Joy and disappointment seem to be polar opposites. Joy is exuberance, happiness bubbling over, the excitement we feel particularly when something delightful has happened to us (think of the joy at weddings or a baby’s birth or after a celebration victory, for example.) Psalm 126:1-3, another in the Psalms of Ascent we are studying, captures that sense of joy when God’s deliverance is all so real (‘our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.’ Ps 126:2) It probably refers to the Israelites’ return to their native land after years in exile in Babylon, and there is a sense of giddy celebration which is wonderful to behold. Joy is infectious. Even onlookers notice it!

Disappointment, on the other hand, is the dejection we feel when things aren’t going our way, that aching, searing sense of loss, that heaviness which leaves us feeling demotivated and unable to move. Dashed hopes, the pain of things not turning out the way we had expected and a sense of bewilderment, are common causes of disappointment.

It seems, however, that both joy and disappointment are part of life. Ps 126 starts with heady joy as God’s deliverance is remembered with wonder and awe, but it seems there is now aridity and frustration which cause the psalmist to ask God to restore Israel’s fortunes yet again. (Ps 126:4, see also the books of Ezra and Nehemiah for how the return to Israel was not always plain sailing.) Timothy Keller reminds us that ‘communities of faith often have ‘Negev’ times of great spiritual dryness’ as well as times of overflowing joy. He goes on to say, ‘Sometimes a flood of God’s Spirit comes down powerfully and suddenly, like the streams from distant mountain rainstorms, and the community is restored dramatically. But there is also a slower path to renewal. Those who ‘sow with tears’ are those who have painstakingly prayed and wept over their own sins and also over people without faith. As in actual farming, sowing does not show immediate fruit. But faithful prayer and service will eventually bear fruit. The desert will become a garden. (Is 35:1-2)’ (‘The Songs of Jesus’, P 332)

If you’re in a time of disappointment right now, when the deliverance and miracles of God are simply memories, this psalm reminds us that we need to sow with tears. Paul takes the harvest analogy and reminds the Galatians, ‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’ (Gal 6:10) The call to persevere runs throughout Scripture (see Heb 6:12, Heb 6:15, Heb 10:36); salvation has a past, present and future element, and as Alec Motyer says, ‘while we await final salvation, we are still in the uncongenial far country – but are called to sow and reap.’ (‘Psalms Day By Day’, P 376) Joy may not always seem to be bubbling over, but it will have the last word. (Rom 15:13)

The funeral of Ralph Fletcher will be at GPCC on Tuesday 7th August. The service here will start at 1.30 p.m., followed by interment at Barnby Dun cemetery at 3 p.m. Refreshments will be served at the church after the interment.

The family has requested that donations be given to the Ankylosing Spondolitis charity in lieu of flowers.

As usual, church members will be providing and serving the refreshments, so if you can help with this, please see Julie.

Ralph was a member of our church for many years and was an elder of the church until fairly recently. Please continue to pray for his two sons and their families and for Letitia and her family as they adjust to life without Ralph. His promotion to glory leaves a big hole in our lives, but we rejoice in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection which enables us to grieve with hope and with confidence.

We had more birthdays to celebrate tonight, though Ironically Esther (who features in both photographs) does not actually have a birthday in July!

V is for Vision – Spiritual vision is the ability to see the invisible. It involves having an eternal perspective so that we’re not seduced by what we see all around us, but learn to ask God to open our eyes, even as Elisha prayed for his servant, so that he might know the armies of God are greater than all the armies of the world. (2 Kings 6:7) Developing spiritual vision happens when we STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN: when we pause from our doing to gaze on God and listen to Him.

W is for Witness – a witness is simply called to report what they have seen, and we who have seen something of God’s goodness and grace have a responsibility to pass that message on to everyone we meet (see 2 Kings 7). So often, we hold back, feeling inadequate or unable to share our story with others, but all are called to tell others their God-stories (Ps 107:2).

X is for Xenophilia – a love for outsiders, foreigners, strangers, commonly translated as ‘hospitality’. The Bible reminds us that we are all ‘foreigners and strangers’ on earth, all pilgrims passing through (Heb 11:13, Phil 3:20), so we need to show love in practical ways, not only to those who are like us but to those with whom we may have absolutely nothing in common. This life of faith is not something to be hidden away in a box. Jesus doesn’t want us to hide the light He’s given us. (Matt 5:14-15) We show love in practical ways as we practise hospitality. (Rom 12:13)

Y is for You! – The Christian faith isn’t just for other people! God knows you by name and cares for you. The genealogies we often find boring in the Bible are actually proof that God is interested in every individual. We are made in God’s image (Gen 1:27) and we matter so much to God that He sent His only Son to die for us so that we could be reconciled to Him. (John 3:16, 2 Cor 5:21) So often, we feel insignificant and unimportant, but God wants us to know that we are precious to Him and have a new identity in Him: we are children of God.

Z is for Zeal – the fuel which keeps us going on life’s marathon journey. Paul said, ‘Never be lacking in zeal, but always keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord.’ (Romans 12:11) Perseverance is needed, which comes as we are continually filled with the Holy Spirit. (Eph 5:18)

Q is for Quietness – a desperately missing ingredient in today’s hectic, busy, noisy lifestyle. Ps 46:10 reminds us to ‘be still and know that I am God’ and Is 30:15 says, ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.’ (Is 30:15) We need to be determined and deliberate in setting aside time to listen to God and to seek the quietness to hear His gentle whisper.

R is for Restore – God is able to restore all that has been lost through sin and disobedience. He is able to redeem us, buying us back from the enemy’s hold (Eph 1:7, Col 1:14), so that we can reclaim all that we have lost through sin. We can be released from addictions, from the tentacles of sin, and can live in freedom and wholeness in God. God wants to rebuild our lives into something solid and lasting for His glory; He wants to renew us inwardly day by day, an ongoing transformation that allows us to reflect His nature to others. (2 Cor 4:16-18)

S is for Salvation – Jesus is our Saviour, our Rescuer – good news for all of us because as a result, we are free from sin forever more. The story of the Philippian jailer (Acts 16) shows us that salvation comes through belief in Jesus and opens the door to a life of freedom!

T is for Truth – since Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. (John 14:6) Jesus told us that the truth has the power to set us free (John 8:31-36), but we have to be willing to give truth free rein in our lives if we are to see this happen. Jesus reminds us that truth will prevail and that there is such a thing as absolute truth.

U is for Unity – Jesus prayed for His disciples to be one (John 17:20-23). One of the reasons for this is that the Godhead is one: one God in three persons, Father, Son and Spirit. We are called to reflect God’s nature to the world and so unity is a crucial ingredient in drawing people to faith: ‘so that the world may believe that you have sent me.’ (John 17:21) Unity is not the same as uniformity; we’re not all the same! God is a God who loves diversity, but unity is a powerful witness of the transforming power of the gospel.

I is for Imagination – God is a creative God (see Genesis 1) and we are made in His image. God wants to do for us so much more than we ask or imagine (Eph 3:20), and a sanctified imagination is one of the ways that God breathes faith into us and allows us to see beyond the natural world to what He can do. We need to be unafraid to dream God’s dreams and let Him fire up our imaginations.

J is for Jesus – Jesus is at the heart of the Christian faith. He is the bridge between God and mankind. He is both fully God and fully Man and as such is the mediator: ‘there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.’ (1 Tim 2:5) Jesus makes reconciliation with God possible.

K is for Kingdom – there are ultimately only two kingdoms, the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. Life, once we become children of God, means following a new King. We become part of the kingdom of God – but it’s a kingdom unlike the world’s idea of force and power. Here, ‘whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.’ (Mark 10:43-44) In God’s kingdom, service is the key to greatness and death precedes life.

L is for Life, Light & Love -in John 1, we see that Jesus is the source of all life (‘in Him was life and that life was the light of all mankind.’ (John 1:4)) He is the light that came into the world (Jn 1:9) and that light has the power to overcome darkness. (Jn 1:5) Light illuminates our path and gives us guidance throughout life’s journey. Love is the very essence of God (1 Jn 4:8) and needs to be the one ingredient that characterises everything we are and do. Jesus said everyone would know we were His disciples if we loved one another, and love still remains the benchmark, the hallmark, the identifying mark of every Christian.

M is for Motivation – not just doing the right things, but doing them from the right motives! God is looking for people who will serve Him with pure hearts. Instead of being motivated by fear, we have to be motivated by love. Instead of trying to live to please people, we have to live to please God. Instead of putting ourselves first, we have to put God first. Motivation means we dig beneath the surface and look at what is going on underneath, because we know that God does not simply look at the outward appearance; He looks at the heart. (1 Sam 16:7)

N is for New – God is the God of new things. (Is 43:19), the God of new birth and new life (1 Pet 1:3), the God who has made a new covenant with us (Heb 9:15) and His creativity spills over into new things – a new song (Ps 149:1), new wine in new wineskins, to use the words of Jesus. (Mark 2:22) He is a God who calls us to transformed thinking (Rom 12:1-2) and is busy preparing new heavens and a new earth (Rev 21:1-2) We must always be open to the new thing God wants to do and to be ready to hear the voice of His Spirit calling us to new things.

O is for Obedience – saying yes to God! The consequences of disobedience are dire (the book of Jonah outlines this for us!) and we need to understand that ‘to obey is better than sacrifice.’ (1 Sam 15:22) God wants us to ‘trust and obey.’

P is for Prayer – our lifeline of communication to God. There are many obstacles to prayer, including our tendency to procrastinate, the things we do wrong which make us hide away from God and distraction and doubt, but there is a need for us to shut the door and spend time with God on our own (Matt 6:6) as well as join with other Christians to pray. Prayer involves adoring God, confessing our sins, thanking God and bring our petitions and requests (supplication) to Him (ACTS).