Call to worship:
We gather together this morning to proclaim
the ways in which God is working within our midst.
We have been blessed by God!
We gather together to give thanks
for the ways in which God is working within our midst.
We are being blessed by God!
We gather together to open our eyes
to the ways God is using us to work within our midst.
We will continue to be blessed by God!
God has given us so much
and is very much alive, at work and still speaking among us.
We are called to give back.
We are called to be good stewards;
good stewards of our time, of our resources and of our money.
Let us give thanks to our God of blessings
and affirm our commitment
to the ministry God is calling us into.
Let us give thanks to God!
Let us proclaim our faith in God!
Let us worship God!
Reading: Psalm 100
Song: Waymaker
Prayer and Lord’s Prayer.
Readings: Jeremiah 29:1-14
2 Corinthians 4:8-18
Reflection
Do you ever find yourself in a situation when you’re questioning what God is doing. Either you feel you have heard God, acted upon it and then things don’t work out, or you want to know God’s plan for you, but He just seems to be ignoring you?
Quite a while ago now a few of us got together for the day and prayed about where we felt God wanted us to go as a fellowship. There was a lot of agreement and many of the things we have done and are doing are a product of that day. But then things happen, and it is important that you stay focused on the promises of God, rather than the predicament you find yourself in. Mencap wanting to stop using the hall and its financial implications is a perfect example. Mencap leaving might be an inconvenience, but it certainly isn’t a significant threat. We, in our own lives may face much bigger situations where we feel we are doing what God wants and things don’t go right.
When preparing for this morning, the phrase promise not predicament kept coming into my head and I just thought I would use the opportunity to share why.
I suppose the first thing is that we may have sought God and He may have revealed his plans for us but as Proverbs 16:9 reminds us, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” We need to be prepared to adjust what we are doing as circumstances change. The promise and the plan stay the same, but the predicament or the route may change.
The second thing is that when things change, we should not rush to fix the situation as what is happening may be part of God’s provision. Proverbs 3:5-6 says we must “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
The third thing is that God will bring something good out of any situation. Psalm 28 says that we may walk through hard places, but God is with us. Romans 8:28 says: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This can be a very difficult thing to trust God for, but it doesn’t mean it is not true.
My final point is that sometimes we will not have everything laid out for us clearly and we just have to take a step of faith. If things don’t go as expected remember point 3. We read in Joshua 1:9, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” For Joshua this was both an encouragement because of his own feelings of inadequacy in the situation and the situation itself he felt he was having to move into.
Song: Great is thy faithfulness
Blessing.
Newark Congregational Church 