Holy, holy, holy Lord
Thus you call us by your Word
To be holy people too
True and faithful, Lord, to you.

Fair in all the ways we live;
Each, to each, our help to give;
Thus we can, by your great might
Become holy in your sight.

This we cannot do alone.
We need helping by your Son,
And the Holy spirit's pow'r
Working in us hour by hour.

Thus, by grace, we can achieve
All the gifts, which we believe
Are your will for us to have,
And our lives from sin to save.

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
Now you call us by your Word
To be holy people who
Live in love and faith to you.

The ways of the Lord
Are righteous indeed
The pow'r of his Word
Serves us in our need

The laws of the Lord
In works and in Word
Are all spread abroad
This wisdom we've heard.

The Christian church, in the west in the 21st century, is very much on the defensive. In part this is due to our lamentable history of violent, intolerant persecution of those who disagreed with us. However, the main factor influencing our demise is our, apparent, lack of relevance to daily living. This has been brought about by a range of challenges that arose in the 20th century.

We need to divide these into two main groups; those affecting the 'ordinary person in the street'; and those affecting the 'chattering classes'. To take them in reverse order, there has been, and continues, a concerted attack on the intellectual credentials of 'religious belief' and Christianity in particular. This is especially apparent in the universities, and subtly malicious in the 'media'.

The faith of the 'ordinary' person was seriously challenged by the slaughter of the first world war. This was reinforced by the horrors of the second world war.

Affecting both groups, and also many believers, has been the ongoing challenge presented by the discoveries in the sciences. The most serious obstacle to faith for non-believers has been, and continues in the trumpeting of the 'fundamentalists!

We, in the church, have been slow to respond to these challenges, and the dramatic changes in life styles. Especially the laissez-faire of 'post modernism' and 'new-age' ideas.

We must recapture the certainties of our faith and proclaim them fearlessly!

Love the Lord with heart and mind
Love your God with all your soul;
Life's direction you will find
Having Jesus as your goal.

Love your neighbour as yourself,
Thus community will grow.
Jesus Christ, our Lord, himself
Through your love, you him will show.

Jesus is the Son of God.
This the faith we all believe.
He our way of life has trod;
God's own gift we all receive.