Thanksgiving

On Sunday 16^th November, the Anglia Youth Chorus led the worship at Wisbech Corps. Below are the sermon notes I used.

In that day you will sing:

“I will praise you, O Lord!

You were angry with me, but not any more.

Now you comfort me.

See, God has come to save me.

I will trust in him and not be afraid.

The Lord God is my strength and my song;

he has given me victory.”

With joy you will drink deeply

from the fountain of salvation!

In that wonderful day you will sing:

“Thank the Lord! Praise his name!

Tell the nations what he has done.

Let them know how mighty he is!

Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things.

Make known his praise around the world.

Let all the people of Jerusalem[a] shout his praise with joy!

For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.”

(Isaiah 12, NLT)

Every year in America, on the fourth Thursday in November, families and friends gather to celebrate thanksgiving with one another; a day to give thanks for all that has happened in the preceding year and the harvest that has been gathered in. It’s a time to share the joys and celebrate God’s goodness. People from all backgrounds and religions spend the day thinking about what they have to be thankful for, whether they are the wealthiest or the poorest, whether there is lots to be thankful for or little, whether they’re giving thanks for food, shelter, good things that have happened, or just the fact they’re still living.

While today we think of thanksgiving as a very American concept, throughout church history there have been ‘Days of Thanksgiving’ celebrated whenever there was a reason for national celebration. In fact, we’ve just recently celebrated one of them – Guy Fawkes Day began as a ‘Day of Thanksgiving’ for the failure of the Gunpowder Plot – giving thanks for the salvation of the King’s life and of parliament. And while we may not think of it as such, Remembrance Day is also a day of thanksgiving as well as remembrance; we’re giving thanks to those who gave their lives so we could be free.

Being thankful is still a major part of today’s culture. I’m sure we all know of the Roses advert, ‘Thank you very much for…’, and recently on social media there was a ‘thankfulness challenge’. People would have to share for five days 3 things they were grateful for on that day, and then challenge a number of friends to take part. While the movement began mainly amongst Christian people, it was not limited to them. Many people of other faiths and no faith also took part in the challenge. The challenge was supposed to reveal to people that there are many things to be thankful for; trying to create a thanksgiving mind set within themselves that would last beyond those five days.

Thanksgiving

But with everyone being thankful for things, who are we thanking? Being thankful suggests there is a person or reason giving us these things. If things come our way by chance, our thankfulness is hollow; it is more of an appreciation for what we have received than being thankful; we are happy to have it, but no one is receiving our thanks. When non-Christians are thankful for the things they experience in life, they are more focussed on the fact these things have been received by them and how good it makes them feel.

As Christians, our thankfulness is different, because we believe God has given us all these things. Our thanksgiving is part of our worship; he receives it as an act of worship from us. We should have a thanksgiving mind set towards him at all times, most importantly because there is one thing we have received from him that should cause us to be more thankful than anything else we receive.

What is it?

It’s forgiveness for our sins and salvation through his son, Jesus. By his death and resurrection, thereby paying the price for our sin, we are saved and can enter into a relationship with God.

From our reading, we can see that before we came to Jesus, God was angry, because of our sin.

Experiencing God’s Anger

Our passage from Isaiah 12 is a song of thanksgiving for salvation. At the time of writing, the people of Israel were experiencing trouble for their sins. They had not turned from their wicked ways, and so could not experience salvation. Just two chapters earlier, in Isaiah 10, the Lord is expressing his anger at the way the Israelites have behaved, but this is not the only time God gets angry with the sinful. He has always been angry with those who do not follow his laws as Paul writes in Romans 1:18 – 21:

“God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks.” (NLT)

And Paul warns that we too experience God’s anger in Romans 2:3:

“Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things?” (NLT)

When we sin, we experience God’s anger. His anger brings death, and is painful to experience. In Isaiah, God was going to send the Assyrians to punish them for their wicked ways. But for us, we experience God’s anger as a broken relationship. We can never truly have a relationship with God while his anger burns against us. 

But Isaiah 12 is not focussed on God’s anger. By the end of verse 1, God has come to bring comfort. But what has changed? What changes this anger into comfort? And how?

Experiencing God’s Power & Comfort

Verse 2 says ‘God has come to save me’. It’s Jesus. While God is angry about our sin, he loves us enough to get involved in the mess of our lives to come and rescue us himself through the death of his son Jesus.

In Isaiah 40:9-11, we read that God is coming in power to rule with a powerful arm, but he will feed his flock and hold them close. Isaiah was prophesying the coming of Jesus. When Jesus came, he came with the power to forgive sins so that we could be comforted. Our comfort cannot come before the punishment, but Jesus took that for us on the cross so that he could then be the one to offer us comfort, knowing he was the one who saves us.

Experiencing Joy

We are dependent on this grace; this gift of salvation we haven’t earned. This salvation and forgiveness are just some of the gifts we have undeservedly received from God. And in return for these things, we should live in recognition that they belong to God. When we do, we experience joy – because we know we owe God EVERYTHING.

 

When we experience the joy of salvation, we want to thank the Lord because we know we don’t deserve the rescue, but we also want to tell of his great name to those who haven’t experienced God’s salvation, and tell them what he has done. When someone becomes a Christian for the first time, they’re so joyful and thankful; they can’t help but spread the news, which is what we see described in Isaiah 12:4-6.  

Testimony of God’s presence

Isaiah knew what it was to receive forgiveness and salvation from God. He had known the salvation in his life in chapter 6; God made him clean to be his messenger. And since then, he shared God’s message with the nation. He wanted them to turn from their sin so they too could experience the joy he had found.

Those who regularly spend time with God and receive his forgiveness know what they have been saved from, the mess they make of their live; the cost of their forgiveness, the death of Jesus; and that the news must be shared with others, because it is just too good to keep to themselves. They are joyful, because they are rooted in the relationship with God that is the result of salvation.

But we can too easily loose this sense of joy and thanksgiving. When we’ve been saved a while, we can forget what it was like to be in the mess. We can forget what we have been saved from. And without recalling that experience, we forget the joy it brought into our hearts. If we don’t experience the salvation in our lives, how can we tell of it to others?

When did you last experience the power of salvation in your life? When did you last drink from the fountain of salvation? Have you ever even tasted the waters?

We need to keep coming back to the fountain. A fountain at the time Isaiah wrote would not be a fountain as we picture one, but what we may call a spring – the source of a river. A spring appears to come from nowhere, but keeps flowing. That is what salvation is like. It appears from nowhere but keeps coming. There will always be enough if you are truly sorry for your sin and want to be saved.

Jesus died so we could be saved. It is his death we should give thanks for.

My week #belowtheline

Last week, I completed the Live Below the Line challenge.

Over 1.2 billion people in our world live on less than £1 per day, and the live below the line challenge is about raising awareness and funds for various charities that work with these people to end the poverty.

Let me give you a summary of my week.

For the challenge, I went to Aldi and spent £4.82 on my food. This bought me:

•             1 kg porridge

•             2 tins of rice pudding

•             Jelly crystals

•             500g penne pasta

•             1kg frozen mixed veg 

•             1 loaf of white bread

•             1 pack of chocolate cookies

•             1 tin of tomato soup

•             2 jars of tomato and herb pasta sauce

•             500g of spaghetti

Then, starting Tuesday 6th May, I began my challenge.

Day 1 was not too difficult. I started with a bowl of porridge made from water (disgusting) and this kept me going fairly well. I did get peckish about 11.30 for a biscuit, but I think that was habit rather than real hunger. My lunch was half the soup, two slices

of dry toast, and two of the cookies. This was actually rather nice and I enjoyed it, although I didn’t really feel satisfied. Dinner was a big bowl of pasta with veg and the sauce followed by rice pudding. I also had 2 cookies a while after as I was feeling hungry again.

Day 2 I was at home all day, and I had very little appetite, making the challenge slightly easier. I had my porridge again, and for lunch I had four slices of dry toast. Dinner was the same, and I had 2 cookies during the day. I made up the jelly ready for tomorrow.

Day 3 was tough. I had my porridge with a side bowl of jelly (for that sweet kick), and then went to Starbucks in Peterborough for a meeting about Summer School. Being in there wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. I didn’t feel tempted by the coffee and didn’t look at the food so I couldn’t feel hungry. The problem came when the staff came round with samples of new sandwiches they have. Even though this wouldn’t ‘cost’ me anything, you cannot accept free food when living below the line. The smell was delicious and it took great effort to say ‘no thanks’. Those I was meeting with weren’t very supportive, and helped themselves! But I couldn’t really blame them. 

It was interesting to be in the city, passing café’s and shops, seeing the cost of things, and thinking how a sandwich would cost me a day or more’s worth of food. It was quite an eye-opener!

I kept focussing on eating my bread on the way home, and this got me through the meeting. When I got in, I hurriedly made my spaghetti, veg and sauce, and enjoyed this. I waited a while before having my rice pudding, but I still had a severe case of the munchies! I ended up devouring 8 (!) cookies before the end of the evening.

Day 4 began again with porridge and jelly. Lunch was the rest of the soup, two slices of toast, and two cookies, and dinner was spaghetti, veg and pasta again followed by the last of the rice pudding. A further 3 cookies were eaten.

Day 5 – I was so happy to have reached the last day! I couldn’t bear another bowl of watery, tasteless, gloop (porridge), so I started with a couple of cookies. I then had a further two cookies before lunch, which was pasta and veg, with no sauce as I was saving that for my dinner. Dinner was again pasta, veg, and sauce, followed by two cookies. I was craving fast food or a takeaway A LOT. But I had reached the end. And I was over the moon.

When Sunday dawned, I happily got up and made my first cup of tea for days and made my usual wheetabix with hot milk (MILK!).  It was bliss.

I am so grateful to have enough money to live and enjoy life, and Live Below the Line affected my thinking greatly over the 5 days.

My prayer now is that I remember the struggle, and that my thought process will remain the same when it comes to buying food.

I want to challenge you again to take the challenge for yourself. And if not, please sponsor me here.

Live Below The Line Challenge – Join In!

First off – sorry for the absence! I was having technical difficulties with the blog editor but now, I’m back!  Expect posts to be appearing at their normal rate now!

It’s been a crazy few months, but I want to start my posting again with a personal challenge I have signed up to, and would encourage you to sign up to as well.

Live Below the Line.

Have you heard of it?

The challenge is to live for 5 days on £1 a day. £5, 5 days. For all food and water. Sounds impossible. But every year, thousands of people sign up and complete the challenge, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for their chosen charities.

Charities that aim to eradicate extreme poverty from our world – to help the 1.2 BILLION people that have to live daily on less than £1 a day.

The LBTL challenge is one I have seen other people do since it started in 2010, and I have always admired the people who complete it, and sponsor them as they work at it. But to me, it has always seemed impossible.

Great idea, but not for me.

I’ll wave the flag for you, give you money, pray for your efforts, but don’t expect ME to do it.

Then, the Divisional Youth Officer’s were challenged at FORGE (ALOVE’s Youth Worker Gathering) to set up divisional teams and ‘compete’ to raise the most money.

I could not leave my division in the lurch.

It was time to take the plunge.

I am going to live below the line.

And I am asking YOU to join me and the Anglia Division team to raise money to end extreme poverty.

For me, this is not about competing with the other Divisions. This is about finally stepping up to the plate (literally) and doing something to raise awareness other than giving money to other people and posting links to information.

We are so good at ‘supporting’ causes through social media and giving a ‘one-off’ donation. But surely we can afford to give more of ourselves, really commit to a cause and go further than we would normally go.

If you are sitting there now and thinking as I used to ‘Great, but not for me’, I want to personally challenge you now.

Why do you say that?

Is it because it will disrupt your comfort?

Is it because you don’t want the hassle?

Or is it for some other reason?

Ask God to reveal your heart and really consider taking the challenge. Push yourself.

And if you decide to take the challenge, join our team. You can sign up here: https://www.livebelowtheline.com/team/anglia-division

Please donate and share the pages of our team so we can raise money and awareness of extreme poverty if you are unable to undertake the challenge for any reason.

Please encourage others you know to join in too.

When I start the challenge, I will try and post daily updates of how its going, what I’ve eaten, what it cost me, and how I’m feeling.

Please support in any way you can.

Submerge: Go Deeper (EMASS 2013)

Another EMASS (East Midlands & Anglia Summer School) has come and passed! And once again the week was packed full of fun, fellowship, and worship. Our theme this year was ‘Submerge: Go Deeper’, so there was a lot of water games, water bombs, and water-y teaching. Want to know more? Well keep on reading for the highlights!

Sunday – The sun shone once again over registration as students arrived, unpacked, auditioned and said hello to old friends. Once everyone was registered, the school gathered for the welcome meeting.

In the evening, we were privileged to welcome the new Territorial Youth Secretary, Mike Lloyd-Jones, to the school who set us up for the week and shared something or his hopes for his time as TYS.

The teaching focus for Monday was on Jesus inviting us to share in the life-giving water he offers, and how once we accept this invitation, we will have a more vibrant life. Students were given the opportunity to accept this invitation by filling in some party invites and returning them to the front of the hall as their ‘rsvp’.

Monday evening was Games Night! All the games took on a water-y theme, and had bonus points available for completing extra tasks, such as ‘sing a song about fishing while completing the game’, or ‘sing the theme from the dambusters’. Games included; breath holding; water bomb throwing (without breaking), and flappy fish.

Tuesday saw the return of the Sports Day. Five teams ran, threw, and jumped their way through a number of races to compete for the title of ‘EMASS Champions 2013’.

Tuesday also saw a new addition to the EMASS timetable – Water fight! Students and staff were kitted out with water pistols, sponges, and water bombs for an intense, 30 minute battle! Fighting was fierce and no one was safe! Within a few minutes, everyone was soaked to the bone, but that didn’t stop them! Chaos erupted, and eventually even big, black bins were filled with water and tipped over staff. Although dripping wet by the end, everyone helped clear up quickly and all were soon on their way back to their houses to shower and warm up.

On Wednesday evening, parents and friends were invited to join us for an evening with Steve Price, illusionist. The crowd ‘ooh-ed’ and ‘awh-ed’ in wonder at his tricks, and Steve shared about his faith. More information on Steve Price can be found on his website at www.stevepriceillusions.co.uk/

The morning teaching focussed on why, as Christians, we should serve others, and what our motivation should be. Students were encouraged to think what small actions they could take to serve others when they were at home in their ordinary lives.

Thursday featured the annual EMASS talent night. While a fewer number of performances than in previous years took part, the quality was just as spectacular! Acts included; a vocal quartet, a duet, pea shooting, a Busted tribute act, worship band, and a special staff item. Plus a rousing rendition of ‘Lean forward, lean backward’ by the crowd between acts.

The teaching focused on how Jesus can bring healing to our lives and gave students the opportunity to receive prayer for this.

Friday – Students were encouraged to think about finding time to ‘Soak’ in God outside of events like summer school so they could keep their enthusiasm high and spiritual needs in check. The teaching showed how taking this time is necessary, otherwise they can not share with others what they don’t have themselves.

The Big Night In theme was ‘Titanic’, and at least four ships turned up! There were also scuba divers, a number of Jack Dawsons’, a string ensemble, a penguin, plus many more fantastic costumes!

All too soon, Saturday came around. The worship offered a chance for students and staff to share testimonies about the week; what God had been saying and doing in their lives. It was a huge encouragement to see their responses.

The final celebration went off with a bang! The school started with a flash mob, and the rest of the evening showcased the amazing week we had shared together.

Did you come to EMASS? What were your highlights?

Time flies

I can’t believe it – I’ve been here over year now! And what a year! I wanted to take some time reflecting on all the stuff that’s happened, what God’s been saying, and what I hope for the future!

Firstly, let’s start by looking back on all the Divisional activities that have happened.

When I first arrived here, I had about six weeks to prepare for my first ever summer school! Looking back, I’ve no idea how I did it, but at the time I loved every second of those few weeks as I learnt to swim in the deep end. I had only ever been to one summer school as a student, and never been on staff, so it was a real learning curve! The week itself was fantastic – the best start to a job anyone could wish for! – and helped me settle in. If you want to hear more about the week, you can find the review here.

In some ways, starting with such a high left me a little down for the following few months, but I worked through it and got out and about to meet young people, youth leaders, and Corps Officers around the division. I also spent time preparing for the youth worship event in November (Boundless: The Adventure Continues) which gave another good opportunity to meet people, and re-launch the Anglia Youth Chorus!

In the run up to the New Year, I spent time praying for this year and the young people within the division. It was a great time, and I felt God was really encouraging us to be courageous this year. And this challenge has not left me. I often find myself being reminded about this message and finding situations that require me to be courageous in my personal life, spiritual life, and decisions for the division. Again, if you want to read more about the challenge, you can find the blog post here.

Soon enough, Youth Councils arrived. The day was spent thinking about Holiness and the ALOVE theme for the year – ‘…. Water’. More about what we did can be read here.

And now, I find myself once again in the run up to the East Midlands and Anglia Summer School (EMASS). We’re just over 2 weeks away (it’s earlier this year), and I’m experiencing the same feelings of excitement and nerves as last year! This year, our focus is on going deeper into our discipleship through exploring the passages in the Bible about Jesus and water (spot the theme yet?). It’s going to be a great week, so if you’re coming, get excited! If you’re not coming, then keep an eye out for the review post in the weeks following EMASS. You could also join us on the Wednesday night (31^st July) for an evening of illusion with Steve Price (£2) or for the Final Celebration on Saturday night (3^rd August, £5). Please message me for more details.

Now for the coming year and beyond – what do I hope? Where do I see things going? I want to develop the discipleship of young people within the division and encourage the leadership skills within them. I want to see every young person in the division come to have a full and deep relationship with God; reaching their God-given potential and following his will for their lives. I want young people to become more involved and invested in the running and organising of divisional events. In short, I have the same vision as I did 12 months ago, and I continue to trust in God that his will is best, and I will do my best to follow his path.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11