Tag: spring

Changing seasons, unchanging God

Changing seasons, unchanging God

Taken from intimation sheet – 22 March 2014

As I write it’s 20 March, the rain has just stopped, and the sun broken through the clouds. Heavy rain to glorious sunshine in a moment, it seems fitting for the first day of Spring! The winter has gone and the summer is on its way.

This is exactly the imagery that the young man uses in Song of Solomon when he addresses his girlfriend:

“Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”

As the young man looks forward to marriage and life lived together he compares their situation to Spring – the ‘winter’ of loneliness has passed and the ‘summer’ of marriage is to come.

Maybe you feel ‘spring-like’ – the clouds have cleared, the sun is shining, you sense that better things lie just round the corner.

Maybe summer has arrived – all is well and your sky is filled with joy and sunshine.

Or it may be that you are facing the cold harsh wintery storms of life.
In any church family, at any given time, people are in different stages and seasons of life. What security and comfort is to be found then, in knowing that God never changes.

Whatever the season, He is faithful.
Whatever we are facing, He is faithful.
Whatever we are feeling, He is faithful.

We can be utterly assured that the God who was faithful yesterday, will be faithful today, and tomorrow. He will be true to His Word and true to His people: with him there is “no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17).

In every stage and season of life, his faithfulness, his mercy and his love are perfect and constant.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee,
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not,
As Thou hast been,Thou forever wilt be.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above;
Join with all nature in manifold witness,
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Let’s praise Him for his unchanging faithfulness whatever stage or season of life we find ourselves in today and always.

Yours in His service
Ross

Fellowship Groups – Spring 2013

Fellowship Groups – Spring 2013

Our Fellowship Groups will resume in March and will be using the resource “Bold I Approach”.

The session will consist of six studies focusing on prayer – one of the greatest blessings and often one of the greatest challenges of the Christian life.

The groups will again meet every other Wednesday and Thursday from 6 March onwards. The sessions are as follows:

  1. God and us
  2. The essence of prayer
  3. What use is talk?
  4. God’s fellow-workers
  5. How to pray in 52 words or less
  6. Prayer from our side

The last session on 29/30 May will be a social event.

If you would like to join a Fellowship Group, please speak to Ross.