Friendship is a vital ingredient in life and we all need friends. The importance of friendship is often spoken about (there was even a TV programme called ‘Friends’ which traced the lives of a group of friends), but in today’s society, we can be very lonely. Life can be very busy and we can go long periods without necessarily meeting anybody who feels like a friend. Dave spoke tonight from John 15:9-16, reminding us that God supplies the friendship we need and wants us to be people who love others and demonstrate friendship to them in the same way that He demonstrates it to us.

God demonstrates His love for us by laying down His life for us. He is the ultimate friend, never letting us down, never forsaking us. With good friends, we feel we can be honest and real; we can let our guard down and relax. God wants us to have that same relationship with Him, so that we bring all our fears, questions, problems, joys and sorrows to Him in prayer. We need never fear that He will get fed up with us or tell us to shut up; He is always willing to listen and be a friend forever.

No friend on earth is perfect; it can be very painful when friends let us down or disappoint us. Jesus is a friend who sticks closer than a brother and will be the ultimate friend to us through thick and thin.

This morning, we started a new series called ‘Connections’. ‘Connection’ is defined as ‘a relationship between two things, people, or groups’, but for many of us, the word implies other things, such as a youth careers’ service (Connexions), or the need to sort timetables to ensure we don’t miss a bus or train or two pipes or wires being joined together! Often, we feel life is full of connections, rather like fitting the pieces of a jigsaw together when you’re not sure what the picture is supposed to look like!

Connections are necessary on both a vertical and horzontal level if we are to develop spiritually; the vertical relationship with God is paramount, but we also need to be connected to people (see Gen 2:18) God often uses human relationships to act as metaphors for the relationship He wants to have with us: thus, He is our Father and we are His children and the church is described as the bride of Christ. It’s no surprise that these intimate human relationships become the pathway to our understanding of our connection with God.

Our physical life starts when the sperm connects to the egg and life is conceived. For forty weeks, that life is nurtured in the seclusion of the mother’s uterus by means of the placenta. Without this strong, healthy connection between mother and child, the child will die, but for the most part, there’s little that mother or child do in this mysterious process known as pregnancy. In the same way, we need to connect to God in utter dependence and trust (see John 15:5). The connection we need to restore our vertical relationship with God is available to all of us through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, but this organic union is not one we earn or can maintain through striving.

When a child is born and the umbilical cord is cut, a new way of connection has to be formed between mother and child (through breast-feeding.) We have to learn to crave pure spiritual milk in the same way that the newborn baby has to learn to feed. (1 Pet 2:1-3) We have to learn to put to death the old nature, severing that connection to our old way of living (Rom 6:1-11) so that this new connection with God can be maintained. The unity and harmony of the Godhead, where Three Persons (Father, Son and Spirit) co-exist in perfect connection, shows us something of the perfect connection we crave and Jesus Himself prayed that we might be one as He and the Father are one. (John 17:11) It’s possible if we remain in Jesus and recognise God has done all that is needful for us to be re-connected to Him.

It’s said that if you want to speak a language fluently like a native, you have to learn it before the age of seven. Languages learnt after this age can be mastered, but there will never be the same accent that enables us to pass as a native. Just recently I was listening to a video of nursery rhymes with my granddaughter and the singer, although fluent in English, was distinctively not a native speaker. I still can’t pinpoint what it was in her pronunciation that makes me say that, but I know that English is not her native language.

All of us need to learn the language of praise, and the sooner we do this in our Christian lives, the more chance there is that we will speak this language fluently, with no accent. The language of praise allows us to praise God in all circumstances because we see life from His perspective, not ours. Ps 150 is an exuberant call to prise; in the psalms alone there are 182 references to praise.

The language of praise often involves singing and gladness (Ps 9:11, Ps 13:5, Ps 21:13), which is why our gathered worship always involves song. Praise is the rightful response of the heart and will to the character and actions of God. The more we meditate, the more occasion we will have to decalre His praise aloud.

God wants us to be continually learning this language of praise and bringing Him the sacrifice of praise. (Heb 13:15) When we first start learning a language, its sounds are unfamiliar to us and we can feel very self-conscious about our utterances, but as we grow in confidence, we learn to declare the praises of our God and Saviour enthusiastically and energetically, for He alone is worthy of all praise.

This Wednesday (28th August) we have the last of the Summer Fun Days, this one being held at Hanover Street Park in Thurnscoe. Come along between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. for sports, games and a picnic! Free entry & free food provided; just bring a picnic blanket.

We’ll have our last summer prayer meeting this Friday (30th August) at 10 a.m. Do join us to pray together and don’t forget also the ‘Churches Together’ prayer meeting on Tuesday 17th September at 10.30 a.m. at the Salvation Army.

On Saturday (31st August) we’ll be getting ready for the new term and having a morning (10 a.m. – 12 p.m.) cleaning the toys used by the Parent & Toddler Group. Many hands make light work, so please do come along to help us prepare!

The Dearne Community Arts’ Festival is on Saturday 28th September between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at Astrea Academy Dearne (secondary school). Come along to browse the lovely arts and crafts prepared by local residents (including our own Gemma and Grace!), buy handmade Christmas presents and take part in workshops as well as listening to performances from Pat & Andy Moore, the local ukulele group and watch dancing from the Deborah Clayton School of Dance and Grace Martin. Free entry and so much to see and do at the festival including:

• circus skills

• arts & crafts

• sand art

• hot wax painting

• creative writing & storytelling

• bead badges

• origami books

We’ll also be hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning on Saturday 28th September between 10 a.m. and 12 noon where all donations will go towards the Macmillan Cancer Charity.

So often when we pray, we do so bringing a list of problems to God. It can be very easy to feel overwhelmed by circumstances, as Jehoshaphat was when faced with attack from the Moabites, Ammonites and Meunites (2 Chron 20:1), and there’s nothing wrong with being honest as he was: ‘we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.’ (2 Chron 20:12) Jehoshaphat called all the people together (including the children and little ones (2 Chron 20:13) as they sought God together.

When the people of God cried out to God in this way, He heard and answered through Jahaziel (2 Chron 20:14-17), encouraging them to trust Him and reminding them that ‘the battle is not yours, but God’s.’ (2 Chron 20:15) Their job was then to praise God for the victory He would bring before they saw it. Praying from the place of praise is a vital weapon in our armoury. Jesus taught this principle too: ‘whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.’ (Mark 11:24) Faith means that we pray with confidence in an all-powerful, all-loving God; the people of Judah set off with the Levites at the front singing ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever.’ (2 Chron 20:21) It was as they began to sing and praise God that the Lord set ambushes for their enemies who ended up defeating each other, with the people of God not having to lift a hand in battle but simply to go in and plunder the loot afterwards. (2 Chron 20: 22-26)

When we pray from the place of praise rather than from the place of problems, we are acknowledging God’s sovereignty and power and goodness. The result, unsurprisingly, is more praise as we see God move on our behalf. On the fourth day, after collecting all the equipment, clothing and items of value from the plunder, God’s people assembled in the Valley of Berakah (Praise) and praised the Lord. (2 Chron 20:26) Instead of a vicious cycle of worry, depression and fear, they lived in the virtuous cycle of praise, prayer and praise!

Let’s fix our eyes on God as we pray and understand His goodness, love and power, that He is working for our good in all circumstances and that no plan of His can be thwarted!

1 Cor 13 gives us God’s measurements of love. How are we measuring up?

Love is patient. (1 Cor 13:4) It waits. It is not in a hurry. It doesn’t flounce off when things don’t happen to our timescales or give up when things are slow. I think there’s a reason God made a pregnancy to last 40 weeks. Love needs to learn patience.

Love is kind. (1 Cor 13:4) It is considerate, thoughtful and tolerant. It’s outgoing, seeking someone else’s good and being merciful to them. It likes to give rather than to take.

Love does not envy. (1 Cor 13:4) It doesn’t want what someone else has, like the toddler snatching the toy away from the baby in selfishness. It’s not jealous or covetous.

Love does not boast. (1 Cor 13:4) It’s not self-centred, thinking the world revolves around us and wanting everyone to know our every achievement. It’s content to take second place and be quiet.

Love is not proud. (1 Cor 13:4) Pride prevents us from saying sorry and from doing the menial stuff. It always has a higher opinion of ourselves than of others; pride makes us like the Pharisee who looked down on the tax collector with disdain. Love doesn’t care if we have to wash people’s feet; it’s not bothered about position.

Love does not dishonour others. (1 Cor 13:5) It always seeks what’s best for someone else, even if that means inconvenience to ourselves.

Love is not self-seeking. (1 Cor 13:5) So many of our problems in relationships occur because we are selfish. When we truly consider others before ourselves, we learn how to love as God loves.

Love is not easily angered. (1 Cor 13:5) It’s not volatile, snappy, bad-tempered or like a rocket, flying off in all directions. Love takes the blows and absorbs them instead of acting like a trampoline and bouncing the blows back onto someone else.

Love keeps no record of wrongs. (1 Cor 13:5) It’s amazing how good our memories are when it comes to remembering wrongs done to us. Instead of this, we need to learn to forgive and let go of the wrongs. We need to improve our ‘forgettory’!

Love does not delight in evil. (1 Cor 13:6) It doesn’t laugh when someone else falls or fails. It doesn’t gloat and chuckle over mistakes. Secure in itself, love does not need to ‘revel when others grovel’, as the Message version puts this.

Love rejoices with the truth. (1 Cor 13:6) Truth becomes the definition by which we live, and God defines truth because He is truth (see John 14:6) Every time we see truth flourishing, we can rejoice.

Love always protects. (1 Cor 13:7) It guards and seeks to prevent harm coming to others. It holds an umbrella over another’s head when it rains and a parasol when it’s hot. It’s always thinking of the other person’s good.

Love always trusts. (1 Cor 13:7) Instead of jumping to conclusions, making assumptions about people’s motives as well as their actions (‘they didn’t speak to me so they must hate me’) and being quick to believe the worst, love works hard to trust and have faith.

Love always hopes. (1 Cor 13:7) Instead of being cynical and using low expectations as a defence against disappointment, love chooses to hope. It believes the best, not the worst, and insists that no one is hopeless.

Love always perseveres. (1 Cor 13:17) We started with patience and we end with perseverance. The two things work together; they are the unsung heroes of love. When romantic love has faded and affection has worn threadbare, patience and perseverance keep going. They help us to keep on loving, no matter what.