Motherhood

Mar 30, 2025

Today is Mothering Sunday – and as many maxims remind us, motherhood is often a bittersweet affair! (‘The joy of motherhood is best experienced when the children are in bed….’) All of us have had mothers, but our experiences will all be different, not to mention there are those who mother others even if they have not given birth to children themselves.
Mothers have a bond with their children which God alludes to in Isaiah 49:15 when he says, ‘Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!’ God describes himself as both a mother and a father and shows us what the perfect parent looks like. He never gives up on His children. He sacrifices for us – He gives us Himself.
God does not forget us and longs for us to know Him. He waits for us to return to Him and cares for us at all times. As we spend today giving thanks for our mothers and remembering those who have had that special mentoring role in our lives, let’s remember also the God who cares for us as tenderly as any mother.

The Revelation of God

Mar 23, 2025

The Bible discussion tonight focussed on Psalm 19 and how God reveals Himself both through creation and through His word. We talked about how particularly in Western society, an attempt is made to ‘muffle’ the psalm by ascribing everything around us to chance and demeaning God’s word (asserting that it is unreliable and untrustworthy.) The psalm reminds us of God’s power in creation and that He speaks to us through His word.
The children made paper flowers to give to their Mums in readiness for Mothering Sunday next weekend.
We also had a birthday to celebrate.

Fishers of Men

Mar 23, 2025

This morning we looked at our identity as the people of God as ‘fishers of men’. The call of God to Simon and Andrew (Matt 4:18-22, Mark 1:17-20, Luke 5:1-10) reminds us that God gives us a new identity and purpose when we come to know Him. The metaphor about fishing for people was obviously relevant to fishermen whose living was made by fishing, but when Jesus the carpenter told them to let down their nets for a catch which was greater than anything they had achieved on their own, they must have realised that here was someone with far greater authority and power than anything they had ever seen before.

The metaphor of fishing may not seem relevant to us nowadays, but the call to share the good news of Jesus Christ remains (Matt 28:18-20). Our identity can never be divorced from Him. He calls us to tell others what He has done for us, which involves being with people and being willing to speak openly about our faith and what Jesus means to us. We have to understand, as with fishermen, that this can take time and patience, but what matters is our willingness to testify when opportunities arise. We are not responsible for how people respond to what we say, but we must give the invitation to follow Jesus whenever we can.

We are all chosen by God and empowered to serve Him, but like those first disciples, we must respond to His call – something they did without delay (Matt 4:20, Mark 1:18, 20). Our lives, our words, our patience, our kindness, our generosity, our tenderness and faithfulness matter enormously. The call to evangelise and make disciples of all nations is not meant to burden us and make us feel inadequate; it is an open invitation to follow Him and invite others to join us on this wonderful adventure of faith.

 

Confusing Emotions

Mar 21, 2025

Anyone who has raised a child knows something of raw emotion and brutal honesty: the tantrums, the howls of despair, the way a mood can change in seconds for no apparent reasons, how giggles of laughter can turn to screams of unhappiness. They know that meltdowns occur for apparently inexplicable reasons, not to mention as a response to the most awful word in the English language (‘no’). A child shows us what unfiltered, unprocessed and unregulated emotions look like. Joy is infectious (there’s nothing quite like a toddler’s belly laughs), but misery and despair can be present almost simultaneously. A child’s ability to express their feelings can feel overwhelming to watch.
Although as adults we get better at understanding and regulating our emotions (hopefully!), the same maelstrom of emotions assail us daily. We feel hope and despair, joy and sorrow, frustration and patience, anger and kindness every day. The ‘four seasons in a day’ syndrome used to describe English weather applies here too. This tumult of emotions is played out regularly in everyone’s life, even if you do look like a stormtrooper to the outside world.
When their brother died, even after a direct plea to Jesus for help, Martha and Mary knew the devastation of bereavement. (John 11) Martha felt bitter disappointment and frustration (‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.’) But she also had hope (‘Even now, I know that God will give You whatever You ask of Him.’)
Hope, it seems, can sit alongside feelings of despair, confusion and desperation. These feelings can co-exist. We can bring ALL our feelings to God at the same time. ‘Brutal honesty with God is the sign of a fighting hope, not a fading one.’ (‘Living Hope’) Keep hoping, even if other emotions are there as well.

Hushai

Mar 21, 2025

Hushai the Arkite proved to be an invaluable ally to David, acting as a spy in the ‘court’ of Absalom and offering alternative advice to Ahithophel which paved the way for David’s victory against his rebellious son. To be in the position of undercover agent could not have been easy, and Hushai spoke cleverly to Absalom so that he appeared loyal to him whilst remaining loyal to David. He painted a picture of a victorious leader which clearly swayed Absalom’s tactics, when the truth was that David was exhausted and probably could have been defeated if Absalom had followed Ahithophel’s advice.
Hushai spoke of David as a brave man and fighter ‘as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs’ (2 Sam 17:8), choosing to speak of him in ways that reflected his true nature. We need allies like Hushai, people who will speak well of us when perhaps we do not feel strong or brave, people who will remind us of who we are in God and not who we feel we are. Hushai reminds us that to speak positively requires faith and courage, the ability to see beyond present circumstances and to live by faith and not sight. Who is the Hushai in your life, and to whom can you be a Hushai?

God’s Sovereignty

Mar 21, 2025

In our Bible study this week, we looked at how the advice of two men (Ahithophel and Hushai) proved decisive in the battle between Absalom (son of David) and David. Ahithophel was well regarded by both the king and his rebellious son (2 Sam 16:23), and his advice to Absalom – to take David’s ten concubines and sleep with them as a clear demonstration of his intention to rule and to let an army attack David while he did this – was both shrewd and probably would have been the key to success if followed. Hushai, sent back to Jerusalem as a spy, managed to offer alternative advice which gave David more chance of regrouping and which undermined Ahithophel. God was clearly at work in this situation, frustrating Ahithophel’s advice and paving the way to David’s success.

This episode reminds us that God is in control, even when we don’t understand what is going on around us. Prov 21:30 reminds us that ‘there is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord’; Rom 8:28 tells us that God works for good in every situation. Naturally speaking, Absalom could have overcome David and become the next king of Israel, but this was not God’s will. Even though David had sinned, God was merciful to Him and fulfilled His word to him. The tide was about to turn.

Sadly, Ahithophel did not know God as well as David did, for he failed to repent and turn back to Him for mercy. Instead, he kills himself, being firmly assured that Absalom will now fail and that he has no chance of restoration. He reminds us of Judas, who betrayed Jesus and was filled only with remorse and not repentance, whereas Peter, who denied Jesus, was able to repent and be restored. God is the God of second chances. It’s not wise to work against Him; no one can thwart His plans! (Job 42:2)