How We Got Here

The old saying is that ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’. In that case, the people working here must be very godly!

James, the half brother of Jesus, is also known as ‘Camel Knees’, allegedly because he spent so much time on his knees praying that he developed calluses on his knees. May we spend as much time in prayer as we spend cleaning the floor!

“Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings?” (Zech 4:10, The Message)

Keeping things in context and seeing things in perspective are valuable qualities. How many arguments are blown out of all proportion by our over-sensitivity or our tendency to see things only from our own point of view? How many conflicts could be resolved if we were willing to listen to the other person’s point of view before jumping to conclusions?

On the one hand, the work at St Mark’s is a ‘day of small beginnings’. If we were to look at mega-churches in other parts of the world, the work we’re doing here pales into insignificance. On the other hand, for us as a group of people, we’re doing ‘great things’ because we’re stepping out in faith and understanding that God is bigger than our previous dreams or current experience.

The context (the set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event) and the perspective (how these facts or circumstances are viewed or interpreted) are all important, therefore, if we are to see things correctly. Without corrective lenses, my vision is blurred: I’m very short-sighted. In the same way, we need the lens of God’s Word to see things as He sees them. In this passage in Zechariah, the angel reminds Zechariah that it’s ‘not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit’ (Zech 4:6) and that the mighty mountain will become level ground before the work that Zerubbabel is doing.

The work going on at St Mark’s is not just about making a building functional or pretty so that it can look good. It’s about preparing a building to be used for God’s glory. Some may think that’s only a small beginning, but in God’s hands, even the small beginnings are not to be despised.

The bottom third of the main hall has now been painted magnolia:

The scaffolding clearly holds attraction for those with a head for heights!

This is the paint-sprayer which helped the job to go smoothly:

Before and after photos of the work being done on the floor in the corridor:

One of the many blessings of the Internet is the ability to stay connected with people from all over the world. It’s quite strange to think people are reading about this work being done in Goldthorpe in other countries, but I know people have been reading this in Germany, Finland, America, Australia and Canada! It’s possible to let people know what is happening so much more easily these days – photos, messages, e-mails all enable us to stay in touch with people. Prayer requests can be shared; good news can be passed on so quickly. That’s a great blessing.

It’s possible to keep people informed and up-to-date wherever they are and that’s one of the aims of this blog. It would be great to hear from you: whatever your location, post a comment to let us know where you are!

Staying connected to people through good communication is one of the ways we maintain relationships. Our relationship with God is similarly maintained through communication (prayer) and staying in touch with Him through His word, through the sacraments, through fellowship with His people. Acts tells us that those first followers of Christ “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42) Let’s do likewise and stay connected both to the Body of Christ and to the Lord Himself.

God’s church is an amazing creation. He takes different people, from different backgrounds and experiences and knits them together into a community which is founded upon His Son.

‘Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” ‘
(1 Cor 1:26-31)

I’m blessed to call these people family and immensely grateful for all they are doing to further God’s kingdom in this part of the world.

We all need hope if we are to function effectively in life. A life without hope is a life of despair, of torment, of futility. Proverbs tells us that hope deferred makes the heart sick (Prov 13:12), but we read in Romans that ‘hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.’ (Romans 5:4-5)

The work that is going on at St Mark’s is a testament to the hope God has given this church. Hoping inevitably involves patient waiting (see Romans 8) and that can test us to the limit. Biblical hope, however, involves connotations of anticipation (usually with pleasure) and expectation or confidence. We have hope because of who God is and because of what He has promised.

For many, many years, the church hoped for something bigger and better, a place where the dreams and plans God had birthed in us could grow to fruition. Now we are moving on into those dreams and plans. But still there is more: ‘so much more to be revealed’ (King, Denté, Keaggy).

Let’s not forget the hope to which God has called us. We are a privileged people, for we have the hope of His unfailing love, the hope of salvation, the hope of eternal life and the hope of future glory. Let’s hold on to God’s faithfulness, love and mercy as we seek to see the dreams become reality.

‘Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.’ (Lam 3:21-27)

Let’s make sure we watch what we are saying to ourselves and that we meditate on the hope we have!