Treasury January 2021 Final Copy
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Remembering John Gwynfor Jones NEW Reading the Bible at COMPETITION home and abroad WIN £50 What is a Twiddle muff? How Big, Strong and Mighty is God? The January Treasury 2021 THE MAGAZINE OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF WALES EDITORIAL Two posters, in a variety of sizes, that are especially New Poster Resources for relevant to the times, when the New Year churches are operating on- Wayside Pulpits used line and when key personnel to be a feature of are continuing to serve their A many churches communities, are those that outreach ministry in the past. draw attention to On Line Many still utilise a section of Services and a newly created their Notice Board for the one for 2021 that assures key purpose, and we were workers of the prayer support cheered to pass Ewloe of the church. Green’s notice board with the same large poster facing two Another book written by directions outside their one of our readers during church. lockdown or those who In times past Scripture Gift appreciate poetry, F Martin Holland’s 52 Mission produced a variety of eye catching posters. These page volume Muddy Messiah days Christian Publicity & other poems will prove a Organisation are at the forefront in designing contemporary style posters for church noticeboards. Happily for customers and others who subscribe to their email announcements, CPO are offering 10% off orders worth £50 or more until 17th January. Just use discount code JANUARY21 at the check out. To explore the range of products available see cpo.org.uk rewarding read. Thirty-one Notes & Miscellany poems introduced by thirty- s we have reverted to three passages of Scripture producing an eight cover a variety of subjects A page issue this from Prayer to The Death of month, our next issue of ‘the Death. Carmel and The Clock Treasury’ will be published in Ticks resonate with Welsh the week beginning 7th chapel life. Nathan Holland February. has provided the illustrations for his father’s work. As the or those who failed to author explains, ‘These unmask Father poems are an attempt to F Christmas in the Not express the inexpressible, to Quite A Photo Competition define the undefinable, to last month, the answer is describe the indescribable.’ Revd Brian Reardon who spent a day in Builth Wells Martin Holland is an elder at just before Christmas Trinity, Cheriton. At £6 per cheering people from his copy (with 50% of the cost sleigh. donated to the charity Challenge Ministries or readers who are Swaziland UK) this slim Creative Writers, and volume is one that will easily F any others with slip into a Bible alongside a imagination who are looking copy of Daily Bread to for a new year project, the augment a devotional time. Treasury is running a competition to find the best Copies can be purchased story of up to 1,000 words on from Martin Holland, 1 an Easter theme. Submissions Overway, Llanmadoc SA3 (ideally by email) to the 1DH Editor by 17th March 2021 (St (martinajholland@googlemail Patrick’s Day). .com) A NEW YEAR HAS and ready to sing. Won’t it be wonderful? But imagine if, as COME AND GOD the minister with head bowed IS STILL KING and eyes closed began to pray, one of the congregation o 2020 did its worst and gave out a loud, long, we begin the new year unmistakable groan. Swith a lot more trepidation than we did last If you’re honest you’d have to January. Our church buildings say it would probably make which have been, to all intents you giggle. It would be so and purposes, closed for unexpected; you would nearly a year will soon be probably laugh out of shock opening again and it won’t be like the time my sister heard too long before people walk someone reading the Bible through the black iron gates and mispronounce Judas as once again, past the familiar Nude-us. grave stones, up that little winding path to the foyer, What if, in that same service giving a shove at the door, and someone started crying. coming in again to spend time Almost imperceptibly at first, together with God. but then growing in volume and emotion. I suppose we Imagine being there. Masks in would all be embarrassed (I pockets, hymn books open know I would be), but knowing the folk at your Imagine if, as the minister with church somebody would head bowed and eyes closed come to comfort them. An began to pray, one of the arm on the shoulder, a tissue in the hand. Somebody would congregation gave out a loud, get a glass of water, another long, unmistakable groan. would offer a consoling word. But what if the person kept weeping and wailing, pushing How would you feel? I think I help away? would feel angry. I would feel like that was an attack on our I suspect we could deal with God, whom we love. An the groaning. I hope we would attack on His character and be compassionate to the His commitment. A character mourner. But what about assassination in His own this? home. Yes, I think I would be angry. Imagine that person sitting in your church building, first But those outbursts— the service back. This is the place groaning the weeping and the of memories for you. Site of public rejection— have all so many happy and blessed taken place. Not in your times. A place where you’ve church or mine, not in your sung and prayed and laughed lifetime or mine, but in Psalm and mourned with people you 77. Asaph the author gives a call your friends. That place is powerful account of how important to you. It’s a place deeply despondent he gets, of baptisms and testimonies, so much so that he declares encouragements and in verse 10 that God has challenges. Now imagine that failed. someone leapt up in the middle of that community This year has been and shouted out “God has horrendous. It’s been lonely, it changed. God has forgotten has provoked anxiety. It has me. God has failed me.” left us in mourning. And in that honest confession, let Jesus has come into our world Psalm 77 be a Godsend to because He loves you. He has you. It’s your permission slip broken the power that sin in to cry and mourn, and rage all its forms has over you, and and groan. He has driven away the darkness by His death on the But let it also be your pathway cross. In His resurrection He out of the darkness. has shown His immense power over death and given Asaph is very wise. Somehow hope fo this life and in His from the depths of darkness ascension He has promised he decides to look to the light. that He will come back again. So he looks back, back before his own disasters. Back before So after the year we’ve had it’s his life began and he tells more than acceptable to be himself the story of how God an Asaph. Groan and weep at rescued Israel from Egypt. A the end of 2020, but don’t salvation story based on a doubt God. covenant promise. God loved his people and did everything A new year is coming and he needed to to rescue them God is still King! from darkness and bring them into peace. Revd Jonathan Hodgins That’s a wonderful model to us of Christian thinking. At the end of 2020, a year of upheaval, loneliness and depression when we might feel like groaning, wailing and asking where is God, the best thing we can do is to go back to first principles. “THE WEEKS things in His hands, that AHEAD WILL BE holds all of creation, that holds us in His arms, is here THE HARDEST being held in Simeon’s arms. YET” - THE Consider the wonder of this PRIME MINISTER incarnation, the mercy of our God again – ‘…he took him up in his arms... Luke 2:28. s we give thanks to Like Anna, we cannot but – God at the ‘…give thanks to God and to beginning of this A speak of him to all who were new year, we do so with a waiting for the redemption of realisation that all we have Jerusalem. Luke 2: 38 and are bear witness to the God who gives all good It is no small thing for us to things to us. As we have be able to venture into this reflected on the events of new year with a new view of that first Christmas, I was the richness of the person of particularly struck by the way our Lord Jesus, the One who that Simeon and Anna are was foretold, the One who included in the narrative. You came, who humbled himself, will remember that both the One who died, rose and these aged saints were ones who are described as eagerly awaiting the coming of God’s Messiah. There is a holy contentment in that phrase ‘…for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel. Luke 2: 30-32 To think that the One who holds all reigns. If all about us is uncertain, if we are unable to I would ask that you use this foretell what these days, time to be praying as weeks and months may bring, individuals for our churches, there is a certainty in this our leaders and for all who Person.