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 - 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.

The Healing Congregation - Worship Programme

Pre-meeting: Band

Welcome and Notices

Anecdote from Box of Delights (26b)
Jesus is in my heart

Song 335 (SASB 833/This is what the Lord has done)
I want to tell what God has done

Dried-up daffodils
Songs of Fellowship 365
Lord we long for you (Vol5 CD2 Track3)

Prayers

Song 324 (SASB 429/ Bethany)
I Believe that God the Father

Introduction to Bible Reading

Band

Bible Reading - James 5:1-20

Offering

Songsters - Master Speak

Message - The Healing Congregation

Songs of Fellowship 311
Jesus, You Are Changing Me

Songs of Fellowship 389
May we be a shining light
(Volunteers to read verses out while piano plays)
Testimonies - time to share with others how you feel about your faith just now!

Song 324 (SASB 429/ Bethany)
I Believe that God the Father
Verses 2 & 4

Prayer

Benediction: Songsters

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 - 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.

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)