South Street Free Church — Bulletin (Oct/Nov 2009)

Dear Friends,

As you might imagine, this has been a time of upheaval for our family, not least in the area of relationships as we say goodbye to some long-standing and dear friends in Stevenage and begin to make new friends in Eastbourne.

Relationships are not incidental aspects to our human existence: on the contrary — they are at the very core of what it means to be human. That is because humans are made in the image and likeness of the God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and whose relationships with each other existed before creation. There always will be relationships, and relationships always will be of paramount importance for this reason: there were relationships in eternity even back when there was nothing but God, and they were loving relationships too, e.g. the Father glorifies His Son (John 17:24; 8:54; 13:32; 16:14) and the Son delights to do His Father’s will (John 4:34; 6:38; 8:29). (Even the terms we use to refer to the Persons of the Trinity indicate their relationships: “Father” implies He has an offspring; “Son” implies he has a parent; even “Spirit” is really “Breath” in the original language of the New Testament, and “breath” implies a breather — see John 20:22.)

What’s more, this “God-who-relates” is directing all things towards the new heavens and the new earth where, as we might now expect, relationships will be at the centre of all that happens: the church across the ages will forever enjoy being united to the resurrected Son of God (Romans 6:1-10), the church will forever enjoy being Christ’s bride (Revelation 19:7; 21:2, 9-10, 27), and being in close relationship with the Father (John 17:3), and being in loving fellowship with each other (1 Corinthians 13:8). What a magnificent Trinity-God! And what a magnificent future hope the church of Jesus Christ has in store.

Such relationships with our Father, with our Saviour Jesus Christ, and with each other, are “what it’s all about” — what Christ died to secure. So when we live out such relationships (i.e. when we meet together regularly to pray and to praise our God and Saviour and to listen to Him by opening our Bibles, and when we talk to each other and do acts of kindness for each other), we are being like the “God who eternally relates,” and giving ourselves a glimpse of what our future in the new heavens and the new earth holds for us.

Your brother in Christ and assistant pastor,

David Batchelor