A preview of Sunday’s message in song! May our focus always be on Jesus.

‘There is a truth older than the ages.
There is a promise of things yet to come.
There is one born for our salvation:
Jesus

There is a light that overwhelms the darkness.
There is a kingdom that forever reigns.
There is freedom from the chains that bind us.
Jesus, Jesus.

Who walks on the waters,
Who speaks to the sea,
Who stands in the fire beside me.
He roars like a lion;
He bled as the lamb;
He carries my healing in his hands.
Jesus.

There is a name I call in times of trouble.
There is a song that comforts in the night.
There is a voice that calms the storm that rages.
He is Jesus, Jesus.

Messiah, my Saviour,
There is power in Your name.
You’re my rock and my redeemer .
There is power in Your name,
In Your name.

You walk on the waters
You speak to the sea
You stand in the fire beside me
You roar like a lion
You bled as the lamb
You carry my healing in Your hands.

There is no one like You, Jesus.
There is no one like You.’ (‘Jesus’, Chris Tomlin)

Don’t forget we have events coming up this weekend which celebrate creativity!

On Friday 18th November from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m., Furlong Road Methodist Church will be open for prayer and meditation. Prayer is not often considered ‘creative’ as such, but as we deliberately slow down and wait on God, the awesome God of all creation speaks to us and communicates His heart. Take time out to pray tomorrow!

The Arts Festival at Hope House Church on Wellington Street (Barnsley) from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. also promises to be a time of great creativity. If you’re interested in painting, drawing, knitting, sewing, music, photography, writing or any other kind of creativity, go along and find out more! It is also open on Saturday 19th November from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Don’t forget the Winter Wonderland at Thurnscoe Memorial Park on Saturday 19th November from 12 noon till 6 p.m. This is an opportunity to do Christmas shopping and have fun at the same time – Santa’s Grotto will be there, along with an outdoor skating rink. Organised by Big Local Thurnscoe, it’s great to have such events to celebrate our community, and it’s always good to see people’s creative craft skills on display. Turner New Leaf, featuring homemade chutneys, piccalilli, apple sauce and tomato & basil soup, will be selling products at this event, so go along to support Stephen and Stacey’s business venture and enjoy some homemade food! (For those of you who like sweet stuff, the gift baskets contain homemade mince pies and chocolate chip cookies and there will be chocolate brownies to buy… some containing homegrown chillies, which bring back fond memories of Mummy, Daddy and Runty chilli stories…!)

Don’t forget that on Sunday 20th November, we are at Cherry Tree Court in the morning (10.30 a.m.) and Market Street in the evening (6 p.m.)

Having thought about the letter T, I was struck by the idea of 4Gs. 4G is the fourth generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology, allowing people to have access to the Internet whilst on the move, along with IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing and 3D TV. To anyone under 50, it’s probably the latest ‘must have’ of mobile telephones!

God’s ‘must-have’ 4Gs, however, for His people are:

• graciousness (the God of grace wants us to be gracious people)
• generosity (God is a generous God and therefore loves generous people – cheerful givers, as our Bible study will consider!)
• giving (the God who gave His only Son calls us to be giving people also)
• godly (to reflect His character.)

How are we doing with these 4Gs?!

Nicky Gumbel’s notes on today’s Bible readings in the ‘Bible In One Year’ reading plan speak of 5Ts essential to life.

These are, he says:

1. Trust (the Christian life is not meant to be one of ‘self-dependent toil, but of dependent trust,’ reminding us that ‘if you want your work to have lasting value, you need to make sure you are partnering with the Lord and not going it alone.’)
2. Trials (a challenge of life that test our faith and develop perseverance, according to James 1:3-4. Lance Watson said, ‘Every storm is a school. Every trial is a test. Every experience is an education. Every difficulty is for development.’)
3. Temptation (it seems that whilst opportunity may only knock once, temptations lean on the doorbell and face us constantly, but as we considered on Sunday, temptation is not sin, but rather a call to battle.)
4. Tongue (we are called to watch our words, to listen more than we speak and to speak words of edification to others. See James 1:19-21 and James 3:10-12)
5. Turn (God calls us to turn from our wicked ways towards Him (Is 55:6-7) and reminds us that our role is to ‘warn the wicked to turn from their ways’ (Ezek 33:9))

To this, I would add a 6th T – ‘Thankfulness‘, for when we give thanks in all circumstances, we can be sure we’re in God’s will. (1 Thess 5:18)

Languishing in the cistern:

Bruised, bewildered and betrayed,

Joseph waiting in confused darkness.

What had he done to deserve this?

His own flesh and blood turned on him,

Smiling faces turned hooded,

Malevolence and spite overpowering in their force.

Injustice mingled with indignity,

Confusion reigning in the chaos,

The ordinary day forever ripped apart,

Confidence crushed, arrogance abrogated.

Rotting in the belly of a great fish,

Smelling the decaying digestion,

Strangled by slimy seaweed,

Stinking seawater threatening to fill his lungs,

Jonah cried out to the Lord in his distress.

His own disobedience and folly gripping his heart more strongly than the whirling weeds,

A cry for help and deliverance his only hope.

Stuck in the mud,

Sinking fast in its glutinous mess,

Jeremiah bore the pain of rejection.

Spurned by officials for speaking the truth,

Banished to the depths,

A prophet’s fate no easy lot.

This is all the thanks I get for speaking the word of the Lord?!

Cisterns.

Fish.

Wells.

Holes.

Unlikely places for encounters with the Holy.

Dank, dark, miserable places.

Fighting-for-your-life places.

Vomit-inducing, stomach-heaving, malodorous cesspits of

Betrayal.

Greed.

Indignity.

Injustice.

Yet these were revelatory rendez-vous,

Transforming turning points,

Significant signposts on the journey of faith.

No place too lowly for God’s downward reach.

No place too lowly for a cry to ring out.

Out of the depths we cry to You.

(Scripture references: Genesis 37, Jonah 2, Jeremiah 38, Psalm 130)

We had two birthdays to celebrate tonight:

And even the visitor who came to celebrate this first birthday ended up on the birthday box!