I invigilated an English GCSE exam today, where one of the writing questions was to describe a difficult decision you had made and the consequences of that decision.

I sat and thought of all the difficult decisions I have made or friends of mine have had to make and the aching consequences of those decisions. Parents who have had to turn off the life support systems of their newborn child. A husband who was asked by doctors about to perform an emergency Caesarean on his pregnant wife who was dying from cystic fibrosis “Who do you want us to save – your wife or your baby?” Real-life situations which make you weep and which once again bring home to me the penury of the human condition, the sheer powerlessness and helplessness we face at times, when nothing we do or say can actually make the pain go away.

Later today, after the exam was over, after I’d spent a lot of time reflecting on the fact that at least the difficult decisions I have to make can be made within the framework of faith in a God who is not powerless or helpless (though that doesn’t automatically remove suffering from our situations), I listened to the song “Rest In The Arms” by Aaron Shust and I made it my prayer for all those people currently facing the consequences of their difficult decisions:

“When you’re broken, when you’re weak.
When you’ve turned the other cheek.
When you cannot speak,
Of the bitter sweet,
The bitter sweetness.

When the floor gives out beneath,
And everything that you believe
Cannot bring you peace.
You’re broken inside, broken in pieces.

You can
Rest in the arms of the One who holds you
Rest in the arms of the One who knows you
Rest in the arms of the One who won’t let go
You can
Rest in the arms of the One who holds you
Rest in the arms of the One who loves you
Rest in the arms of the One who won’t let go

When the water starts the rise
And you’ve lost the will to fight,
When you’re losing light,
Just close your eyes,
Close your eyes now

Have no fear
I’ll be here.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVt55n9As2w

I pray that all those who don’t know that love will find the Lord and that all those suffering and in anguish will find rest in His arms. This offering seems so small and inadequate, but I rest in the plenitude of God. He is able to comfort and lift up those who are broken.

Perhaps this is something that women do more than men, but it’s all too easy to spend far too much comparing ourselves to other people… and generally ending up feeling depressed by the comparisons. Despite the fact we know we are all individuals and therefore unique, we regard other people’s personalities, looks and temperaments (not to mention their possessions) with envy, feeling that they simply reveal to us all our flaws, shortcomings or lack. The grass, as the proverb goes, always looks greener on the other side.

It’s pointless to compare ourselves to others: just as pointless as saying that apples are the same as oranges, simply because they are both fruit. We need to recognise diversity and individuality without feeling threatened by it, just as we need to develop a sober view of ourselves, seeing ourselves as God sees us rather than through the filter of our own perceptions (see 2 Cor 10:12-18).

In Garry’s sermon on joy at the weekend, he talked about the comparisons we do need to make:

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Rom 8:18)

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Cor 4:17-18)

To illustrate this, he produced a 1p coin:

and contrasted that with a £20 note:

The sufferings, hardships and trials we face in this life may seem large to us, but in comparison to the blessings and joy that God has in store for us, they are like the 1p coin. All that God has for us is so much greater, just as a £20 note is 2000 times the value of the 1p coin.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt 5:11-12)

May we learn to overflow with joy, even in the midst of suffering!

I teach languages. I love languages. I’m sorry if you don’t find this as exciting as I do. It never ceases to amaze me that God uses language to communicate to people. When I read the opening words in Genesis, ‘And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light’, I get so excited. Of all the ways God could have used to create, He used words! And Jesus is called the ‘Word’ (John 1) the ‘Final Word’, as Michael Card calls Him!

So today as I was continuing to read Eugene Peterson’s commentary on Ephesians (‘Practise Resurrection’), I was stopped in my tracks by his discussion of the three types of language used in the church:
(1) kerygmatic (preaching)
(2) didactic (teaching)
(3) paracletic (comforting, ‘spiritual direction’)

I was very familiar with the first two: most of us who have been in church for any length of time are. They are the primary ways we use to preach the Gospel and to teach people the truths of God’s Word. But Eugene Peterson goes on to talk about paraclesis (the word paraclete referring to the Holy Spirit in John’s Gospel, translated as ‘Advocate’, ‘Counsellor’, ‘Comforter’, ‘Friend’ in our Bibles), the ‘quieter voice’ which can take place anywhere, ‘conversation directed to the insights and decisions, the behaviour and practices, that emerge from hearing the preached good news and learning the truth of the Scriptures as they then get prayed and embodied in my life where I am now.’

This language, Eugene Peterson says, “is used with men and women who have already received the word of preached salvation and have been instructed in the teaching of the law, but who are in need of comfort or encouragement or discernment in the muddled details of dailiness.”

Isn’t that what we all need… and what we all, by the grace of God, can give? Daily living can be so muddled and we need to receive that language which clarifies, illuminates, gives us direction in the actual practice of living. It has to be more than theory. “Paracletic language is the language of the Holy Spirit, a language of relationship and intimacy, a way of speaking and listening that gets the words of Jesus into us so that they become us. It is not new information. It is not explanation. It is God’s word on our side, within us, working out the details in the circumstances of our lives.”

I think Casting Crowns have captured this language in their song ‘Love Them Like Jesus’. It’s a language I want to become fluent in…

“The love of her life is drifting away
They’re losing the fight for another day
The life that she’s known is falling apart
A fatherless home, a child’s broken heart

You’re holding her hand, you’re straining for words
You’re trying to make sense of it all
She’s desperate for hope, darkness clouding her view
She’s looking to you

Just love her like Jesus, carry her to Him
His yoke is easy, His burden is light
You don’t need the answers to all of life’s questions
Just know that He loves her and stay by her side
Love her like Jesus
Love her like Jesus

The gifts lie in wait, in a room painted blue
Little blessing from Heaven would be there soon
Hope fades in the night, blue skies turn to grey
As the little one slips away

You’re holding their hand, you’re straining for words
You’re trying to make sense of it all
They’re desperate for hope, darkness clouding their view
They’re looking to you

Just love them like Jesus, carry them to Him
His yoke is easy, His burden is light
You don’t need the answers to all of life’s questions
Just know that He loves them and stay by their side
Love them like Jesus

Lord of all creation holds our lives in His hands
The God of all the nations holds our lives in His hands
The Rock of our salvation holds our lives in His hands
He cares for them just as He cares for you

So love them like Jesus, love them like Jesus
You don’t need the answers to all of life’s questions
Just know that He loves them and stay by their side
Love them like Jesus
Love them like Jesus” (Casting Crowns)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuAxzEuzNGg

There are all kinds of things to celebrate: the birth of a baby, birthdays in general, passing exams, getting engaged, getting married, learning to drive… so much that is good in life to celebrate. We celebrate in different ways:
with champagne

with balloons:


with fireworks:

and, especially at Goldthorpe, with cake!:

Celebration is essentially a corporate activity. It is, of course, possible to celebrate all of these things by ourselves, but when you think of these occasions, you tend to think of large gatherings: families, friends getting together to celebrate together. There is togetherness in celebration, because we are called to community. We are not isolated individuals. We are born into a family; we are born again into God’s family.

There are two things the church does regularly as celebration. One is the sacrament of baptism, whereby we celebrate a person’s public commitment to follow Christ. Baptismal services are always great celebrations, as we rejoice in the new life Paul talks about in Romans 6.

The other sacrament may not seem like a celebration, but regularly Christians take part in the Communion meal where we obey Christ’s command to ‘do this in remembrance of me’ (Luke 22:19). As we eat the bread and drink the wine, we fix our gaze on the death and resurrection of our Lord, celebrating the victory over sin that they have brought us, focussing on ‘the greatest day in history’, for our hearts are all too prone to forget.

The celebration which God talks about most as a symbol of the life we have with Him is that of the wedding feast. Jesus performed His first miracle at a wedding and later said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.” (Matt 22:2)

Throughout the Bible, the relationship between God and His people is likened to that of marriage: Paul talks about this in Ephesians 5; Song of Songs talks about the relationship between two lovers and is generally understood also to be an allegory about God’s relationship with His people; Ezekiel 23 talks about Israel and Judah behaving like prostitutes rather than like wives, clearly showing that the relationship between God and His people is meant to be close, intimate and faithful. And we see in Revelation, of course, that there is going to be a wedding between the Lamb, the Bridegroom, and the Church, His bride.

We worship because of who God is and what He has done. We celebrate because of who God is and what He has done. We do these things together because He has brought us into His family. And we worship and celebrate not only because of what God has done but in anticipation of what is yet to come:

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Rev 21:2-4)

Continuing on from the quotations about worship, Sunday evening’s sermon was the final part in the series on a ‘Celebration of Discipline’ which has looked at inward, outward and corporate disciplines.

The word ‘worship’ has so many synonyms (nouns such as adoration, adulation, awe, blessing, devotion, exaltation, glory, honour, homage, laudation, love, praise, offering, supplication, reverence, veneration and service; verbs such as admire, adore, celebrate, esteem, exalt, extol, laud, revere, magnify, love, praise, respect, sanctify, sing and venerate.) We also looked at some of the Greek and Hebrew words for worship used in the Bible (conveying the idea of bowing down or kneeling, working or serving, being in fear of or having reverence towards, kissing or fawning, like a dog licking its master’s hand.) All these words convey the idea of relationship and remind us of the greatness of God and our humility before Him.

Worship is far more than just singing songs. It’s our response to the revelation of God and is what we were created to do. In the words of the Westminster Catechism, ‘the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.’

Romans 12:1-2 gives us a clear picture of a life of worship:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2)

I like the way the Message translation of these verses talks about “take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.” Worship means there’s no separation of ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’; all we are, have, think, say and do should be given to God as an offering.

Can’t we just worship God on our own, though? How is this a ‘corporate’ discipline?

In a corporate setting, we remind each other of the truth of God’s Word, reminding ourselves of who God is and what He has done so that we have a revelation we can respond to. On our own, we very often fail to see the bigger picture, focussing in on the little details, easily swayed by our own favourite passages of Scripture, ignoring all the parts we don’t like or find difficult to understand. We are swayed by our emotions and our moods, able to praise God when the going’s good, but easily becoming sucked into depression and doubt when things become more difficult. The writer to the Hebrews encouraged people to keep meeting together so that they could be creative in finding ways to encourage each other and spurring each other on to love and good deeds. (Heb 10:19-25) This passage shows us the reasons we have to worship, the basis for our worship and reminds us of the responsibility we have to each other.

Whether we like it or not, we need each other. God has called us into His family, into His house, into His body and we all need each other. In corporate worship:
* we declare together the truths of God’s Word
* we stand on the revelation we have of God, whether we understand it or not
* we declare that He is good and His love endures forever
* we vow to serve Him to the best of our abilities, whatever those abilities are; in whatever fields He has called us to serve Him.
* We offer our prayers and support to each other in our vastly different circumstances
* we acknowledge that God is all to us.
* We understand, however dimly, that God has chosen to work through the church which He will build and all the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

We worship together; we pray together; we learn together; we serve together; we celebrate together. And we can say, on the authority of God’s Word:
“We will overcome
When You are with us, we are strong
And love will be our greatest song.
We’ll keep the faith and stand forever
We’ll live the faith and stand forever” (Tim Hughes, ‘Keep The Faith’)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNvmayt6tq0

We had two birthdays to celebrate yesterday:


God’s richest blessings to you both!