Sermon with all the right ingredients.

Netherton Methodist Church

"DO you want a big one or a little one?" Sheila asked me as I walked into Netherton Methodist Church last Sunday morning.

Struggling for a witty yet respectful reply I blurted out: "I'm a visitor. What d'you think?"

"Oh well, in that case you'd better have a big one." she said and thrust a huge hymn book into my hand.

"You'd better have our church magazine too," `Easter Blessings', (is it really that time already!) then you'll know you've come to the right place!"

If I have a weakness it's for cakes and cookies and as I thumbed through the pages I found a recipe I must try, Stem Ginger and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Surprisingly that was the theme of the sermon given by the visiting local preacher, Ieuan Jones - recipes.

Brandishing a tatty, food-stained cookbook Ieuan Jones proclaimed: "Right, we're going to bake a cake. So what do we need? Flour, water, sugar and so on? Yes! But we need to put all the ingredients together. We need a recipe. We need a recipe book!"

He continued: "In Galatians we're given the ingredients for a true Christian life - love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. But in us some ingredients might be missing or not in the right quantities."

Referring to a reading he'd given earlier from Matthew's Gospel, the eight Beatitudes, or as he called them the "beautiful attitudes", he continued: "These are Christ's warnings and encouragements. Ingredients and a recipe that apply to us all."

In a lilting Welsh accent he intoned each of the blessings: but then he did something all too few preachers do nowadays - he expressed an opinion!

"Blessed are the peacemakers," he said, " Not the peacekeepers but the peacemakers. The world needs peacemakers!" and added: "You know, I'm not convinced about the war in Iraq but if the elections there are successful some good may come of it."

His service ended with a prayer for peace between Israel and Palestine, between countries and communities.

For the elections for democracy in Iraq Ieuan prayed: " Give them the strength to do what is right."

And in a world where as he said "the wisdom of man is foolishness in the eyes of God" his final prayer was for ourselves: "May we show the characteristics of Christ. Christ, the `fool' for Love."

Blessed are the peacemakers!

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Title Annotation:	Features
Publication:	Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England)
Date:	Feb 5, 2005
Words:	397
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