Macmillan Coffee Morning
We had a lovely morning today at our coffee morning, which raised £92.10 for the Macmillan cancer charity. Our thanks to Bev, Julie, Stacey and Beckie for baking and to Janet and Sue for their help in serving drinks and washing up!
The Psalms of David
Last night we looked at some of the psalms written by David as we drew our studies on his life to a close. David wrote 73 of the 150 psalms, but these are scattered throughout the whole book and are not in any chronological or thematic order (reminding us that life cannot always be neatly packaged!) We see psalms of celebration and rejoicing, psalms of quiet trust, psalms of lament and complaint, Messianic prophetic psalms and much more.
We looked at Psalm 37, Psalm 145, Psalm 139 and Psalm 140 in some detail, reminding ourselves of God’s nature, how there are only two kinds of people (the righteous and the wicked) and how God works on our behalf. We looked at the fact we are made in God’s image and knit together in our mother’s womb and how this gives us worth and dignity beyond our own understanding. The fact that God is in sovereign control of our world means we do not need to fret or worry, but are called to live a life of trust.
The Psalms form the prayer book and song book of the Bible and remind us of the first rule of relationship with God: communication. David’s psalms show us him praying in all situations (good and bad), not withdrawing when bewildered and hurt and confused, but bringing all his feelings to God.
The Psalms remind us also of objective truth. David focuses our attention on the truth of who God is and what He does and has done. He gives us an objectivity (in poetic language) we can cling to. By reiterating truth in all situations, we are anchored to God. By doing this in the form of poetry and song, he allows head and heart to be aligned together, and thus integrity, congruence and wholeness are maintained.
The Psalms also remind us that worship involves a choice. So often, David says ‘I will bless the Lord’, ‘I will praise the Lord’, ‘I will exalt the Lord.’ We choose how we respond to life; may we respond as he did with praise, worship, surrender and trust.
Dearne Community Arts’ Festival
We had another wonderful day at the Dearne Community Arts’ Festival on 27 September at Astrea Academy Dearne. There were exhibitions of many different arts and crats.
There were some wonderful performances on stage from Greentop Circus, Alejandro Barnett, BYC Children’s Choir East, Astrea Academy Dearne pupils, Story Trails and Clayton School of Dance.
We enjoyed fantastic workshops exploring a range of arts and crafts.
We loved our new DCAF deckchair and all the photo opportunities.
We also loved showing the film ‘The Town I Love So Well’ by Sam Batley at the festival.
Our thanks to Better Barnsley Bond, Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Love Where You Live and Tesco Stronger Starts for funding the event and to GXO volunteers for their help on the day.
Where Do You Live?
Tonight we looked at the question ‘Where do you live?’ and saw from Ephesians 2:1-10 that we not only inhabit our physical world (living in a particular place locally) but are also seated with Christ in heavenly realms. This is not simply a future hope but a present reality, and the perspective which that brings has the power to transform our lives, just as being in an elevated position (a child on a parent’s shoulders, climbing a mountain or flying in an aeroplane) gives us a totally different perspective to the ‘shuffling around, looking down at the ground, totally absorbed in the things around us’ perspective so many of us have, as the Message version paraphrases Col 3:1-4.
Paul shows us how our lives have been transformed by Christ. Once we were dead in transgressions and sins; now because of God’s mercy and kindness we have been given life and therefore have hope, a glorious inheritance and the same power which raised Christ from the dead available to us (see Eph 1:18-19). When we realise the difference our dual citizenship brings us, we can be people who confidently expect God to work on our behalf and in our lives, church and community. Living with hope and expectation and anticipation brings meaning and positivity into the ordinary physical, material world.
In the Harry Potter series of books, one of the characters, Hermione, has what to others looks like an impossible school timetable, where she is in two or more places at the same time (something only God can do!) It turns out she has been given a ‘time-turner’, a magical device that enables her to go back in time. (‘The Prisoner of Azkaban’, J. K. Rowling) We may not be able to be physically in two places at once, but the truth is that we do actually live in two places at the same time: here on earth, and also seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. Let’s look up – and if we find it hard to look up, let’s remember that the Lord is a shield around us, the One who lifts our head high. (Ps 3:3) God can lift us up when we are cast down and enable us to live here with our eyes also fixed on the eternal city to come.
David’s Death
At our Bible study tonight, we looked at the death of David after forty years as king (see 1 Kings 2:1-12, 1 Chron 29:26-30). This is the end of an era (if not quite the end of our studies, as we will be looking at the psalms of David next time!) – and as we know from when Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022, the end of a long reign can bring many mixed emotions. What is striking in this account is that David was prepared for his death and his last words are a charge to his son, Solomon, giving both practical and spiritual advice.
Death is the one sure thing about life (‘in the midst of life we are in death’), as Ecclesiastes 3 makes plain. David himself recognised that his times were in God’s hands (Ps 31:15) and had faced death on many occasions. He could face death with trust and faith because God was the constant in his life. We too have a hope beyond death (see 1 Thess 4:13-18) and can understand that death is likened to sleep or rest. We do not grieve as the world does with no hope, but have a glorious future to look forward to.
Life carries on after death (‘the king is dead; long live the king!‘) and David is concerned to give practical advice (about both his enemies and friends) to Solomon and to give spiritual advice (urging a life of wholehearted devotion and obedience to God.) We do well to prepare for our own death, both practically (such as making a will or sorting funeral arrangements out) and spiritually (ensuring we live in right relationship with God and with others.) Because of Christ, we need not fear death (Heb 2:14-15) and can leave a legacy of love and faith to pass on to others.
Called By Name
It was lovely to have Joy Gascoigne from Grimethorpe Pentecostal Church with us today. She spoke from Isaiah 43:1, where God tells us He has called us by name; we are His. God knows us and loves us and wants us; we are chosen by Him. It’s easy to apply this verse to other people, but it applies to us too; we too are part of God’s big plans!
God is a big God with big plans and we have a high calling, a calling which transforms our lives from the mundane and gives us purpose and meaning.
God asked Adam in the Garden of Eden where he was, and Adam’s response was that he was afraid and therefore hid. There are times when we need to evaluate where we are and understand that God calls out to us not to condemn us but to rescue us. We have all been called into fellowship with the Son and called to freedom (see Gal 5:1). We are called to hope and to communicate hope to others. (Eph 1:3-4). We are called to live differently to the world. (1 Thess 4). Peter tells us we are called out of darkness into God’s glorious light (1 Pet 2:9-10) and that we are now His chosen people. To be called by name is a wonderful thing; to belong to God is even more precious.