Fund-raising event

Another busy Saturday ahead… I get to listen to my grandchildren sing at a Barnsley Youth Choir Spring Concert in the afternoon and then there’s the Dearne Community Arts’ Festival’s fund-raising concert at Goldthorpe Pentecostal Community Church at 7 p.m., with live band No Mean Feet Ceilidh Band providing the music and instruction for this event.
Tickets cost £8 per adult and £5 for over 8s, and all proceeds will go to funding this year’s arts’ festival which is on Saturday 28 September at Astrea Academy Dearne in Goldthorpe.
Do come along and have fun!

The Calendar

We continue in the book of Ecclesiastes today (Eccl 3:9-15) and our household object is the calendar. For many people, a calendar still hangs in paper form in our house (I love mine, as it’s a photo calendar with pictures of my grandchildren on each month) For others, a phone calendar helps us keep track of appointments and commitments. Calendars remind us of important dates (including religious holidays and Bank holidays) and can be used to keep track of important dates (birthdays, anniversaries etc.) as well as more mundane appointments.

Gordon Giles says, ‘The writer of Ecclesiastes gives us a sobering perspective on the busyness of our lives and the tendency to be guided, even rules, by calendars or diaries. For no matter how busy we are, or how full our calendars, time marches on: everything we do, or plan to do, or have done, needs to be placed in perspective against the eternal, divine time of God.’ (‘At Home In Lent’, P 113) It’s one thing to plan ahead, but as James reminds us, we need to plan with God and not assume! (James 4:13-15)

Keepsakes

Our household objects today are keepsakes and our Bible passage is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

Are you a hoarder or a de-clutterer? Keepsakes are usually objects that might not have a practical purpose in the home such as the washing-machine or vacuum cleaner but which we keep because of the memories that are attached to them or the sentimental value they have, being a gift from a loved one.

According to our Bible passage, there is a time to gather such objects and a time to let them go too. The Bible calls us to remember many things – chiefly the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, which we do most significantly as we share in Holy Communion, that love feast inaugurated immediately before His death – but it also reminds us that there are things we need to let go of and forget (see Isaiah 43:18). Getting the balance right isn’t always easy, but this Lent period is a good time perhaps to de-clutter (that ‘spring clean’ that is necessary to keep on top of things!) and to ponder what is really important and must always be remembered.

Living According To The Spirit

Tonight we looked at Romans 8:1-5 and the difference between living ‘according to the Spirit’ and ‘according to the flesh.’ The Bible makes it plain that there are only two ways to live (see also Matt 7:13-14) and that we can now live differently because of Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross.
Paul has made it plain in Romans 1-3 that there is a universal problem of sin which affects both Jews and Gentiles. Faith in God is the way forwad into the redemption which God has provided through Jesus (Rom 3-4); when we count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God through Jesus, we can live a life of freedom, without condemnation and without being in slavery to sin (Rom 6). The battle may still continue between our old nature and our new nature (Rom 7), but ultimately we are now free to live according to the Spirit, whom God gives us when we are born again.
Mindset is all important in life, for it’s only as we allow God’s Spirit to rule in our lives that our minds can be set on what God wants, rather than always giving in to selfishness. We are now living in a new country, in new territory, so to speak. We are children of God, heirs and co-heirs with Christ, having a wonderful future. Our troubles and trials here on earth are as nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed in us and we can be confident nothing will separate us from the love of God. Confidence, purpose and trust are the key aspects of life according to the Spirit.

A Mother’s Love

Dave spoke this morning on a mother’s love. A mother’s love is very great, and even as Jesus hung on the cross, He thought about His mother (see John 19:26-27). Today (Mothering Sunday in the UK) is the day when we pay tribute to mothers and are reminded that a mother’s love can be a reflection of God’s love to many (see Is 66:13). God wants to show His great love to people and often uses mothers as examples of godly love.

A mother cherishes her child, as 1 Kings 3 makes plain. There, two women came to Solomon asking him to discern whose child had died. Solomon was able to do this because the real mother would rather have given her child to the other than have it killed. God’s love is a cherishing love.

A mother is also known for comforting her children, for providing stability and security. God’s love is unchanging and reliable. We can rest in His comforting arms and can turn to Him at all times.

A mother sacrifices for her children, giving her everything for them. God gave His only Son for us, such is His love. (John 3:16)

A mother encourages her children, providing a listening ear and encouragement. God is always there, listening to us and encouraging us.

Down On Our Level

I spend a lot of time on the floor.
I look after my youngest granddaughter twice a week and as she’s only one, I spend a lot of time on her level, playing with her. She’s learning to stand and walk and isn’t yet steady on her feet. It hurst my back to bend over all the time, so I’m there on the floor.
At the Parent & Toddler group which I run twice a week, each session ends with me on the floor singing nursery rhymes and playing percussion instruments with the children. I’m down on their level.
It’s the way we learn to relate to and trust people. Those who tower above us seem intimidating, even frightening. We feel so much more comfortable if we can look into people’s eyes and read their facial expressions.
The Christian gospel tells us that God got down on our level to help us (see Ps 31:2, The Message). It tells us that Jesus, being in very nature God, took on human flesh, living a selfless, obedient life and then dying a selfless, obedient death so that we could be saved. (Phil 2:5-11) It tells us that we do not have a high priest who is aloof and indifferent, but One who is able to empathise with our humanity, who suffered as we do, who embraced humanity in every way except for sin. Jesus got down on our level. He looks us in the eyes and tells us that God loves us. He takes us in His arms and holds us as we weep, lament and sorrow.
This is our God. As we prepare for Easter, we have a God who understands, who cares and who loves us. He is holy and majestic, but on the cross we see a Saviour who got down on our level and who is therefore able to save completely all who come to Him. (Heb 7:25) Hallelujah, what a Saviour!