I’ve always remembered a line from a Sherlock Holmes movie. Holmes and Watson arrived at a crime scene to discover the police officers who arrived before them had played soccer at the scene, wiping out any evidence of footprints. Sherlock Holmes then said, “they never miss an opportunity, to miss an opportunity”. Such a great line!

I don’t think that’s what any of us would like to be written about our lives in the end. To look back on a graveyard of missed opportunities God gave us. Jesus constantly presents us with opportunities to respond to him. It might be about some change to make, direction to take, or calling to step out in faith and share his love. Have you noticed, whenever we are presented with an opportunity there are suddenly many other options to take instead, and reasons to put it off for another day…week…year?  

They say the difference between optimists and pessimists is how optimists find the opportunity in the problem, and pessimists find the problem in the opportunity. But rather than respond purely from personality, it’s better to respond to problems with faith and wisdom. When problems come, to seek God for the opportunities in the problem, and his wisdom to explore their potential and pitfalls. 

God has led us as a church to respond to problems with faith on many occasions. When the pandemic broke, we joined most churches in live streaming services. This opportunity has been a great blessing to many, and we have seen people come to Jesus through our online service. I can also think of many times we have been faced with a problem and responded with a time of prayer. Again and again in those seasons, God gave us direction and opened new doors for the gospel. In fact, The Grove’s story is a prayer story. The most significant things that have happened have come out of a season of prayer. 

Once again, we are in a prayer season which came out of a significant trial for our church. God clearly led us to set aside 30 days to pray and worship, and already we have seen God working and speaking. Jeremiah 33:3 is one of the many verses God impressed on my heart. Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

At last Wednesday’s prayer and worship night, the vision of the valley of dry bones gave us our theme (Ezekiel 37). God showed Ezekiel how dead the nation of Israel had become through a vision of widespread hopelessness and lifeless ruins. But then the Lord gave Ezekiel an opportunity to pray for the Spirit to breathe life into the dry bones, and God would revive them into a mighty army. This is the God we trust in and believe can bring beauty out of ashes, and life out of death. 

The Lord has given us an opportunity to pray and worship for 30 days. Let’s not miss this opportunity as we come to our final ten days. Join us at a prayer meeting, on Wednesday night, and take the opportunity to come and sit quietly in the prayer chapel open from Tuesday to Thursday. In the face of 

many problems, we take the opportunity to seek the Lord our God knowing he will 

meet us, revive our hearts and reveal his wisdom and glory.   

Marty

Around 50 people attended last Wednesday’s prayer and worship night. It’s hard to describe the experience, but it was like being both surrounded and immersed in God’s presence. Psalm 46, which Pastor Mel shared to focus our prayer, gives us the language we are searching for in two powerful metaphors – a refuge and a river.

REFUGE.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Ps 46:1

A refuge is a strong and secure place to run to in a storm. God is surrounding and strengthening his church in a special way in this season. I also sense that what God is doing has future implications. The Grove is called to increasingly be a place of refuge in our neighbourhood for people suffering in the storms of life. 

RIVER.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Ps 46:4-5

Wherever a river flows, there is abundant life and fruitfulness. The Holy Spirit was called a stream of living water by Jesus (Jn 7:38), flowing from within those who have put their trust in Christ. The volume and current of this river are growing in this season, and if we look downstream with the eyes of faith, we can imagine what the Lord will do. The thirsty will find fulfillment in Jesus. The fearful will find joy as the Holy Spirit renews and fills them. The spiritually dead will come to life as they confess Jesus as King and Saviour. 

A refuge and a river. These are powerful metaphors and signs of God dwelling among his people. Therefore, our call is to represent the Lord of Psalm 46 as a church in our neighbourhood. Here are some practical ways we can be like a refuge and a river:

• With more people coming, consider talking to those you haven’t met before on a Sunday, and introduce them to others as well. Connections bring security and strength for all of us. 

• Our car park is filling up, so if you are able to park next door some Sundays to make room for new people, that expresses our welcome and prepares for Jesus to bring more people home.

• Join in the prayer life of the church so we can lift people in our church and neighbourhood up to Jesus. There is no better way to bring help and peace for people in storms than a praying church.

• We are baptising people on the 27th of October at both our services. For some this is the time to be baptised. For others it’s to invite friends to come along. May the river flow deep and wide.  

• Alpha starts in November, so be praying about who you could invite. Has there ever been a better moment for this after so much prayer, and God’s Spirit powerfully at work. 

• Help strengthen The Grove by investing your life and resources in Jesus’ church

             here. May we strengthen others and be channels of blessing and love to many. 

We are surrounded by and immersed in the Lord our God. 

Marty

I am so thankful God led us to set aside thirty days to pray and worship. Our first prayer and worship night on Wednesday was like a taste of heaven as Levi, Beth and Chloe led us in worship, and Henry through prayer. Of the many things the Lord is doing in this deep season, the clearest experience is an outpouring of God’s love into our hearts and church. 

The Lord is very near to us in a special way at the moment. Especially as we gather in his place of worship. I sometimes use the term, a thin place, as though heaven and earth are in extra close proximity. It feels so safe, peaceful and comforting to be in God’s house. His love is always present of course, but it's like an immersion in love. Maybe this is like what Paul prayed for in Ephesians 3:17-19, part of the  prayer we’ve been praying for The Grove this year.

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.'

It seems this prayer is being answered, as God reveals his love and fills us up. There is actually story after story of people encountering this divine love, and opening their hearts to Jesus in new ways. Perhaps we need to make the connection to the next part of Paul’s prayer. 

God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power at work within us (v20). 

The powerful work within our lives and church, is God seeing our deep need of him and filling us with his immeasurable love, so that it pours out of us in immeasurable quantity. He placed us in a neighbourhood where love is often lost, hearts are broken and people are lonely. We are being filled up now in our loss, to love our neighbour with a love than never runs dry, that heals the broken hearted and brings the lonely and left out into God’s family. 

There are some ways to express God’s love in this season. Next Sunday we bring our shoeboxes for operation Christmas Child to share love beyond borders. During prayer last Wednesday, we sensed God leading us to schedule an Alpha course for November. We want to create a space where all who are opening their hearts to Jesus can explore the greatest love story ever told. Finally, on the last Sunday of our 30 days a baptism is being planned. With the 

pool filled up maybe there are more who are ready to testify to how God’s 

love saved them, and their love for him. Talk to a pastor if that is you. 

Love in Christ, Marty

It’s an incredibly difficult time for us as a church after Riley Mansfield went home with Jesus so young and so suddenly. Riley is loved by so many people, and no more than his beautiful family – Phill, Fiona, Chloe, Jordan and Amber. In this extremely hard season, the Lord has also been speaking very clearly through his word. Some words in particular are why we are setting apart 30 days of prayer and worship in the month of October. 

Riley’s dad Phill was journaling one very hard morning Philippians 4:6, and his phoned buzzed with the verse of the day, Philippians 4:6. 

'Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. '(Philippians 4:6-7).

Then on the day of Riley’s committal and celebration services, Phil read the final entry in Riley’s journal. Psalm 51:10, Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Again, the Bible app verse of that significant day was Psalm 51:10. 

That same day I was to lead Riley’s services, the Encounter with God reading was about the death and burial of Moses in Deuteronomy 34. The context got my attention. Naturally there are some clear differences between Riley and Moses, and historical details unique to Moses story. But what struck me is how Moses was still strong in body when he died. We don’t know how he died. We know he spoke with God face to face more than anyone else in an intimate friendship. And the commentary mentioned how Moses appeared on the mount of transfiguration, still face to face with his friend in the ultimate eternal promised land. 

Then this; the Israelites set apart 30 days to mourn before setting out to enter the Promised land. I had been seeking to discern the next season for The Grove after such a difficult loss, which is why the 30 days seemed significant.  

The celebration service for Riley was very powerful, with the love and presence of God poured out on all who attended. There were many testimonies from people including those who don’t yet know Jesus, of how they felt a love that was beyond anything they had experienced before. There was something almost transfiguration like, where Jesus was revealing his glory and grace to many people. 

In reflection on that service, I couldn’t shake this feeling that this isn’t the end, but the beginning of something. I wasn’t ready to just move on, not only because of my personal grief, but I sensed God remind me of the 30 days. In honour of Riley’s heart of worship, I believe he is calling us to make room to pray and worship for the month of October. 

This time will include space to mourn for those who are mourning. But it will also be a time for us to pray as a church for one another. To worship God in spirit and in truth, and ask Jesus to reveal his glory and grace. It will be a time for anxiety to be replaced with peace. It will be a moment where God will create a pure heart and right spirit within us as come humbly before him. We will ask for the light of Jesus to break like a morning sun on all who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to be led into peace with God.

This season is also an important time to comfort others, and to express the love of God. How beautiful it was to see the church loving all who grieve at the celebration service with practical kindness. I couldn’t be more thankful as a pastor for the family of God here. We have experienced loss before and its formed something so deep and unbreakable among us. In such times it shines again as beauty among ashes, lifting people up and bringing hope when times seem dark.

I must admit I have had some dark moments in this time, when all I could see was loss in my family and our church. Ruins, sorrow, a big hit on our worship team, and even a drop in our budget. I wanted to just wake up from this bad dream. I wondered how all these broken pieces could be put back together. Perhaps that’s how Nehemiah felt after receiving the report the walls of Jerusalem were broken down. The people were already suffering so much loss, but now they were vulnerable to even more invasion without secure walls. 

But then I discovered again, that the love of God is the greatest strength and hope in dark times. God’s love, so often expressed through his people, fills us up. Love brings incredible strength, and renews hope and builds faith in those who might otherwise despair. There is so much love in this church, and I know the Mansfields testify to how loved they have been. If not for the love of God, these things might crush us, but this 30 days is creating an opportunity for the love and power of God to be poured out in prayer, worship, and through ministering one to another. This will be a gift and safe refuge in this hard season. They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength (Isa 40:31).  

Your brother, 

Marty

In these times of uncertainty and sadness, we can rely on and remember the steadfast love and unchanging grace of God. It has been beautiful to witness the love of God pour into His people and pour out of His people this past week. It is such a blessing to be part of a church family, where we can support one another by the enduring spirit of faith that connects us all, even when we are apart.

We can take comfort in the knowledge that we are never alone. Our Heavenly Father watches over us, His love a constant source of comfort and strength. Isaiah 41:10 says, "Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." These words are a balm to our weary hearts, promising that we are held and supported, even in the midst of trials.

In moments of sadness, may we continue to hold fast to hope. Hope is the anchor of our souls, a reminder that with God, all things are possible. We have witnessed His miracles, big and small, and we know that His plans for us are for good, to give us a future filled with hope.

This Sunday, I will be reading from Psalm 34. This Psalm is a reminder that God pays attention to those who call on him. We can be certain that He always hears those who love him and seek him with all their heart and He will comfort them.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 says, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.

As we navigate the path ahead, let us continue to do so with compassion and kindness, supporting one another in love and prayer. We will continue our prayer meetings this week to come together and pray for the Mansfield and Luke families, extended family and church family and for the services.

May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts

and minds in Christ Jesus. Be encouraged, for He has overcome the world, and 

in Him, we will find the strength to do the same.

God bless

Mel