The fact that Ps 147:15 declares ‘His word runs swiftly’ conjures up pictures of letters of the alphabet with arms and legs in my mind…

C. H. Spurgeon said of this verse, “If God’s word runs very swiftly, then it can even overtake those who run away from it. Not only can the Lord come quickly to those who seek him, but he can overtake those who hasten away from him.” Often, we feel that God takes a long time fulfilling His word (e.g. 2 Pet 3:4-9) and we can easily feel frustrated by Scripture’s repeated command to ‘wait for the Lord’ (see Ps 37:6, Ps 130:5-6, Is 26:8, Lam 3:24), but it is equally true that when God moves, He often moves with a suddenness that takes us by surprise.

Farming is a slow process, involving breaking up ground, sowing, ploughing and waiting before harvesting. Yet when that moment of harvest comes, the farmer has to act swiftly, gathering in the crops with no delays. In the same way, God’s word is sown into hearts in many different ways and on many different occasions, but the moment of regeneration comes swiftly, as blind eyes are opened and hearts believe. Spurgeon said of this, ‘The Word of God all of a sudden transforms the very nature of men, and they enter into an altogether new state of life out of which there comes a character which glorifies God! The essence of that character is created in an instant! The seed of God out of which it will all come is implanted at once.’

In the same way, often our prayers seem to go unanswered for some time and the heavens can feel like brass (Deut 28:23), but when God does answer, He does so with alacrity. The centurion who came to Jesus on behalf of his sick servant said, ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.’ (Matt 8:8) As Chris Tomlin puts it in the song ‘Impossible Things’,

‘One word and the walls start falling.

One word and the blind will see.

One word and the sinner’s forgiven

‘Cause You do impossible things.’

May God’s word run swiftly in our lives, our churches and our community. When God says the word, healings, deliverance and salvation will come. Restoration will come. Revival will come. Say the word, Lord!

The second of our last ‘Hallelujah Psalms’ (Psalm 147) focuses on God’s goodness as seen in His grace and in His greatness over all creation. It is reminiscent of other psalms which focus on God’s creation (talking of God naming and numbering the stars, covering the sky with clouds and sending rain to provide grass and providing food for animals, being in control of the weather and so on), but also homes in on ways in which God demonstrates His loving care for people as well. Probably written after the exile, the psalm reminds us that God builds up Jerusalem and gathers the exiles (see Neh 12:27-43), showing us a picture of a tender-hearted God who heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. (Ps 147:3, Ps 34:18, Is 42:2-3)

The reasons the psalmist gives to praise God (a call repeated three times in the psalm, not including the opening and closing ‘Hallelujah’) are manifold. These include a robust acknowledgment of His greatness and power (Ps 147:5, Ps 104:1), His limitless understanding (especially compared to our limited understanding!) (Ps 147:5, Job 37:5, Is 55:8-9) and His ability to lift the lowly and reduce the wicked to their rightful place. (Ps 147:6) It’s always good to remind ourselves of who God is and the fact that He is at the centre of the universe, not us!

God is able to bless, sustain, satisfy and bring peace to the earth (Ps 147:13-15). He is able to provide for His creation (Ps 147:9). One of the chief ways He does this is through His word, revealed to us. It is this which set Israel apart from other nations (Ps 147:19-20) and it is this which sets us apart today. God is a living, speaking God whose word ‘runs swiftly’ (Ps 147:15) and who speaks still today. (John 10:3, Heb 1:2) That’s reason enough to praise!

We’re really looking forward to the ‘Job & Jingle’ pantivity which will be happening in Goldthorpe on Monday 26th November. Professional theatre company 4FrontTheatre will be visiting us, performing the show at Goldthorpe Primary School in the morning. Pupils from Sacred Heart Primary School will be coming over to GPCC in the afternoon to watch the show and then there is an evening performance at 6.30 p.m. at GPCC.

Here’s a trailer to watch to get a flavour of what this pantivity is all about: press here.

Set in a mediaeval royal court, the Queen wishes to find out how to celebrate the best Christmas ever! Job the Friar and Jingle the court jester will answer the challenge… but which Christmas will come out on top? – the religious holiday or the festive party? Join us to find out! (Evening event is free, but tickets are needed to attend – see Julie for tickets.)

The film ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ tells the life story of Freddie Mercury, member of the hugely successful rock group ‘Queen’. It is a film that is receiving great acclaim, both from film critics and audiences; I’ve heard rapturous reviews of it from people I know, who say ‘the best film I’ve ever seen’ and ‘great film.’

That has set me pondering. Many ‘Queen’ songs, including the eponymous ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, are well known and musically ambitious, reaching beyond the usual three chord domain of much rock music. They have amazing melodies and Freddie Mercury’s vocal range and musical talent are beyond qustion, though (as with all musical questions) these will not be to everyone’s taste. But the film taps into something else, appealing not only to hard-core ‘Queen’ fans but also to a wider audience because it looks at the never-fading appeal of the flawed hero.

We all need heroes, people we admire and respect, people whose talents and skills may well be beyond us, but who stir within us awe and a desire to ‘rise above the normal’ (‘Hero’, Kutless) Yet we are also drawn to flawed individuals because we ourselves are flawed. That’s why all the ‘superheroes’ in Marvel and DC comics have alter egos who are ordinary and maybe even deeply miserable. Clark Kent is a weedy reporter who can’t get the girl he loves to notice him until he dons the Superman costume. Peter Parker is an orphan with little going for him until he becomes the mighty Spiderman. Bruce Kent is another tormented individual haunted by a disturbed past, a billionaire who is still not happy, before he becomes the avenging hero Batman.

Freddie Mercury was a hugely talented individual, but the film portrays his whole life: the bullying over his buck teeth which made his childhood miserable, the demons that haunted him, the struggles he faced before becoming famous, the struggles which fame brought. People relate to that. Those who are bulled, those who are of mixed race, those who may have talent in one area but who feel useless in other areas of life, those who struggle with low self-esteem and crippling shyness all relate to a hero who did ‘make it’ and yet was still flawed and imperfect.

We are all broken, flawed individuals who are yet made in the image of God and we all contain vast, largely unexplored, potential. We also serve a Saviour who took on human flesh and is able to empathise with our suffering and sorrows, though He knew no sin. There really is only one perfect hero. All the rest of us are flawed heroes at best.

Meet Flockton, one of our flock, knitted for us by ladies from the local Catholic churches.

Flockton, one of 30 sheep, will soon be going on an adventure. We are taking the sheep to local shops in Thurnscoe, Goldthorpe and Bolton-on-Dearne so that children can take part in an Advent Sheep Trail where they have to find the names of the wandering sheep. The idea is that the sheep will all end up reunited at the Christmas celebration at the Salvation Army on Saturday 15th December between 2 and 4 p.m, whilst people can have the fun of finding the sheep’s names as they look in local shops and can possibly win a Christmas hamper through taking part in the trail.

We’ll be meeting the rest of the flock on Friday 16th November at the Salvation Army when we hope to begin distribution of the sheep to the shops!

Thank you to all who supported the Salvation Army Christmas Hamper and Winter Warmer appeal. These items will be passed on later this week.