A Final Word…..

“So Jesus went dahn inter t’watter o’ t’ River Jordan. But as ‘e comes aht ageean ‘e seeams ter see t’sky suddenly open up – an’ it’s as if God’s ‘Oly Spirit’s comin’ dahn an’ settlin’ on ‘im, same as a dove. An’ Jesus ‘ears a voice from up yonder, an’ all. It says: ‘This ere is my well-loved Son - an’ ah’m reight sewted wi’ ‘im!”
Mark Chp.1, vs.10,11

Have you managed to translate the above version of Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan? It’s the broad Yorkshire dialect version by Dr. Arnold Kellet, and comes via a helpful friend who thought we’d need a translation that everyone would be able to understand in Halifax!

Now it struck Andrea and I that the dialect isn’t too dissimilar from the old Lancashire dialect that we can remember being spoken in our childhoods. It may be that we should have been using this translation earlier, so even more people could understand and respond to the call of Jesus on our lives to ‘repent and believe in the good news’(Mark 1:15). God’s desire is that all should have the opportunity to respond to the call of his beloved son, so that He can be ‘reight sewted wi’ us all.’

So, the 13th.July was to be our last service at St. John’, and it was a cracker! Andrea and myself were so blessed by the Worship, generosity, kindness and love shown to us. We cannot mention names, but those who have put themselves out for Jesus over the last ten years have been great companions on the journey, and have already begun to receive the reward promised them, as healing, and Spirit inspired grace, begin to change the way we think and live, no longer me, me, me, but more of you Lord in our lives.

As Jesus predicted, (Matt.13) some will hear and respond – and one lady reminded me this weekend, that her life has been changed by God over these years – but others will not, illustrated by an overheard conversation following my last sermon – ‘what’s ‘e takin’ abat now?’ (in Yorkshire dialect!) It’s hard to know whether to laugh or cry when people can’t see the Grace of God amongst us, perhaps the best reaction is to cry for the lost (as Jesus did), but to laugh at our ham fisted and poor attempts to illustrate the love of God for all people (which Jesus didn’t have to do).

That was really the theme of my last sermon, that God signed a covenant of love with us way back with Abraham, and he isn’t one to forget his promises. That living covenantal relationship is visibly being worked out at St. John’s, and I am immensely proud of the commitment our church has put in over the years. Yet, this covenant is not all plain sailing, as the life of Jesus illustrates, it’s a costly covenant, and all committed Christians can expect to be misunderstood and even to suffer for their faith. As Psalm 72 says, God is in the suffering and the joy – ‘You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my honour, and comfort me once again.’

And so finally, this Covenant story makes us family, we have a name that is above all names, and no one can separate us, even though our part of the story at St. John’s is at an end. I look forward to hearing what the next part of the story will be for this wonderful mission minded church? What I do know is that the best for St. John’s is yet to be, and us honorary Yorkshire men wait with baited breath to hear of what God is doing in Lancashire….


  All our love in the Lord Jesus,
  Andrea, Steve, Pete, Becky & Jo, xxx