Tonight we looked again at 1 Peter 2:9-10, verses which firmly secure our identity as the people of God above everything else. This identity is firmly rooted in the Bible, which tells the story of how God chose one man (Abram) to belong to Him and to be the means of blessing the whole world (see Gen 12:1-3). Our links with him are explored in Rom 4:11-18 when he is described as ‘the father of all who believe.’

We see God’s dealings with His people throughout the Old Testament, through the miraculous son of promise (Isaac) and his descendants, including Joseph, who was able to help God’s people during a time of famine. When Joseph’s role in history was forgotten, the people of God ended up as slaves under Egyptian rule, but God again worked on their behalf through Moses and Aaron, the ten plagues and finally, the Passover (see the book of Exodus.) The primary purpose, it seems, of the people of God is to worship and honour God (see Ex 8:1). We were made to worship; Peter reminds us that we are a chosen people ‘that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.’ (1 Pet 2:9)

The deliverance of Israel through the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14), which became a defining moment for God’s people in the Old Testament, is followed by a song of praise (Ex 15). Louie Giglio defines worship as ‘our response, both personal and corporate, to God for who He is and for what He has done, expressed in the things we say and the way we live.’ We worship God for who He is and for what He has done; we worship God because He has called us out of darkness into light. Peter says, ‘Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.’ (1 Pet 2:10) Our job now, so to speak, is to declare aloud, to ‘publish’, the news of what God has done: ‘He has done this for you so you can tell others how God has called you out of darkness into His great light.’ (1 Pet 2:9, NLV) Worship is expressed in the things we say – so it matters that we pray, that we sing, that we verbalise what we feel about God and speak about Him to other people – but it matters also how we live as this holy nation, reflecting God’s nature, showing love, kindness, grace and mercy to others. We join a long line in history of people who have seen and experienced God’s goodness and power in our lives and our identity is firmly embedded in God. Now we tell others about who He is and what He has done so that they too may experience God’s glory and become His people too.

Today (Friday) we have our Parent & Toddler group this morning and then will see artist Jayde Bell (Eye Violet) resume her work on the church wall mural whilst we set up for our fund-raising coffee morning.

The coffee morning on Saturday 7 September (10 a.m. – 12 p.m.) will feature a table top sale, home baking, hot and cold drinks and the chance to take part in our ‘Coasters of Hope’ art project whereby people paint coasters which will then be stuck together to spell our the word ‘Hope’, ‘Faith’ and ‘Love’, reminding us of these important virtues. Do come along to support the coffee morning which will raise funds for Dearne Churches Together so we can continue to put on community events and to help pay for 4FrontTheatre’s visits to local schools with their Christmas show ‘Not Getting Inn’ in December.

Our services on Sunday are at 10.30 a.m. and 6.00 p.m.

2 Samuel 4 continues the struggle between those power-hungry people who thought that helping David out involved killing anyone who got in his way, this time showing us two men (Rekab and Baanah) who killed Saul’s descendant and king over Israel, Ish-Bosheth, following Abner’s death and Ish-Bosheth’s lack of courage. It seems by this time, there was a general consensus of belief that David would indeed become king of Israel, but whilst David was still prepared to wait for the Lord to bring about the fulfilment of His promises, others were not so keen on this spiritual approach.

The chapter reminds us of the stark contrast between the two kingdoms of this world: one where human power and might rule, and one where service, humility and patience are highly valued. David did not endorse or condone the violent means which Rekab and Baanah employed; instead, he exhibited swift justice on these two men and proceeded to bury the head of Ish-Bosheth in Abner’s tomb, a sign of respect for Saul’s family which spoke volumes. He did not need to rely on other people’s violence or ingenuity to bring about God’s purposes; he was confident in the Lord ‘who has delivered me out of every trouble.’ (2 Sam 4:9) Sure enough, by 2 Samuel 5:1-5, he is approached by the people of Israel who wish to make him king. God’s will will prevail, but we must also learn that ‘the Jesus way and the Jesus truth must be congruent. Only when the Jesus way is organically joined with the Jesus truth do we get the Jesus life.’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘The Jesus Way’) The end cannot justify the means in the spiritual life. We have to learn to do things God’s ways; DIY is not a recommended pastime in God’s kingdom!

As we survey the wreckage of the early chapters of 2 Samuel, we see violence, death, vengeance and wrong attitudes in abundance, but we also see David patiently waiting for the Lord. It took 7 ½ years from the death of Saul for David to finally become king over all Israel, but the confidence in God which was first evident when David took on Goliath (1 Sam 17:37, 46) has now matured – through adversity – into patient trust and hope in God. James reminds us that ‘the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.’ (James 1:3-4) Paul urges us, ‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ (Gal 6:9) Harvests take hard work and time to reap, but as David shows us, the results are worth waiting for!