To follow God’s directions requires perseverance and a consistently upward gaze (see Heb 12:1-3, Col 3:1-3). We may feel confused because we cannot see the ‘finish’ line from where we are and are uncertain as to the path we should take. We need to be confident that God is perfectly capable of closing doors that we shouldn’t go through and opening doors for us that lead to new things. (Rev 3:7) As long as we fix our eyes on Jesus, He will lead us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. (Ps 23:3) He is able to ‘barricade the road that goes Nowhere’ (Ps 119:29, The Message) and lead us towards our ultimate destination, for Jesus is not only our destination, but is also the way we reach God (John 14:6) Psalm 119 talks a lot about God’s laws and His word and shows us that the best way to find God’s direction and signposts for our lives is by really getting to know His Word.

If we want to live a clean life, a pure life, if we want to walk according to God’s will and have a safe journey, we do this by carefully reading the map of God’s Word and following its instructions. We have to be single-minded in pursuit of God, following Him with all our hearts. Part of knowing how to follow God’s ways is asking God to give us insight and to teach us. We need God’s direction; we need to know what He wants us to do and we find those commands and insights in the Bible. It’s not just about knowing what God tells us to do, however. We have to do what He says. Our lives have to be ‘one long obedient response.’

Journeying at night is always more troublesome than during the day, so we need God to shed light on our paths (Ps 119:105) so we can clearly see the pitfalls the world places before us (temptations to despair or reliance on feelings, wealth, and so on which all act as detours away from God.) Whatever our feelings, let’s be sure that God walks with us on this journey. He will never leave us or forsake us (Heb 13:5) and always guides us and directs us as we trust in Him. (Prov 3:5-6)

God will give us the guidance and protection we need: guidance from His Word and from His Spirit, making truth come alive for us and speaking peace into our hearts. He will walk alongside us, just as Jesus walked alongside those disciples on the road to Emmaus, giving us the joy of His presence and the comfort only He can bring. His directions and signposts will lead us onto right paths and when we need special directions, He will speak to us, as Isaiah reminded the people: ‘Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”’ (Is 30:21) Our part is to immerse ourselves in this guide book, the Bible, and give God our obedience,  not acting as tourists who are only in this journey for the short haul, but learning to be Jesus’s disciples and pilgrims, constantly ‘looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God’, as Abraham did (Heb 11:10) and pressing on always towards God. (Phil 3:12-14)

Life can be considered a journey, and on all journeys it’s useful to have signposts and directions that can help us get from A to B. Maps and SatNavs can be useful guides, but sometimes signs aren’t always that helpful; the French sign pointing to ‘all directions’ and then in the opposite direction pointing to ‘other directions’ being a case in point!

Other confusing signs:

Some signs aren’t confusing, but do seem very bizarre:

For us to drive safely in the UK, we need to understand the Highway Code and obey it, and in the same way, God’s Word provides us with clear directions on how to live well. Psalm 19 is a marvellous psalm talking about the splendour of God’s creation, telling us that ‘the heavens declare the glory of God’ (Ps 19:1) and showing us the magnificence of all God has made. In the middle of the psalm, however, there is a section about God’s laws and His word which I’m going to read in the Message version:

‘The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road.’ (Ps 19:8)

‘The directions of God are plain and easy on the eye.’ (Ps 19:8)

‘The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy.’ (Ps 19:9)

‘There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger and directs us to hidden treasure. Otherwise how will we find our way? Or know when we play the fool?’ (Ps 19:11-12)

If we want to do well in life and live according to God’s ways, we need to find out what the ‘ancient paths’ mentioned in Jer 6:16 are, those ‘tried-and-true’ paths which provide us with the right routes for our souls. Jesus told His disciples ‘Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’ (Matt 7:13-14) The best route is not necessarily the one which looks the most direct or easiest, but we need to understand the call to discipleship and to be lifelong pilgrims, people on a journey towards God, like Abraham. (see Heb 11:8).

Tonight’s family service looked at the theme of Signposts & Directions. JP & Herlen produced some excellent games which reflected a keen attention to detail! First of all, we were given a treasure map (X marked the spot of the next clue), which helped us to complete a jigsaw:

Waiting for the clue:

Solving the puzzles:

Later, teams had to negotiate all kinds of obstacles for their cars to reach their destination:

After the heats, the two winners competed against each other and the winning team won a Ferrero Rocher prize (which did not last till the end of the service…!)

Runners-up:

We also had a birthday to celebrate:

The Queen’s Christmas broadcast is now a familiar part of British tradition, but Garry mentioned another royal speech in this morning’s sermon. In 1939, at the start of the Second World War, King George VI’s Christmas speech included the comment “A new year is at hand. We cannot tell what it will bring. If it brings peace, how thankful we shall all be. If it brings us continued struggle we shall remain undaunted.” He went on to quote from the 1908 poem by Minnie Haskins, which includes the words:

New Year’s resolutions abound at this time of year, largely because we like being in control of our lives and want to be prepared for all that may await us in the future. However, in all our planning and resolving, sometimes we leave God out. James reminds us (James 4:13-15) that all our plans, dreams and aspirations should be made with God in sight, for God has good plans for each one of us (Jer 29:11), with His purposes lasting through all generations. (Ps 33:11) What counts is the fact that He has a plan for all of creation (Rom 8:19-22) and His plan is that all things should be reconciled to Him. (Col 1:19-20)

God’s plans are intricate and He is infinitely capable not only of having a ‘general overview’ of what needs to be done, but also dealing with the tiny details, unlike an army general who has to delegate to subordinates the ‘nitty-gritty’ of war plans. Jer 1:4-5 reminds us of God’s foreknowledge; He know us and appoints us (and has dealt even with hostile rulers such as Pharaoh or Cyrus, raising them up to serve His plans.) God has a path planned for each one of His children, good works for which we were created (Eph 2:10) It’s easy for us to drift through life with no aims or purposes, but life with God should be more purposeful than this.

In the world, we see people whose lives are focussed and determined, such as the man who sold his house and everything he owned in order to be able to participate in the Dakar Rally. We, however, are striving for a crown that will last forever (1 Cor 9:25) and have been promised an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. (1 Pet 1:4) Our lives should be committed wholeheartedly to God, for God’s plans for us are perfect.

Sometimes, we fear the unknown and worry about the future, fretting over God’s plans for our lives. We may not hear ‘new directions’ every day, but can rest assured that God is able to speak to us when He wants us to turn to the left or to the right (Is 30:21), and in the meantime, should carry on walking straight ahead on the path God has set for us. At times, this involves waiting for God to speak again, and waiting is always a bitter lesson for us. God’s plan for our lives can be challenging, but we are urged not to worry about tomorrow (Matt 6:34), for God is our helper who remains faithful forever. (Ps 146:4-6) Just like the stepping stones at Bolton Abbey, we may not always see farther than the next step, but we can trust the One who holds our futures in His hands and who leads us one step at a time…

There’s always a job to be done in a building! Over the holidays, some minor changes have been made (one to the website… I’m interested to see who notices the change to the home page.) We have replaced our information cards used at the coffee mornings with plastic holders which give meeting times and Bible verses:

We have also made notice boards for the community room so that posters and notices can be displayed: