Dearne Community Arts’ Festival (1)

Oct 7, 2023

Last Saturday (30 September) was the annual Dearne Community Arts’ Festival at Astrea Academy Dearne, championing creativity and celebrating community as usual!

There were some lovely exhibitions from a wide range of talented local artists.

We had the chance to learn about 3D printing, wood-turning and have a go at table shaft loom weaving with Ruth Waterworth.

There were loads of workshops where you could have a go at something new.

We had 7 performances on stage.

 

It was wonderful to see so many people there (551 attended) and to be part of the something so positive and wholesome. More photos can be seen online (search Dearne Community Arts Festival).

Key Lessons

Oct 5, 2023

There are a number of key lessons we looked at tonight from 1 Samuel 16:1-3:

  1. There is never an “easy time” to live for God. David lived at a time when spirituality was not high and there were many enemies of Israel. Faith is required no matter when we live. Living by faith is not for the faint-hearted!
  2. God knows us by name. He spoke to Samuel about a particular family and David is named at the end of this passage. God knows us by name and has purpose for our lives (see Is 43:1).
  3. God has a purpose for each one of us, as this anointing shows us. We too are anointed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22, 1 John 2:20) and have good works to do, prepared in advance for us by God. (Eph 2:10)
  4. God looks at the inside. His ways and thoughts are not ours (Prov 3:5-6, Is 55:8-9)
  5. God’s timing is crucial. David had a long time to wait until he actually became king. What God says will come to pass, but we must learn to wait patiently and with hope (see Ps 130, Ps 40:1). What God says will come to pass; what happens spiritually is the truth, but may not be fulfilled immediately in our understanding. We need to understand that we possess these things by faith; we believe in order to see.

The Anointing of David

Oct 5, 2023

In our Bible study tonight we looked at 1 Samuel 16:1-13, the account of David’s anointing to be king by the prophet Samuel and a vivid reminder that God ‘does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ (1 Samuel 16:7) The story involves many people: the prophet Samuel, the king Saul and Jesse and his family, a reminder to us that God chooses to work with and through ordinary people! He does not have to do this, but the fact that He chooses to work in partnership with us is one of the great miracles of a life of faith.

The fact that Israel had begged for a king instead of living under God’s rule was a source of sorrow to Samuel, and the fact that Saul (the first king) had proved so unfit to rule because of his disobedience and impatience had deeply grieved Samuel, as the opening verse in this chapter indicates. But God was ready to move on; sometimes, we need His word to us to move us from the place of grief and lament. God had another job for Samuel, to anoint a new king, and Samuel faced this with not inconsiderable fear. Faith is not an absence of fear, but choosing to be obedient even when we are afraid. The key to Samuel’s success is found in 1 Samuel 16:4: ‘Samuel did what the Lord had said.’

God did not tell Samuel everything at once; He directed him to Jesse’s family, but there was a period of uncertainty after each of his sons was presented to Samuel and no further direction was heard. It was only when the youngest son was brought in that Samuel heard God’s voice: ‘Rise and anoint him; this is the one.’ (1 Samuel 16:12) It can be hard to wait for the word of the Lord, but it is this word which transforms situations. David was to become Israel’s greatest king: how much do we owe to Samuel for his faithful obedience to God?!

Building a road

Oct 1, 2023

Tonight we looked at road-building and obstacles based on Isaiah 57:14 which says, “Build up, build up, prepare the road! Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.” (Isaiah 57:14) The children watched a video about how roads are made and then made their own paper road with the verse on. We looked at how Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and is the only way to God the Father (John 14:6), how we must choose the narrow road to life and how God wants us to walk on the way of holiness. (Is 35:8)
Just as there has to be preparation in building a road, removing rubble, making sure the site is level and appropriate drainage is present, so too there must be repentance and a clearing away of the old way of life for us to follow Jesus. But obstacles can make travelling very difficult; sometimes, roads are blocked because of fallen trees or damage, as we are currently experiencing in Goldthorpe with the bypass closed after a car was set on fire in the underpass to Phoenix Park. Obstacles in life come from the trials and temptations we face and our sinful tendency to try to remove problems in our own strength rather than asking for God’s help.
We may be unable to move a tree on our own, but a team of people could do this. Perhaps this is why God gives us the church to help us on life’s journey. We are here to encourage each other, listen and help each other. (1 Thess 5:11, 14) James tells us to pray for each other. (James 5: 13-16) In this way, we are helped to continue with perseverance on the road marked out for us by God.

Handling Guilt

Oct 1, 2023

This morning Garry spoke from Genesis 50:15-21 about handling guilt. Joseph’s brothers had a guilty conscience, aware of how badly they had wronged him as a young man, and were afraid he would now seek revenge. They were haunted by their prior actions; guilt is not easily ignored or dismissed.
Our first reaction to wrongdoing is usually to hide (see Gen 3:8-10). We feel there is no way out and no way back (as Judas demonstrated, Matt 27:3-5) The purpose of guilt is not to torment us, however, but to lead us to the path of repentance. Joseph’s brothers had never sought forgiveness for their wrongdoing, and even when he offered this to them, it was as if they could not believe him. Our hearts can condemn us long after God and others have forgiven us (1 John 3:19-20), but we need to receive both God’s forgiveness and other people’s.
Forgiveness is a choice, as Jesus made plain in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matt 18:23-34). Some say they can only forgive if forgiveness is actively sought, but Joseph forgave his brothers even when they had not asked for forgiveness. Jesus did this also on the cross (‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ Luke 23:34) God’s forgiveness was offered to us freely while we were still sinners (Rom 5:6-8) and therefore if we are living in a place of unforgiveness, it is by our choice. Joseph’s brothers had been forgiven by Joseph, but they did not receive his forgiveness initially. We must learn to live as forgiven people and to forgive freely if we are to live under the blessing of God as Joseph did.

The Story of Elizabeth

Sep 24, 2023

Dave spoke this evening from Luke 1:5-25, looking at Elizabeth. Her response to God’s intervention in her life – promising her a son in her old age and after years of barrenness – was to accept God’s will for her and continue to serve Him faithfully. She was upright and blameless and had great faith, not doubting Zechariah, even though he was the one visited by the angel!
Elizabeth was faithful, holding on in prayer when nothing seemed to be happening. She blessed God for His blessing and withdrew from society, meditating on being the mother of a great prophet. She was filled with the Holy Spirit and this is so important in understanding her spiritual life.
Elizabeth was a woman of obedience; it was her intervention that ensured John was named as the angel had commanded. She may not have understood why this name was chosen, but she obeyed all that God had said to her (see 1 Sam 15:22). Trusting God and obeying Him are what is required from all of us – and like Elizabeth, we will reap the rewards of trust and obedience.