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 - 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 - Theme of Service

Dried Or Revived?

Image taken from Google Images

These daffodils in my hand are very dry - see above for a picture of dry daffodils. Instead of throwing them away after Easter I kept them but no longer watered them. Look at them now. At certain times in my life I have felt as tired as these flowers look. Spiritually there have been times when I have felt as dry as these flowers are.

Those of you who have experienced such times will know how wonderful it is when you begin to feel better, revived, or as the dictionary states you recover new vigour. God is good and his Spirit knows how to help us. There is always hope, and just like this beautiful fresh daffodil taken from our garden this very morning, we too can feel revived once again, if not physically, at least spiritually.

Daffodils taken from Google Images

The only problem that I have is that I have cut this flower from its stem so it does not matter how much water or sun it gets it will not last long. Having had difficult times in my own life, and having observed other peoples' lives I now know from experience that we cannot last long without the Lord in our lives.

We try, we try very hard but at some point, sooner or later, we will end up like these dried-up daffodils. We really need to be connected to God. The thing is that we are meant to be connected to God, we are actually going against the grain, the tide when we attempt to detach ourselves from him.

That's why it is better to stay close to the Lord. I encourage you, urge you to connect with God, to let his Spirit revive you, transform you into a deeper level with him than ever before in your life.

What Kind Of Wounds Do You Have? - Nooma

What kind of wounds do you have?
How have your wounds shaped who you are today?

Bible Reading - Romans 12:19 (MSG) "Don't insist in getting even; that's not for you to do. I'll do the judging", says God. "I'll take care of it"

Have you ever really gotten revenge? If so, how did it make you feel afterwards? If we take revenge when we get hurt, do you think it's like saying to God, "I think I can handle this better than you"?

Bible Reading - Proverbs 15:3 (CEV) The LORD sees everything, whether good or bad. If God's right there when people get hurt, why do you think he doesn't step in to stop it from happening? Do you trust that God is ultimately going to take care of everything? Why is God's forgiveness of us so crucial to our forgiveness of others?

Bible Reading - Luke 6:37 (NIV) Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Can we forgive somebody without being able to be around them? Do you have people like that in your life? Do you believe forgiveness is really more about the one forgiving than the one being forgiven? Does that view on forgiveness make it easier to forgive? Are there people you need to forgive? If someone you need to forgive died before you made amends, what kind of regrets would you have?

Concluding Words by Rob Bell... So may you forgive as you've been forgiven, may you give to others what's been given to you, may you set someone free and find out that it was you, and may you do it today, because you might not have the chance tomorrow

Luggage - Nooma

Cafe Church 4pm Gainsborough

Welcome, Notices and Introductions...

Songs of Fellowship 646... All I Once Held Dear

Song 610 (SASB 863/Wonderful Healer)
Lord, here today my great need I am feeling

Weekly Offering

Todays' Prayers... The Work of The Holy Spirit In Our Fellowship, Future Of Our Corps, Property Matters

Nooma DVD: Luggage 007 Rob Bell (Info and clip)

Quiet Time: Personal Reflection on what we have seen on DVD

Looking at some verses from the Bible about forgiveness and 'baggage' we carry

Encouragement and Time of Testimony and Praise

Songs of Fellowship 716... Filled with Compassion

Prayer and Benediction

What draws you to the message of Jesus? - Nooma

Cafe Church 4pm Gainsborough

Welcome and Notices

Magnify 6 As we come to your throne (You are worthy)
Magnify is a Salvationist collection of 75 songs of worship.

Magnify 7 Be still, for the presence of the Lord

Prayer

To get us thinking:
How do you feel about people who stop you in the street and want you to listen to them?
What actually draws you to the message of Jesus? At the beginning were you loved or scared into the Kingdom?
Why do you think that generally followers of Jesus make a distinction between their love for God and their love for others

Short DVD - Introducing Bullhorn 009 Rob Bell
Time to reflect and discuss our reactions to the DVD

Bible Readings Matthew 22:36-40 and John 13:35

Today's challenge - If we are not shouting the message out loudly and scaringly, then how are we sharing it? Are we loving God and others with the same passion? If not, why not? How and who can help us sort this out?

Magnify 2 All Heaven Declares

Song 48 (SASB 150/God's love is wonderful)
God's love to me is wonderful
The Salvation Army Songbook

Prayer

Rob Bell ends DVD saying.."So may you see that how you love others is how you love God.
That' it
That's the way of love
That's the way of Jesus"

MyTips on Worship Preparation - Giving out notices in church?

The Announcements/Notices...given out in a service:

Now these are tricky. There can be so many notices that you use up precious time which you need specially if you have a set time to keep. Too many notices can also be boring. Some services have them at the beginning, as we do in Gainsborough, so that they are out of the way and the service can then go on without interruption or distraction but the problem with that choice is that it feels wrong to follow beautiful introductory music with mondaying notices about the toilets being out of order on tuesday for a week!! Others might put them in the programme at the very end, after the Sermon or even after the Benediction. The problem with having them at the end is that you could easily spoil the blessed atmosphere that has built up by giving them out then.

It seems that whenever you do it, it is going to be unsatisfactory for someone and, you will need to take local situations into account when deciding when it might be best, but there will always be a word of welcome and some form of housekeeping to pass on! Some churches give out a weekly sheet with the information needed and that is ideal but you then need someone to be responsible for this task other than the minister as he has too much to sort out already.

Other churches put their notices for the week and coming events on PowerPoint and show them before and after the service. Others, pin the notices on their notice board for all to see because they cannot photocopy for everyone. There are lots of ways and in the end it is only by trial and error that you find the answer to best suit your church services.

Some churches traditionally give out the notices at the same time as the taking up of the collection, if you want to try that then remember that having the notices first might mean people getting their offering ready and missing half of what is being said! I told you, you can't win. Just some things to think about...

Cartoon - Singing in Church Choirs

This cartoon speaks to me of commitment and simplicity. The choristers just want to praise God. The choirmaster is understandably frustrated with their 'efforts'. Choir members come in all shapes and sizes but they usually want to praise God and witness to those who hear them sing. In the Salvation Army we call them 'Songsters'. Whatever we call them in our churches lets appreciate our choirs and encourage them - if you do, they'll sing with that extra twinkle in their eyes!

Easter is over...so what now? - Worship Programme

Easter Sunday Service

Pre-meeting: Band

Introduction:
Verse by Annie Johnson Flint
If the Christ who died had stopped at the cross,
His work had been incomplete.
If the Christ who was buried had stayed in the tomb,
He had only known defeat,
But the way of the cross never stops at the cross and the way of the tomb leads on
To victorious grace in the heavenly place
where the risen Lord has gone.

Welcome and Announcements - Junior Soldiers Award Presentation

Background:
Easter Sunday is the most important Sunday of the Christian year; the day when we celebrate one of the central truths of our faith - that Jesus Christ is alive! As the apostle Paul said, '...if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile' (1 Corinthians 15:17). This, then, is a day for faith and celebration, joy and declaration. Three words will come up throughout the morning and they are: 'Alive', 'Risen', and 'Today' These are words which declare the central message of Easter, the reason for our worshipping God today - the fact that Christ is alive, that he is risen and that this truth is for today, not just a Bible story about something that happened in the past.

Lets declare our joy through singing, and celebrate!
Song 143 (TB 281/Easter Hymn)
Christ the Lord is risen today

Time of Prayer:
1- Easter Thanksgiving - show PowerPoint images associated with Easter (spring flowers, Easter eggs for the children, a lamb, a cross, a Bible, the sun)
Spend time giving thanks to God for some of the things we are grateful for today.

Song 148 (TB 839/Up from the grave he arose)
Low in the grave he lay

2- Easter Confession - Lets declare our faith and commitment to being forgiven and in turn forgiving by praying and confessing to God
Easter Sunday is a perfect day to start afresh with God, it is a good day to start over again,for bringing an area of your life to God where you feel there is a need for new life, a time to look at relationships, a time for new insights, for stepping out in faith, a good time to commit to social justice...Some people like to think of Easter and the heavy stone 'rolled away' as a reminder that through his death and resurrection, Jesus has crushed the power of sin and can forgive. As we pray please respond with the words Risen Lord Jesus, forgive us:

For the times we forget that you are alive,
Risen Lord Jesus, forgive us.
For the times we forget to celebrate your love,
Risen Lord Jesus, forgive us.
For the times we forget to tell our neighbour,
Risen Lord Jesus, forgive us.
For the times we forget to live as you call us to live,
Risen Lord Jesus, forgive us.
For the times we forgot to open our lives to you,
Risen Lord Jesus, forgive us.

Band

3- Easter Intersession - Women say Alive, Men say Risen and Children/Youth and YP workers and helpers say Today.
Risen Lord Jesus, you died for the world, but you are...Alive...Risen...Today.
Risen Lord Jesus, people sometimes forget you, but you are...Alive...Risen...Today.
Risen Lord Jesus, we pray for people caught up in any kind of conflict- may they know that you are...Alive...Risen...Today.
Risen Lord Jesus, we pray for countries and communities at war- may both aggressors and victims know that you are...Alive...Risen...Today.
Risen Lord Jesus, we pray for those who are sick or lonely who are known to us- may we find ways of celebrating with them that you are...Alive...Risen...Today.
Risen Lord Jesus we pray for the church in this area and for our mission to share the good news of your resurrection with others- may we walk alongside others to demonstrate that you are...Alive...Risen...Today.
Risen Lord Jesus, for those who have lived in the faith of Christ and who have gone before us- may we one day join with them around your throne to proclaim that you are...Alive...Risen...Today.
Risen Lord Jesus, we offer you our prayers, trusting in the power of your resurrection, and in our faith in you saying that you are...Alive...Risen...Today.

Bible Reading - John 20:1-9

Easter Praise
Song 144 (TB 5/And above the rest)
I know that my redeemer lives
Testimonies: What is in your heart today? Easter is a journey for all of us. People like Mary Magdalene and Thomas went very much through an emotional journey as they realized that Jesus had been raised from the dead. A journey which turned their lives upside down, having suffered grief at their loss of the one who had changed their lives, and then suddenly experiencing extreme joy and renewed faith, they went from darkness to light, from death to life, from the old to new, from doubt to certainty...Do any of these words describing possible emotions in your present journey sound familiar to you? Words on PowerPoint are Sadness, Desperation, Disbelief, Confusion, Doubt, Astonishment, Wonder, Faith, Joy, Certainty, and Eagerness.

Instrumental Solo: Andrew Blyth

Bible Reading - John 20:10-20

Offering

Songsters

Easter Message 2008: Easter is over...so what now? Marta

Prayer

Songs of Fellowship 290
Jesus is Lord! Creation's voice proclaims it

Benediction
Go in the power of the risen Lord
Live, work and witness to celebrate his love
Share his joy, his life, his power,
In the name of Christ, the Risen One
Amen

MyTips on Worship Preparation - Easter Sunday

Here I am preaching at the Salvation Army in Gainsborough. I am publishing the service plan and sermon in the next few days. My daughter, home on holiday from Leicester University, took this and other photographs. This year we draped a white cloth on the cross symbolizing the resurrection of Jesus. By the foot of the cross people placed lots of yellow daffodils to contrast with the subdued atmosphere of Holy Week.

We woke up to lots of snow, but still many people were able to arrive for an 8.30 am breakfast. The children played in the snow before and after the service which began at 10 am. People were able to take daffodils away afterwards to those who couldn't come or to encourage someone.

During the testimony time a lady made us laugh a lot because she talked about this Christmas time instead of Eastertime!!! Honestly, a few flakes and the English cannot think straight! Everything comes to a halt!

Testimony time in a Salvation Army service (or meeting as we called them) is an opportunity given for anyone to, among other things, express their feelings about the ups and downs of their spiritual journey - hopefully to encourage those listening.

Self-Denial Missionary Appeal 2008

This was the scene at the front of our hall on Sunday after everyone had brought their gift offering. It was our turn to bring a flower arrangement.

Experiencing Temptation/Resisiting Temptation - Worship Progamme

Morning Worship Meeting at Gainsborough Corps

Pre-Meeting Music: Band

Welcome and Announcements

Introduction and Theme
(Today we are having the altar service for the 2008 Missionary Appeal and the worship is based on experiencing and resisting temptation)

Experiencing Temptation

Song 17 (New arrangement) 'Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven'

(notice second line of verse 3 'well our feeble frame he knows')

Prayer

Song 101(TB 112/Margaret)
'Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown'

Offering

First Bible Reading-Mark 1:9-13

Band

Missionary Appeal 2008-Altar Service: PowerPoint presentation, Prayer and Altar Service
Country featured: Zambia

Resisting Temptation

Second Bible Reading-Matthew 4:1-11

Songsters

Message-Temptation-John

Prayer and chorus 107
To be like Jesus

Magnify 13
Great is he who's the King of kings
Said Benediction from Women's World Day Of Prayer 2008 booklet page 17

Sung Benediction: Songsters

Cartoon - Computer or Bible?

If you were to walk down a London street on a Sunday, you would probably see more people carrying computers than Bibles. If you were to walk into a church on the same day, how many people would you find holding their own Bibles?

Cartoon - Sermon Score

MyTips on Worship Preparation

I do this regularly in my work as a Salvation Army officer.

A joke first:
Tommy Cooper arrived at a hotel and, after the porter had carried his luggage, asked him if he wanted a tip. "Yes", said the porter, so Tommy promptly said, "Don't get married!"

I am going to do something brave here, so please be gentle with me! I am going to give you my tips on worship preparation. If you have ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes, then this will be an eye opener! I want to share with you how I come to the end result. With the publication of my sermons, I hope to publish the corresponding worship plan to help show you how important it is to me to present the whole service as a complete package. Once I know what I am going to say in the sermon then everything needs to fit in and gradually build up to a climax.


I have been doing this for a long time, but I am still learning and needing to adapt in a changing world! If you follow the blog closely you will be able to see how I do it. Please remember that each congregation is unique in likes and dislikes, age groups, and culture. For example, the first part of our morning service in Gainsborough, is accompanied by our band, and dictates to some extent the sort of hymns I have.

I have met people in my lifetime who have felt that putting a meeting together is easy, and it has shown in their boring, fragmented effort! You might put your favourite hymns in, but if they have nothing to do with what you are saying, it is not going to help people focus on what you are communicating.

Enough for now, I will give you a tip with every meeting plan I publish. If it helps you, let me know, and please share your tips, frustrations, and funny stories of which we have so many in the Salvation Army. I used to get so excited in one particular appointment when people came to the front, only to realise that they were on their way to the loo and not to the mercy seat!

You ask: Why? - Bible Message

Sunday Worship Meeting at Gainsborough Corps
Sunday 24 February 2008

Bible Readings: Psalm 23 and Ruth1:1-7

Introduction
My husband, John, has been working on our family tree. It is fascinating stuff but had I known who some of my ancestors were I might not have shown so much interest in the first place! He found madmen, murderers like John Wilkes Booth who assassinated Abraham Lincoln (sorry folks!), opera singers, composers, actors and some others whom I'd rather not mention!

Whilst on the internet I once came across another me - a Marta Ager in Sweden who is a Rotarian and a champion golfer, but of the two I suspect I am the poorer! Why?

Let me tell you about Ruth. Her story is found in the Bible – in Ruth 1.
Interestingly, her name was to find a unique place in the family tree of Jesus...
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David
(see the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1)

To put you in the picture, there was a famine during a dark time in the history of Israel so Elimelech took his wife Naomi and two sons to Moab hoping for a better future. Whilst there, Elimelech and the two sons die leaving three widows behind.

Famine over, Naomi and one of her daughters-in-law Ruth go back to Bethlehem. Their arrival causes quite a stir because Ruth, a Moabite, is beautiful but what had happened to Naomi, the beautiful and charming woman who had left ten years earlier? Although Moab was only about 30 miles away the family might as well moved a thousand because they had gone into a troubled, unfriendly land.

Naomi
Naomi had been very homesick in a place where others did not share her faith. Hardship must have shown in her face...
Don't call me Naomi, call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Almighty has brought misfortune upon me (Ruth 1:20-21)

Once praising, now blaming God. Once rich in spirit, now poor. Once full, now empty. Once sweet, now bitter. Naomi had lost the sparkle but she is about to re-ignited and its about to happen from an unexpected source.

Looking at this story from a different angle, I wonder how life might have turned out for the whole family had they remained in Bethlehem and seen the famine through like other families had done? But then Naomi would not had met Ruth!

Now home at last, Naomi wants to get on with a life that still includes God. In spite of her questioning, she admits God has been with her.
The Lord has not stopped showing his kindness (Ruth 2:20)

Slowly we see her good old self return and she throws herself into fully matchmaking for Ruth! In turn Ruth would be taken from the obscurity of her past into a bright fulfilled future. Then in rags, now in riches. Then in poverty, now in plenty.

Ruth
But before Ruth finds a husband, she finds God! You might not realize that before returning, Naomi discourages her daughters-in-law from coming with her but Ruth makes up her mind to set off with Naomi saying...
Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go,and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. (Ruth 1:16)

Wow! What a statement. Surely you would not say this sort of thing in a hurry. Why would you leave the security of your own family, friends, culture for a strange land and a strange faith? And go with your mother-in-law? What is the attraction? Or maybe I should ask who is the attraction and why?

It seems that Naomi's life has influenced Ruth. In the middle of tragedy, frustration, hopelessness and grief Ruth has been watching her mother-in-law and seen in her something very special. Maybe Ruth could not explain it but it was there.

Ruth's great-grandson, King David wrote about his own experiences of God in Psalm 23...
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff they comfort me. (verse 4)

A salvationist, Commissioner Keith Banks paraphrases these words in a song 'Contentment'...
When the way becomes darker, I will not be afraid,
For my Lord, the Good Shepherd, will be there with his aid,
He will stay close beside me every step of the way,
He will guard me and guide me to the end of the day. (verse 2)

Us
We ask Why? We all do. We ask Why often. Why famine, why disaster, suffering, sickness, etc. etc. William Booth, the founder of The Salvation Army, asked many questions when his own wife was dying.

In his article Difficulties he writes...
Why does God thus seem to stand off from us in those hours when we need Him most? OH, WHY! WHY! WHY!

To those of us who do not have a faith, or are just trying to make sense of it all, we might wonder why others choose to exercise a faith when it is either all made up, or at the centre is a God who is not quite as good as He should be at looking after us.

William Booth, goes on to list and explain ways in which he feels God looks after us, though we cannot see it. He says:
'Difficulties develop and strengthen and perfect that nobility of character God desires His people to possess...

Difficulties are valuable because they constitute an unfailing test of character... (God, others and ourselves find what we are made of!)

Difficulties drive men to God. Since September 11th, across the world, at a time of great trial and tribulation, the sale of Bibles, crosses and church attendances have gone up, more people are crying out to God and finding him. It seems that difficulties are still driving men and women to God.

Concluding thoughts
So, am I rich or am I poor? Financially I am not rich but spiritually I consider myself rich because I believe the rest of Psalm 23, paraphrased in the song it says...

He surrounds me with goodness, many blessings are mine,
I am rich in the knowledge of this shepherd divine,
All his unfailing kindness in my life I have known,
And I'll live with him always in his beautiful home. (verse 3)

What about you? Are you going through a situation that is making you question God? Why? Are you feeling like Naomi desperate and disappointed? I suggest you renew your relationship with God like Naomi did, and if you look around you maybe you'll find encouragement in the witness you have been to others through the years. That's how Ruth came to faith through the example of a Naomi who was going through a difficult time in her life but held on and followed closely as not to loose sight of God.

Maybe you are more like Ruth, and having watched others exercise their faith , you now need to be making the decision for yourself to accept their God as your God. Will you say...
Yes the Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need,
I rely on his kindness, I allow him to lead,
He gives rest, He gives quietness, He restores me within,
And He strengthens me daily if my life honours him. (verse 1)