Garry spoke this morning from John 1:1-18, focussing on John 1:17 in particular. The law was given through Moses (who acted as a conduit), but grace and truth are found in Jesus.

Gal 3:22-25 talks about the role of the law, which was our guardian until faith came. The word ‘guardian’ (pedagogos) was used to describe a servant who was employed by someone wealthy to take children aged 6-16 years old to school, someone who was responsible for their behaviour and development. Bill Mounce’s website talks of how the dominant image was that of a harsh disciplinarian who frequently resorted to physical force and corporal punishment as a way of keeping the children in line. The law, although good, was basically intended to show us how far off the mark we fall; so often, we simply settle for less because we realise we are incapable of reaching God’s standard, and substitute our achievements for the standard He sets instead of turning to Christ as God’s solution to this problem.

Many people feel the God of the Old Testament is full of wrath and punishment and Jesus portrays a ‘gentler’ side to God. In truth, the Old Testament speaks also of grace and mercy (God’s ‘chesed‘) and the New Testament also speaks of justice and wrath. Nonetheless, Jesus does reveal to us God’s grace and love; we see the exuberant giving and lavish love of the Father. Luke 6:38 reminds us that God’s measure is overflowing; we may feel overwhelmed by His goodness, but as this blessing is pressed down, we are enabled to receive even more. God’s grace to us is overflowing and expansive (as demonstrated by Jesus’s first miracle at the wedding of Cana where six jars, each holding 20-30 gallons of water, were turned into wine!)

The world works with rules and systems, and to some extent feels comfortable with these. When people become Christians, they often assume that they are exchanging one set of rules for another, but actually, the church needs to demonstrate the rule of grace, not law. John reminds us of the light of Jesus, but He tells us we too are the lights of the world (Matt 5:14-16). We are intended to be illuminators and revelators, just as Jesus is, for as grace fills our lives and overflows, it becomes the motivator for all we done.

As we draw closer to the light, however, we become even more aware of our faults and failings. Rom 7:21-25 reminds us of the inner conflict we often face. As we progress in our journey with God, we need to understand that the journey is not always a gentle incline. Sometimes, we have to take steps of faith which are uncomfortable… and sometimes, the steps of faith we face are huge, way beyond our capability! God reveals our need and works with us to overcome it so that we can progress ‘onward and upward’. God calls us to rise to these challenges of faith and determine to be a revelator of grace and truth, even as He is.

SEPTEMBER

A wedding at church!

The Macmillan Coffee Morning:

OCTOBER

Lessons in anger management:

NOVEMBER

We learnt about remembrance:

We celebrated our first baptism in the Market Street building:

DECEMBER

The Parents & Toddlers enjoyed a Christmas party:

We raised £500 for the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal through the Christmas Market:

We enjoyed a community carol service outdoors:

…and a carol service indoors!:

Photos can only capture so much of what God has done in people’s lives this year, however. There have been two funerals at church (remembering and celebrating the lives of Angela Craven and Letty Fletcher who both went to be with the Lord in April and November respectively). People have served faithfully in a range of ministries, including the Monday Night Youth, Parent & Toddler group, coffee mornings, cleaning, helping with the food bank, preaching, praying, painting and decorating, leading worship, playing music and giving financially. We had a flying visit from missionaries Steve & Katuska Davies who attended the September wedding en route to their niece’s wedding in Derbyshire. We continued to support the ministries of Fredrick and Reeba in India and have sponsored Bedline Bazile in Haiti. As we look back on 2015, we’re grateful for all God has done, for His healing and strengthening, for His amazing grace to us all. We are looking forward to 2016 as the ‘yield year’ when we see fruitfulness and harvest for all the seed sown.

MAY

The youth were off to ‘Pulse’ at Rotherham:

The rest of us were learning about transformation via paper aeroplanes:

Church outing to Bridlington in lovely weather:

Celebrating Pentecost with other local churches:

JUNE

June saw the debut of Garry’s brooding song ‘You’re Toast!’ as we learnt about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace:

JULY

Stephen’s stag night resulted in bruises from paintballing and a traffic cone:

Decorating work on the community room began:

AUGUST

Decorating work continued, spilling over into the corridor:

Our portable baptistery arrived!

Looking back over 2015, we see God at work and people growing in fellowship and faith:

JANUARY

New Year’s DayFamily service, learning about God’s direction for our lives:

‘Churches Together’ at Furlong Road, thinking about Christian unity:

FEBRUARY

Learning about true love via Jenga and Shrek:

MARCH

Naaman’s ‘7 ducks’ in the river taught us a lot about obedience:

Women’s World Day of Prayer at Barnburgh:

APRIL

Easter March of Witness

Garry modelling an Easter bonnet:

Garry spoke from John 1:1-5 on Christmas Day, looking at Christ’s role as illuminator and revelator. Jesus came to reveal what God is like, firstly to the Jews (who might have been expected to know so much about God, given their rich history of encounters with Him, but whose ideas also needed challenging and reforming) and ultimately to all people.

Naturally speaking, all life comes from other life; we cannot generate life from no life and that which is not alive (or has died) cannot produce new life. God, however, is capable of bringing life from death (see Ezek 37:15, 9-10). Jesus holds the keys of death and Hades (Rev 1:18); God, as first cause, is the spring from which all life comes (see John 5:26). God who is the life is also the illuminator, the One who lights up the darkness (see also Eph 4:17-18). The darkness discussed there is like the hardening of a callus which renders us insensitive to God, but Christ’s light shines into hearts and brings life and knowledge to all, re-awakening hearts that were dead in transgressions and sin and illuminating minds that were unable to perceive all God has done.

We were at the Christmas Eve carol service at Grimethorpe Pentecostal Church last night and Joy Gascoigne, the pastor there, read out this poem by Godfrey Rust. As we celebrate Christmas today, it’s worth remembering that Jesus, whilst described as God’s ‘indescribable gift’ to us (2 Cor 9:15), is not the kind of present we can manipulate, not a panacea for our ills, but a Saviour for our sins. Behaviour matters as much as beliefs to Him; He is the Lord and we’re not.

‘What kind of Messiah does anyone want?
What sort of Saviour will do?
Before we subscribe and get dunked in the font,
what kind of Messiah are you?
What kind of Messiah does anyone need
in our postmodern hullabaloo?
What qualifications will help him succeed?
What kind of Messiah are you?

Will you stop us from worry and calm us from fear?
Will you free us from debt and fatigue?
Will you send David Cameron packing next year?
Will you put us on top of the League?
Will you heal our diseases with mystical magic
so we’ll live to 102?
Will you make it all better when things turn out tragic?
What kind of Messiah are you?

Will you find me a partner and get me a job?
Will you save me a good place to park?
Will I be superfit even though I’m a slob?
Will you keep me a berth in the ark?
Will you answer my prayers (but not everyone else’s)?
Will you make all my wishes come true?
Will you bless all of Arsenal’s strikers (not Chelsea’s!)?
What kind of Messiah are you?

Will you be kind to Hindus and good atheists?
Will you send all the bad ones to hell?
Will you show Richard Dawkins he doesn’t exist?
What is it you’re planning, do tell!
Will you stop every war, every flood and tsunami
and remove the excess CO2?
Will you fix all the people who’re driving me barmy?
What kind of Messiah are you?

Will you make sure my mortgage rate doesn’t go higher?
Stop me drinking too much alcohol?
Can I win EuroMillions and go and retire
to a house on the Costa del Sol?
Will you bless my belief and ignore my behaviour
and vindicate all that I do?
Oh, just be my own private and personal Saviour—
what kind of Messiah are you?’