Knowing the One to give thanks to

The writer of Psalm 106 begins his psalm with these words, "Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."

Last week I had a very interesting conversation with someone who holds an influential business position. It transpired that our work backgrounds are very similar - we both trained, worked and qualified within a professional office of Chartered Accountants. That's where our "career paths" took very different routes: he is now a CEO of a very well know local organisation, and I am a Methodist minister!

As our conversation progressed, he asked what led me to become a minister. The answer is really very simple: I was responding to God's call on my life. It was whilst attending a conference in Sheffield in around 1985 that I felt very firmly that God wanted me to offer for the Methodist ministry. I many ways I felt ill-equipped for this major life change (and sometimes still do!) However, over all the years I have been a minister (I'm now in my 20th year), even when things have been really hard, I've known that God was with me to give me strength and guidance. Despite my many shortcomings he has been gracious!

In answer to the question about what led me to become a minister, I talked about God's call on my life, and about my faith in him. As I talked about my own personal faith, the person I was speaking to stated, "that's something I don't have". Having been brought up in a Christian family, God has always been part of my life; I can't imagine life without him!

As the conversation progressed, the man talked about how much he enjoys his work, how he has a lovely wife and children. He seemed genuinely happy with his life. And yet, I thought to myself, how sad, so much to be thankful for and he doesn't know the One to thank!

All good things come from our wonderful God - it is good and right to give thanks to him.

United we stand

Each year, the Churches Together in Central Doncaster group organises a series of Lent talks in the period leading up to Easter. Generally, an invited speaker comes to lead the meetings, on a theme of their choosing. This year we have had several different speakers, all from the Focolare movement ("an international movement, inspired by the gospel, working for unity.."). Naturally enough, the theme they have chosen has been unity.

I had been asked to lead the opening part of last night's meeting, and I began by quoting from John Wesley's sermon on "The Catholic Spirit", which deals with the subject of Christian unity. Wesley quotes the words of Jesus to his disciples, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." In other words, the identifying mark of those who follow Jesus should be the love that they show towards one another. Yet Wesley goes on to admit, "Even amongst Christians it is difficult to fine people who love one another in obedience to Jesus' command."

One of the hymns I had chosen for us to sing was a hymn by Charles Wesley (John's brother), "All praise to our redeeming Lord". I chose it because it speaks of the call of Jesus to walk with him and with one another in love. However, I have always had a problem singing one of the verses of the hymn,:

Ev'n now we think and speak the same,
And cordially agree;
Concentred all, through Jesu's name,
In perfect harmony.

The big problem with that verse is that I've never experienced "perfect harmony" in any church I've ever been involved with! However, I have come to realise that I can sing it, not because it is yet accomplished, but I sing it in the hope and prayer that we Christians will pray and work to achieve Jesus' desire for us - to love one another as he loves us.

As I came to introduce the hymn at last night's meeting, I was all set to mention the difficulty I have with this verse, when I suddenly realised that in the Baptist hymn book (we were meeting at Doncaster Baptist Church), the verse is omitted! Maybe the editors thought it was too difficult to sing!

Yet, as the speaker said at the Lent meeting, as we draw closer to Jesus, so we draw closer to each other. In a divided and hurting world, there is a tremendous need for Christians to demonstrate the love of Jesus.

When tragedy strikes

Each Tuesday at Priory we have a lunchtime service. This week’s service took the form of a “Songs of Praise”. The lunchtime service regulars had been invited to choose their favourite hymn. One of the hymn choices was an old favourite, “What a friend we have in Jesus”, written by Joseph Scriven. Joseph Scriven was born in Banbridge, Co. Down, Ireland. In 1845 tragedy entered his life when his fiancée was drowned on the night before they were to be married. The grief-stricken young man moved to Canada. There he again fell in love, and was due to be married, when the young woman suddenly fell ill of pneumonia and died.

When tragedy strikes, we have the choice of either blaming God and turning away from him, or turning to him for strength to carry on. Scriven chose the latter, and devoted the rest of his life to helping others. Some time later he wrote a poem to comfort his mother, which he called "Pray Without Ceasing". It was later set to music and renamed, becoming the much loved hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus". The hymn is a great reminder that whatever happens in life, in Jesus we have a friends who will never desert us.

Steven Curtis Chapman is a well known Christian singer-songwriter. He, too, experienced tragedy when his daughter Maria died. I have recently bought his album “beauty will rise”, which arose from his experience of loss. It is an amazing album, in which Chapman so beautifully explores the issues of pain, loss, anger, despair, hope, faith. Out of all the questioning comes the ultimate message of the album, hope will rise.

Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t make us immune to hard times, but it does mean that we have One who will see us through. It’s hard to pick out one track from Chapman’s album, but try this one: “Jesus Will Meet You There”