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Sunday 6th April 2025

“Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. ¹²The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” ¹³“Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” ¹⁴Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” ¹⁵“But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” ¹⁶The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”” Judges 6:11-16 NLT

God of the strong and the weakest,

The book of Judges again shows us how You choose the inexperienced, the weak, the scared to show Your mighty love. A nobody hiding in the bottom of a winepress trying to hide grain. He calls himself the least of the least, and he is not trying to be humble.

Many Bible scholars think that the angel of the Lord here was an appearance of Jesus. Whether it was or whether it was an angel, it reminds me that You often speak when we are not spending time listening in particular. When we are not expecting it. When we are about the ordinary or the necessary. It was the last thing Gideon expected. I love that You often break into our thoughts with an idea or something we need to do or a direction. And we know it did not come from our thoughts.

Help us to recognise and not miss those moments but acknowledge them and look if we need to do something in response. And You often confirm it by speaking to someone else about the same thing. or someone tells us that we are an answer to their prayers.

Help us to take time to listen, yes but help us hear Your voice in the middle of our daily tasks. As Gideon did.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Sunday 6th April 2025
verse 3 a beautiful prayer . . . .

O Jesus, I have promised
To serve you to the end;
Be thou forever near me,
My Master and my friend;
I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway
If Thou wilt be my guide.

Oh, let me feel Thee near me;
The world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle,
The tempting sounds I hear;
My foes are ever near me,
Around me and within;
But, Jesus, draw Thou nearer,
And shield my soul from sin.

Oh, let me hear Thee speaking,
In accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion,
The murmurs of self-will;
Oh, speak to reassure me,
To hasten, or control;
Oh, speak, and make me listen,
Thou Guardian of my soul.

O Jesus, Thou hast promised
To all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory
There shall Thy servant be;
And Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Oh, give me grace to follow,
My Master and my Friend.

Lyrics: John Ernest Bode

This hymn was written by John Ernest Bode (13 February 1816 – 6 October 1874) an Anglican priest, educator, poet, and hymnist on the occasion of the confirmation of his own two sons and daughter at Castle Camps village in 1869. It was not put to music until 1881.

Saturday 5th April 2025

“Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time. ⁵She would sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would go to her for judgment. ⁶One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. She said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor. ⁷And I will call out Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him.” ⁸Barak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me.” ⁹“Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.””
Judges 4:4-9 NLT

God Almighty,

Judges is a riveting read if a bit blood thirsty! This chapter is the story of a prophet (Deborah) a leader of the tribe of Naphtali (Barak), an enemy King (Sisera) and a wife not of the Israelites (a Kenite). The war was won with the death of the enemy King. But not by an army but by the hand of one person. Just as You won the war against death by the hand of One – Your Son. Only He could do it.

And it also shows that everyone can be used to fulfill Your purposes. Whether in church leadership or not. Male or female. You even use those who do not profess to follow or worship You! Barak knew the benefit of having someone beside Him,, hearing God in difficult circumstances. How we respect and value those who stand by us and pray! Or we should.

And we should be ready to say I will go with You when someone we know is in need of support . Whether physically or in prayer or both.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Saturday 5th April 2025

An army of ordinary people
A kingdom where love is the key
A city, a light to the nations
Heirs to the promise are we
A people whose life is in Jesus
A nation together we stand
Only through grace are we worthy
Inheritors of the land

A new day is dawning
A new age to come
When the children of promise
Shall flow together as one
A truth long neglected
But the time has now come
When the children of promise
Shall flow together as one

A people without recognition
But with Him a destiny sealed
Called to a heavenly vision
His purpose shall be fulfilled
Come, let us stand strong together
Abandon ourselves to the King
His love shall be ours forever
This victory song we shall sing

A new day is dawning
A new age to come
When the children of promise
Shall flow together as one
A truth long neglected
But the time has now come
When the children of promise
Shall flow together as one

Lyrics: Dave Bilbrough

Friday 4th April 2025

“The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. ⁸Then the Lord burned with anger against Israel, and he turned them over to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim. And the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years. ⁹But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother, Kenaz. ¹⁰The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge. He went to war against King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram, and the Lord gave Othniel victory over him. ¹¹So there was peace in the land for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.”
Judges 3:7-11 NLT

Lord God of all,

Joshua has died (Joshua 24:29) and Eleazar the High Priest died (Joshua 24:3). History is a history of change. But it is in keeping a firm foundation that gives a good future. It is not standing still but keeping those things that give stability. But once again we read the children of Israel forgot God their security. But even here in the midst of their enemies and living in war torn lands You proved faithful. You waited till they realised their need and cried to You, You answered. It was not an easy answer and they had to deal with the trouble it did not just disappear! But then their was 40 years peace.

It is very reassuring Lord to know that we can call on You whether trouble is just life happening, because we have got in a mess, sinned or the enemy trying to get us down. Many of the Psalms speak about being able to call on You in times of trouble (34:17, 50:15) Then Jesus came and said, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7)

There is no limit to Your help in all our situations. And there is an eternity of peace. Not dead peace and calm and quiet. But a living, joyful love filled fellowship of peace with You now and in Heaven. Please be our help at all times, O Lord our God.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Worship Friday 4th April 2025
Love this version

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home:

Under the shadow of your throne
Your saints have dwelt secure;
All we need is You alone,
And our defense is sure.

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
God be our guide
As long as life will last
As long as life will last

Before the hills in order stood
Or Earth received her frame,
From everlasting you are God,
For evermore the same.

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
God be our guide
As long as life will last
As long as life will last

Lyrics: Isaac Watts
Contemporary lyrics: The great Jungle Journey