Harvest Festival

As normal, for our area, donations received during the Harvest Festival were mainly in the form of long life goods for the food bank. A representative for the food bank passed on their thanks from themselves and on the behalf of those who need to use the food bank – which was nice!

But, during the service I glanced around at all the tins of food and I was thinking…

I thought back to when I was a child and we were asked to take something in for the school and church harvest festivals. Mother would go through the cupboard and present us with a tin, “You can take that” she’d say “no one likes that one”!

I thought about comments I have heard from varying sources on such occasions of: “And everybody bring a tin. Everyone always has something in the cupboard they don’t like so there’s no excuse.”

I thought that, whilst given the choice between nothing and a tin of food that has only been chosen as a donation because nobody likes it then there may well be some gratitude, because anything may well be better than nothing – if it is the only food you can get and you are actually starving. BUT does that make our reason the right reason when we choose what to give?

I thought, shouldn’t we be giving the best we can offer. It is to God to whom we are giving our offerings. It is to God we are giving thanks for the harvest and that we are fortunate enough to have something to eat. When donations leave the altar and make their way to the food bank to feed those in need they are also “feeding Jesus”. Surely, therefore, it should indeed be the best we can offer.

Whilst it is true that people have different tastes and it may well be that a food one person hates is another person’s favourite; the important thing is the motive. What is the motive behind the choice of product? Is it the best we can offer or is it actually just a case of wanting that item out our cupboard? Are we giving our Lord the best of our harvest or the dregs?

What is written in our hearts is known. No excuses can be made.

So when such choices are to be made, remember we should be giving of our best with a pure heart (the right motive) – not finally getting rid of that tin that nobody likes but providing a feast fit for a King – our Saviour.

Poppet lying on a sofa hugging her pumpkin.

A Dog’s Life

Snuggled next to loving owners
Whom I cherish and adore.
Fed dog treats and puppacinos
Could a doggie ask for more?

Lovely walks and grassy meadows,
Snoozing spread out on the couch,
Looking up out of the window,
Playing fetch I love so much.

Soothing strokes, a calming influence,
Finding the best sticks to chew.
But, of course, the best thing really
Is eating Dad's favourite shoe!

Still you love me and adore me
As, of course, I love you too.
And we never will be parted,
Friends forever, me and you!

Poppet’s head lovingly resting on my lap.

Amen

Recently I was watching some of the programmes showing compilations of Paul McCartney performing and the following quote was put up on screen:

“I’m not particularly religious, but I do believe in the idea that there is some sort of higher power that can help us,” says McCartney. “So, this song becomes a prayer, or mini – prayer. And the word ‘Amen’ itself means ‘so be it’ – or ‘let it be'”
Paul McCartney speaking about his song “Let It Be”

This got me thinking about the word ‘Amen’ and all the different ways we use it. For me, the main use of ‘Amen’ is to conclude a prayer or as a response to a prayer but having started to think about the word and its other uses I looked at this word in more depth.

So, next came the English definitions of the word (just because that is the language I speak – no other reason) and these were listed as:

let it be
verily
truly
it is true
let it be so

The word is thought to be of Biblical Hebrew origin and appears many times in the Hebrew Bible as a confirmatory response and especially following blessings.

However, its root word is now common to a number of languages with the meaning:

to be firm
confirmed
reliable
dependable
to have faith
to believe

Having been imported into Greek from the Judaism of the Early Church, the word ‘Amen’ continued to spread becoming part of many other European languages, thence to Latin and then English. It can also be found in Arabic translations of the Bible and also other texts, for example after recitation of the Quran.

Sometimes ‘Amen’ is translated from the Hebrew word as ‘so be it’.

The phrase “Amen to that” can seem quite familiar but what do we actually mean when we say that. We use this to express strong agreement with something, as a declaration of affirmation, to say “that’s sorted then”. We also use it in the same way we might say “fine” or “just leave it there”.

I mentioned earlier about it being a concluding word in, or a response word to, prayer. Jesus’s response when asked to teach us how to pray was “The Lord’s Prayer” in which is included the line “Your will be done”. He teaches us to recognise and acknowledge God’s will. He teaches us (as He prayed at Gethsemane) “yet not my will but Yours”. How apt then that Amen also means “your will be done”. So when we pray we are confirming that whilst we ask God, we acknowledge that He can see the big picture that we cannot and He knows what is best even if we cannot see it at the time and therefore we are praying “if it is your will let it be done”.

As such, “Amen” is a prayer all by itself. If you are ever stuck and thinking that you don’t know what to pray, don’t worry, God knows what is in your heart. A sincere Amen is sufficient.

“It Wasn’t Me … It Was The Dinosaur”

Poppet loves her dinosaur. She has him with her when she naps. She carries him from room to room. She plays with him and, of course, she always wins. She also makes sure that it is always Dinosaur who is responsible for any wrong doing!

“Poppet was it you that put muddy pawprints everywhere?”
“Not me, that was Dinosaur. I saw him”
“Poppet was it you that ate Grumpy’s dinner?”
“Me? No definitely not! Mr Dinosaur ate it – he was sooooo hungry!”
“Poppet did you steal Daddy’s wallet?”
“I was just trying to find his credit card…wuff I mean no not me. That was most assuredly Dinosaur!”
“Poppet have you seen the important papers I was working on?”
“Mr Dinosaur wanted to play with them. I told him no, I did really.”

But the wonderful thing about Poppet is the way she is always so happy to see me – even if it’s only been a short while since she last saw me. The happy look in her eyes, the waggy tail, the leap into my arms to give me puppy kisses. It’s also the way she curls up on the sofa and puts her head on my knee when I’m ill, or sad, or feeling alone. She looks up at me with her beautiful eyes to say “I’m here”.

And, of course, she always gets forgiven. After all, I love her just as much as she loves me!

Freddie The Burglar Raccoon

Freddie was a young raccoon,
He liked to run and run.
Sadly, he also liked to thieve
From all and everyone.
It didn't matter what it was
Or to whom it did belong.
So long as he could make it his
He thought he'd done no wrong.

"But Freddie" said Police Dog
"You will soon end up in jail,
And if you continue as you are
No one will pay your bail."
Freddie, he just did not believe,
He stole more and more and more.
Telling him it was a crime had now become a bore,
And Freddie being oh so young was too young for the law.

"But one day Fred they'll get you"
All his family did warn.
Yet Freddie he just looked at them
With a face of scorn.
But on Freddie's tenth birthday 
All his thieving it did cease,
For on that day he stole again
And was cornered by police.
"Ah ha my lad we've got you now" Police Dog he did say
And Freddie can no longer steal,
For he is locked away!

The Hug

Here's a little hug for you,
Whenever you are feeling blue.
Now shut your eyes and slow your breath,
And feel the comforting caress,
As Jesus takes you in His arms.
He'll take your sorrows and your frowns,
Replacing them with love and calm.
He'll take your worries and your fears,
And gently wipe away your tears.
He whispers "I am here for you",
And you know these words are true.

The Grumpy Old Cat

The grumpy old cat
He wanted a spat.
So he bashed at the dog
With his big furry paw
But she was too quick
And slid onto the floor.

She danced and she danced
Saying "you can't get me,
You are too old
For the dance" said she.
But she knows his grumpiness
Is all sham
For they both will lie down
Like the wolf with the lamb*.

Grumpy Cat, Poppet and dragon toy napping on a sofa together.

*Isaiah 11:16 A wolf will reside with a lamb, and a leopard will lie down with a young goat; an ox and a young lion will graze together as a small child leads them along.

As Poppet was walking…

As Poppet was walking
From Dogland one day,
She thought it would be
A fun day to play.
So she took a long walk
To the top of a hill
Because what she wanted
Was to roll down her ball.

The ball it rolled down.
It rolled down very fast
And poor little Poppet
Was sure to come last.
But she ran and she ran
Just as fast as she could
And she did catch that ball,
As it rolled through a wood.

What a choice for poor Poppet,
A stick or a ball?
As with only one mouth
She can't carry it all.
And so, she must choose
What's the best thing for her
But the sticks in that wood
Were so many and tall.

Little Poppet did ponder
A long time on this.
But then she did realise
The stick would be less
Of a long term investment,
So the ball would be best.
Then she ran home for tea
And a nice big long rest.

The Lesson Of A Dog

A dog is a bundle of never-questioning, unceasing love. An animal small (on average) in size but with an enormous heart of love.

Dogs are love.

God spelt backwards is dog. God is in dog.

God is love!

Like God, dogs:

love unconditionally
forgive freely
are always happy to see you
want to be by your side
do not abandon us
walk with us on our journey
are peaceful and calming
are full of grace and mercy
are our friend forever.

Dogs willingly take on this facet of God. Man was made in the image of God yet turned away by giving into sin.

How much better it would be if we learnt the lesson of the dog and walked in Jesus’s footsteps, returning to the way God created us.

Jesus’s Baptism (notes for 9th January 2021)

Two weeks ago we celebrated Jesus’s birth – the birth of a tiny baby. Last week we remembered the Wise Men finding and worshipping Jesus – a toddler. Today, we jump forward nearly three decades, doesn’t time fly, Jesus is thirty and being baptised.

In some ways, it is not strange to us that we celebrate Jesus’s baptism shortly after His birth. After all, it is not a rare occurrence for a baby to be baptised, making them a part of the family of God, washing away the consequences of the original and actual sin, granting them the hope and promise of salvation and professing the faith on their behalf whilst promising to bring them up in that faith.

Baptism is linked by Jesus to salvation. It is a symbol of the forgiveness of sins, the death of old life and the start of new life and acceptance into God’s family.

However, Jesus was not a baby. He was a grown man and the sinless Son of God.

So why did Jesus need to be baptised?

Indeed, John the Baptist asked the same thing saying “I need to be baptised by you, yet you come to me?”

Jesus replied “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”

Jesus was to be the one to separate believers from betrayers. Jesus was also to bring a purifying and transforming baptism of fire; which enables us to be empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was baptised to identify Himself with sinful man, who He came to save. He took our sin to save us. His baptism marks the end of His old life marking the acceptance of and the start of His ministry. He is annointed by the Holy Spirit whilst He is affirmed by God as His Son (a parallel with Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down on the church).

This affirmation from God that Jesus is the Messiah also provides confirmation to John that he has completed his mission of preparing the way for the Messiah; whilst Jesus begins His earthly ministry with the blessing of God His Father and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Father God, we ask that you baptise us all again with your Holy Spirit empowering us to do your work. Amen.