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.

Garry continued the theme of our ‘Do Something Sunday’, reminding us that the complacency of fools will destroy them. (Prov 1:32) Complacency is a great danger to the church, for if we are complacent, we are satisfied with how things are and feel there is no need to do any more. It is foolish to be complacent, however, because change is inevitable and we are built to ‘do something’ – work was part of God’s original plan for mankind. (Gen 2:15)

Jer 29:4-7 reminds us that God urged His people, even in exile, to seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which they had been carried. Instead of being negative and critical, we are urged to speak well (Eph 4:29-30). Daniel and his friends took this word to heart and worked well in Babylon, gaining high positions and seeking the prosperity of the place in which they lived. So often, Christians have been involved in doing something to change situations that were unfair or unjust: the Tolpuddle Martyrs (who were transported to Australia for forming an early trade union to right wrongs in the workplace) were led by a Methodist lay preacher, George Loveless; Keir Hardie (the first leader of the Labour Party) was a lay preacher who was driven into political activisim and sustained in it by his faith.

BMBC’s ‘Love Where You Live’ campaign is very Biblical. We are called to do something here, where we live. Matt 9:36-10:1 reminds us that Jesus said the harvest was plentiful, but the workers few; Not only are we called to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest field, we are the ones God will use! We have the advantage of working with God; we are not on our own.

Jn 4:35 reminds us that the fields are ripe for harvest now. Eccl 9:10 reminds us to do whatever our hand finds to do with all our might. God has good plans for us, plans that are ‘tailor-made’ for us (Jer 29:11, Eph 2:10) It may be that God wants us to do new things, to be creative, to stretch and develop our faith. One thing is for sure. We need to ‘do something’!

Mark Altrogge’s song ‘In My Generation’ contains the piercing question ‘What is on Your heart? Tell me what to do. Let me know Your will, and I will follow You.’ Ultimately, we need to be like Jesus who only did what He saw His Father doing. (John 5:19) Our ‘something’ has reflect the things on God’s heart.

The Bible gives us clear indications as to what matters to God.

1. God cares for the individual. He so loved the whole world that He sent His only Son, Jesus, but that salvation is appropriated by people individually. God truly knows and cares for us individually: ‘even the very hairs on your head are numbered.’ (Matt 10:30, Luke 12:7) Christians have always been at the forefront of campaigns which remind society of the worth and value of each individual, whether that’s the unborn child, the disabled whom nobody wants to acknowledge or the elderly whose life seems so costly to maintain and of so little worth to society. Caring for indivdiuals is one of the chief ways we can ‘do something’.
2. God cares for children. Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ (Matt 19:14) It’s important we care for children, because God does.
3. God cares for the fatherless and the orphan and widow. He ‘sustains the fatherless and the widow’ (Ps 146:9); the Old Testament gives us clear indications of the provisions God made in society for those people who were powerless to help themselves.We need to care for those who cannot speak up for themselves.
4. God cares about those in slavery, about justice, about fair wages. (Deut 24:14) Zero hour contracts… minimum wages… immigration rights… justice in the workplace – all of these very ‘modern’ topics are on God’s heart and should therefore be on our hearts too.
5. God cares about the poor and needy and urges us to be ‘openhanded’ to them (Deut 15:11). That’s why we support the Salvation Army foodbank and sponsor Bedline, Amshika and Innocent and support Fredrick and Reeba’s ministry in India.
6. God cares about injustice and oppression.He ‘upholds the cause of the oppressed.’ (Ps 146:7) God doesn’t want His people to be the privileged minority who trample all over people. He wants us to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves, to help those who can’t help themselves.

     7. God cares about people having the opportunity to hear His word. We need to be active in promoting freedom of speech in our country and to remain true to His   word. That won’t always be popular; it may even lead to active persecution, but we need to understand that the unfolding of God’s word brings light (Ps 119:130) and that His word has the power to set people free and lead to transformation.

As we look at the subject of ‘Do Something!’ this weekend, it’s very easy to be overwhelmed by the needs we see all around us on a daily basis and to feel helpless in the face of those needs. We can’t do everything, and as a result we often become paralysed by this helplessness and do nothing.

In a local shop, this sign used to hang above the till:

There was an important job to be done and Everyone was sure that Someone would do it.

Anyone could have done it, but No-one did it.

Someone got angry about that because he thought that it was Everyone’s job.

Everyone thought that Anyone could do it, but No-one realised that Everyone wouldn’t do it.

It ended up that Everyone was angry with Someone because No-one did what Anyone could have done!

It’s far easier to think others should be doing something than it is to listen to God individually and as a church for what He wants us to do. It’s far easier to be critical than it is to value the ordinary ‘somethings’ which can make a huge difference in the lives of individuals. But we are the body of Christ, called to be salt and light in the world (Matt 5:13-16). We are called to continue Christ’s ministry on earth (see Luke 9:1-2, Matt 28:18-20) and to understand that doing something is far better than doing nothing.

So often, we are dazzled by what we think are ‘important’ tasks (usually very visible tasks like preaching or leading worship), but Jesus reminds us that it’s the ordinary tasks that are also needed (see Matt 10:42, Matt 25:34-46). We need to seek God for what He wants us to do, understanding that so often He has placed passions and interests in our hearts as the first steps to service (Ps 37:4). Whatever we do, we need to do it willingly, whole-heartedly and with thanksgiving (Col 3:17, Eccl 9:10).

Service comes in many shapes and guises. The church remains God’s Plan A for transformation in our world today and He has no Plan B. He wants us to be His body, to be people who reflect His heart and who reach out to the world around us with love, commitment, passion, endurance and unity. Let’s do something to see His kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.

Don’t forget it’s our ‘Do Something!’ weekend.

On Saturday 3rd November we will be giving out leaflets advertising the church’s coffee morning and Parent & Toddler group in particular. Meet at the church for 10.45 a.m. and join with us in posting leaflets to a number of houses in the Goldthorpe area as we seek to let people know of some of the groups we run.

On Sunday 4th November, we’ll be exploring different ways in which we can all do something in our local church and in our local area. We’ll be giving items to help with the Salvation Army Christmas Hamper appeal and ‘Winter Warmer’ appeal, so please bring something along to support that very practical ministry if you can.

• Tea or Coffee
• Tins of ham and corned beef
• Jars of jam and lemon curd
• Bags of sugar
• Long life Milk
• Long life fruit juice
• Selection boxes
• Boxes of sweets
• Tubes of crisps/ packs of crisps
• Christmas pudding
• Box of savoury/ sweet biscuits
• Mince pies
• Instant gravy mix
• Stuffing mix
• Yorkshire pudding mix
• Pickled onions
• Chocolate Log
• Custard
• Hats, scarves, gloves
• Winter coats
• Hot water bottles
• Thermos flasks
• Foil blankets