We didn’t have any more June birthdays to celebrate, but we looked ahead to two July birthdays tonight!

To plant a tree, they say, is to believe in tomorrow. This is because a tree doesn’t grow overnight. Just recently I had the privilege of visiting Phoenix Park in Thurnscoe and seeing some of the trees which were planted about twenty-five years ago when the former pit site was made into a park and conservation area. It was amazing to see the growth which had occurred from those tiny saplings planted by schoolchildren, but it didn’t happen overnight. Growth often takes time.

In Genesis 21:33 we read ‘Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God.‘ I believe this is a significant verse, showing us Abraham’s commitment to a specific place, showing us his understanding of the covenant promises of God and showing us a fresh revelation of the eternal, everlasting nature of God.

I believe God wants us to love where we live, to be committed to our church and our community, to serve Him faithfully in the specific locations to which He has called us. This is not an overnight project, but a steady, ongoing commitment where we learn faithfulness because of God’s faithfulness and where we learn to serve Him willingly and gladly as we seek to reach our community with His love.

The very word ‘Beersheba’ speaks to us of wells (Beer means well), of perfection (‘the well of seven’) and of promises (‘the well of the oath’.) The fact that Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in that place is significant. What trees are we planting in our area? What are we doing that will have eternal consequences in our communities? I am always humbled by the fact that my grandfather, whom I never really knew as he died when I was only three months old, served God faithfully at Furlong Road Methodist Church in Bolton-on-Dearne for many years. I believe I reap what he sowed and that as I seek to sow faith and hope into this community, others will reap the benefits. Let’s plant our trees and serve God faithfully where we are, secure in the knowledge that we serve an eternal God.

In our series ‘The Wells of Salvation’, we continued looking at the well at Beersheba and its role in the life of Abraham (Gen 21:22-34). This might seem an unusual story – the treaty two men made so long ago can surely have little relevance to us today, we think – but the way Abraham and Abimelek react and deal with their dispute about a well has much to teach us today.

Conduct

Abraham’s conduct towards Abimelek was not always honest (he lied to him about Sarah, Gen 20:1-18). Abimelek’s servants did not treat Abraham fairly, seizing back control of this well when Abimelek had given Abraham permission to be in the land. When the matter is brought to Abimelek’s attention, the matter is resolved amicably and Abraham makes a treaty with him to protect his rights to the well. This reminds us that God is interested in how we live our daily lives and wants us to live at peace with others, loving them above and beyond the call of duty. (Rom 12:18, Matt 5:9, Matt 5:28-32). We are urged to take the initiative in reconciliation (Matt 5:23-24) and to be people whose lives call forth praise to God (‘in the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.‘ Matt 5:16)

Covenant & Commitment

Abimelek asked, ‘What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?’ (Gen 21:29) Abraham’s reply was, ‘Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.’ (Gen 21:30) This covenant publicly acknowledged Abraham’s right to the well and therefore his continued business activity in the region. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree here as well (Gen 21:33), a further sign that he was committed to the area.

God has called us to be committed to Him, to our families, to our church and to our communities. This is not just for this lifetime; Abraham recognised God as the ‘eternal God’ and we need to understand that our faithfulness and commitment to the covenant we have made with God can have eternal consequences.

We are Goldthorpe Pentecostal Community Church, with God in the community and with God for the community. Like Abraham, I believe we need to plant our trees here, to invest our time, our money, our futures in this place because we serve a God who is eternal, a God who is faithful, a God who tells us not to ‘become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ (Gal 6:9) There are times and seasons for everything, as the book of Ecclesiastes makes clear, but let’s be people who understand the importance of covenant and commitment and who work together in this church to reach out to our community. We’re in this for the long haul, as they say!

Keeping Our Word

A covenant shows us the importance of oaths or promises. Paul reminded the Corinthians of the promises God makes to us: ‘For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.’ (2 Cor 1:20) We all know how disappointment and disillusionment creep in when promises are broken (see Prov 13:12). God is utterly faithful to us and to His promises (see Heb 6:13-20) and therefore we are required to show His faithfulness to others in how we live. Jesus urged us to be people whose word can be trusted (Matt 5:37). As we learn to live out our faith and keep our promises, we can demonstrate to others what God is really like.

Garry spoke this morning from Rom 12:9-21, particularly focussing on Rom 12:9 (‘hate what is evil; cling to what is good’.) It’s easy enough to hate the evil we see around us, but it’s much harder to confront the evil within our own hearts. Jesus reminded us of this using vivid language in Matt 7:1-5. So often, we see faults and failings in others, but do not confront our own sinful tendencies. God wants us to purify or cleanse ourselves from everything that is evil (2 Cor 7:1) and to pursue righteousness (see 2 Tim 2:19-22). This involves turning away or withdrawing from sinful practices and fleeing from everything which would ensnare us (we are to ‘flee the evil desires of youth’ as Joseph did when faced with the temptations offered by Potiphar’s wife.)

One of Satan’s tactics is to make sin seem less offensive to us, so that we tolerate much more than God would have us do. We can easily adopt the ‘Adam and Eve’ syndrome of plausible deniability when confronted by our wrongdoing; it took Nathan’s prophetic courage to make David aware of his sinful behaviour with Bathsheba, Uriah and Joab. God does not confront us to condemn us, but to set things right; David responded in repentance and later prayed that God would search him, know his heart and lead him in everlasting ways (Ps 139:22-23) God knows everything and His Spirit searches our hearts (Rom 8:27, 1 Chron 28:9) Only as we truly learn to hate the sin in our own lives can we hate the evil around us.

God calls us to be salt and light in our communities, exposing evil by our own good actions. We need to stand against evil and injustice and learn to cling to what is good, like a limpet. A limpet cannot be easily separated from the thing to which it attaches itself and we need to stick to what is good with the same kind of grip and tenacity.

In Acts 4:23, we read, ‘On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.’ Reporting back to the church what has been happening and letting people know what is coming up takes quite a bit of time and effort! We do try, through our blog here, through our Facebook page, through our monthly newsletter, through weekly notices and through face-to-face conversations to let everyone know what has been happening and what is coming up, but our apologies if we don’t always succeed!

As a result of our recent visits to Carrfield Primary School, local ministers will be attending their family picnic on 2nd July. We’ll be talking to families about the work we do and giving out goodies, so please pray we will know God’s favour in everything we do and say.

Services throughout July will be as usual on Sundays and Fridays, but the school holidays start on 19th July, so there will be no youth club or Parent & Toddler group after this for the summer. Please note there is currently no badminton meeting on Friday evenings.

We will be holding our Annual General Meeting on Saturday 13th July at 4 p.m. Please join us for this important meeting as we look back at all God has done over the past year and look forward to the year ahead.

On Wednesday 17th July there will be a ‘Churches Together’ prayer meeting at Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church on Lockwood Road at 10.30 a.m. Let’s pray for boldness in our witness and for unity as we join together.

On Sunday 21st July we will be holding a dedication service for Rebekah Turner in the evening at 6 p.m. Join with us as we give thanks to God for the gift of new life and as we pray for this family to know God’s leading and guidance in every area of their lives. There will be cake and refreshments served after the service, where we will also be celebrating Garry’s upcoming 60th birthday!

On Saturday 27th July there is a community event (‘Love Your Park’) held at Thurnscoe Flower Park between 12 noon and 4 p.m. Julie and others from the Dearne Community Arts’ Festival committee will be advertising the arts’ festival at that event and helping to decorate a sun bear sculpture which will feature in Big Local Thurnscoe’s ‘Go Wild!’ sculpture trail in the school holidays. All welcome to join in the decoupage fun!

For those living in Bolton-on-Dearne, the first of the holiday Family Fun Days (organised by the Dearne Area Team) will be on Monday 29th July (10 a.m. – 12 p.m.) at the community centre in St Andrew’s Square.

Phew! Don’t say nothing ever happens in the Dearne!

On one of the sunniest days of the year, members of GPCC turned up to give our building a good clean! Our thanks to all those who volunteered, especially to those who helped yesterday in preparation for today and who will finish off some of the jobs on Monday. We really do appreciate all your help.

Weeding inside and outside:

Painting the railings and gates:

Cleaning and buffing the community room floor:

Cleaning chairs:

Cleaning the church:

Tidying the toys on the stage:

Cleaning and tidying (and playing in!) the children’s room:

Tidying the kitchen:

Thank you to all who helped today.