Dave spoke this morning from Luke 15, the chapter where Jesus tells three parables about lost things. The context for these parables was that many tax collectors and sinners were gathering around Jesus, to the disgruntlement of the Pharisees who felt that a religious teacher should be more ‘respectable’. Jesus wanted to correct these wrong attitudes and to show people that God wants to accept everyone and is truly glad when people repent and turn back to Him.

In the first parable, the shepherd loses one sheep and goes looking for the one lost sheep, bringing it home and rejoicing with his neighbours, throwing a party because what was lost has now been found. The woman’s response to finding the lost coin is similar. In the parable of the lost son, the father watches for his son’s return every day and throws a massive party when he does finally return. Jesus told us that there is celebration in heaven when one sinner repends.

God weeps over those who reject Him (see Jer 13:7 and how Jesus wept over Jerusalem in Luke 10) and longs for people to return to Him. Is 62:5 reminds us that as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so God takes delight in and rejoices over us. Zeph 3:17 reminds us that the Father sing songs over us. So often, we think of God as stern and unwelcoming, but nothing could be further from the truth. He is full of joy and is a God who longs to include us. The party celebrations will truly be something to behold!

We had a fire engine here today, always a great attraction for the children.

Youngsters concentrating on Connect 4:

Hula hoops are great:

Queues to get in:

Playing indoors:

Today’s Summer Fun Day was another fantastic fun-packed day on a sporting theme. We had activities going on outside Houghton Road Centre in Thurnscoe (including crazy golf, archery, table tennis, FitStix and skittles), games (a giant Connect 4, for example) and lots of craft activities inside the building. More photos to follow later, but in the meantime, spare a thought for all those who worked hard behind the scenes getting things ready for the fun…

Derek & Tina in the kitchen, working hard to serve and prepare food (and thanks to those who supplied the amazing buffet!)

Alison Vint from Big Local Thurnscoe and Charlotte Williams from Station House getting things ready:

Claire Dawson from the Dearne Area Team (a revenge photo for the one she took of me last week!) Thanks also to Marie Sinclair and Ann Toy for their unstinting work organising these days and to all who have come from other organisations (e.g. the Family Centre, Be Well Barnsley) to help. Thanks also to the church volunteers who support these events and help to provide fun and food for all the family.

“Our ability to endure, to persevere, to overcome is fuelled by the one seemingly innocuouse ingredient called hope.” (Erwin McManus)

Hope is an essential, but apparently innocuous, ingredient in a life of faith. Without hope, our lives are meaningless, lacking shape and form. Hope tells us that the current chaos of ‘now!’ is not all there is; it anchors us in the reality of God’s explosive presence and power. It reminds us that there is more to life what our natural eyes can see. It keeps us steady when the storms of doubt and adversity come, whisking us off our feet with terrifying alacrity and keeps us going when exhaustion threatens to lay us out.

Hope looks innocuous, though. It is a chirpy little thing, unlike the huge, solid boulder of despair, and we may well wonder how such a slight quality can overcome such a daunting enemy. Casting Crows give us a clue as to how hope works: by changing our perspective:

‘But the stone was just the right size

To put the giant on the ground,

And the waves, they don’t seem so high,

From on top of them looking down.

I will soar with the wings of eagles

When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus

Singing over me.’ (‘The Voice of Truth’)

Today, in the midst of darkness, doubt and despair, let the hope about which the Bible teaches fill our hearts and lift us up: ‘May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’ (Rom 15:13)

England has been basking in one of its warmest spells for years and Garry asked us the question ‘How have you been taking the heat?‘ However, he was not really talking about the weather, but exploring the ‘heat’ involved in being a Christian….

1. The Heat of Suffering

Despite what we may say, many of us subconsciously believe that bad things should only happen to bad people and that if we do the right thing, things will always go well for us. When suffering comes our way, we may feel we have done something wrong. In John 9:1-5, we see how the theological question of the causes of suffering is answered by Jesus. When asked if a man’s blindness was caused by his parents’ sin or his own sin, Jesus said neither. God does not work that way. Job is the classic example of one who suffered greatly despite having done nothing wrong, and it is unhelpful if we simply trot out simplistic answers (‘you’ve obviously done something wrong’/ ‘you don’t have enough faith’) when faced with suffering.

The Psalms show us many examples of the confusion and questions which suffering causes (see Ps 63:1, Ps 13:1-2, Ps 35:17. Ps 74:10-11). We often ask ‘why?’ and ‘how long?‘ when facing suffering (see also Ps 10:1, Ps 22:7), but God does not always answer our questions in the way we would like (He asked Job more questions, for example, rather than answering Job’s questions!) The challenge for us when facing the heat of suffering is to believe that God works in perfect faithfulness even through suffering. (Is 25:1) God’s faithfulness will not let us go, even when we suffer.

      2. The Heat of Persecution

For so long in the West, we have been used to common beliefs based on Christianity being the accepted norm, but the effects of humanism and scientism have led to a godless philosophy which has a profound effect on life now. George Orwell said, “For two hundred years we had sawed and sawed and sawed at the branch we were sitting on. And in the end, much more suddenly than anyone had forseen, our efforts were rewarded, and down we came. But unfortunately there had been a little mistake. The thing at the bottom had not been a bed of roses after all, it was a cesspool full of barbed wire.” In some countries, persecution for being a Christian is often deadly, but we should not be naive about this topic, since Jesus told His disciples that they would be hated because of Him. (Matt 24:9) Our response to persecution must be the same as Jesus’s response. We are called to love our enemies and do good to those who persecute us (see Matt 5:42-48), to rejoice in persecution (as Paul and SIlas did, even after being severely flogged – Acts 16; see also Acts 5:40-41).The heat of persecution will show our mettle.

       3. The Heat of Disappointment

We suffer sometimes because something happens to us which we did not expect or something doesn’t happen which we feel ought to have. In short, we are disappointed by life (and by God) and this leads to disillusionment and discouragement. Our hopes are dashed when we don’t get the promotion we deserve or illness strikes or misunderstandings and relationship problems hit us. HIdden disappointment can be extremely dangerous to faith. When we are disappointed, we need to admit it honestly to God and to understand that our disappointments are often based on wrong beliefs or distorted perceptions.

Disappointment needs to be viewed positively. As Thomas Edison remarked on making the light bulb, ‘“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” If we can view life with tenacity and perseverance, we will be able to withstand the heat of disappointment. Like Jacob, we need to learn to wrestle with God.

James 1:3 reminds us that we are to count every trial and trouble as pure joy. Taking the heat refines us and ultimately is meant to shape us into the image of Christ.

‘Bubbles!’ is one of the few words my 19-month granddaughter can say with clarity. She absolutely adores bubbles, being thrilled to get a Nemo bubble gun from a trip to the Sea Life aquarium in Loch Lomond on holiday and spending hours making bubbles escape from the fish’s mouth.

Similarly, the whale bubble machine used at the playgroups she attends always captures her rapt attention:

There is something very mesmerising about bubbles and children are not the only ones who enjoy blowing them and bursting them:

Living life inside a bubble, however – feeling protected and safe or simply locked into despair, adversity, sorrow, disappointment or regret – is not reality. We need to understand that the reality of life with Jesus is greater than any bubble. Bubbles are always transitory, ephemeral. Jesus came to give us eternal, abundant life. (John 10:10) We need to progress from bubbles to the joy of this eternal life which starts now.