“Because he loves Me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name. He will call on Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”
Reflection:
When we think of God’s promise to Abraham, He brings all that He is and enters into a covenant with this mortal man. There is nothing that Abraham can offer God, as if God were in need. In this psalm, we see a similar gap between what we bring and what God provides. The writer does not bring anything that God needs. All he has to offer is his heart. On the other hand, God brings all that the writer needs and more.
What is it that you need at this time? Where can you find it? Where can you go to see your needs fulfilled? Is it a place, is it a person or is it an organisation? God’s promises in these few verses show us a picture of the one true source, God Himself. God’s heart towards those He loves can be measured in this way, He gave His Son in your place. Knowing this, it moves our heart to love Him and to want to know Him.
Prayer outline:
Reflect on each of the following promises, taking note of how God has fulfilled these to you and write them down. I will: rescue him, protect him, answer him, be with him, deliver him, honour him, satisfy him, show him My salvation.
“Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!”
Reflection:
What strikes me so much in this passage is that praising God is something that not only we as humans were created to do, but all of creation. Everything God has created declares His splendour, His majesty, His greatness. He is so worthy of praise and adoration that even the rocks would cry out if we stayed silent (Lk. 19:40). We see God revealed through His creation as it sings and testifies of His goodness and favour. What a God is this, that everything His hands have made declares His glory?! And this God chose you and me to be the crown of His creation. This God chose you and me to be vessels of His love, peace, joy, righteousness, hope, glory. Let us declare, along with all of creation, that “The Lord reigns!”
Prayer outline:
God, You are truly worthy of all the power and the glory and the majesty forever and ever. Creation sings of Your splendour. In this time of turmoil all around us, help us to choose to declare Your praises, along with the works of Your hands. Holy Spirit, raise up a song among the nations that “The Lord reigns!” Thank You for Your faithfulness and Your goodness toward us. Thank You for the strength that is found in Your joy. May Your joy abide in us at this time so that “our joy may be complete” (John 15:11). Let Your joy be made known through us at this time, oh God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
“Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvellous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendour and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His place.”
Reflection:
These verses have various action words in them: “Sing”, “Tell”, “Declare”. Praising God isn’t something we can do passively or (only) on the inside. It isn’t meant for us; it is meant for God and – as we read above – for those around us to know His glory. Praise is a declaration of who God is and what He has done. It proclaims truth and hope. In these times when our hearts may feel weary or at war, afraid or anxious, overwhelmed or utterly helpless, praise announces to our soul, our neighbours, the spiritual forces of evil, that God is the LORD. There is none higher than Him, none more worthy of praise, none to be feared but Him. What can this declaration of praise look like in our personal lives in this season? In our homes, but also in our communities? Is my daily declaration one of fear and complaint or of trust and truth of who God is?
Prayer outline:
Father God, You are the great I AM. You are the LORD and “greatly to be praised”. Though the earth may give way and the mountains may be shaken, You, oh God, are unshakeable. Your covenant with Your people is everlasting. Your promises are true and will come to pass. Holy Spirit, stir a new song of praise in our hearts in this time of uncertainty. Guide us to make Your glory known in all the earth. Jesus, be magnified, we pray. Amen.
As you are hopefully aware, we have entered a new, unprecedented season as a nation and also as a Church body, in dealing with Covid-19.
In light of this, we will be connecting on Sundays using Zoom. The meetings will still be recorded and uploaded onto the website under the AM Celebration podcast feed. Each week we will also share the slides from the meeting, so you can go over them and use it in your times with the Lord throughout the week.
Neil encouraged us this last Sunday from Paul’s time in house arrest. What seems like physical limitations and restrictions, God still uses as opportunities to bless us and others around us.
If you have a personal Zoom account or app on your device, please make sure you are logged out before clicking the link to join. This should avoid you having to fill in meeting ID and password. Email office@cotnjubilee.co.uk if you have any questions.
Conversations with …
Each week, there will be a number of sessions which will each consist of a brief 15 minute talk followed by a chance for you to connect with others and ask questions.
“Lessons from our sabbatical – part 2: Devotion and meditation” with Neil and Hazel | Thursday 9th April 12:30pm Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/4651812918
Men’s Meeting: A Rhapsody of Words, Prayer & Encouragement
Come and bless others and be blessed as we all share what God has put in our hearts with words, encouragements, hope, courage and God’s promises.
New to Jubilee or not quite sure how to access all the resources available on our website? Have a look at this video above that shows you how to navigate your way around.
Words of life – Encouragements from the Word
As mentioned this past Sunday, we will be posting encouragements from the Word on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on Facebook and now also on the website. These are just one way to spur one another on to truth and hope in Christ Jesus. Use these as a foundation for your times with God or conversations with others during the week.
Although we are physically separated at this time, we are one in the Spirit and members one of another (Romans 12:5). Let us spur one another on in our faith and pursuit of the Lord.
Help in a time of need
Due to the Corona pandemic, many life situations have changed drastically almost overnight. For many, it has come with challenges in how to provide for themselves and their loved ones. Kent Voice (www.kentvoice.com) is a forum that offers information about the different kinds of help that is available.
If you are struggling in any way, please contact us at office@cotnjubilee.co.uk and we will find the best way to help you and support you in they way you need.
Alpha Course
The Alpha course is an evangelistic course which seeks to introduce the basics of the Christian faith through a series of talks and discussions. It is described by its organisers as “an opportunity to explore the meaning of life”.
We will be running a course on Tuesday evenings starting on 14th April, at 7:30pm. If you are interested, please email office@jubilee.
Prayer for our Parkwood Home
As a Jubilee family, we have been praying more specifically into various areas of our new home-in-process in Parkwood. If you haven’t received one of the leaflets handed out, please ask the Welcome Team on a Sunday morning.
Prayer points – Wisdom for the elders & project team as they lead the project. – For the right building contractor to be appointed. – Favour with the local contractors. – Finance. – Safety of those who work on-site. – For the project to run smoothly from start to finish with no delays.
Join us as we trust God together to see our new home built to be a place where He is glorified and made known to the community around us.
Jubilee Family Weekend Away
Our Jubilee Family Weekend Away is approaching soon! Come and join us for a time where we can make memories, have fun and relax together, build friendships, spur one another on and encourage one another in our walk with Jesus.
As we reach the end of our first year of The Feast, we want to warmly invite you to a Ladies Garden Party.
This will include a glass of Prosecco on arrival, traditional afternoon tea with finger sandwiches, seasonal selection of cakes, fruit and plain scones with clotted cream and jam and a choice of loose leaf tea or freshly brewed coffee.
There will be garden games for your enjoyment, beautiful grounds to explore and an inside venue should the weather misbehave.
WHERE Chilston Park Hotel, Sandway, Lenham
WHEN 11th July 2020, 2-5pm
COST Twenty-five pounds pp (available to pay in installments)
ABOUT Newday is a movement that seeks to equip and empower young people to live out the amazing plan that God has for them, wherever they are. Each Summer, Newday hits Norfolk full force, with thousands of young people traveling and camping for six days. It is an event not to be missed.
WHO The camp is for teenagers from Year 7 – 13 (finishing year 7 in 2020).
HAVE QUERIES OR WANT TO GET INVOLVED AS AN ADULT? Chat to Ben or Kaat!
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Support Jubilee Church with every purchase made on smile.amazon.co.uk with just one click: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/1115331-0 add Jubilee Church as your nominated charity and amazon will make a donation for every purchase made through it- every little helps in the building project!
Make your donations go further!
If you are eligible for gift aid, here is a link to our updated Jubilee Church Gift Aid declaration. Simply click on the link below to fill out the form.
Homegroup is a great way to get to know people without the bustle of Sunday! Contact us at office@cotnjubilee.co.uk and we’ll get our pastoral team in touch 🙂
Join our Mailing List!
If you’d like to be added into our mailing list, please contact us at office@cotnjubilee.co.uk
“Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done. Sing to Him; yes, sing His praises. Tell everyone about His wonderful deeds. Exult in His holy name; rejoice, you who worship the LORD. Search for the LORD and for His strength; continually seek Him. Remember the wonders He has performed, His miracles, and the rulings He has given, you children of His servant Israel, you descendants of Jacob, His chosen ones.”
Reflection:
Praise is a powerful weapon. It shifts our focus away from ourselves and our circumstances and onto the Almighty God. It reminds us of His character, His faithfulness, His love. He is unfailing and unchanging, even when everything around us is not. There is such security to be found in that; a steadiness that cannot be shaken as our feet are placed upon the Solid Rock.
In the piece of scripture, David is encouraging the people to “proclaim His greatness”. For David, we see this is the overflow of his heart; he cannot keep quiet about all that the Lord has done. In the Psalms we see that, no matter what the situation, David always resorts to praising God for who He is. God’s worthiness of praise is not dependent on our circumstances; He is and forever will be worthy of all honour and glory.In this challenging time, the world around us needs to hear about our God and all that He has done. As we have this time to draw closer to God and know more about who He is, let’s find ways to share that truth with those around us. “Let the whole world know what He has done.” Let’s find ways to declare the greatest truth ever known: our God saves.
Prayer outline:
Holy and sovereign God, You are worthy of praise. You are unchanging. You are the Alpha and the Omega. You are Creator God. You are all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present. You are magnificent and majestic. Your glory fills the earth. Jesus, as Easter draws near, help us remember all that You have done for us. May the overflow of our hearts still be a song of praise to You. In this time of desperation around us, and even within us, may our voice be a voice that declares Your greatness, Your unfailing faithfulness, Your sovereignty, Your eternal hope, Your salvation. Jesus, You are what we need and what the world around us needs so desperately. Holy Spirit, stir our hearts towards praise, towards declaring Your truth. Help us point the world to You, God. Amen.
Write a psalm of your own declaring “God’s greatness” and His “wonderful deeds” in your own life.
Listen to the song “Indescribable” by Chris Tomlin to help put God in perspective of how magnificent He is.
“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
Reflection:
Have you ever had a conversation with someone where you are left wondering, “Did they ask me or did they tell me?” Was it a command or was it a request? What is Jesus doing in this passage? Is He commanding us to “Fear not“, or is He suggesting to us that we need not fear? I do not believe Jesus is suggesting to us there is a possibility that the sparrows go unnoticed before God, nor is Jesus suggesting God roughly knows how many hairs are upon your head. Jesus is decisive in what He says, “Not one of them (sparrows) is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” Therefore, I believe He remains decisive in what follows, “Fear not.” Sometimes we need more than a suggestion; we need a firm but loving instruction, “Fear not!” Our heart and soul need that reassurance, especially now! We need to remind ourselves, “Fear not,” when we watch the news or when we walk through the grocery aisle or when we look at the bank balance. We are precious before our Father in Heaven. He knows us, loves us, and encourages us, “Fear not!”
Prayer outline:
Father, You know the number of hairs on my head. You know my thoughts, my delights, my fears. You know all there is to know about me, and still You chose me. For this I praise Your name! Open my ears to hear Your words, “Fear not.” Strengthen my soul within me. May I move from fear to faith and from anxiety to hope. May I know the love that knows me so well. This I pray in Your name Jesus. Amen.
The Jubilee website has lots of useful information and resources
Did you know that the Jubilee website has hundreds of videos, articles and other resources from the past few years of Jubilee life? Did you know that you can access videos of our virtual celebrations and conversations with Jubilee leaders all from the website? This video shows you how to log on to the Jubilee website with a brief tour of what’s available, and how to update your account if you’re not fully registered.
“Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?”
Reflection:
“It’s not about you.” You have probably heard this many times. Parents, preachers, teachers; we all use it at some stage. I am sure though, that the person using it is trying to show us that our actions and desires affect those around us. Yet, in this Psalm, David uses words like: my, I and me. He expresses all that God is doing for him. I would probably have reminded David, if I was standing over his shoulder, as he penned the psalm, “David, it is not all about you. For God so loved the world, David, the WORLD.” Yet, on the cross we see Jesus, in the very act of taking away the sins of the world, reaching out to a thief. He then makes sure that Mary, His mother, is looked after. After all, He told us how the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to rescue the one.
Be encouraged, God comes to YOU at this time, and every time. The Lord is YOUR light, YOUR salvation. YOU do not need to be afraid. The LORD is YOUR fortress, He protects YOU from danger. Why then should YOU tremble?
Prayer outline:
Write down how God has come to YOU over your lifetime.
Reflect and remind yourself of His faithfulness, His love, His grace.
Confess the truth of Psalm 27:1 over your life.
Commit it to memory, even if all you manage is, “The LORD is my light and my salvation
