A message from Fun and Faith

Thank You!

We would like to say a big thank you to all of you who were involved in Fun and Faith. We had a great day on 28th July and loads of people visited the tent, both local people from Felixstowe and those further afield. It was a shame that the second day had to be abandoned due to high winds, but the tent remained undamaged throughout. 

Thank you to all those who were involved in planning the event many months in advance, for churches and individuals who generously gave money and donated items to the event as well as those churches who offered and loaned us equipment.
Thanks also to the many of you who volunteered to help and were these much longer than you anticipated! There was a real spirit of wanting to work together even though most of us hadn't worked with one another before. There was also a willingness to observe and adapt on the day as we were going where we'd never gone before. We thank the Lord for all the gifts and talents that were used over the weekend.

So we praise God for Fun and Faith and we pray now that lives will be touched through conversations made or started during the weekend. There are many who have said they would like to do it all again next year, particularly now we have the learning experience of doing one. We are sure that that will be a conversation for those involved in F & F sometime in the autumn. IN he meantime, pray that the Lord will give us a clear vision for the future and all the possibilities He wants to lay before us.

What fills your heart with joy?

Sermon by Delyth Mayhew, MRBC Felixstowe, 29th July 2018

Reading         Psalm 98

What fills your heart with joy?

Is it a celebration – a birthday – a wedding anniversary (ours in 2 days’ time - 42 years –and 5 years since we moved into our house here in Felixstowe)
Is it success - an achievement – a new job, good exam results, doing something you didn’t think you could
Is it a beautiful sunset, or birdsong, or a lovely flower
Is it a glorious piece of music that moves you greatly
Is it being appreciated ..........
Is it news of healing in the face of sickness
Is it the report of peace in troubles places in the world
Is it the news of an end to worries

There are times in our lives when our hearts swell with joy –
And how do we express it?

Loudly, exuberantly – when England managed to do quite well in  the World Cup!
            Party, celebration
Talk to everyone about it – spread the joy
Quietly  - storing away the memory
With gratitude – maybe prayerfully

IN this psalm the writer is reflecting on all that God has done –
marvellous things he says
he has worked salvation
he has made it known among the nations

He remembers God’s love for Israel and how faithful He has been

The world has seen the salvation of God – and can be in no doubt that it is God who has done these things.

So he calls the earth to rejoice – to celebrate – to shout for joy – to burst into jubilant song – to make music- loud music!

Now that’s the way to express joy!!

The trouble with us these days is that we are rather loathe to do such a thing – unless of course you’re at Ipswich Town on a Saturday when they manage to score a goal – or when Wales wins a rugby game.

But, singing our praises to God?

Joy is a major part of who God is! He lives in joy! Heaven is a place of joy.
SLIDE Luke 15 verse 10-
I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Heaven celebrates!
Isn’t that an amazing picture.

Throughout the centuries, this call to rejoice, to celebrate God’s goodness has not changed.

David danced before the Lord – celebrating and rejoicing

Solomon – assembles choirs and trumpeters and people to parade in a grand praise celebration at the dedication of the new temple on Jerusalem

Mary – sang for joy at what God was doing in her life, for the great gift that was to come

Paul and Silas, though bruised and bleeding from a beating and persecution for proclaiming Jesus, sang hymns of praise late in the evening in their prison cell

The psalms are full of exhortations to rejoice –

    5 verse 11
But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
    let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
    that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

    28 verse 7
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
    and with my song I praise him.

    66 verse 1/2
Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
    Sing the glory of his name;
    make his praise glorious.

    92 verse 4
For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
    I sing for joy at what your hands have done.

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And Christ is our great joy bringer –
He shows us God’s grace and incredible love
We are blessed because of God’s great gift of His son
We are redeemed and forgiven because of him
We are loved because of God

Jesus changes lives
He can turn sorrow into laughter
He gives us a new perspective on life
A hope and a future – a future with Him –where there will be no more sorrow and no more suffering

He walks with us through all of life’s hills and valleys, through bad times and good – He helps us to see the path He has laid out for us, He helps us to see the light ahead – and carries us when we feel we cannot go on.

WE KNOW ALL THIS – BUT!

Joy is something we all long for, but it often seems hard to grab hold of.

We all know there are times when joy seems absent from our lives – joy in life, and joy in Christ.
Times when the pressures are too much to bear, and we may find ourselves crying out
“Why Lord, why?”

It’s certainly hard to praise God when all of life seems to be in shambles – we feel like saying “Thanks for nothing, God!”

We know that even the most mature of God’s people experience periods of joylessness.

    Job 3 – 11        Job wished he’d never been born

Why did I not perish at birth,
    and die as I came from the womb?

    Psalm 55 – 6-8    David prayed to be taken  to a place where he would not have to                     deal with reality

Fear and trembling have beset me;
    horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest.
7 I would flee far away
    and stay in the desert
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,
    far from the tempest and storm.”

        1 Kings 19 – 3-5    Elijah fled into the desert and asked God to take his life
He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”
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If these men struggled- is it any surprise that we do too.
Yet we know that experiencing Joy should be part of every Christian ‘s life.
Joy is a fruit of the Holy spirit – produced by God’s work in us  - and it IS part of God’s will for us.
Joy is a gift from God – and is what we feel in response to it.

It comes when we are aware of God’s grace and learn to bask in the sun of His favour!
We must never forget that God is our Father – God is our creator, our provider  (as we sang earlier) – he loves us so much – his desire is to bring us joy  - He is a good God and wants only what is best for us.

So – How CAN we experience consistent joy in our Christian lives?

The main way to experience joy is to focus on God.
Rather than dwelling on our problems and difficulties, or those things that are destroying our peace and contentment – we should dwell on God.
I once did a course of study on “Practising the presence of god” - taking time each day to just be in his presence .
As the song says
“not rushing away”

IN PRAYER
We shouldn’t try to deny our problems, our unhappiness, our negative emotions – we are human and they are part of our human nature, unfortunately, -and we will feel these things.
But we should follow the example of the psalmist and pour out our heart to God.
We can tell Him bluntly all the things that trouble us, that ail us (He knows anyway)

Then we submit these things to Him
        Remember who He is
        And be happy in Him

So many of the psalms begin as cries to God for help – but end with songs of praise to Him for his love and care and salvation –even when all seemed dark.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians has much to say about joy
Even though Paul wrote it from prison.

    Chapter 4 verses 4 – 8.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
This gives us clear guidelines for experiencing joy in our Christian life
        We see here the importance of
                praising God
                Remembering who He is
                Praying about our worries
                Keeping our minds focussed on the good things of God.

We can experience joy when we intentionally praise – always giving God praise and thanksgiving first when we pray.
We will experience joy as we come closer to God in prayer..

IN HIS WORD
Then Psalm 19 – reminds us that the study of God’s word will bring joy – again we are focussing our attention on Him and not on the things of the world.

The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.

Jesus himself gave us instructions regarding joy
John 15 verses 9 – 11      
 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete

IN OBEDIENCE
Jesus calls us to live in obedience to God, keeping His commands , focussing on him at all times.
When we answer the call to follow Jesus, we undertake to obey his commands, to follow the path laid down for us.
And as we do that, as we try to be what God wants us to be, we will know joy in our service to Him in this world, and it will bring joy to God’s heart.
So what else should we want to do?

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One of the best ways of experiencing joy in the Christian life is THROUGH COMMUNITY.

God gave Elijah rest  - and then sent Elisha to help him

We too need friends that we can share our troubles with
Ecclesiastes 4 verse 9 – 10
Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.

And in Hebrews 10

 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another

We are joined here in MRBC into a community – a family of believers – with them we can hold firm to our faith – trusting always in God.
We can encourage each other – help to carry burdens – remind each other of the truth of the gospel – strengthen each other to carry on.

Joy is meant to be the hallmark of the Christian life – a fruit of the Spirit and a gift from God.
We receive this gift when we focus on who God is, meet with Him through prayer and in His word, and rely on the community of believers He has provided for us.

And as that joy fills us, we will want to give back to Him in praise and worship.

We can express our joy, and celebrate – because our awesome God has drawn us to himself, has connected with us, has made us part of His family, and given us a hope and a future with Him.

And as we praise and thank Him and celebrate His gift to us, we will bring joy to His heart.

PRAYER

Questions for Discussion
 Read Psalm 98
 
1. What does the psalm say about God’s activity in making known, announcing and revealing His salvation? Can you think of other places in Scripture which speak of these things?
 
2.  Verse 1 encourages us to sing a new song. What do you think that means to us today?
 
 Read Psalm 42.

3. Delyth talked about those times when life seems dark and joy is far away, and we then need to focus on God. Does this psalm confirm this and so encourage us?

 4.  What has brought you joy in your Christian life? Have you learned anything from these 2 psalms that will help you to know that joy throughout the years to come?

Walton Parish Nursing August Prayer Diary

Monthly Prayer Diary

August 2018

Welcome to the WPN Monthly Prayer Diary. Please use it in your daily devotions or in your church services or house groups to pray for the work of Walton Parish Nursing.

You can download a printable version of this document here.

Contact us:

www.waltonpn.org.uk email: contactus@waltonpn.org.uk

Lorna (Tues, Wed, Thur) 9am-4pm 07969 901001

John (Tues, Thurs) 8-30am-4-30pm 07909 888703

Wendy (Weds, Thurs) 8-30am-4-30pm 07925 255223

Wed 1st

Please pray for the Chair Based Exercise Classes running at MRBC this morning

Thurs 2nd

Pray for those who are involved in Sole Mates providing leg care and those receiving it. Please pray that more will be interest in helping with this ministry.

Fri 3rd

Please pray for our team of Trustees.

Sat 4th

Please pray for all those clients receiving healthy lifestyle consultations

Sun 5th

Please pray that the Lord will continue to supply the financial resources needed for WPN’s ministry.

Mon 6th

Please pray for Lorna, our Parish Nurse

Tue 7th

Pray for Health Drop at the Laydens and crafty morning today

Wed 8th

Please pray for the Chair Based Exercise Classes running at MRBC this morning.

Thur 9th

Please pray for Fizzability (group for those of working age with disabilities) at SRMC, 1 to 3pm

Fri 10th

Please pray for Sandra Griffiths, Lorna’s Line Manager.

Sat 11th

Please pray for positive relationships for our liaison with statutory services and other voluntary services.

Sun 12th

Please pray for the Management Team that oversees the day to day running of WPN

Mon 13th

Please pray for other churches in the lcoal cluster that haver PN schemes.

Tue 14th

Pop up shop at St Philip's Church and the health drop in clinic there. 'No Labels' meets at SRMC hall, 1.30 to 3.30pm.

Wed 15th

Please pray for the Chair Based Exercise Classes running at MRBC this morning.

Thur 16th

Give thanks that WPN has a Dementia Friendly Certificate and pray for wisdom for staff and volunteers as they assist those with dementia.

Fri 17th

Continue to pray for the continued expansion of Parish Nursing globally.

Sat 18th

Please pray for those clients who have found faith or grown in faith as a result of contact with WPN.

Sun 19th

Please pray for Wendy, our Occupational Therapist.

Mon 20th

Please pray for home visits that provide support, particularly respite for family carers.

Tue 21st

Please pray for Crafty Morning at the Laydens today.

Wed 22nd

Please pray for the Chair Based Exercise Classes running at MRBC this morning.

Thur 23rd

Please pray for the spiritual well-being of those battling mental illness as well as their mental well-being.

Fri 24th

Give thanks for those volunteers willing to offer transport for clients to get to appointments and pray for safety in their travels.

Sat 25th

Continue to pray for the unity and effectiveness of the three WPN professional staff.

Sun 26th

Please pray for the ministry of Parish Nursing Ministries UK and for a continued expansion of Parish Nursing projects in Britain.

Mon 27th

Please pray for John, our Mental Health Nurse.

Tue 28th

Pop up shop at St Philip's Church and the health drop in clinic there. Please pray f or No Labels at SRMC 1-30 to 3-30pm.

Wed 29th

Please pray for the Chair Based Exercise Classes running at MRBC this morning.

Thur 30th

Please pray that we may continue to have positive contacts with other health and social care charities and organisations in our area.

Fri 31st

WPN is always looking for more volunteers due to increasing workload. Please pray that new volunteers will come forward.

Please send any feedback relating to this sheet to Rev Mark Reid pastor@mrbcfelixstowe.org.uk