As the deer pants for the water - so my soul longs after You - Martin Nystrom - 6

Ian Curtis and the name of his band... info from www.joydiv.org

In January 1978 the band became Joy Division. In November 1977 the London-based group Warsaw Pakt had released an album, so Warsaw decided to change their name to avoid being confused with another band. They chose the new name from a harrowing account of life in a concentration camp during World War 2. This book, The House of Dolls by Karol Cetinsky, is quoted by Ian in a spoken insert to the song No Love Lost. The Joy Division was the corps of young women kept in the camp for the pleasure of Nazi officers on leave.

Partly due to the name, Joy Division (and later New Order) often had problems with Nazi accusations spreading around in the press. These both puzzled and angered the band, and they did not wish to dignify them with a reply. Far from containing Nazi propaganda, their lyrics preach quite the contrary message. Many other punk bands used much more direct Nazi symbolism with much less press comment.

It is so sad when peoples lives are cut short as Ian's was.

You alone are the real joy Giver
and the apple of my eye.

As the deer pants for the water - so my soul longs after You - Martin Nystrom - 4

to You alone may my spirit yield

As the deer pants for the water - so my soul longs after You - Martin Nystrom - 3

You alone are my strentgh and shield

As the deer pants for the water - so my soul longs after You - Martin Nystrom - 2

You alone are my heart's desire and I long to worship You

As the deer pants for the water - so my soul longs after You - Martin Nystrom - 1

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
Psalm 42:1-2a

Thirsty for God?

The Healing Congregation - Sermon (part 1)

Introduction

Times just now are not easy, we don't know how the world situation will develop so it is going to be more important than ever that we hear what James has to say to the Churches. We read from James 5 because here is a model for helping the body of Christ to be whole and effective.

In between our discouragement, our frustrations with society, our feelings of being in a minority group (in the UK!)as a follower of Jesus, God is there and is still speaking today, to us. In verse 10 James mentions the prophets as examples of men who suffered severe persecution you have seen what the Lord finally brought about... the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. To know that others have suffered before is not always helpful but to know that they got through does matter. We need that reassurance. So what is God saying in these days?

As I refer to healing through this sermon I need you to think wider than physical healing. Although physical healing is included we are referring to the whole that makes up a person and to the various areas of wholeness in our spiritual lives.

We can summarize what James is saying by making three points which say that...
There's a relationship between: the healing congregation, the healing mission and the healing gospel. The three go together and when one or more suffer there's pain and frustration, and the Church's calling is not being fulfilled. We would all like the perfect congregation, maybe pastors dream about having one, but they are not going to ever find one. Yet we can all aim at
being an effective church in these days, even with all our imperfections.

It is said that...
Together with the blessing of God and in the power of the Holy Spirit, three things make inevitable the fulfillment of the Church's calling to be a place of healing and to bring healing to the nations:
1 - their openness to their own healing and their journey towards wholeness ( healing congregation)
2 - their commitment to, and work on behalf of, Christ's healing mission (healing mission)
3 -the compassion of members for the hurting world for whom Christ died and rose from the dead (healing gospel)