In Old Testament days the new year was recognised by a trumpet blast and a day of rest (modelled on Lev 23:23-25). Originally Ram’s horns were used, probably in time they were replaced by silver trumpets. The trumpet blast was a ‘memorial’ — a reminder of God’s goodness & faithfulness for the year past, also for the year to come. A holy assembly was called (a renewal of covenant obligations to God).

Of course, the modern way of ushering the new year is through parties and fireworks.

But the trumpet blast of Old Testament days has it counterpart in the trumpet call of New Testament days – but this trumpet announces the coming of the Lord, not for a new year, but for the beginning of a new age (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

And so a good new year’s resolution is to be ready for him. Christians now listen for the trumpet call which will announce the end of the age when the Messiah will come to judge the word and establish his reign.

And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame …… Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. 1 John 2:28 and 3:2-3.

Graham Errington

If you’ve ever chosen to ‘go to the shops’ in order to occupy your time, then you will have experienced some ‘retailtainment.’

George Ritzer defines this as the “use of ambience, emotion, sound and activity to get customers interested in the merchandise and in a mood to buy.”

Retail has been mashed up with entertainment, and now it’s hard to separate the two activities.

In our hunger for more retailtainment, our shops are open for longer hours, which means that it’s harder than ever to synchronise the leisure time for our families and friends.

Yet, this has been a reality for many people involved in the ‘shift work’ that keeps our country running.

Whether it’s enforcing the law, nursing patients, or baking bread, many people work when the rest of us are sleeping.

This makes going to church as a family even harder.

The good news is that God never sleeps, and we can meet with him any time of the day.

That’s why it’s great to get into a rhythm of daily Bible reading and prayer, even if it’s just a short verse and a quick prayer.

Taking advantage of technological advancements like livestreaming church (like www.oakflats.tv) means those who work unusual hours can also still maintain some normality, even when they’re at work on weekends.

Yet, there’s no substitute for face-to-face ministry to each other, which is why it’s good for all of us to meet up one-to-one or in small groups to pray and read the Bible with each other.

But no matter if or when you work, let’s find our satisfaction in the joy of knowing God, rather than worshipping at the altar of retail.

“For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.” (Daniel 6:26b)

It is quite unnerving to see a grown-man sobbing uncontrollably.

This is what I saw as I went to visit a gentleman in hospital who had been told that he had only days to live. He was in constant tears because he was scared about what would happen to him when he died.

Facing death without any assurance in salvation is dangerous and terrifying.

And yet so many people are in this very situation, numb to the reality of their coming judgement by Jesus as they will meet him at their death.

When I met with this man in hospital, I asked him if he believed that Jesus was the Lord of the universe, and if he had asked Jesus to forgive him. The man nodded his head and said, “yes.”

But he was crying because he didn’t think that believing this was enough to gain salvation from Jesus.

I then turned to one of my favourite parts of the Bible, where the two criminals being crucified with Jesus were in conversation with him, in Luke 23.

One of the criminals rejected Jesus, but the other simply asked Jesus to “remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus’ response was “truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

There was nothing that the criminal who followed Jesus could do except tell Jesus that he trusted in him as his Lord, and to simply surrender himself to Jesus’ rule.

And it brought an immediate and significant result: forgiveness, forever.

And with this, I told my friend on his deathbed that if he also had said these things to Jesus, then the assurance Jesus gave to that criminal was already his to enjoy.

And then the man stopped crying, and he never sobbed again. He enjoyed certainty for eternity.

What about you? Are you scared of dying? Why don’t you come to Jesus right now and enjoy true peace and comfort?

Have you ever stopped to think about what you get out of church?

After all, we encourage people to carefully evaluate whether their investment of time or money or emotions is returning a good dividend.

So, if you had a membership with an organisation that didn’t give you sufficient benefits, then you might decide to leave and join elsewhere.

But church is very, very different.

That’s because the Christian church is the ultimate service organisation.

At its heart is Jesus, who is the ultimate example of the greatest servant of all, giving his life for those of us in his church.

And our response must be to serve, too.

Sometimes, when you’ve been coming along to a church for a while, it’s easy to start to feel less connected with what’s happening around the place.

My experience with joining a new church many years ago as a parishioner (not as the minister) was that it was only when I got myself ‘on the roster’ that I really felt that this new church was now my church.

If you’re new and you’re not yet ‘on the roster’ then we’d love you to be part of the action.

And if you’re a regular who has fallen off the roster for some reason, then you’re invited to jump back on, if you’re willing and able.

After all, as we read in 1 Corinthians 12, we are all members of the one body, and that one body has many different parts.

And as we look to the inspiration of Jesus as we seek to serve each other, we may well find that as we give to others we then get a whole lot more out of church than we did before!

For, we all have a part to play, and as we play that part, we all feel more a part of the place!

Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump (CREDIT: DonkeyHotey via Flickr)

Ever since the Cold War, people have described the President of the United States of America as the ‘leader of the Free World.’

It’s quite an awesome title to print on your business card.

And unless you’ve been blissfully enjoying a prolonged media blackout, you would know that this position has become vacant, and the successful candidate will learn of their fate this week.

Both candidates are somewhat controversial, to say the very least, and this has led some people to frustration and despair.

Yet, the good news is that no matter who wins the election, God continues to be the ultimate ruler of the free world.

In the Bible in the book of Daniel, God’s people were ruled by kings that were far from desirable.

They had sought to smash down the faith of God’s people by dragging them to Babylon.

Yet, even as these rulers ruled, God ruled over those rulers.

He brought them through much personal strife, and for some, it led them to recognise that the Lord is the ultimate ruler of all.

So much so that King Nebuchadnezzar could say this of God that, “his dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.” (Daniel 4:34)

Yet, as this same King realised the hard way, God is able to make his rule clear to those who have positions of power in the world:

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. (Daniel 4:37)

No matter who wins this week, we must remember that God is still on his throne.

And given the choice that faces the citizens of the United States of America, this is a great relief.