An anthem is ‘a rousing or uplifting song identified with a particular group, body, or cause.‘ Rend Collective are good at writing anthems, rousing songs which declare and proclaim the truths found in God’s word. On their album ‘Homemade Worship By Handmade People’, they sang the anthem ‘Build Your Kingdom Here’, a song full of prayers packed with a desire to see God’s power working in our nations. On their album ‘The Art of Celebration’, they sang the anthem ‘More Than Conquerors’, which set the truths of Rom 8:37 and 1 John 4:8 to music. on their new album ‘As Family We Go’, the anthemic song is ‘Every Giant Will Fall’, which declares ‘Your love is my battle cry, the anthem for all my life.’

An anthem is powerful to the extent that it proclaims truth. It needs more than a catchy tune (which they are very good at writing!) and good lyrics. Jesus said that it is truth which sets us free (John 8:32) and it is crucially important that over fear and over lies we sing truth. The truth of God’s love, the truth that ‘nothing is impossible with You’ (see Mark 9:23, Jer 32:17), the truth that Jesus broke every chain are the things we need to sing about, speak about and preach to ourselves, let alone to anyone else.

‘I can see the Promised Land
Though there’s pain within the plan,
There is victory in the end
Your love is my battle cry.

When my fears like Jericho
Build their walls around my soul,
When my heart is overthrown,
Your love is my battle cry,
The anthem for all my life.

Every giant will fall, the mountains will move
Every chain of the past, You’ve broken in two
Over fear, over lies, we’re singing the truth
That nothing is impossible with You.

There is hope within the fight
In the wars that rage inside,
Though the shadows steal the light,
Your love is my battle cry,
The anthem for all my life.

Every giant will fall, the mountains will move
Every chain of the past, You’ve broken in two
Over fear, over lies, we’re singing the truth
That nothing is impossible with You.

No greater name, no higher name
No stronger name than Jesus
You overcame, broke every chain,
Forever reign, King Jesus.’ (‘Every Giant Will Fall’, Rend Collective)

Far from being a sad indictment on sporting ability, ‘You Will Never Run’ is one of the new songs on Rend Collective’s album ‘As Family We Go’, released today. Rend Collective are one of the zaniest Christian music groups around, as the video of this song amply demonstrates (it features dancing pandas and a whole host of exuberant fun!) It focuses on God’s faithfulness: ‘You will never run away; You’re forever mine.’  Check out the album: lots of great worship songs that are brimful with joy which will put bounce in your step, a smile on your face and remind you of the many, many reasons we have to celebrate.

Work has carried on this week, finishing many jobs and beginning the great clear-up!

The new buffer machine arrived this week to help us clean the floors:

Diane using the machine:

Today, more ‘touching up’ of paintwork will be done and cleaning continued, but I am reliably informed that ‘the end is in sight’!

Week 5 of the school holidays and the work continues at church. The gates and railings were finished on Monday in fine weather which so far has not lasted, as the photographs taken today reveal:

Inside the building, a number of jobs were finished (putting up the last display board, sanding down rough areas, touching up of painting and so on) and the display boards have been backed:

Then it was time to fill them with information!

… and posters:

Stephen spoke this evening about how we can get to know God in all His fullness. It’s easy for us each to hold a ‘piece’ of the picture of God, but we need to understand that there is so much more of God to know and experience. Eph 1:22-23 reminds us that Christ is the head of the church, the fullness of God who fills everything in every way; Eph 4:13 reminds us that God’s goal is for us to become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Clearly, if God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Christ (Col 1:19), we need to know more of God.

Col 2:6-10 reminds us that in Christ, all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form. God wants us to know Him fully, but so often, we are content to simply experience part of the Godhead and never press on or we allow ourselves to become distracted from the pursuit of God. Our discipleship must involve the daily challenge of taking up the cross, being perpetually re-filled by God and letting go of earthly desires. Surrender and submission are essential for us to grasp hold of the fullness of God; we have to be like the woman plagued by bleeding who pressed in to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, knowing that if she did so, healing and wholeness would be hers. We have to be willing to be more than spectators; we have to participate.

1 Kings 18:39 reminds us that a proper response to a vision of God’s fullness is to fall down, prostrate, in awe and wonder. Only as we surrender wholeheartedly to God can we grow in our understanding of Him so that we experience more of His fullness in our lives.

God calls us to live by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7), something which inevitably involves risk (someone once said ‘Faith is spelled R-I-S-K’) and leaves us with stomachs churning and hearts beating faster than normal. Following God is exhilarating, exciting and challenging, but it is also, at times, like stepping out on water (knowing rationally that water will not support walking). It’s not for the faint-hearted, as these songs amply demonstrate: ‘Crazy Faith‘ (John Waller) and ‘Only The Brave’ (Tim Hughes.) Nonetheless, it’s the only way which pleases God: ‘without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.’ (Heb 11:6)

The farmer who sows seed believing that a harvest will come does so by faith. There is nothing in the kernel of grain to encourage us that enough wheat will come to feed families, yet as we wait patiently for the harvest, God works in ways that confound us. God’s ways will always leave us at least mildly perplexed, for His foolishness is wiser than our wisdom and His ways of working cannot be fathomed by reason and logic alone. Our part is to trust God, take Him at His word and step out in faith. The rest is up to God.