue. “Staying with your vehicle is the golden rule in the outback”, according to a survival expert quoted in the press. “Not only does it help searchers, it provides shelter and the mirrors can be used the attract attention”. Safety advice for those heading to the outback includes packing beacons and tinsel lines, which can be used to form a giant X on the ground to be seen from the air. Alternatively, you could set your vehicle on fire in the hope of being found!
In the event, Carolina Wilga was spotted at the side of the road, 12 days after going missing, by a passing motorist. She was barefoot, dehydrated, starving, ravaged by mosquitoes, had cuts and bruises, and was confused and disoriented. She was 15 miles away from her vehicle when she was found, on a road used only two or three times a week by cars.
Carolina expressed gratitude to everyone involved in the search that was mobilised to find her, and to save her life. She later resumed her journey around Australia. But if on the days prior to her rescue, she had expressed worry about food and water, or despair about her life, we would recognise this to have been the result of fear and desperation, in a situation that would be enough to drive anyone to their wits’ end. We might choose not to call it ‘grumbling’ exactly. We might choose not to be too hard on her, because we know that in her situation, we too would have struggled with despair.
This, I think, describes very well the situation faced by the Israelites in Numbers chapter 21. They were miraculously provided with food and drink in the wilderness, it is true, but they had no roof over their head, and no assurances about how long their ordeal would last. We can say that they should have trusted God and Moses, instead of complaining, but we have to admit that they were in a terrifying position, and that most likely we would have behaved no differently in similar circumstances.
In fact, I think we have to admit that we do not always respond well to the circumstances we do actually face. Instead we may nurture an unconscious expectation that everything ought to go well for us and for those we love. We didn’t get this expectation from the Bible, or from Christianity, by the way. Our Lord has told us that in this world, we will have trouble (John 16:33) but it is an expectation that runs deep. It blights our faith, it misplaces our hope, and it kills our love.
The moment the smallest thing goes wrong, or the moment the largest thing goes wrong, we look for someone to blame, someone to fix everything, or at least someone to listen to us as we complain about it. When we do this, we are imitating the Israelites of Number chapter 21, and like them we face a bad situation.
And then things go from bad to worse:
The LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said ‘We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people.
Have you ever noticed that sometimes things seem to have to get worse before they get better? This is as true in the Bible, as it is in human experience, and there is mystery surrounding the activity of God involved in this, both in experience and in the Bible.
One of my favourite books of the Old Testament is the book of Jonah. If you’re familiar with the story, you will know that it starts by the prophet throwing himself off a boat in the midst of a raging storm. He is in clear danger of drowning, and just as you think things couldn’t get any worse, in the final verse of the first chapter, God sent a great fish to swallow Jonah, and he was inside the fish three days and three nights. Things became worse before they became better as a result of what God sent.
And you may also remember that the book ends with Jonah sheltering from the blazing sun under a vine, before God sent a worm, in verse 7 of the final chapter, which chewed the vine so that it withered, and exposed the prophet to the elements. Once again things got worse before they got better because of what God sent. Likewise in Numbers 21 verse 6, the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and things went from bad to worse.
If there’s one thing worse than being lost in the outback, it’s being bitten by a snake when you’re lost in the outback. Having grown up in Australia, I can tell you that if you have to be bitten by a snake, it’s best to get bitten in the suburbs of a major city, with easy transport links to the nearest hospital. There are of course many different kinds of deadly snakes in Australia, and they each have their own variety of deadly venom, but anti-venom has been developed for all of these varieties, and all the hospitals have supplies.
The main thing they need to know in order to treat you correctly is which kind of snake you have been bitten by. When I was young, I was told that they best way to do this would be to kill the snake that has bitten you, and take it with you to the hospital, so they know which anti-venom to give you. Today, I suppose they would say that all you need to do is to take a photo of the snake on your mobile phone.
But whatever you do, don’t get bitten in the outback, hundreds of miles from any hospital. If you do, your goose could be cooked, as the Israelites discovered.
Did anything good come of the arrival of these snakes, which in the mystery of God’s providence were said to have been sent by the LORD, and which on the face of it made a bad situation far worse?
On the evidence of the verses we are reading, something good did come, which was the realisation on the part of the Israelites that what they had said was wrong, and their plea for Moses to pray for their deliverance. This was an insight they did not have previously, and it was as hard-won as the insights gained by Jonah in the fish, and when exposed to the elements. Out of something evil, in the mercy of God, something new, and true, and good, did emerge in the end. I find that encouraging, and I hope that you do too. It helps me to understand and live by the words of the modern hymn which we / sung earlier / will sing later on:
So now we can move on ‘from bad to worse’, and begin to encounter ‘from great to greater’. The great thing is, of course, the fact that the Israelites were delivered from the threat posed by the snakes. They were not delivered in the way they had hoped or imagined – they had asked that the LORD would take the snakes away from them, and that is not what happened – but they were delivered nevertheless. Likewise we must not be surprised if we are not delivered from the trials we undergo in the way we hope or expect. However much we may wish to hear the Lord say that ‘in this world, you will not have trouble’, in the end it is far, far better for us to know his actual promise, that in this world we will have trouble, but take heart, he has overcome the world.
And what a strange and mysterious way the LORD had to heal his people:
[He] said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live’. So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.
I hope you don’t mind me saying that this is pretty weird, and has long been recognised as being weird. 1600 years ago, the Church Father St Augustine set out the paradox in a sermon, saying that “the serpent is gazed upon, so that the serpent may lose its power … death is gazed upon, so that death may lose its power”.3 But then, it is also a paradox to be told that if you’re bitten by a snake, you should bring the snake with you to hospital to be healed.
So, too, there is a paradox embedded in the production of anti-venom itself. Small, non-harmful doses of venom are injected into domestic animals to trigger the creation of antibodies, which are then harvested and purified from the blood plasma of these animals, and used to neutralise toxins in human bite victims. Such is the miracle of modern medicine.
It must have seemed counter-intuitive to the Israelites to escape death by gazing upon death. And I won’t pretend to explain how this actually worked. To do so, even if such a thing were possible, would be to demythologise it, to strip it of its miraculous nature, and to transform it from a saving act of God into a bright idea of Moses. All I can really say is that we have here a record of a great deliverance from a deadly danger.
The motorist who rescued Carolina Wilga in the outback said to the press that “miracle is a word that gets bandied about a lot, but [in the absence of any outside help she survived 12 days and] went cross country to come to my road”. The word ‘miracle’ is indeed over-used, but any way you look at the story of the bronze snake lifted up on a pole, it is one of remarkable survival in the wilderness. It is a story not of human ingenuity – on the level of human rationality, it does not make any sense at all. Rather, it is a story of the great work of God to save his people, which is the same story we have been hearing week by week in this series of sermons on the book of Numbers.
And now at last we can move through bad to worse, and from great to greater. The New Testament tells us in not so many words that one greater than Moses is here (Hebrews 3:3-4). Specifically in relation to the bronze snake, this is what we are told by in the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 14 and 15:
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
This is why it makes sense for this sermon to have a fourth part. We need to explore the backward look at the book of Numbers that is taken by the Gospel writer. As great as it is to be delivered from trouble, to be rescued from starvation or snake-bite in the wilderness, it is far greater to be delivered from one’s own sin.
That is why Jesus, upon once encountering a paralysed man, said ‘Your sins are forgiven’ long before he ever said to him ‘Rise up, take your mat, and walk’. Which is greater to speak: words of physical healing or words of spiritual restoration? Well, at one level it’s easy to string any sentence together whatsoever, but the question really concerns the power required to bring about the state of affairs that the words proclaim. On that level, it’s far greater to say ‘Your sins are forgiven’, and Jesus is in a position not only to speak the forgiveness of sin but actually to bring it about by virtue of being, in the phrase used by John, ‘lifted up’.
Bible scholars tell us that “the first step in [his] ascent is when Jesus is lifted up on the cross; the second step is when he is raised up from death; the final step is when he is lifted up to heaven”.4 “His lifting up will result not only in glory for himself but also in healing for [hu]mankind”.5
This is weird, because crucifixion was the most violent and degrading form of execution known to the ancient world, and most of those passing by a scene of crucifixion would naturally want to avert their gaze away from the horror of the scene. And it is a paradox, as St Augustine says: “Death is gazed upon so that death may lose its power. … In the death of Christ, death died, because life [slaughtered] death, the fullness of life swallowed death, death was devoured in the body of Christ”.6 This truth is not to be explained away, demythologised, or transformed from a work of God into a cunning human plan. As far as human ingenuity goes, it doesn’t make any sense. No-one would have thought that the apparent weakness, shame and futility of Christ on the cross could have effected any sort of deliverance.
But, says Augustine, “just as those who gazed on the serpent did not die because of the serpent’s bite, so those who gaze in faith on the death of Christ are healed of the bite of sins”. The Israelites “were preserved from death for a life in time, but Christ says that [those who believe in him] may have eternal life”.7
And this, the greatest deliverance of all, is what ultimately lies behind the story of God’s preservation of his people, as told throughout the Old Testament book of Numbers. In this world we will have trouble, and things may sometimes appear to go from bad to worse. But we may take heart. Jesus Christ has overcome the world, and our deliverance will be from great to greater.
1 This and all following quotations concerning this story are taken from The Guardian’s 12 July 2025 coverage under the headline ‘Sheer luck: how German backpacker Carolina Wilga was found after 11 nights lost in dense Australian outback’.
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.” (Hebrews 4:14)
This Sunday we continue our series on Israel travelling in the wilderness.
The story’s told of a monastery where monks took a vow of silence and were only to say two words a year.
After his first year, one monk came before the abbot and said: ‘Better food’.
The abbot obliged, hiring a new chef and improving the food quality at the monastery.
A year later, the monk appeared again to speak his next two words: ‘Warmer blankets’.
The abbot got onto it and purchased new blankets for the monk.
The next year, the monk came in and said: ‘I quit’.
The abbot remarked: ‘Good riddance to him. All he’s done since he got here is complain!’
Over the past few weeks we’ve been thinking about grumbling. We use different words … complaining, moaning, whinging. It’s common enough, and you probably come across it every day. At Wednesday afternoon’s Prime Minister’s Questions, the leader of the opposition couches her moan in the form of six questions. The PM always replies, not with an answer, but with an extended moan about the mess the last government left us in!
It has always been thus. Moses experienced it. The older translations say the people ‘murmured’ against Moses. Lovely word! In Exodus & Numbers, they murmured on 15 different occasions, and that constant negativity must have worn Moses and Aaron right down. Two weeks ago we heard how the people moaned about the food God was providing (manna). They wanted meat, so God responded by deluging them with quail. Then last week we heard that they were moaning about the land God was giving them, because the people were too big and too strong. And this week we see them moaning about Moses and Aaron’s leadership.
The story of Korah’s rebellion, which is the background to Numbers 17, is told in the previous chapter, and it ends with a lot of people dying. You would have thought that after the miraculous deliverance from Egypt, everyone would have felt happy with Moses and Aaron leading them. They had been slaves all their lives, and now there was the prospect of a new home in a land ‘flowing with milk and honey’. But people have short memories and it wasn’t long before the complaints began and, with Korah and his cronies in particular, there was an aggressive challenge to the leadership of Moses and Aaron.
So, in an effort to make it clear to the Israelites whom God wanted to be the high priest, Moses instructed the leaders of each of the 12 tribes to bring their tribal staff or stick. We don’t know exactly what they looked like (maybe quite plain or alternatively with very ornate carvings), but each of them was then placed before the Ark of the Covenant with the name of its tribal leader on it. And God said to Moses, I will make one of those sticks flower, and whoever the stick belongs to, he will be my priest. Amazingly, overnight, one of the sticks did sprout leaves, flowers and even almonds, and it was Aaron’s stick! God had made it crystal clear that Aaron’s tribe, the Levites, would be responsible for overseeing the spiritual life of the nation in future.
Let’s be clear, Aaron is by no means perfect. When Moses was up Mount Sinai receiving the 10 commandments, Aaron failed to stop the people from creating an idol (a golden calf) to worship, yet God still affirms Aaron as high priest. And the importance of this moment is captured in Hebrews 9 where the writer tells us that the Ark of the Covenant contained three things – the stones on which the commandments were written, a jar containing manna, and Aaron’s budding staff.
Now let me just say a few words about leadership and authority. There are two kinds of authority – formal and informal. Formal authority is something we’re pretty familiar with. There’s often some regulatory body that validates someone. So if you want to be a teacher or an electrician or a gas engineer or a lawyer or a nurse or a physiotherapist or even an Anglican priest, you’ll need to be accredited by the relevant body. They authorise you to do your stuff, but usually after some rigorous training and evidence that you’re competent. Informal authority, as you’ve probably guessed, does not involve any regulatory bodies. It’s based more on personal charisma or charm, so you get all sorts of health gurus and even pastors who are personable and persuasive, but they don’t have a recognised qualification or certificate of competence. So you’re left wondering, do these people really know what they’re talking about?
In New Testament times everything was a lot less sophisticated. Those who had formal authority were people like the Teachers of the Law and Pharisees. They didn’t have regulatory bodies like we do now, but they wore a kind of uniform, and the people were encouraged to look up to them. By contrast, Jesus didn’t have any formal qualifications, so you might be surprised to hear me say that His authority was informal. In other words, this whole business of authority, of formal and informal, isn’t an exact science for us. For a whole range of things we very sensibly choose to use someone who’s qualified, but when it comes to spiritual leadership, it’s a bit more complicated. The Catholics and Anglicans are highly regulated, but there have been some scandalous cover-ups in recent years, most notably with the John Smyth case. And the independent, unregulated churches, many of which are currently experiencing huge growth, also have a mixed track record.
So let me make a few general observations about authority and leadership, and our theme of grumbling …
Leadership is necessary
We need leaders! We need people who can see where we need to get to and can chart a course for getting there. That’s true in every walk of life.
Back in 1913, Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, used the idea of an assembly line for building his cars. Along the conveyor belt the car was gradually built, each worker concentrating on one particular task. Ford managed to cut individual production times for his Model-T car from 12½ to 1½ hours!
In an age of decline (the Anglican Church in England has seen falling numbers year on year for 70 years), churches need to reconnect more than ever. People with ideas and vision are few and far between, so we need to pray that God will raise up good leaders.
Leaders need to be encouraged
For a few weeks now we’ve been thinking about the grumbling of God’s people, and this week we’re looking at their complaint that Moses and Aaron were self-appointed leaders. Complaints are always more numerous than compliments. When things go wrong, we look for someone to blame. In football it’s the manager, in business it’s the chief executive. And church leaders also come in for a lot of stick from time to time. We tend to expect good things to be the norm. We’re slow to say ‘thank you’ and quick to criticise. We’re very blessed to have someone in our vicar, Paul, who is a hard worker, not a shirker. And that’s not a given, I can tell you. I’ve seen how hard Paul works. Sometimes people don’t get the appreciation they deserve! Ministers often receive more criticism from inside than outside.
So it’s always worth bringing to mind the instruction of Hebrews 13:17: Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
Actually, on this occasion, Moses and Aaron had done nothing wrong. Korah and his mates were simply after the status Moses and Aaron enjoyed. But they cloaked it cleverly. In Numbers 16:3 they sound like pro-democracy campaigners: You have gone too far! All the members of the community belong to the Lord, and the Lord is with all of us. Why then, Moses, do you set yourself above the Lord’s community? In other words: Moses, you’re an autocrat, a dictator. You’re hogging the limelight. You think you’re more important than the rest of us. Actually, of course, Moses didn’t think that. It was God who had called him and his brother Aaron into positions of leadership, and Korah was simply jealous. There are echoes of this in life. Do you ever feel jealous of those people who’ve been more blessed than you? Maybe they’ve got higher-paid jobs, or their children are better behaved than yours, or they have a nicer house, or they’ve been lucky with their health – and it’s not fair. Life should be a level playing field for everyone, but it’s not.
That’s probably the main point of the Cain and Abel story in Genesis 4. Cain is just angry with God because Abel has been the object of His favour. God tells him to control his envy and anger before it controls him! Sadly he doesn’t. His real anger was against God, but he couldn’t hurt God, so he killed Abel instead.
Jesus is our supreme leader
Human leaders are flawed, sometimes a disappointment. No-one is perfect, and some Christian leaders have proved to be very imperfect. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by the scandals.
But notice the parallel between this story and the resurrection of Jesus. In Numbers 17, a dead stick suddenly sprouts leaves and flowers and almonds, and in a similar way a dead Jesus emerges alive and triumphant from a tomb. In the way that God affirmed Aaron’s authority, God affirmed Jesus’ authority by raising Him from the dead. At the end of his Gospel, Matthew records Jesus’ words: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go, and make disciples. In the Book of Acts, the apostles spoke these carefully chosen words – you crucified Him, but God raised Him; you dismissed Him as a deviant, but God affirmed Him as Messiah; you said ‘NO’ to His life, God said a resounding ‘YES’! The NT affirms Jesus as ‘one greater than Moses’ and as the supreme High Priest who can bring us to God, hence our opening verse (Hebrews 4:14).
So in closing, two questions: will you …
Be an encourager rather than a murmurer?
Make Jesus Christ your supreme leader, embracing Him as the priest who can bring you to God?
Becoming a Christian is not that complicated. It begins the moment you say: Jesus, I believe that Your way is the right way for the world, and I’m going to follow You. For my part, I hope to do that for as long as I live, and I hope you will too.
Coming Up: Churches Together in Ramsgate United Service, Marjorie Woodward’s funeral, Prayer Breakfast, Thanet Churches Together Prayer Gathering, Confirmation Service
Interesting Blogs: New Things, our changing culture
Weekly Calendar
Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training
Scroll on…
Opening Reflection
Last Saturday, ten of us met for our monthly Dare to Pray prayer meeting at St. George’s. As part of the meeting we had committed to discerning the verse for the year. Some people had sent in suggestions beforehand, which were shared with those there, but in the end we chose the verses above. They were brought to the meeting by two people independently of each other, one from St. Luke’s and one from St. George’s, which in itself suggested they may be God’s choice.
They also seem to capture something of our present situation. Across the country, there is talk of a “Quiet Revival”, which is particularly showing itself among younger men. It seems that God is indeed doing something new with those who are new to adulthood. As churches we need to be aware of that so that we can be more pro-active at welcoming them into our church families and communities and supporting them as they explore and start out in faith.
In addition, Vision 2030, which came out of our year of discernment is also seeking to do something new in our town. We are seeking to reduce the number of buildings we have and improve the ones we keep, so that we can be more focussed on people not buildings. Our deep prayer is that through the new structure of shared buildings and administration, resources can be focussed on developing new worshipping communities (or congregations) so that there will be significant growth in those finding salvation through Christ.
Please pray that God will indeed, be doing new things with and amongst us in 2026 and that we will have eyes to see it.
Paul Worledge
Key Notices:
Parish Safeguarding Officer Role
Safeguarding in church is the responsibility of everyone. However, we need someone to champion and promote safeguarding in the church and to be a point of contact for any concerns raised. There is a lot of Diocesan training and support for this role. If you think you might be the person to take it on then please let Paul know and he can share more about what is involved.
Life Groups
Will you dare to share the Christian life with others? Life groups are a great way to meet together regularly with a small group of other Christians, for mutual support, to share in reading God’s word and to pray for one another.
Please see Paul if you are interested in joining one. There are groups at the following times:
Monday evenings
Tuesday afternoons
Wednesday mornings
Wednesday evenings
Coming Up:
Churches Together in Ramsgate United Service
Sun. 25th Jan., 6pm, Royal Harbour School (Upper Site, entrance off the New Haine Road).
There will be activities for children organised by ACTS and a choir led by the St. Lawrence and Coastal Community choir director.
Anyone is welcome to join the choir. Just turn up at the venue at 4:30pm for a pre-service rehearsal. There’s no particular dress code and you don’t have to be a trained singer, just someone who enjoys singing.
Marjorie Woodward’s Funeral Service
Tue. 10th Feb, 1pm, St. George’s Church, 2pm Thanet Crematorium
For those who knew Marjorie Woodward, please join us for her funeral service.
Churches Together in Ramsgate Prayer Breakfast
Sat. 7th Feb, 9am, Centenary Hall, Hardres Street
Thanet Churches Together Prayer Gathering
Sunday 22nd February, 6:30pm, St. James’ Church, Westgate, CT9 5JU
Confirmation Service
Sat. 28th Feb., 5pm, St. Luke’s Church
Please come and support candidates from St. Luke’s, St. George’s and other local churches being confirmed and baptised at the end of February. Bishop Rose will be taking the service.
Interesting Blogs to Share:
New Things? Our Changing Culture
In this 5 minute read, Graham Tomlin surveys the seismic changes happening in our world and asks whether the church is up to the challenge? Read more…
Weekly Calendar
There will not be a new notice sheet on Sunday 1st February.
If you volunteer in anyway at church the national authorities are strongly encouraging you to take at least the Basic Module in safeguarding training once every three years.
If you have not completed the training in the last three years, then the module can be completed online and takes about ninety minutes. You can access the training by following this link. You will need to first register, to access the training. Once the training is completed, you will be sent a certificate. Please forward that certificate to James (office@churchramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.
Finally, let’s have a faith that truly relies on God.
“So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:19)
So, what kind of faith do you have? Is it a simple interest in religious activity and comfort. Or do you truly rely on God, for your eternal salvation?
As Christians we receive incredible blessings. We can become children of God, and come to him as our father, because Jesus his Son became one of us. We are no longer under condemnation for our sins, because Jesus died for us and we receive the gift of eternal life, because Jesus in his death and resurrection has defeated death.
These are incredible blessings, but at times it can feel like it is impossible to follow Jesus. Jesus, himself said that to follow him, we need to take up our crosses and deny ourselves. In other words, it is going to be tough at times. When challenges come, the temptation can be to give up and return to our old life.
It may be that we struggle with temptations and resisting them just seems too hard, we don’t believe God will help us. It may be that we are experiencing pressure from friends or family for being a Christian, and we don’t believe that following Jesus will bring us enough support, when human support seems to be rejecting us. It may be that we are struggling financially and we feel we have to fiddle our taxes or cheat on our benefits or steal from others in order to make ends meet, because we do not believe God will provide for us anyway.
To follow Jesus, through tough times, means trusting that he will be faithful in those times. When we stop trusting or believing, then we end up on Jesus and returning to the seemingly easier life without him. But to do so is also to lose out on the blessings he offers us, to fail to enter into the promises he gives to us.
The writer of Hebrews, who was trying to encourage Christians not to give up, warns about this danger of unbelief. He says,
“So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:19)
He is using an example from the Old Testament, the story of Israel when they first came to the edge of the Promised Land.
Ready to Enter?
Israel had seen some amazing things. They had seen God force Pharaoh, the king of Egypt forced to release them from slavery, by sending a series of ten plagues on the Egyptians. They had seen God miraculously rescue them from the pursuing Egyptian army by enabling them to cross the Red Sea on dry land. They had experienced God’s miraculous provision of food and water in the Wilderness and they had met with God at Mount Sinai, spending a year camped there with him.
Now after travelling for a few months, they were on the edge of the Promised Land, a wonderful land that God had promised to their ancestors centuries before. This was the moment, where they were to receive that amazing promise, to enter the land and conquer it.
But first in preparation, Moses sent out Twelve Spies, one from each of the tribes to check out the land. To see if it lived up to the promise of God in turns of bounty and to assess the challenge of the people they would have to defeat.
After travelling around the land, the spies returned. The land was indeed good, a land flowing with milk and honey, a term used to describe places of abundant resources of food. They even brought back some massive clusters of grapes to show how good the land was. All the spies were agreed on this, but when it came to the people of the land there were two different assessments.
Ten of the spies emphasised the impossibility of conquering the land, whilst two emphasised that God was with them and they could do it. In the words of the children’s song. Ten were bad, two were good. So, let’s explore what was bad about the ten and what was good about the two.
The Ten Bad Spies
Grasshopper Mentality – 13:27-29; 31-33
The first problem with ten spies, was their grasshopper mentality.
Their speech ends by comparing themselves with the warriors in the land:
Bring
Throughout their speech they have increasingly exaggerated the military challenging facing Israel in conquering the land. The land was full of different peoples, the cities were large and fortified.
In particular they mention the descendants of Anak. These were a people particularly renowned for their height. It may be that Goliath was one of the last surviving members of this tribe.
These descendants of Anak were associated with the Nephilim, a mysterious group, that Genesis 6 implies were semi-divine superheroes. How could the Israelites fight such people?
So, this was the report they brought back to the Israelites. They were basically saying, the land God promised is wonderful, but there is no way we can capture it.
Incite Rebellion – 14:1-4; 14:10
To the people of Israel who had come so far in order to reach the promised land, this message was devastating. Their response was to grumble against Moses and Aaron. Had they led them to the Promised Land just to be destroyed by its ferocious inhabitants? Wouldn’t their children just become plunder to the locals. Surely they would be better off ditching Moses and Aaron as leaders, appointing a new leader and heading back to Egypt. After all, being a slave in Egypt was better than being dead in Canaan!
When Joshua and Caleb tried to argue against this, they were so enraged that they actually tried to stone them.
The bad report from the Ten was not just them being a bit negative, it was leading to the complete abandonment of the whole mission by the whole people. Their lack of faith in God’s ability to help them defeat the people in the Promised Land, had caused disbelief among the whole nation. It was a lack of faith that made them want to give up and return to their old life. To give up on all hope of entering the Promised Land, of receiving the blessings God wanted to give to them.
Bring Judgement – 14:11, 20-38
But this was a lack of faith in the God who had rescued them so powerfully from Egypt. Look at how God sees their response in 14:11:
“The LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?” (Numbers 14:11)
To disbelieve God is to treat him with contempt. It is to tell him, I don’t think you are loving enough, faithful enough or strong enough to help me.
It is no wonder that God is angry with the Israelites. He tells Moses that none of the Israelites who are twenty years and older will enter the Promised Land. Instead they will wander around the wilderness for forty years until they have all died out, then the next generation, those under twenty and yet to be born, will go into the promised land. The ones they feared would become plunder in the land will be the ones to eventually plunder it.
This judgement fits God’s description of his own character. Moses quotes it in 14:18:
“The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” (Numbers 14:18)
God could have wiped out Israel completely for their sin, but he limits his judgement on Israel to the third and fourth generation. The generation that sinned, will not enter the promised land and receive its blessings. Their children and grandchildren and even some of the great-grandchildren will suffer as a result, because they will be stuck in the wilderness for forty years, but they will eventually receive God’s blessing and future generations would enjoy the blessing of living in the land.
The results of the ten spies bad report was judgement on their whole generation, a judgement that would affect the next few generations, but would not prevent God’s plans overall.
But, the judgement on the ten spies was to be even more immediate. Those who lead others into disbelief or sin are worse than those who follow them and are worthy of more severe judgement. The ten spies are immediately struck down with a plague.
As we reflect on the ten bad spies, we need to see the seriousness of disbelief. It is corrosive and contagious. It destroys our relationship with God and separates us from the blessings he offers, and ultimately it ends in judgement.
But, our individual disbelief will never destroy God’s plans. The first generation may have failed to enter into God’s promises through disbelief, but the next generation will receive the promise.
Most of us have grown up in the midst of generations that have shown complete disbelief in the Christian message. Now, however, there are signs that the younger generations are beginning to turn back to God. Our generations may be losing out because of their unbelief, but God’s plans will not be thwarted!
The Two Good Spies
True Faith – 13:30; 14:7-9
In contrast to the ten bad spies, the two good spies show true faith. Whereas their colleagues emphasised the impossibility of conquering the land, Joshua and Caleb emphasise that they can do it. Whereas the others ignored God in the equation, Joshua and Caleb emphasise that because God is with them, they do not need to be afraid of the giants in the land. At the end of their speech they say:
“Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (Numbers 14:9)
Now is not the time for giving up and going back to the old life, now is the time for faith and going forward to receive the promises God longs to give to us.
Speak Out – 13:30; 14:7-9
To speak out in this way was brave. They were the minority speaking out against the majority. They were outnumbered 5 to 1. It would have been very easy to have kept quiet and go along with the crowd. Especially when it was becoming obvious that the ten were swaying the whole people to give up on going into Egypt.
In 13:30, Caleb has to silence the people to speak out, and in chapter 14, Joshua and Caleb speak out, even though the people are now set on choosing new leaders and going back to Egypt. Speaking out, was becoming increasingly risky, but they still did it. The result was that the Israelites became so angry with them, that in 14:10 we are told that were on the point of stoning them. If it wasn’t for God appearing in glory, they may well have been the first spies to die.
Yet, Joshua and Caleb were passionate about receiving God’s blessing. They wanted the best for the people and were desperate to try and persuade them.
Receive Blessing – 14:30-31
In the end what looked to be a serious mistake turned into a great blessing for these two spies. They were rescued from being stoned and did not die along with the ten spies who were struck down with plague. In fact, God honoured their faith and courage by pronouncing that out of all of their generation, they would be the only ones who would enter into the Promised Land. In fact, they would be the ones to lead the new generation in faith into the conquest of the land and enable Israel to finally receive the blessings that God had been promising.
As we reflect on these two spies, we see the example of their faith in the face of so much disbelief. Democracy has its merits as a system of selecting a government and making decisions, but there is no guarantee that the majority will always make the right decisions. At times, we will need to be those who speak out, in defiance of the majority opinion if we are to be true followers of Christ. That takes courage and faith, but God will ultimately bless those who do.
After all, Jesus spoke out against the majority of the religious leaders of his day, even though in the end they took him and crucified him for it. But, he trusted in God, and God blessed him by raising him from the dead.
Faith or Disbelief?
So, when following Jesus looks to be impossible, will you have faith that God will help you through or will you give up and return to your old life? Will you embrace the promised blessings God has for you or will you treat him with contempt and abandon his way.
Look again at the God for whom nothing is impossible. Have faith and follow him with courage to the ultimate blessings he will give you.
Coming Up: Dare to Pray (this Saturday), Men’s Group (this Saturday), Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Churches Together in Ramsgate United Service, Confirmation Service
Interesting Blogs: Six Things Younger Generations are looking for…
Weekly Calendar
Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training
Scroll on…
Opening Reflection
What is faith? Does it matter? We often talk about faith in fairly vague terms. To say someone, “has faith” is often a way of saying they are a Christian or at least a member of a religion. But faith as an idea is not a purely religious word. It has a concrete meaning in day to day life. For example, I will only board a plane because I have faith that it will fly me safely to my destination, even though it is hard to imagine or understand how a big lump of metal can fly! We need faith in something or someone before we will rely on it or them.
Israel were travelling with God. They had embraced the religious dimensions of their relationship with God in the setting up of the Tabernacle, which now stood in the middle of the camp. But was their faith strong enough for them to rely on God to do what seemed impossible?
When they reached the edge of Canaan, the land God had promised to give them, they sent in twelve spies. On their return all twelve agreed this was a land that lived up to the hype. What they did not agree on was whether they were able to conquer it. Ten emphasised the impossibility of the challenge, the size and ferocity of the present inhabitants. In contrast, the other two emphasised that God could do what he promised. Ten did not truly rely on God, they did not believe his promises, whilst the other two did. Unfortunately, the people were swayed by the ten and so because of their unbelief they did not enter the promised land. The nation had to wait for the next generation who did have the faith to rely on God in the face of impossible seeming challenges.
So, what kind of faith do you have? Is it a simple interest in religious activity and comfort. Or do you truly rely on God, for your eternal salvation?
Join us this Sunday for our monthly communion service, when we will be discovering why Israel failed to rely on God and receive his promised blessing. There will be all the normal young people’s groups.
Key Notices:
Parish Safeguarding Officer Role
Safeguarding in church is the responsibility of everyone. However, we need someone to champion and promote safeguarding in the church and to be a point of contact for any concerns raised. There is a lot of Diocesan training and support for this role. If you think you might be the person to take it on then please let Paul know and he can share more about what is involved.
Life Groups
Will you dare to share the Christian life with others? Life groups are a great way to meet together regularly with a small group of other Christians, for mutual support, to share in reading God’s word and to pray for one another.
Please see Paul if you are interested in joining one. There are groups at the following times:
Monday evenings
Tuesday afternoons
Wednesday mornings
Wednesday evenings
Coming Up:
Dare to Pray – This Saturday 17th, 9:30-10:30am, St. George’s Church
We had a small but important Dare to Pray meeting in December just before the Christmas services, which, as vicar, certainly boosted me for the Christmas period. For our January meeting we are going to be praying for positive developments for our vision in 2026 and discern together what should be our verse of the year. Suggestions in advance for the verse of the year are welcome.
Men’s Group – This Saturday 17th January
Meeting at 8:30am for breakfast at Wetherspoon’s followed by a tour of Ramsgate tunnels at 10:00am. For more information contact Bruce Stokes or grab a flier.
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
This week, Monday to Thursday, 9am to 9:30am, there will be joint prayer meetings for all the Ramsgate churches at the United Church in Harbour Street. Do come along on any day you are available.
Churches Together in Ramsgate United Service – Sun. 25th Jan., 6pm
Join Christians from all over Ramsgate for this joint service at Royal Harbour School (Upper Site, entrance off the New Haine Road). There will be activities for children organised by ACTS and a choir led by the St. Lawrence and Coastal Community choir director.
Anyone is welcome to join the choir. Just turn up at the venue at 4:30pm for a pre-service rehearsal. There’s no particular dress code and you don’t have to be a trained singer, just someone who enjoys singing.
Confirmation Service – Sat. 28th Feb., 5pm
Please come and support candidates from St. Luke’s, St. George’s and other local churches being confirmed and baptised at St. Luke’s at the end of February. Bishop Rose will be taking the service.
Interesting Blogs to Share:
Six things the younger generations are looking for…
Reflecting on the research about the Quiet Revival James Lawrence gives 6 things that under 35s are looking for in church in this 2-minute video. Watch now…
If you volunteer in anyway at church the national authorities are strongly encouraging you to take at least the Basic Module in safeguarding training once every three years.
If you have not completed the training in the last three years, then the module can be completed online and takes about ninety minutes. You can access the training by following this link. You will need to first register, to access the training. Once the training is completed, you will be sent a certificate. Please forward that certificate to James (office@churchramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.
Finally, let’s have a faith that truly relies on God.
“And do not grumble, as some of them did–and were killed by the destroying angel.” (1 Corinthians 10:10)
As Christians we need to be honest about the difficulties and struggles we face, but we must not allow ourselves to be caught up in a negative spiral of grumbling that makes us forget the power of God to help. We must not abandon hope. As we enter 2026, lets lift our eyes from our problems to the God who promises us ultimate blessing.
In our culture complaint is increasingly encouraged. We are told, if there is a problem, don’t keep quiet say something about it. Whistle blowing is seen as a heroic activity. Even churches now have to have complaint procedures to make sure complaints are taken seriously. This is especially important in the light of all the safeguarding cases where people’s genuine complaints about bullying, sexual abuse or harassment had sadly in the past been ignored.
And yet, not all complaining is good. Much of our complaining can be quite negative, merely increasing the bad feeling with no positive effect.
How can we distinguish between good complaint and bad complaint? I want to suggest there are three types of complaint: grumbling, campaigning and lamenting.
Lament is when we come directly to God with our complaints.
When Jesus was on the cross he complained:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
It was a quote from Psalm 22, which is itself a lament, complaining to God about the persecution of enemies in a way that closely reflects Jesus’ experience on the cross.
Campaigning is when we complain in order to bring about needed change.
Some of the great heroes of the Twentieth Century did this. Just think of Martin Luther King and Ghandi.
Grumbling on the other hand is merely complaining because you are fed up.
If we are honest much of our complaining is often just grumbling. We are not bringing our problems to God and we are not really expecting anything to change. We are merely seeking to share our upset and dissatisfaction with others and so increase the general mood of annoyance.
The New Testament has some strong warnings about grumbling:
“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe…” (Philippians 2:14-15a)
“And do not grumble, as some of them did–and were killed by the destroying angel.” (1 Corinthians 10:10)
This last verse was referring to the attitude of the Israelites as they travelled through the wilderness towards the promised land. Our passage is itself a key example. In the first section, the Israelites grumble about the lack of variety of food, there’s no meat, cucumbers, onions or garlic. Just manna to eat. God is angry with them and his judgement comes on those who desired to have meat and the place is named, Kibroth Hattavah, which means grave of craving.
Yet, also in the passage, there is a lament by Moses and God responds to Moses’ lament with a wonderful provision. Two forms of complaining, grumbling and lament. One is condemned, the other is held up as an example for us.
Israel’s Grumbling…
Let’s look more closely at Israel’s grumbling and see what made God so angry about it?
Re-Imagines the Past
Grumbling often complains that things aren’t the way they used to be. The past was much better than the future. In so doing grumbling often re-imagines the past, focussing on what was good and forgetting what was bad.
Israel do that in this passage. They look back to their life in Israel and remember the variety of food that they ate: fish, cucumber, watermelons, leaks, onions and garlic. It all sounds delicious, a wonderfully varied menu. But now all they had as they travelled through the wilderness was Manna to eat.
As it goes, this is all true, but it ignores the hardships they faced in Egypt, forced to work as slaves, and having their newborn babies killed by Pharaoh. Was that really worth it for the sake of some nice food?
This re-imagining of the past is particularly bad, because it reframes who God is. Rather than celebrating God as the great redeemer who miraculously rescued them from slavery in Egypt, they see him as the one who has brought them into a life of boring food! No wonder God was angry!!
Are you in danger of grumbling about life in a way that reimagines the past in this kind of way? Are you in danger of grumbling about the struggles in your Christian life, in a way that forgets how God has rescued you from your pre-Christian life, where there was no relationship with God, not hope beyond death and no freedom from guilt or son?
Despises God’s Blessings in the Present
Grumbling can also despise the blessings that we have now. Israel were travelling through the wilderness. There should have been nothing there for them to eat, but God miraculously provided Manna every morning, which was easy to collect and cook and tasted like cake. This was a miraculous blessing, but Israel were complaining about the lack of variety. What God had generously and freely provided they despised. No wonder God was angry!
Are you in danger of despising the good things God has given you in this life? Instead of being grateful for the small things, do you moan about your lack? We need to stop grumbling and start being grateful.
Ignores God’s Promises for the Future
Finally, their grumbling ignores God’s promises for the future. Their present situation in the wilderness was tough, but it was also temporary. God was leading them into a promised land, where there would be plenty of lovely food. Rather than complaining about present hardships, they should be trusting God for his future provision. Trusting that God could meet all their needs and desires. No wonder God was angry!
Are you in danger of focussing so much on present hardships, that you forget about God’s future promises, about his power to save? We need to see again the big picture of what God is up to.
Israel’s grumbling was more than just expressing dissatisfaction about their diet, it expressed a failure to acknowledge the good God who had gone to incredible lengths to rescue and bless them. No wonder God is angry.
…Leads to God’s Punishment
So, at the end of the passage God sends his punishment.
He gives them what they want: meat and lots of it, but he also sends a plague that kills them. This may seem harsh, but we have already seen how the grumbling expressed a fundamental lack of gratitude towards God or trust in his power to save.
But also, this was not the first time Israel had grumbled about lack of provision. They had done so a few times already and each time, God had provided for them and not punished them. This now was becoming a pattern, God needed to act to stop a grumbling attitude that would ultimately drive the people away from the God who saves them.
It is also a blessing for future generations, because this punishment was made as a warning. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians referring to the events in Numbers:
“Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.” (1 Corinthians 10:6)
Will we heed the warning and refrain from grumbling like the Israelites?
Moses’s Lament:
In contrast to the Israelites, Moses’ complaint is a lament, not a grumble.
He brings his concerns to God in prayer. Let’s look in more detail about how he approaches things.
Honest
First of all, Moses is honest with God. In particular, he is honest about his feelings. He feels the immense pressure of leading such a large group of people, a people that are not his family, but whom God has called him to lead. He is angry with God, but he is bringing his anger to God. He is on the point of giving up, and he tells God this, saying that he would rather be dead than continue in the misery.
When the Bible tells us not to grumble, it is not telling us to pretend that everything in life is well. That the pressures we face do not matter. To just keep calm and carry on. Rather it calls us to lament. To bring our struggles to God in prayer. To be honest with him about how we are feeling.
As Peter puts it:
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
Humble
Secondly, Moses, comes humbly before God. He is not telling God what to do or where God has gone wrong. He acknowledges, that he is God’s servant, that God is ultimately in charge.
This is where lament differs from grumbling. Grumbling is ultimately self-centred and often self-important. It says my opinion is ultimately what matters. Lament on the other hand shares your opinion and feelings with God with the recognition that God knows best and God is in charge. It frames the complaint in the context of our relationship with God.
Trusting
Thirdly, Moses, shows that he trusts God to be able to deliver. When God says that he is going to give the people enough meat for a month, Moses initially throws up his hands in despair before God. There’s no way I can find that much meat to feed this many people!!
But, God’s response, which comes in one of the verses which we skipped over is:
“Is the LORD’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.” (Numbers 11:23)
Moses finds God’s promise hard to believe and tells God so, but ultimately he trusts that God’s arm is not too short, that he is able to do anything he promises. So, Moses gathers the people and tells them what God has promised. And God does indeed, provide more meat than they could possibly have imagined! Quail a meter deep for miles around!
Lament comes to God honestly with our problems and feelings, it does so understanding that God is in charge, but it also does so trusting that God is able to bring salvation. Will we come to God in lament and trust that God will work for our ultimate good?
God’s Provision:
Moses lament was that the burden of leadership was too much for him alone. So, God provided for Moses. He told him to find 70 elders and that he would take some of the Holy Spirit and put it on them, so that they too would be empowered to share in the leadership of the people, and the burden on Moses could be lifted.
And this is what God did. He gathered the chosen 70 at the tabernacle in the centre of Israel’s camp, God came down, and the Spirit was shared with the other elders. Initially it showed itself in the fact they were all prophesying, probably in the sense of becoming emotionally overcome with ecstatic praise of God, rather than in giving predictions of the future. This was a unique moment for them, but it demonstrated that God had indeed empowered them to support Moses.
Two on the list, however, had not made it to the Tabernacle. But God put his Spirit on them too and they were prophesying, but in the camp. Reports of this came to Moses and his inner circle and Joshua, Moses’ right-hand man was concerned that these two had gone rogue and that because they were in the camp, they may get all the attention rather than Moses.
But Moses is not concerned. He went to God, because of the pressure of solitary leadership and now God has responded by raising up 70 leaders to help him. What matters is not his status or reputation, but that the work of God can be done. He is not going to start grumbling about sharing leadership, but rejoice that more are doing God’s work.
When we bring our concerns to God in lament, we need to celebrate the way he helps us not focus on any downsides to us. Such an attitude slips into grumbling!!
Grumbling, Campaigning or Lamenting?
Next time you feel a need to complain ask yourself what are you doing: grumbling, campaigning or lamenting? If you are just sharing a moan with someone who can do nothing about it, then you are probably just grumbling. If, however, you are intentionally going to someone to sort out a problem or deal with an issue, then you are campaigning to make things better. Even better if you are bringing your concerns to God in prayer, then you are lamenting and you know that God is the one who has power over all problems!
Key notices: Life Groups, Parish Safeguarding Officer
Coming Up: Join Up Confirmation course, Dare to Pray, Men’s Group, Churches Together in Ramsgate United Service
Wider Church: Thanet Prayer Diary, Celebration Event for Safer Families
Interesting Blogs: Leaving the European Convention on Human Rights?
Weekly Calendar
Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training
Scroll on…
Opening Reflection
“And do not grumble, as some of them did–and were killedby the destroying angel.” (1 Corinthians 10:10)
“Mustn’t grumble….” is a phrase, which is these days often associated with older people. It seems to be a concept that has been lost among younger generations! Most of us too easily slip into complaining about everything from the poor performance of our cricketers to the failures of our politicians.
Complaining does of course have its place. Where it is raising legitimate concerns with superiors in order to improve the situation for ourselves or others, then it can be very helpful and constructive. In this sense prayer can be a kind of complaint and the Psalms give pleny of examples of prayers that complain to God about the difficult circumstances of life.
So, what does the Bible mean when it says, “Do not grumble…”? To fully understand we need to know the stories about Israel as they travelled through the wilderness towards the promised land. These appear in the book of Numbers and our sermon series is looking at some of those events. In those stories, the Israelite grumbling went beyond calling on God for help, because of their difficult situation. When they faced any difficulty they focussed so much on the problem, that they forgot the power of God to help and so decided they would be better off without God and back in Egypt. It amounted to an abandonment of God and his whole project.
As Christians we need to be honest about the difficulties and struggles we face, but we must not allow ourselves to be caught up in a negative spiral of grumbling that makes us forget the power of God to help. We must not abandon hope. As we enter 2026, lets lift our eyes from our problems to the God who promises us ultimate blessing.
Paul Worledge
Key Notices:
Life Groups
Will you dare to share the Christian life with others? Life groups are a great way to meet together regularly with a small group of other Christians, for mutual support, to share in reading God’s word and to pray for one another.
Please see Paul if you are interested in joining one. There are groups at the following times:
Monday evenings
Tuesday afternoons
Wednesday mornings
Wednesday evenings
Parish Safeguarding Officer Role
Safeguarding in church is the responsibility of everyone. However, we need someone to champion and promote safeguarding in the church and to be a point of contact for any concerns raised. There is a lot of Diocesan training and support for this role. If you think you might be the person to take it on then please let Paul know and he can share more about what is involved.
Coming Up:
Join Up Confirmation Courses
We will be hosting a Confirmation Service at St. Luke’s on 28th February 2025. Paul will be running a course called, Join Up, from 8th and 12th January, which is both a follow up to Christianity Explored and a preparation for Confirmation. If you have not been baptised or confirmed or are just interested in taking part in the course, then please talk to Paul, asap.
Dare to Pray – Saturday 17th, 9:30-10:30am, St. George’s Church
We had a small but important Dare to Pray meeting in December just before the Christmas services, which, as vicar, certainly boosted me for the Christmas period. For our January meeting we are going to be praying for positive developments for our vision in 2026 and discern together what should be our verse of the year. Suggestions in advance for the verse of the year are welcome.
Men’s Group – Saturday 17th January
Meeting at 8:30am for breakfast at Wetherspoon’s followed by a tour of Ramsgate tunnels at 10:00am. For more information contact Bruce Stokes or grab a flier.
Churches Together in Ramsgate United Service – 6pm, Sunday 25th January
After the success of the united service at Pentecost last May, we are planning another united service at the Royal Harbour School, for Sunday January 25th at 6pm. This will be more traditional in style and there will be a joint choir for the event. If anyone would like to be part of the choir, please let Paul know.
Wider Church
The Thanet Prayer Diary
The Prayer Diary for January and February is available at the back of church or download.
Celebration Event for Safer Families – This Saturday
You may have thought that the celebrations were over…… but we would love to invite you to join us to celebrate the first year of Safe Families and Home for Good in East Kent.
Do come along this Saturday 10th January between 2pm and 4pm to St Christopher’s Church, Newington (Princess Margaret Avenue, Newington, Ramsgate, Kent, CT12 6LG).
Interesting Blogs to Share:
Should the UK leave the European Convention on Human Rights?
This is a meaty article but tackles a controversial issue of today. Should we abandon the convention because it is an obstacle to controlling irregular migration or is it a necessary safeguard against key rights for us all? Read more…
If you volunteer in anyway at church the national authorities are strongly encouraging you to take at least the Basic Module in safeguarding training once every three years.
If you have not completed the training in the last three years, then the module can be completed online and takes about ninety minutes. You can access the training by following this link. You will need to first register, to access the training. Once the training is completed, you will be sent a certificate. Please forward that certificate to James (office@churchramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.
Finally, stop moaning and start rejoicing in the Lord!
St. George's Church Ramsgate 