Our last birthday in August was celebrated today…

Dave spoke tonight from John 1:1-14, a familiar passage which reminds us nonetheless of God’s ongoing desire to communicate with us through words (and the Word). Words are the means by which thoughts are communicated and the Bible reminds us that God is forever speaking. In creation, God spoke and it came to be (see Ps 33:6,9, Heb 11:3) — the ‘said’ produced the ‘so’. When God speaks, things happen; as Jesus commented, His words were spirit and life (John 6:63).

The fact that God speaks is amazing, but so often, we are unwilling to listen. The true light has come into the world through Jesus, but we often prefer darkness (see Jn 1:9). God’s invisible qualities are made known to us (Rom 1:20), but we don’t always hear Him speaking clearly. When God spoke at Jesus’s baptism, many heard this as ‘thunder’; we often hide from God’s voice because it challenges and changes us.

Not only does God speak, however, but He also listens. He turns His ear towards us (Ps 116:1-2); He listens to our prayers. (Ps 34:6, Ps 66:19). It is astonishing to think that the Holy One, the Creator of the universe, the Supreme Being actually listens not only to the world and the church but to each one of us as individuals.  He is a loving Father who will never abandon or forsake us. He has spoken in the past (Heb 1:1-3), continues to speak in the present and will also speak in the future. Our problem if we cannot hear God talking to us is that we are not really listening. We need to make the time and space to listen to God; nothing is more important.

Garry spoke this morning from Isaiah 28:11-20. Isaiah prophesied at a time when things may have seemed outwardly prosperous, but God was pointing out problems and issues to His people which they largely ignored. It is not always easy to see beyond the surface of situations, but half-truths can be very deceptive. God had provided His people with a resting-place, a refuge (Is 28;12), but it was all too easy for rulers to make their own agreements with neighbouring countries and to rely on their leaders for peace and prosperity. This refuge would ultimately not prove reliable (Is 28:15b). God’s provision of a cornerstone was enough to keep them safe, but their false refuges would not last. (Is 28:17-18)

Ultimately, our lives need to be built on truth, not half-truths. The truth can be uncomfortable; it can be painful and can jar us, but it is real and we need to build our lives on reality.

We need truth in us. So often, we accumulate wrong beliefs gradually, adding our own definitions and ideas to God’s word (see Matt 15:1-2). We can have wrong perspectives, majoring on minor issues (see Matt 23:23-24) until we have lost sight of God’s heart. Half-truths act as a prison, locking us in, but the truth has the power to liberate us (John 8:31-32). As we accept God’s truth and live by it, it has the power to free us.

We then need to share the truth. People generally are either materialistic (believing that there is no God and that life can be reduced to what we can experience with our senses, often swayed by evolutionary teaching) or spiritually sensitive (but still perhaps having little idea what they actually believe.) Both groups of people need to know the liberating truth of the gospel.

God’s truth in us has the power to change how we live and how others live. If we are satisfied with cosy half-truths, it’s like being in a bed that’s too short for us or covered by blankets that are not big enough (Is 28:20). Half-truths don’t really help. What is needed are zeal and fervour based on truth (see Rom 12:11-12). Heb 3:7-8 reminds us that when we hear the Holy Spirit speaking to us, we need to respond and not delay. God wants us to ‘keep on the boil’, to respond to Him, to embrace the truth, to live the truth and to face the truth. This happens as we read God’s word daily, being washed in it, and as we meditate on it so that it flavours us and colours all our responses, as we seek God in prayer and listen to what He says. We may not be able to do everything, but we are responsible for what God puts into our hands to do. Truth working in and through us will have an effect on our world.

God is looking for people who will be fully committed to Him (2 Chron 16:9). He longs for us to love Him with all our heart, soul, strength and mind (Deut 6:4-5, Matt 22:36-38), for our lives to be wholly rooted in Him. (Col 2:6-7)

Asa was a king who started well with heartfelt commitment to God. (2 Chron 15:17) However, in his last years he did not fully trust in God, making a treaty with Ben-Hadad, king of Damascus (2 Chron 16:2-10) and failing to seek help from God when he became ill. (2 Chron 16:12) We need to trust in the Lord with all our hearts (Prov 3:5), not just in fits and starts or when it’s easy, but constantly.

We also need to obey God with an undivided heart (Ps 119:34, 69; 1 Chron 29:19) and to serve Him wholeheartedly. (Neh 4:4, Col 3:23) Our praise has to be wholehearted (Ps 111:1, Ps 138:1). God is not interested in half-hearted lip service. He longs for surrendered hearts and zealous service. (Rom 12:8-11)

Prov 4:23 warns us to guard our hearts above all else: ‘for everything you do flows from it.’ (Prov 4:23) We have to examine our hearts regularly (2 Cor 13:5, 1 Cor 11:28) because they have the capacity for self-deception (Jer 17:9) The good news is that God promises to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. (2 Crhon 16:9) Time to review our heart’s status?

Don’t forget that family fun continues tomorrow (Wednesday 22nd August) at the Welfare grounds in Goldthorpe (12-4 p.m.) when the ‘Bounce Into Summer’ day (organised by Goldthorpe Development Group) takes place. Wristbands cost £2.50 and are available on the day, giving access to a wide variety of rides and entertainment. Children need to be wearing socks to be allowed onto the bouncy castles.

We will be having a church prayer meeting tomorrow (Wednesday 22nd August) at 3 p.m., so please come along to that and pray for our church members, local churches and wider community.

On Thursday 30th August from 7.30 p.m. we will be having our annual cleaning of toys for the Parent & Toddler group (which re-starts on Friday 7th September.) Do come along if you can to help clean all the toys and get ready for the new session following the summer break.

We’ll then be having our major cleaning session (inside and outside) on Saturday 8th September from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Many hands make light work, so do join with us for this day of ‘fettling’, in Yorkshire parlance.

Today’s Summer Fun day was at St Helen’s Church Hall in Thurnscoe. The ‘superheroes’ theme was taken seriously by several children and some adults…

Families had fun colouring superheroes and painting ceramic superheroes, as well as making superheroes’ masks.

Many thanks to Tesco who donated the pies for today’s lunch along with hot dogs, and to local volunteers who worked so hard in preparing food, serving and washing up.

The last Summer Fun day of the school holidays will be on Wednesday 29th August at Goldthorpe Parish Church when we’ll be having a Teddy Bears’ Picnic. See you there!