I was very struck by an interview with Joni Eareckson Tada in ‘Christianity Today’ recently. Joni was injured in a diving accident when she was 17 and the interview, giving 50 years later, is entitled ‘After 50 years in a wheelchair, I still walk with Jesus.’ You can read the article here.

Joni has perhaps more experience of suffering than most of us (she has also faced stage 3 breast cancer and struggles with chronic pain on a daily basis), but the joy and peace she radiates are inspirations to us. I was particularly struck by a quotation from William Law which she says helped her in the tensions between accepting suffering that may come into our lives and seeking healing or relief from God:

“Receive every inward and outward trouble, every disappointment, every trial, every uneasiness, every darkness and desolation with both your hands, as a blessed opportunity … of dying to self, and entering into a fuller fellowship with your Savior. Look at no outward or inward trouble in any other view; reject every other thought about it; and you will find that the day of your distress will become the blessed day of your (spiritual) prosperity.”

Dying to self is not easy, but we can be sure that God will not test us beyond our limits (1 Cor 10:13) and that He is able to work in all things for our good. Joni helps us to see this truth lived out. May we find God’s grace to do the same.

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Bob finished work on the doors under the stage yesterday.

These are the fastenings:

There’s a bolt on the inside for added strength:

The finished job:

Our thanks to Bob for his professional work and good humour!

We had our very own big fish (affectionately known as Winston the Whale, or, more informally, ‘Slob’) to feature in a game where we tried to flick plastic frogs into his mouth:

Prizes included a map of the world (Jonah would have found this useful!), a fidget spinner (useful if you’re in the belly of a fish for 3 days and nights) and frog games.

We also learned a new song about ‘Jonah, the Moaner’ which urges us not to be like Jonah but to go God’s way and do what He says immediately!

Jonah is both a warning and an encouragement to us.

He encourages us by showing us that our disobedience can’t stop God’s plans and that God is merciful and gives us second chances. He encourages us by showing us that there is hope even in the most hellish of situations (and beyond these immediate illustrations, this story is used in the New Testament to point to the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, so we see that God can do great things from our individual stories, even when they may not seem particularly impressive to us!)

But he is a warning to us that just because we claim to be followers of Jesus, that doesn’t automatically make our attitudes and behaviour right. It’s always a little bit scary to realise that religious people, people who should know better, are often those who are the most unkind, the least forgiving and the least merciful. Jesus frequently had words of admonition and warning to give to the scribes and Pharisees, people who knew the law, because they missed the point altogether. They criticised Him for healing on the Sabbath. They criticised the company He took. They were full of complaints. He told them, ‘go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’ (Matt 9:13)

Jonah was something of a racist: he wanted God’s mercy for Israel but didn’t care about other nations. Are we like that too? If we’re alright, do we even care that others are going to hell because they have not experienced the love and mercy and forgiveness of God for themselves? God’s mercy was wide enough to extend to Nineveh. It’s wide enough to encompass the whole world. His plan, right from the start, was that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through Abraham and his offspring (Gen 12:3), and our mission is to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matt 28:19) How seriously are we taking that commission? Are we running in the opposite direction, like Jonah did?

Jonah is grudging even in his obedience: in Jonah 4, he is still portrayed as being selfish, caring more about his own comfort and protection than the fate of a city with 120,000 people in it. Are we like that too? Do we care more about our own ease and comfort, about our own selfish ambitions and desires, than we do about the community we are called to serve?

God wants our attitudes and thinking to be transformed. (Rom 12:1-2) He wants us to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but to put the interests of other people before our own, walking in humility and compassion. (Phil 2:3-4) We are called to serve God faithfully where we are and to go wherever He sends us. Paul says to the Corinthians, ‘Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.’ (1 Cor 15:58)

August is traditionally the month for holidays, and certainly there were many church members away on holiday this Sunday. But for those who were at the family service, we looked at the theme of ‘Vacation Locations’. We often have unrealistic expectations of holidays, dreaming of perfect weather, food, accommodation and company. Our fantasies can, at times, be ruined by the weather…

… or by the accommodation…

… not to mention delays at the airport or ill-health. But for Jonah, the problems he faced when journeying were very different!

Jonah was a prophet called to go to Nineveh, about 550 miles from Joppa in Israel. He wasn’t keen on that idea, and so decided to set off for Tarshish instead, over 2500 miles away -‘as far by water, from Joppa, as Jonah could possibly have sailed in those ancient days, when the Atlantic was an almost unknown sea.’ (Father Mapple, Chapter 9, “The Sermon”) In other words, Jonah decided he was going to disobey God and go in completely the opposite direction.

The story is familiar to us: Jonah ended up being thrown overboard when a storm hit, but instead of drowning, God sent a large fish to swallow him (Jonah 1:17). Jonah found God even in that unlikely place (Jonah 2:1) and ended up experiencing God’s forgiveness, mercy and grace… and was enabled to have a second chance.

Jonah proves to us that God is a God of mercy, a God who doesn’t give us the punishments we deserve but instead offers us forgiveness and grace. Wherever we are on this journey of life, we will need mercy, grace and forgiveness, because none of us is perfect. We all make mistakes; we all mess up. He also shows us that disobedience is pointless, because God’s plans will not be thwarted, and that it’s always best to go God’s way. He shows us also, though, that mercy received needs to be given also. Jesus told His disciples, ‘Freely you have received; freely give.’ (Matt 10:8) We need to be people who show mercy and forgiveness to others and to live out the messages God gives us.

Despite not having any midweek meetings in August, there is still a range of activities happening in the area.

On Tuesday 15, 22 and 29 August, ‘Churches Together’ will be hosting family fun days at Houghton Road Centre in Thurnscoe (where Thurnscoe Pentecostal Church meets) from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. There will be the opportunity to take part in craft activities and play crazy golf; refreshments will also be served.

Prior to the first meeting on 15 August, there will be a ‘Churches Together’ prayer meeting at 9.30 a.m. Come along to pray and ask God’s blessing on our local communities.

Before then, there are craft sessions at Cherry Tree Court on Monday 7th August and at the Salvation Army on Wednesday 16th August (10 a.m. – 12 noon) as part of the Dearne Community Arts’ Festival build-up. Roxana Whiteman is leading these workshops which show how creativity can be good for our emotional wellbeing! Free entry and suitable for all ages. These workshops (which include one for children between 10 and 18 years of age on performing arts at the Dearne Playhouse on Thursday 24th August from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) lead up to the Dearne Community Arts’ Festival at the Dearne Playhouse on 1 & 2 September:

Many thanks to everyone for your continued generosity in supporting Bedline in Haiti and now Amshika in India. Last month we collected over £74 to support these two needy children.