Flower Festival 2010

We are really pleased to be part of the Island wide "Manx Heritage Flower Festival" once again. This year is the 20th Anniversary of the festival and to celebrate the theme is Rejoice! Each church is open from 10:30 - 7:30 each day from Sun 4th July - Sat 10th July.

    For those who can't make it to see the actual thing or those who would like to see it all again here is a virtual tour of our displays - photographs of the arrangements with the explanations found in our information leaflet.

     

           PORCH

Phil.4:4. “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.”

 When we see the beauty of nature, when we experience God’s blessings, when everything is going well for us we find it easy to praise God. But God is God. He never changes. He is always the same, always worthy of our praise. We can rejoice in Him and who He is whatever our circumstances.

 

1.Zec. 9:9. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion.... See, your king comes.... gentle and riding on a donkey.”

 

 

This prophecy from the book of Zechariah, foretelling the events of that first Palm Sunday, is only one of 322 Old Testament prophecies about Jesus, that were fulfilled in the New Testament.

For hundreds of years God had promised His special people, the Jews, that He would send a Messiah, but when He came, they did not recognize Him. This prophecy is fulfilled in John 19:37.

 

 

 

2.Lk. 1:14. “Many will rejoice at His birth.”

Jesus, God’s only Son, left all of heaven’s glory to be born in human form. Jesus didn’t only come for the Jews. John 3:16 says that “God so loved the WORLD that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever (you and me) believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Abraham, back in Genesis, had been promised that through his seed, (generations later, in Jesus) all the world would be blessed.

Now the time has come and the angel says to Zechariah, that MANY, throughout history, and even today, will rejoice at the  birth of his son John, because he will turn people back to God and herald the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. This is the greatest event in history! Jesus, God’s Son, is coming to earth to die to bring us back into a right relationship with God.

                    

 

      3.Lk. 15. “Rejoice with me for I have found” that which was lost.

 

Jesus told these three stories about the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son to show us how much God loves us. Just like the sheep, the coin and the son, we are all lost. We have become separated from God because of the wrong things we do. God can have nothing to do with sin. He hates the sin, but He loves the sinner. He longs to have a loving relationship with us. That is why He sent Jesus, to die, to pay the price necessary to bring us back into that right  relationship with Himself, that we were created for.

 He came to seek and save the lost and there is rejoicing in heaven when one person repents, turns from their own way and back to God.

 

4. Lk. 10:14. “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

 

When we come to that point where we realise that we’ve done wrong and are far away from God and that Jesus came to pay the price for our sin, then we need to ask Him to forgive us, thank Him for dying for us and invite Him into our lives. We are then born again. We have new life in Christ. All our past is forgiven and forgotten. Our names are written in heaven!!!

It is only those whose names are written in heaven who will enter there.

Hell is also a reality. Jesus spoke for more about hell than He did heaven – no doubt because He wanted to warn us. He doesn’t want anyone to go there.

Let’s all make sure that our names are written in heaven.

 

 

5. 1 Thes. 5:16-18. “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.”

                                                                        If we are saved and sure of a place in heaven, we have reason to rejoice. Our circumstances may change, but God is unchangeable. He is always the same yesterday, today and forever.

It is amazing that the God who created everything there is cares for us and delights in our praise, not because He is big-headed, but because He knows that we are most fulfilled when we are praising Him. We can “enjoy” God.

The same Paul, who wrote these words to the Thessalonians, when he was imprisoned with Silas, prayed and sang praises, even though they were in stocks, in prison for their faith.

God changed their situation and they were released. Through this the jailor and his family were saved.

It is hard to be thankful, to praise and rejoice in difficult circumstances, but we feel better if we take our eyes off our problems and focus on God.

                                 

 

 6. Ps.9:2. “I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”

 

As Christians we have this relationship with God. He is everything to us. Our whole life revolves around Him. He is the only One who truly satisfies. He gives our lives a purpose and a meaning.

 

Our whole being wants to praise Him. So many thoughts and experiences trigger that desire to tell God what we think of Him. It makes us want to sing.

God delights in the heart that sings out praise to Him, whether we have great voices and talent or not. What is beautiful to God is the expression of a heart that loves Him.

 

7. Ps. 118:24. “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

The chorus based on this verse goes on to say, “This is the day when He rose again.” That first Easter Day was a great day of rejoicing.”

We remember this great event on the first day of each week. Each Sunday is a special reminder of Jesus’ victory.

The next verse of the chorus says, “This is the day when the Spirit came.” The Day of Pentecost was the day when the disciples were together and Jesus sent His Holy Spirit upon them in tongues of fire, with a great rushing, mighty wind, transforming these timid disciples into fearless witnesses for Jesus. They were not left alone. They had the Holy Spirit empowering them and enabling them to do what Jesus did. That same power is available today.

Every day we wake up, each new day is a reminder of all this. Jesus is alive and with us today .He has given us His Spirit. This is a new day to go out and serve Him in whatever way He leads.

There is so much to rejoice and be glad about every day.

 

Thank you to everyone who has taken part and made all this possible. From the flower arrangers, to those who have baked cakes or have manned the church as stewards    (or all three in some cases!)

Thank you VERY much to ALL of you!