Garry continued his series about Messianic prophecies, today looking at the prophecies which have yet to be fulfilled, chiefly looking at the subject of the Second Coming of Jesus. Early Christians anticipated this event within their lifetimes (Paul had to write to the Thessalonians not to misuse their expectation by not working), but expectation faded over time as this event has not yet happened. At the start of the 20th century, the rise of the Pentecostal movement led to a renewed interest in the subject and it’s true that though we have waited a long time since Christ’s birth in Bethlehem and do not know when Jesus will come again, this is still an important doctrine which shapes how we should be living our daily lives.

Jesus’s Second Coming is a definite event (see Mk 13:26-27, Acts 1:9-11). We may not know the date or time of this, but we know it will come unexpectedly (see Matt 24:36-37) and must be prepared (see Matthew 25:1-13). It will affect all people (including those who have died before this happens, see 1 Thess 4:13-18).

One of the chief images used concerning this ‘arrival’ (or ‘parousia’) is that of a Middle Eastern wedding. Marriages were arranged in those days, but the bride and groom gave consent. Then the bridegroom would go away to prepare the home (see Matt 22:1-2, John 14:1-5). This was a legally binding covenant (see Matt 1:18-19), with the bridegroom returning unexpectedly for his bride when his father deemed it to be the right time. The actual wedding ceremony involved a feast, and we are promised a wedding banquet when the Bride (the church) is reunited with the Bridegroom (Jesus.)

Practically, what does this mean for us? It means we must live with an awareness that this life is fragile and temporary, that we have here is not permanent. We live in the now, but we do not live for the now; we live with hope in an eternal future with Jesus. We must live in watchful anticipation of our Lord’s return, being vigilant, awake and prepared. 2 Pet 3:11 talks of us speeding His coming as we carry out His commission of making disciples of all nations. Our hearts cry out, ‘Maranatha!’ (‘Come, Lord Jesus!’)

I’m old-fashioned enough to still love getting a new paper diary or calendar and transferring important dates to these! Whatever your method of memory (digital, paper or other means), please put these dates somewhere you won’t forget them!

January 2020

1. We’re having our next Team Building Day with Sarah Davey on Saturday 18th January between 4 and 6 p.m. (followed by a takeaway if anyone wants to stay for one!) This is an opportunity to look at communication and vision in the church in a more informal and relaxed atmosphere, using team building games and thinking about the message of good news we have and how to take this to our local communities. Children are welcome at these sessions and we hope you’ll join us as we look ahead to what God has got planned for us in 2020.

2. Every Thursday in January (except 16th January), we’ll be having a prayer meeting or Bible study (looking at the book of Acts) at 7.30 p.m. On Friday 17th January at 11.30 a.m. we’ll be having a prayer meeting. We’d love more people to come along to these meetings which give opportunity to be actively involved in prayer and study.

3. We are also hosting home Bible study groups once a month in two locations for those who find it hard to get out on Thursday evenings, so please see us if you are interested in joining one of these.

4. Our ‘Churches Together’ prayer meeting is on Tuesday 21st January at GPCC. Join with Christians from local churches to pray for our local churches and communities, expecting to see God moving in our area in this new decade.

February 2020

1. Isla-Rose Jae Foreman will be dedicated at a special service on Saturday 1st February at 6 p.m. All welcome as we give thanks for Isla’s safe arrival and dedicate her to God.
   

2. The ‘Churches Together’ prayer meeting in February is on Tuesday 11th February at the Salvation Army at 10.30 a.m.

3. The Message Bus will be returning to our area for our ‘Churches Together’ Family Fun Day during the half-term holidays on Wednesday 19th February. If you can help with craft activities or being on the bus, please see Julie. We’ll be looking at the themes of trials and temptations, enjoying pancakes to eat and exploring the bus with its slide, climbing wall, X box games and Wii games at 3 locations.The bus will be at Houghton Road Centre in Thurnscoe (10.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.), GPCC in Goldthorpe (1.30 -3.30 p.m.) and St Andrew’s Parish Hall in Bolton-on-Dearne (4.15-6.15 p.m.)

4. For those interested in the Franklin Graham mission to Sheffield (which will take place on Saturday 6th June), there is a training day on Saturday 29th February (9.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.) at Maltby Full Life Church. If you are interested in attending the session or need help with transport, see Garry.

We’ll be seeing lots of photos of the party over the next few days, but it’s always good to watch the different generations interacting together and to see our younger members helping so much!

Clearly Stephen took our carol service theme very seriously, hence the fireman’s hat!

Ten years ago our New Year’s Day party was in our building at Beever Street, just before we moved to the premises in Market Street. Since then, we’ve welcomed every New Year in at Market Street with our church party, and today was no exception.

Food is a big part of our gatherings, with everyone contributing to a great feast:

We generally start by reviewing our knowledge of the past year and its anniversaries:

Then we have a variety of party games, including ‘Pass The Parcel‘ (with forfeits):

One of the games involved standing on increasingly small pieces of paper when the music stopped playing:

Another game involved making shapes when the music stopped: either a Christmas tree, a reindeer or Santa’s sack:

A new game, nominally called ‘A Partridge In a Pear Tree’, involved throwing shuttlecocks into buckets while blindfolded:

It’s good to be able to start the new year together and to celebrate with joy and thanksgiving.

I like to read through the Bible every year and in doing so read a passage from the Old Testament, a passage from the New Testament and one from Psalms or Proverbs each day. I follow the Bible In One Year plan and this looks at Old Testament passages chronologically rather than in the order they appear in the Bible, and because of this, I have ended the year reading from Nehemiah. With Christmas carols still reverberating in my mind, I read this verse today: ‘Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.’ (Neh 13:2)

The incident Nehemiah is referring to is found in Numbers 22-24, a passage about Balak and the prophet Balaam, whom Balak hired to curse Israel and who ended up blessing them. In the midst of these prophecies we find one pointing ahead to Jesus (Num 24:17); the whole incident – including the story about Balaam’s donkey whose spiritual perception was greater than his master’s! – reminds us that God is able to take all our obstructiveness, sinfulness and sheer stubbornness and still get HIs own way! Nehemiah’s words have far greater meaning than just this one incident. All throughout history God has been turning the curse into a blessing. As we end 2019 and enter into a new year and a new decade, we can be confident He will continue to do this. (Rom 8:28)

The popular carol ‘Joy To The World’ contains a verse that is not always sung (but should be!) In this verse, we sing, ‘He comes to make his blessings flow/ Far as the curse is found.’ Jesus came into the world to make God’s blessings available to each one of us. Though our world is cursed from Adam’s first sin, God is able to turn the curse into a blessing. We can face whatever the enemy throws at us secure in the knowledge that our God turns curses into blessings and brings good from evil. We may not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future.

It’s fitting that the last day of the year is also a birthday for one of our members! We enjoyed celebrating this early tonight.