Sunday 28 February 2021

Recorded Morning Worship led by

Majors David and Jane Alton

To KNOW Christ ~ To LIVE Christ ~ To SHARE Christ

“Nailing a Jelly to

the Wall”The Parable of the

Banquet from a different angle

Matthew 22:1-14

BOSCOMBE CORPS NEWS

Prayer Requests We have a number of our corps family who need our prayers at the

moment for various reasons: Please pray for Jan and Ray Moye who have health concerns.

Please pray for any you know who are facing difficult circumstances relating to employment, health or relationships.

Pray for those who live alone and for many of the older members of the congregation who are finding this time particularly difficult.

Promotion to Glory Major Georgina Atkinson was Promoted to Glory on the afternoon of

Friday 26 February. We give thanks for the Major’s long life and ministry. Please pray for Fleur, Franz, Dorcas, Dario and the wider

family at this time of bereavement.

Funeral Details for Lieut-Colonel Eva Hoyle A Thanksgiving Service will be held at Bournemouth Crematorium

on Monday 15 March at 2pm, conducted by Majors David and Jane. Please continue to pray for Rev David and Shirley, Peter and Gillian,

Rev Stephen and Jane and the rest of the family at this time of bereavement.

BH1 News We are pleased to announce the appointment of a BH1 Project

manager. Annette Watts takes up the post on 10 May 2021. Annette comes with much experience working within Salvation Army

Homelessness Services and corps community programmes. We look forward to welcoming her to the team. Please pray for Annette as she anticipates this new challenge. Please also pray for the BH1

team as they continue to serve our local community.

Appointment News

You may remember Cadet Kit Mayston-King, who came to spend a

week’s placement with us in November 2019. Please remember Kit

in your prayers as he has received his first appointment. Following

his commissioning as a Lieutenant in the Summer, Kit will take up

appointment as the Corps Officer of Leamington Spa Corps.

PRAYER MATTERS

Monday 1 March – (NSB406) COVID-19. Loving Father, today

we give You grateful thanks for every answered prayer, and

boldly declare nothing is impossible for You. An eminent medical

research professor has stated that COVID vaccines are nothing

short of a miracle. Wow Lord, we give You the glory for the

miracle of the vaccines, the speedy roll out programme and all

those engaged in making it possible. We give thanks for everyone

involved with the ‘road map’ out of lockdown announced recently.

It brings us cautious hope. Please give wisdom and strength to all

in the government as they seek to balance economy and keeping

us safe. Help us to remain persistent in our prayers for all who

serve and suffer and grieve in these days, those in our own nation

and around the world. Amen. (THQ)

Tuesday 2 March – (NSB527) Heavenly Father, in today’s busy

world, it’s so easy to get distracted and side-tracked. Please help

us to keep our priorities in the right order during this Lenten

season, so we can give to You the time, attention and devotion

You deserve. Align our hearts with Yours we pray; challenge,

refresh and renew us for Your mission and glory and honour as

we journey towards the celebration of the resurrection of our

Saviour Jesus. Amen. (THQ)

Wednesday 3 March – (NSB394) What will you thank God for

right now? How can you remind yourself to thank Him more often

today? My Father God, thank You for every breath You’ve given

me. Thank You for the smallest things in life and the greatest

miracles of life. Amen. (ODB)

Thursday 4 March – (NSB302) Psalm 62:1-2 (NLT) I wait quietly

before God, for my victory comes from Him. He alone is my rock

and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.

During this long lockdown, we may feel shaken, stressed,

bruised, lonely and be grieving all kinds of losses, yet in these

verses the Psalmist reminds himself to wait on the Lord for His

deliverance in quietness and trust. I encourage you in this Lenten

season to draw close to God in prayer, our rock and firm

foundation and I pray that in Him you will find rest and peace for

your soul. Lord, in these difficult times, help us not to be shaken

by the news we hear and situations around us, but to keep finding

our rest and peace in quiet communion with You. Amen. God

bless you as you pray. Major Pauline Milner THQ – newly retired

to Dublin City SA. God bless you, too, Pauline and thank you for

all your prayer resources over the years.

Friday 5 March – (NSB305) World Day of Prayer: Theme

‘Building on a strong foundation’ and prepared by women in the

Republic of Vanuatu. Please read Galatians 5:22,23. …the fruit

of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity,

faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. As the world focuses on

today’s services, may the women in Vanuatu feel the worldwide

wave of prayer surrounding them. (IN)

Saturday 6 March – (NSB582) We would pray for the nation’s

children, students and teachers as they prepare to return to their

schools on Monday 8th. Lord of all knowledge and wisdom,

please… in the way that only You can, make up to them the

education they have lost. Bless them in every way, that they may

learn, be nurtured and encouraged, and enjoy friendships and

develop their gifts and interests, we pray. Amen. (THQ)

Sunday 7 March – (NSB317) Self Denial Altar Service. Lord

Jesus, shine the searchlight of Your Spirit upon the issues of

each day. Make and keep me sensitive to the needs of others,

and aware of what practical steps I might take to love good and

hate evil and to seek justice for all. And may the love of God flow

through me so that my words and actions match up! Amen.

Worship and Word

Sunday 28 February 2021 This act of worship has been prepared for use at home and follows the service posted on the Boscombe Salvation Army YouTube channel and corps website. Spend a few moments with God, knowing that other people are sharing this act of worship with you. Welcome Major David Alton Song 277 SASB: Thine is the Kingdom, Lord

THINE is the Kingdom, Lord, Thou art the King of kings;

Thy realm enfolds the universe And Heaven its tribute brings;

Though evil forces seem On earth to hold the sway,

Thy loyal peoples wait in faith To hail Thy crowning day.

Thine is the power, O Lord,

Nor Heaven nor earth can break; The oceans move at Thy command,

The stars their courses make. Thou canst the breath of man

Bestow or canst withhold; Of all the wonders of Thy power

No tongue has ever told.

Thine is the glory, Lord, The greatness and the praise, The final victory over death,

The end of mortal days. All majesty is Thine,

Beyond the poet's pen, For Thou art life, and light and love:

Amen, amen, amen! Arch Wiggins

Prayers Major Christine Edwin

Song 275 SASB: Sing we the king

SING we the king who is coming to reign, Glory to Jesus, the Lamb that was slain, Life and salvation His empire shall bring Joy to the nations when Jesus is king.

Come let us sing: Praise to our king,

Jesus our king, Jesus our king; This is our song, who to Jesus belong:

Glory to Jesus, to Jesus our king.

All men shall dwell in His marvellous light, Races long severed His love shall unite,

Justice and truth from His sceptre shall spring, Wrong shall be ended when Jesus is king.

All shall be well in His Kingdom of peace,

Freedom shall flourish and wisdom increase, Foe shall be friend when His triumph we sing,

Sword shall be sickle when Jesus is king.

Souls shall be saved from the burden of sin, Doubt shall not darken His witness within,

Hell hath no terrors and death hath no sting; Love is victorious when Jesus is king.

Kingdom of Christ, for Thy coming we pray,

Hasten, O Father, the dawn of the day When this new song Thy creation shall sing,

Satan is vanquished and Jesus is king. Charles Silvester Horne

SD Video Rebuilding Hope and Resilience Together Musical Item: Build your Kingdom Regent Hall Corps Worship Group

Freewill Offering Bible Reading: Matthew 22:1-14 Major Colin Edwin

Song: A King Planned a Party ASH GROVE 6.6.11.6.6.11 D

A king planned a party — a feast, rich and hearty. He sent invitations to all of his guests.

So what could be better than getting a letter And being invited and welcomed and blessed?

"My work needs attention," said one, "Not to mention, My family is growing. There's so much to do."

"My farm," said another, "Is big, and — oh, brother — I'm busy with hobbies I want to pursue."

"The wedding is ready! My guests are not worthy!"

The king told his servants when nobody came. So go search the alleys, the hills and the valleys, And bring in the poor and the blind and the lame."

That day there was singing and halls that were ringing With laughter and joy in that wonderful place.

For those who attended knew how they depended Upon the king's generous mercy and grace.

O God, you invite us! You seek to delight us. Your table is ready for those who say "Yes!"

Do we make excuses when you want to choose us To sit at your table, forgiven and blessed?

And, Lord, as you welcome us into your kingdom, May we reach to welcome the world by your grace.

You love the outsider. Now may we reach wider To welcome the world with your loving embrace.

Caroline Winfrey Gillette

Testimony Joy Whittingham Musical Item: Hide me now Salvation Brass Bible Message Major David Alton

Every movement has mavericks. The Salvation Army has had a few, we might include George Scott Railton, Elijah Cadman, Joe the Turk, Gypsy Smith and even John Gowans or Danielle Strickland.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America would include Rev Nadia Bolz-Weber in their list. She is a Lutheran minister, a former addict who prior to ordination was a stand-up comedian.

Tattoos, on her arms, mark the story of the Gospel. Her church, the House for All Sinners and Saints welcomes the marginalised. Something she wrote about our passage really challenged me.

Bolz-Weber wrote about her mum and dad returning from visiting Israel. They told of unsuspecting Christians from the West being scammed. They buy tours of Biblical sites that include visiting the spot where the Good Samaritan helped the man beaten by thieves. This seems great until you realize that the Good Samaritan was a parable. It would be like selling tickets to see the childhood home of the Billy Goats Gruff or Goldilocks.

Our desire to believe that there’s an actual road we could visit where the Good Samaritan helped the beaten man points to our desire to domesticate parables into something understandable and unchanged

that we can take snap shots of ourselves standing in front of while on holiday. But that's not what parables are; they are metaphorical, part riddle, part joke and unsolvable.

That’s why, throughout Christian history, we’ve tried to define what each one means, neatly allegorizing them so they are less mysterious, which is like trying to nail jelly to a wall.

We can all identify with wanting to simplify parables into something small and understandable with a moral lesson tacked onto the end. Yet what makes Jesus' parables so powerful is that they are endless sources of meaning, but we must be willing to keep tilting our head in different directions to see them anew. Let’s tilt our heads because this parable is a humdinger. Here’s how Bolz-Weber heard the parable:

A king throws a wedding banquet, inviting the other rich, slave-owning powerful people. Seemingly unimpressed by the promised feast, the elite invitees laugh at the invitation and proceed to abuse, then kill the slaves of the king.

Then, the king kills them right back. But he doesn't stop there, he burns down the city and it is there amidst the burning carnage of the newly destroyed city he sends more slaves to go find whoever they can, to fill the seats. After all, the food is prepared, and he has all these fancy robes for the guests. All he cares about is having every seat filled at his big party. But who is left? He burned the city. The rich and powerful have been murdered.

So, it is the regular people wandering the streets looking for their dead, picking apart the charred debris of their burned city who are then told that they have no choice but to go to the party of the person responsible and it has already been established that he does not respond well if you turn him down.

So, the terrified masses show up and pretend that this capricious tyrant did not just lay waste to their city. Out of fear they all dutifully put on their wedding robes given them at the door and they pretend. Slipping on a gorgeous garment was what you did for a king's wedding feast. And the guests got to keep the outfits, just a little souvenir of the king's

generosity - and a reminder to keep in line. You do not get anything from the empire without it costing you a bit of your life.

Well, our story ends with these well-dressed survivors looking on as the King spots the one guy at the banquet who is not wearing a wedding robe. And when the innocent man has nothing to say for himself the king has this scapegoat hogtied and thrown into the outer darkness. Many are called but few are chosen he says.

That’s a very particular take on the parable and I can hear folk complaining about her interpretation. We might question her exegesis, but it does make us wonder.

Why is it that we want to think that in parables God is always the rich ruler, the slave owner, the tyrant? Maybe it is because we've been told that God is on the side of victory and winning and power and empire. But that's just not the God we see revealed in Jesus Christ. Matthew, whose gospel this parable is from, is always contrasting the kingdom of Caesar’s empire with the Kingdom that Jesus came to announce and inaugurate.

What if the hero is the man who would not put on the king's wedding robe?

What if the kingdom of Heaven is like someone who shows up and says no to empire, who stands speechless before his accusers?

What if the kingdom of Heaven is like someone who is made a scapegoat for speaking truth to power?

What if the kingdom of Heaven is like someone who is beaten for not participating in the charade of pretending God is OK with the powerful victimizing the weak?

What if the kingdom of Heaven is like someone who is thrown by the empire into the outer-darkness and what if the name of that outer darkness is Calvary?

Because, if there is a king in the Gospel that looks anything like the God that we gather to worship, it looks like the King called Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve and offer his life in exchange for our death.

If there is a king in the Gospel that looks anything like the God that we worship, it looks like the King called Jesus; the one who was the unexpected embodiment of truth – the kind of truth that disarms the powerful.

It would be a mistake to assume that Kingdom of Heaven only refers to that somewhere else reality that we speak and sing about. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s even more than that. Heaven isn’t simply a ‘one day’ thing, it’s also a ‘today, right here, right now’ thing. The Kingdom of Heaven described by Jesus in the gospels involves the living out of peace and harmony that mirrors the nature of heaven. It can be realized on earth, here and now. It is a society of abundance, sharing, love, gentleness, peace-making, compassion, mercy, faith, and joy, marked by equality rather than domination. Theologians have called it the "upside down" kingdom because its values differ so radically from the values of worldly empires.

The order of things that belongs to empire dismisses the humanity of the individual and reduces them to a commodity, a number, or a function. The Kingdom of Heaven identifies with people, seeing them as God does, treating them as valued, loved, and full of potential.

The order of things belonging to empires erodes community, separating people from each other promoting self and selfishness.

The order of things that belongs to empires encourages worship of the false or the flashy, the fake and the foolish.

Jesus does not play the games of empire. However, you interpret this parable, it’s a theological truth that Christ and his defiance of empire culture, empire values, and empire state of mind sets us free. He chooses a way that looks like complete failure through the eyes of empire, but which is the way of forgiveness, mercy, peace & life. Jesus takes on the brutality of the empire and defeats it.

He defeats it for us, so that we can live in the way of life even amidst the rubble of empire – even amidst all the ways we suffer on account of empire and all the ways we benefit from it.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a first century Jewish peasant who laughed at the powerful, kissed lepers, ate with all the wrong people and whom the authorities and the powerful had to tie and throw into the outer darkness. What if the kingdom of God is like Jesus? And what if it is from this place of outer darkness that everything is changed? In the outer darkness of Calvary where death is swallowed up forever.

Now there is a thought to take forward as we journey into Lent. It’s not so much about nailing jelly to a wall, it is tilting your head and listen to what the Lord is saying.

Time of Reflection Song 165 SASB: From Heaven you came The Wright family

From heaven you came helpless babe Entered our world, your glory veiled

Not to be served but to serve And give Your life that we might live

This is our God, The Servant King

He calls us now to follow Him To bring our lives as a daily offering

Of worship to The Servant King

There in the garden of tears My heavy load he chose to bear His heart with sorrow was torn

'Yet not My will but Yours, ' He said

Come see His hands and His feet The scars that speak of sacrifice Hands that flung stars into space

To cruel nails surrendered

So, let us learn how to serve, And in our lives enthrone him, Each other’s needs to prefer, For it is Christ we’re serving

Graham Kendrick Song 991 SASB: We’re in God’s Army

WE'RE in God's Army and we fight

Wherever wrong is found; A lowly cot or stately home May be our battleground.

We own no man as enemy, Sin is our challenged foe;

We follow Jesus, Son of God, As to the war we go.

We shall not lose the fight of faith,

For Jesus is our Lord, We lay all carnal weapons down

To take His shining sword.

When our invading forces march, In every tongue we sing;

We are of every class and race, Yet one in Christ, the king.

Our Master's darkest battlefield, Upon a lonely height,

Reveals God's sword to everyone, A cross of love and light.

His Kingdom cometh not by force

But, by the gentle power Of righteousness and truth and grace,

He triumphs every hour. Sometimes His happy people march

With banners floating high, Though often in secluded ways,

They fight that self may die.

The good fight is the fight of faith, Heaven's victories are won

By men unarmed, save with the mind That was in Christ, the Son.

As morning overwhelms the night, So truth shall sin o'erthrow,

And love at last shall vanquish hate As sunshine melts the snow.

Catherine Baird Benediction Major Jane Alton

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