Unfinished Projects

Sep 8, 2022

Children are full of great ideas that often fizzle out into nothing. Esther loves to staple papers together to make a book she is going to write. She sets off with great enthusiasm (her beginnings are very good; her illustrations apt.) But it’s rare that she makes it past chapter 1 and I have lots of unfinished booklets in my house. Most of us recognise this tendency in our own lives; how many of us have started the year full of zeal for a project (losing weight, house renovation, new hobby etc.) only to find our dedication petering away by the end of January?!

Unfinished work was the problem at the church in Sardis, according to Rev 3:1-6: ‘I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.’ We often start well with God, brimful with enthusiasm, devoted to prayer, reading the Bible, attending church services and speaking to other people about all that God has done for us. But all too often, these things – basics which are needed throughout our lives – fade away. Busyness creeps in and we don’t have time to pray. Weariness creeps in and it’s easier to doze or scroll through social media than read the Bible. A host of opportunities means we miss meetings and somehow we get out of the routine; surely God doesn’t mind? Before we know it, we have as many unfinished deeds at our feet as I have unfinished booklets in my house…

God’s answer is threefold: ‘Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.’ (Rev 3:3) Back to basics is not a political slogan; it is an everyday truth. Maybe we need to pick up the Bible again, spend some time in prayer, go to church or talk to a friend about God. No one else can do this for us. We have to do it ourselves.

Hallelujah, Anyway

Sep 5, 2022

A happy day today as the new Rend Collective CD ‘Whosoever’ was finally delivered through my letterbox. The song ‘Hallelujah Anyway’ is one of those ‘even if…’ songs which mean a great deal to me. Praise is, at times, a sacrifice; it’s also the best way to respond to every situation, no matter how dire. There’s a holy defiance in praise which may not make sense to the natural mind but which is the faith response of all who trust God.
“I’ll find a way to praise You
From the bottom of my broken heart
‘Cause I think I’d rather strike a match than curse the dark.
I’ll find a way to thank You
Though bitterness is real and hard
‘Cause I’d rather take a chance on hope than fall apart.
I don’t think I’m ready to surrender to the dark
No
Even if my daylight never dawns,
Even if my breakthrough never comes,
Even if I’ll fight to bring You praise.
Even if my dreams fall to the ground,
Even if I’m lost, I know I’m found,
Even if my heart will somehow say,
Hallelujah anyway.
I hear a hymn of triumph
In the wilderness of my lament
In the lowlands or the mountain tops, I won’t forget,
All that goodness that You have shown me
The promises that You have kept
There’s better days on the horizon up ahead.
Even if my daylight never dawns
Even if my breakthrough never comes
Even if I’ll fight to bring You praise
Even if my dreams fall to the ground
Even if I’m lost, I know I’m found
Even if my heart will somehow say
Hallelujah anyway
Let it rise, let it rise
In the dark or the light
Oh, my soul, stand and fight
If you’ve got a song to sing, let it rise.” (“Hallelujah Anyway”, Rend Collective)

New Beginnings

Sep 4, 2022

Tonight’s ‘Little Big Church’ looked at the topic of ‘New Beginnings’ as we prepare for the new academic year. New beginnings (for the children, starting nursery, school or going into a new class; for the adults, things like starting a new job, getting married, becoming pregnant or being made redundant or retiring) are an inevitable part of life (not simply in September!), but they can bring mixed emotions, including joy and nervousness.
We can face change in whatever sphere because we have an unchanging God. Change in the natural world happens all the time, and the children made craft caterpillars and butterflies to remind us that change is both natural and normal and part of God’s plan.
The biggest change that can ever happen to us is when we become a Christian and are changed into new creations (2 Cor 5:17). God gives us new birth, new life, new hope and new opportunities. We can therefore face every new beginning with hope because of who God is!

Blessings From God

Sep 4, 2022

Garry continued looking at the life of Joseph today, speaking from Gen 42:25-26. Here, we see Joseph blessing his brothers by putting grain into their sacks and putting back the silver they had offered to pay for the grain. They did not expect this, but through Joseph, their needs were met and their debt had been counted as paid. This is a picture of what God has done for us through Christ. A price was put on sin and a debt was due, but Christ has paid this debt through his death on the cross. His death means we can be bought back and brought back to God (see Romans 5.)
Moreover, Joseph’s brothers were given provisions for their journey. They received more than they asked for. We ask for forgiveness from God but find we receive grace upon grace (John 1;16). Just like the prodigal son, we find we are welcomed back and given new robes and food to eat (see Luke 15:21-24). God has adopted us as sons (Rom 8:15-17) and given us all the legal standing as heirs of Christ. He has given us new birth into a living hope and into an inheritance that cannot perish or fade. (1 Pet 1:3-5)
God also gives us the Holy Spirit within (John 14:15-17) to be our advocate, adviser, comforter and intercessor. (Rom 8:26) He teaches us about sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:12-14) and speaks directly to us of the things of God. (1 Cor 2:10-14), lavishing His gifts upon us. (1 Cor 12:8-10)
What Joseph did for his brothers – filling their bags with grain, returning each man’s silver and giving them provisions for their journey is a beautiful illustration of what God does for each and every one who comes to Him.

Standing Firm In The Faith

Sep 4, 2022

It can be difficult at times for Christians to believe that our faith really matters or that God really is who He says He is, the all-powerful One who reigns over all. It can be tempting to live by our natural senses instead and to go along with the majority Western view that God does not exist and that life is simply the here-and-now.
 
The steadfast witness of God’s people down the centuries and the witness of the Bible contradict this view, however. These two witnesses remind us of the centrality of God and the importance of faith.
 
Isaiah, many years before the birth of Christ, told God’s people,, ‘If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’ (Is 7:9)
 
‘Standing firm’ is a theme which runs throughout the Bible. Moses told the peple to ‘stand firm’ and see God’s deliverance immediately prior to the parting of the Red Sea. (Ex 14:13) Jehoshaphat was told, ‘You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you.’ (2 Chron 20:17) David spoke of God lifting him from the slimy pit and setting his feet on a rock, giving him a firm place to stand. (Ps 40:2) Jesus spoke of the one who stands firm to the end being saved. (Matt 10:23, Matt 24:13, Mark 13:13)
 
Paul urged the Corinthians to ‘stand firm in the faith’ (1 Cor 16:13, see also 1 Cor 15:58).The Galatians were urged to stand firm and refuse to be burdened again with a yoke of slavery. (Gal 5:1) The Epheisans were urged to stand firm even in the day of evil by using the spiritual armour God provides. (Eph 6:10-20)
 
Ultimately, we stand firm not because of our own balance or goodness. We stand firm in faith by trusting God more than the evidence of our natural eyes, more than our own feelings (which change frequently). We stand firm because God is that solid rock whose word is eternal, standing firm in the heavens. (Ps 119:89) Since God’s love stands firm forever (Ps 89:2) and his statutes stand firm (Ps 93:5), we have a solid basis for faith.

Fisherman’s Friends: One And All

Sep 4, 2022

Yesterday was ‘National Cinema Day’, with cinema tickets costing just £3 per adult, and so I ventured for the first time in quite a while to the cinema to watch ‘Fisherman’s Friends: One And All’, the sequel to a film i greatly enjoyed in 2019.

For me, the film held two irresistible attractions: the beautiful scenery of Cornwall (the singing group are fishermen from Port Isaac, a place I visited for the first time in 2021) and the exquisite acapella singing of these talented men. To have a film wholly dedicated to these two things was like sitting on the beach on a summer’s day with the sun warming my bare feet and the beauty of God’s creation and the harmony of song warming my soul.

The film contains sixteen songs (more than you get on a CD!) and charts the ups and downs of fame, the pain of bereavement, the dawning of love and the vicissitudes of life, and ends with the performance of the group at Glastonbury, of all places (which actually did happen in 2011.) Many film critics have said the film lacks depth, subtlety or plot and is all too predictable. All I can say is we live in a world so staggeringly beautiful, it’s worth the time spent gazing on Cornish seas and towns and that the sea shanties which made the group’s name have the ability to capture life experiences with simple poignancy. For me, the reminder of beauty, love and song are enough to bring a smile to my face and a spring to my step.