Behold!
Today is the first Sunday in Advent, so perhaps it’s appropriate to share an unusual Advent song ‘Behold‘, written and sung by Jeremy & Adie Camp’s children, Bella & Aerie. It’s probably not surprising that when music features so heavily in a family’s life, children imitate what they hear on an everyday basis, but the purity of children’s voices always makes Christmas songs poignant. As we prepare to celebrate the arrival of Jesus as a vulnerable, innocent baby, it’s time to ‘let every heart prepare Him room.’ (‘Joy To The World’)
‘Behold!’ is an old-fashioned word which means more than simply to look at or see; it means pay close attention to and to observe carefully. We need to look carefully beyond the glitz of decorations and the commercialisation of Christmas to the heart of Christmas. There is a campaign called ‘Christmas Starts With Christ’ whose vision is for the message ‘Christmas starts with Christ’ to be visible in the busyness of the season, to act as a reminder that although there are many ways that we mark the celebration, Christ is the true meaning. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Christmas jumpers, mince pies, Christmas trees and Christmas markets… but for Christ to be at the centre of our Christmas, we do have to pause and ‘behold’ the One whose coming in poverty, obscurity and vulnerability can easily get forgotten in the busyness of shopping, cooking, decorating and working. May we ever be mindful of that tiny baby who changed the world, who is also the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
A nightingale sings…
The common nightingale is an ordinary-looking bird which sings at all times, even at night-time, which is very unusual. They are so named precisely because of this tendency to sing at night as well as during the day; some think that nocturnal song is likely to serve to attract a mate. Nightingales sing even more loudly in urban or near-urban environments in order to overcome the background noise.
The thrush nightingale has a different song, having a range of whistles, trills and clicks and includes a flute-like “pioo” with a pure bell-like tone and is rather solemn as compared to that of the nightingale.
Matt Redman spoke about the nightingale at a concert in Huddersfield last night, reminding us that we are called to praise God at all times, not just when things are going well. So many of his songs reflect this theme (‘Blessed Be Your Name’, ‘You Never Let Go’, ‘Louder’, for example) and one song on his new album takes this theme further and reminds us that God Himself gives us ‘songs in the night’.
‘God, You can tell the waves be still,
Tell the ocean roar to pass.
Lord, until it does,
I’ll wait here.
God, You can part the raging sea,
Bring the miracle I need.
Lord, until it comes,
I’ll wait here
And I will sing
Songs in the night,
Praise in the storm
You’re God in it all,
And I will stand
I’ll be still and know,
Whatever may come
You’re God in it all.
And so when I am in the storm,
Lord, the storm is not in me.
You will be my peace.
I’ll wait here.
I’ll wait here.
Your love
Your love
Won’t leave me in the shadows
Oh Your love
Your love
Forever by my side
I will not be afraid
You are my song in the night.’ (‘Songs In The Night’, Matt Redman)
You can listen to the songs sung last night by clicking on the titles below.
Kari Jobe sang:
After an interval, the following were sung:
Missionary updates
We have had letters from both missionary couples we support in recent days. Reeba in India wrote about the tailoring programme she oversees, giving news of graduations and God’s faithfulness in providing sewing machines for every woman who completes the programme. Please pray for all the women who take part as they leave and endeavour to earn a living from the skills they have learned; pray for the new students and for plans to open a third programme in another area of India. Pray for the conversion of many women as they experience God’s love firsthand through this programme.
Steve and Katuska, who made a flying visit to England back in September, are now making plans for their furlough in 2016. Leaving the work behind in Mozambique brings with it many logistical problems, chiefly who will lead and direct the work at the seminary in Steve’s absence. They are very aware that there is no other OMS missionary working at the seminary and therefore finding someone to step in is quite a challenge. The boys’ education is also a concern as they move back to the UK, with continuity and challenge a difficult balancing act. Their letter includes ‘practical prayers’ (always the best kind!) for reliable electricity and water supplies, security and peace (the rumblings of violence, political unrest and kidnapping remain a constant nagging concern) and (perhaps hard for us to take in England!) ‘cooler days and nights’ as the hottest times of summer are very debilitating. Please pray also for the 44 students at the seminary and for their plans for furlough to become clearer.
Steve and Katuska with their three sons (Samuel, Ben and Joseph) on their flying visit in September:
Goldthorpe Christmas Market update
Plans are ongoing for the Christmas Market in Goldthorpe which will be on Friday 11th December from 4-8 p.m. Santa’s Sleigh is apparently all ready and a good number of stalls booked, including some selling Christmas wreaths and jewellery as well as Mr & Mrs Pickwick’s Traditional Baked selling hot pork sandwiches. Face painting, Santa’s elves and tombolas will all be available as well as a range of rides (in the car park at the bottom of Market Street.)
- Rodeo reindeer
- Mega Jungle Christmas Trailer
- Coconut Shy
- Tin Can Alley
- Bungee Trampoline
- Six Bed Trampoline
- Mini Waltzer Ride
- Ball in the Bucket
- Santa’s Grotto
Inside the church, we will be having refreshments and home baking to keep us going and there will be the opportunity to win a Christmas Food Hamper. Donations to the hamper are still needed, so you can support the event even if you can’t make it on the day! Craft items and Christmas decorations will be available, along with sweet cones and other craft & coluring activities to keep children occupied. And if you really can’t face all that Christmas wrapping, bring your presents along and get them wrapped for 10p per present! All proceeds from this will go towards the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal to help local families in need.
At 6 p.m., members of local churches will join together in the car park for a ‘Churches Together Carol Service.‘ Come along to sing old favourites and newer carols and have a great time celebrating the fact that God has come to earth as a baby to save us all!
Veneer
Recently we had a leak in our bathroom which caused minor damage and as a result we are looking for new shelving to go in the bathroom corner next to the bath. My husband, who designed the original shelving because of the awkward shape of the corner, wanted to simply replace the shelf with another of the same kind, but I was reluctant to do that because the conti board used previously had been affected by water. I wanted something tougher and more waterproof (and something which, if I am honest, looked a lot nicer.)
Thus began a seemingly simple task of finding another material for the shelf. We started looking at materials usually used for kitchen worktops since they have (in my opinion) a more elegant finish. Yet as I trawled through samples and traipsed round DIY shops, I discovered that the differences in shelving had far more to do with veneer than substance.
Veneer is a thin decorative covering of fine wood applied to a coarser wood or other material. Whether I chose conti board or laminate worktops, essentially the board itself was made of core CIA chipboard, with a backing of resin impregnated paper and water resistant seals. The ‘finish’ was vastly different, but the actual shelf material wasn’t. And that set me thinking…
Garry sees a shelf as something functional, so he doesn’t really care about what it looks like. As long as the shelf is strong enough to hold whatever is put on it, that’s what counts to an engineer. I, on the other hand, want the shelf to look pretty as well as be functional, and in a bathroom, that meant having a glossy finish that would be easily wiped down when cleaning.
I think I perhaps have the same thinking when it comes to living. Am I more concerned about what my life looks like on the outside (the veneer, the ‘glossy finish’) than I am about what it is made up of on the inside? Do appearances matter to me more than function? And ultimately, am I led astray by appearances so that I am deceived by the superficial, the pretty, the sparkling, regardless of the substance?
Mark 7:1-23 talks of the Pharisees who were offended because Jesus’s disciples apparently did not go through all the ceremonial forms of washing before eating. They were utterly taken up by appearances. Jesus reminded them ‘Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.‘ (Mark 7:15) He said ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles them‘ (Mark 7:20) He was far more concerned with the substance of a person than their veneer (see also Matt 23:1-39).
A veneer can be scratched and spoiled and then the real substance is evident. Our lives may look very spiritual, but when squeezed by life’s circumstances and trials, our true nature will be revealed. We need God’s Spirit to search our hearts and reveal to us what is going on under the surface; we need to be more than people who simply look good.
Birthday celebrations
It was great to welcome our newest members to church tonight: babies born in November. Our prayers are with these two baby girls and their families.
We had another birthday to celebrate as well!
