Press On!

Dec 31, 2023

Each year as we approach a new year, I ask God to give me a verse that will sustain and lead me through the new year. In recent years, verses such as Psalm 112:4-8, Isaiah 43:18-19 and Matthew 6:33-34 have really helped to strengthen and guide me.
As I have been meditating on God’s word in recent weeks, the theme that has come through is ‘press on’ and so the verses I am holding onto as we prepare for 2024 are found in Philippians 3:12-14.
In this chapter, Paul lays down his Jewish pedigree and past achievements and speaks of his passion to know Christ more. He admits that he has not arrived at his goal and says ‘I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.’ We often talk about pressing on and following Jesus and about the effort and work that are required. But here, Paul reminds us that we follow Jesus as a response – He took hold of us first! We don’t initiate things as such or have to come up with good ideas; we simply respond to what God starts. That takes a lot of pressure off us!
Paul goes on to say, ‘Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.’
Here, we see two aspects of the Christian life which are relevant to all believers. We have to forget what is behind. We have to let go of the past. It cannot be changed. What was good or bad in 2023 can’t be allowed to trip us up in 2024. We have to leave it behind. We must not forget what God has done, of course, but we must neither be haunted by past failures nor frozen in aspic by our successes.
Secondly, we must strain toward what is ahead and press on. There is no room for apathy or indifference in the Christian life. We must move forward. At the recent Barnsley Youth Choir Christmas concert, one of the choirs sang the African song ‘Siyahamba’ (‘We Are Marching In The Light of God’.) The verses move from walking to marching, and in some ways, this is symbolic of how we must be. God wants us to move forward with purpose and intent, confident because He is with us.
What is the goal? What are we marching towards? I believe we here are called to be ‘with God in the community‘ and ‘with God for the community.’ We are called to be conformed to the image of Christ. (Rom 8:29) We are called to be witnesses of Jesus Christ and to make disciples of all nations. We are called to grow. This Christmas, my youngest granddaugher (aged 9 months) sat at the table with us and munched on turkey, potatoes and vegetables. Last Christmas, she wasn’t visible to us! It has been a year of growth! We need to see that same spiritual growth in our churches – new people, a renewed spiritual appetite for God.
Our confidence as we enter 2024 does not arise from economic stability, political acumen or our own prowess. It arises from our hope in God, the God who is calling us heavenward. Today, as I finished reading through the Bible this year, I read Revelation 22, which reminds us that Jesus is the Beginning and the End (Rev 22:13) and that He is preparing a new heaven and new earth, a place where He will dwell with His people forever. We can, therefore, press on with hope in our hearts and a spring in our steps. We can march in the light of God.

What’s On This Week

Dec 27, 2023

Are you confused as to what day it is?!
This Christmas week can feel very disorientating as our normal routines are thrown out of the window and many of us spend time at home or with family and friends. It’s wonderful to have this period of time, but it can be a bit confusing!
Here’s a rundown of what’s happening at GPCC this week (yes, it is a bit different!)
Instead of our usual midweek meeting on Thursday 28 December, we are meeting between 4 and 7 p.m. in the church building for food, fun and fellowship. We’ll be sharing food together and spending family time together, playing games, chatting, maybe singing a bit and generally relaxing. All welcome.
On Sunday 31 December we have just the one service, starting at 10.30 a.m. We’ll be concluding our series on ‘The Miraculous & The Mundane’ and looking at how God has blessed us throughout 2023, so do come ready to share your testimony of God’s help and goodness.
On Monday 1 January we’ll have our annual New Year’s Day party, starting at 4 p.m. Again, there’ll be food a-plenty, silly games, a quiz on 2023 and the chance to chat!
There will be no midweek meeteing on Thursday 4 January.
After that, normal service resumes, with our coffee morning and prayer walk on Saturday 6 January (10 a.m. – 12 p.m.), our Parent & Toddler group re-starting on Wednesday 10 January (Wednesdays and Fridays between 9 and 11 a.m.) and prayer meetings/ Bible studies resuming on Thursdays and two services on Sundays (10.30 a.m. and 6.00 p.m.)
Hope that’s clear as mud!

Christmas Unwrapped

Dec 25, 2023

This morning we looked at the subject of ‘Christmas Unwrapped’. Giving presents at Christmas time is a long-established tradition (tied in with the belief that at Christmas, God gave us the ultimate gift of His Son), but the tradition of wrapping those presents in beautiful paper goes back tp 1917 when the Hall brothers ran out of tissue paper and started to print large rolls of patterned wrapping paper. Wrapping presents can be to protect them or to disguise them, but part of the fun of Christmas Day in our country is unwrapping presents!
We got to unwrap a large present between Christmas carols this morning, and whilst the children enjoyed decorating Christmas baubles they found in the present, the real gift was that of a baby doll in a manger to remind us that Jesus is the real gift of Christmas. The manger reminds us that Christmas is all about Jesus. The presents are lovely; the food is wonderful; the lights and decorations are great to see; the party games often bring much fun… but Christmas is nothing without Jesus.
What is even more wonderful to behold is that Jesus is no longer in the manger. He is no longer even on the cross. He died and rose again and now lives forevermore, Immanuel (God with us) every day of the year, not just Christmas Day.

The Nativity

Dec 24, 2023

Dave spoke this morning from Luke 2:4-14, giving us further insight into ‘the Nativity‘, something often re-enacted in school and church plays throughout the country in December. The scene of shepherds and wise men all gathering around the baby Jesus gives us a feeling of comfort and peace, even if we have no personal knowledge of God. Nostalgia and sentiment are often associated with our memories of Christmas, but the message of good news brought by the angels goes beyond our feelings of magic and family harmony.

Christmas is important because of Christ. We may focus on other things (material gifts are great!), but all of us need more than the material; we need the warmth, love and peace which Jesus brings to us. The birth of any child is special, but the birth of Christ, prophesied for so long, heralds a new age, a new covenant. Even poor shepherds were invited by angels to welcome this child; we see wise men kneel in awe before a baby. We see Joseph, the village carpenter, a man of integrity, standing next to Mary, the woman who sang of justice and God’s grace to her.

All of us see ourselves in this Nativity scene; we feel the wonder and awe of this scene as we gaze on the power of the ordinary mixed with the miraculous. Christmas brings the gift of God to us in humble, simple ways: a baby born in Bethlehem. We come with our own gifts of love and service and find in HIm all we could ever need.

God’s Love

Dec 24, 2023

In a world of hatred and selfishness, Jesus demonstrates the way of love, loving even His enemies. Love is far more than a sentimental feeling. It is far more than the cooing we make when we meet a new baby. Love is the settled response of a heart that is secure in God’s love. We are loved; God has lavished His love upon us. (1 John 3:1) He so loved the world that He gave His only Son. (John 3:16) The giving of gifts at Christmas time is evidence of love, but most of all, it is a reminder that God gave us the gift of His Son, and, through Him, the gift of eternal life.
As we come to the end of Advent and are about to celebrate Christmas Day, this theme reminds us to rest in the love of God manifested in a baby born to be with us and to save us: Immanuel, Jesus our salvation.

Rejoice in the Lord

Dec 23, 2023

Paul’s letter to the Philippians, written from a Roman prison, exudes joy. The command to rejoice in the Lord is found twice (Phil 3:1, 4:4) and the word ‘joy’ is found five times in four chapters. It’s probably the most joyful of all Paul’s letters and reminds us that joy is not dependent on favourable circumstances or personality. Joy is made possible to all because of Jesus.

We rejoice this Christmas not simply in our gifts, food, families or friends (some people do not have these things at all.) We rejoice in the Lord. We rejoice in sins forgiven. We rejoice in reconciliation, that we are now children of God. We rejoice in God’s love, grace and mercy. We rejoice in the fact that God cared enough to send His Son to save us. We rejoice because we have hope, no matter how bleak the weather or what is going on in the world. The light has shone in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome. (John 1:5) Therefore, we rejoice.