At our ‘Little Big Church’ service tonight, Garry looked at the subject of choices. Sometimes, a choice has a right or wrong answer: the children were asked to decide which was the heaviest book…

… or the longest piece of string…

With other choices, however, there is not a right or wrong answer; the choice will be based on a personal preference, which will vary from person to person (what your favourite colour is, for example, or whether you prefer white, milk or dark chocolate…)

The most important choice we can ever make is the choice to receive God’s love. God’s love for us is ‘better than any chocolate/ better than any cake/ better than any ice cream – even with a flake!’ (as Garry’s new song puts it.) He gives us free will and does not force us to love Him, but there is nothing better than choosing to accept God’s love and follow Him.

It’s not easy, in our busy schedules and tendency to live very isolated lives, to be part of a community that is knitted together in love. Even when we are a part of a local church, we can still avoid deep connections, afraid to open ourselves to other people and to allow them to see our vulnerabilities and real self. We can sometimes seem to be like ships that pass in the night, not really knowing each other and not being committed to each other except in a very superficial way. This is not how God intended life to be.

If we are to deepen the connections between each other so that we truly do love each other as Jesus wants us to, we will need to spend time together, learning how to connect. We need to learn to listen to each other, being tolerant and accepting of differences as we all work towards the common goal of becoming more like Jesus. Paul gave us the picture of how to be united with Christ: ‘having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.’ (Phil 2:2-5) We can’t hope to do this in our own strength, but God never intended the church to be a place run by people! He is our Head and by His Spirit we can be knitted together in love. We are joined by God; we are His hands and His feet in this world, created to demonstrate what love looks like (John 13:34-35) and to re-connect people with Him through the message of reconciliation. (2 Cor 5:17-21)

God wants there to be strong horizontal connections between His children; we are knitted together in love (Col 2:2). David and Jonathan give us an example of what this looks like. One version of the Bible describes this relationship as ‘the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.’ (1 Samuel 18:1, ESV) We all need friendships and connections like this. Despite the rivalry which could have existed between the two (after all, Jonathan was the rightful heir to the throne, but he willingly acknowledged David as God’s chosen one), their friendship stood the test of time, adversity, opposition and distance. They were devoted to each other. They looked out for each other. They protected each other. They wouldn’t listen to those who tried to run the other down, but they cared about each other, and in doing so, they show us what it looks like to be connected by love.

This kind of deep, selfless love is what Jesus told us would distinguish us from the world and draw others to Him (see John 13:34-35, John 15:13), but so many of us settle for shallow, superficial acquaintances instead of pushing on to deeper connections. It can be hard to love others as we are commanded to, but John, in his first letter, shows us the inexorable connections between loving God and loving others:

•  ‘Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.’ (1 John 2:9-10)

• ‘This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.’ (1 John 3:16-18)

• ‘Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.’ (1 John 4:7)

• ‘Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.’ (1 John 4:11-12)

• ‘Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.’ (1 John 4:20-21)

We can be effective witnesses only as we live out God’s life and love one another as He loves us.

Not only are we as Christians ‘better together’, we are actually ‘knitted together’ in love by God (see Col 2:2). In our continuing series on ‘Connections’ this morning, we looked at how a cord of three strands is not quickly broken and how the individual strands are woven together by God’s Holy Spirit to make us into His body (see also Eph 4:15-16).

Eccl 4:9-12 reminds us that we are better together. Two are better than one: reminiscent of what God said when He had created Adam: ‘it is not good for the man to be alone.’ (Gen 2:18) There is a sense that two can achieve what one can’t on their own: ‘they have a good return for their labour.’ (Eccl 4:9) In addition, if one falls down, the other can help them up. (Eccl 4:10) Two can keep each other warm; you can’t do that on your own. (Eccl 4:11) One on their own may be overpowered, but two can defend themselves. (Eccl 4:12) In all of this passage, we see the benefits of relationship and togetherness, and at the end of this section, we have a reminder that a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

The simplest way of making a rope is to twist the strands together into one cohesive length. The individual strands have to be joined together to make one new object: the rope. The rope is made up of individual fibres, but these are joined together to create something new. The combined strength of twisted rope is naturally greater than that of a single strand. At Outhwaites in Hawes, there is a 100 feet rope walk in the shop and you can watch the ropemakers place the individual strands on the machine and see how these are twisted together to form the rope (watch the video here.)

In the same way, God wants to join people together into a body which looks very different from its individual components. This body He has called the church, and we are all being knitted together or united to form this whole. Paul reminds us that we are all different and have different roles and functions to play (Rom 12:4-5), but God the Holy Spirit unites us and knits us together.

There is a preparation process in making ropes: ‘In order to make rope, the fibres must first be processed. For ropes of natural materials, the fibres need to be coated with natural oil, cleaned, spread and combed to create continuous ribbons of fibre, known as slivers. The slivers are then twisted into yarn, which is wrapped onto spools or bobbins.’[1] God’s Holy Spirit provides the natural oil, the holy oil, the spiritual anointing which binds us together in love. He is the One involved in the preparation process and the joining together process. Without Him, this simply could not happen, but with Him, anything is possible!

[1] https://www.qualitynylonrope.com/blog/how-rope-is-made

Last night we had a special service where we gave thanks to God for the safe arrival of Isla-Rose in November and dedicated her to God. It was lovely to see so many of her family at the service and to be able to share in fellowship and food after the service.

The sermon looked at Psalm 16 and in particular at verse 11: ‘You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.’ (Ps 16:11) Many think of God as a kill-joy, someone intent only on punishing us and enjoying our misfortunes, but the Biblical view of God is completely different. God is the author of joy and Jesus wants us to be people of joy (John 17:3). Most parents, if asked what they truly want for their children, will say that happiness and health are the things that really matter and God also has good plans for us (Jer 29:11). There are times when He has to discipline us, but even that is for our good and to protect us (just as parents have to discipline their children for their own good.)

In Psalm 16, we see David’s confidence in God’s goodness. Psalm 16:5 says, ‘Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; You make my lot secure.’ God provides for us and satisfies us. He gives us hope and a future: ‘The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.’ (Ps 16:6) He helps us to face difficulties and troubles with confidence: ‘With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.’ (Ps 16:8) Moreover, His help goes beyond this life, since God gives us the hope of eternity: ‘You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will You let Your faithful one see decay.’ (Ps 16:10) 

All of us need God to make known to us the path of life, for ‘there is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.’ (Prov 14:12) Jesus spoke of the narrow road that leads to life and the wide road that leads to destruction. (Matt 7:13-14) A dedication service does not make anyone a Christian, but our prayer is for Isla and all of us to find the path of life in Jesus that leads to God. (John 14:6) We also pray for joy to be our portion and for us to know eternal pleasures in God (see Ps 16:11). That way, we will live in the blessing of God.

We have just had a news update from Fredrick and Reeba in Bangalore. Fredrick tells us he will be going this month to the north of India, taking 200 talking Bibles with him. This is an area of India virtually untouched by the Gospel and these Bibles help those who cannot read to hear the word of God. They are solar powered and are therefore easy for people to use. He asks for prayer that God will open people’s hearts to His word as they receive these Bibles.

The tailoring graduations were scheduled for January, so we hope these have gone ahead as planned in all locations.

Please continue to pray for Fredrick and Reeba and their three children, and for Amshika, the little girl we sponsor.