The perils of peace

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Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

(Ecc 12.13&14)

“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed,, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid, you are worth more than any sparrows.

(Matt 10.26-31)

Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.. You must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him… Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.

(Lk 12.35&36, 40, 42&43)

With every passing year, I find myself more moved by our acts of remembrance, this formal and communal acknowledgement of all who have died in defence of their country, and recognition that many who survived yet still pay a terrible price. And I wonder whether with the passing years, each one echoing with the clamour of wars around the world and yet barely touching our lives – except where we personally know those on active service overseas – we are becoming more and more afraid of war itself and all the suffering which it brings.

It is an amazing privilege to live in a land which has been free from conflict for decades, where our children delight in fireworks and the breathtaking displays of aerial fighters, because they have absolutely no associations of fear with those things. Do we give thanks more than once a year for this blessing?

It is also perhaps a perilous state, since – like our relative material prosperity, health and longevity – we begin to think that these things are normal, are our right and proper experience of life in a world which the bible says is profoundly broken. The experience of humanity as a whole, and God’s people in particular down the centuries would caution us against such folly. There have always been famines, plagues, genocide and persecution, wars and rumours of wars; and in the midst of those things, God’s people have rejoiced, prayed, served and found peace. They knew by experience what we struggle to hold onto as a possibility – that God’s promised presence, and the hope of life in the coming new creation is enough to sustain human flourishing in the face of things which to us are overwhelmingly dark.

This world is going to be re-made, one day. We will be at home here in a profound sense which we can only dimly sense – those echoes of a song from a far country, a scent that hints of unspeakable beauty, all the things which make us homesick for a land we have not yet seen but which is promised to us. We were never meant to found our happiness, joy and peace upon the transient blessings of this life, they are simply the bread for the journey which is ours today – and if tomorrow is much darker, more painful and terrible than we can bear to contemplate, then we are summoned by scripture and by all those centuries of saints who have gone before, to trust as they did, and prove that our God is faithful. What we are called to, day-by-day, is faithful obedience to Christ’s call upon our lives, following him in loving our neighbour, serving and praising, and speaking of light and grace and hope to all who will hear us.

O Heavenly Father, I confess again my fearfulness as I contemplate the savagery, the darkness, the despair which permeates our world. I confess that I struggle to hold on to your victory and sovereignty over these things. And how I fear to face the testing of my faith by such trials.

Thank you for the faithfulness of your saints down the years, and from the help we may win from their example of courage in face of suffering, war, want and injustice. Let us, like them, know your enabling when our time of testing comes.

Thank you that you have given us work to do for you today, help us then not to be fearful of tomorrow, but to be like the faithful servant, who was found at their post, doing their job when the master returned. Let holy fear of you, our God, drive out all other fears; let the fathomless love which is ours in Christ nourish and enable us to stand firm in the face of every threat, confident that nothing can separate us from you, no matter what the trial may be.

In the name of our Lord Jesus, whom we serve, and whose coming we long to see, Amen.

to walk humbly, living with mystery

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Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

(Rom 5.1-5)

Who would true valour see, let him come hither;

One here will constant be, come wind, come weather;

There’s no discouragement shall make him once relent his first avowed intent, to be a pilgrim.

Whoso beset him round with dismal stories,

Do but themselves confound; his strength the more is.

No lion can him fright, he’ll with a giant fight, but he will have a right to be a pilgrim.

Hobgoblin nor foul fiend can daunt his spirit;

He knows he at the end shall life inherit.

Then fancies fly away; he’ll fear not what men say; he’ll labour night and day to be a pilgrim.

(John Bunyan. 1628-88)

I mentioned recently that I am studying the book of Romans with a local group, this week reaching chapter 5.. and I am feeling a little apologetic for enthusing so strongly and telling you all to go and read it for yourselves, as I have found myself floundering in the complexity of Paul’s arguments, increasingly bewildered and slightly panicked!

The verses which I quote here were read at my father’s funeral, and I recall at the time wondering why that text had been chosen, but having spent a good deal of time recently trying to unpack them, I am beginning to see a reason. The chapter opens, as with an open door before the believer, revealing the glorious prospect which is life with Christ as a believer, one whom God has declared righteous in His sight. And I believe that these words encapsulate my father’s life as a believer – he came to faith as a student, and spent the rest of his life living in loving loyalty to the Lord who had transformed him.

My father was a man of peace, and of rejoicing – twin fruits that come from the fact of being made right with God through faith in the redeeming work of Jesus. He was a man who persevered through difficulties, strengthened and sustained by faith and hope, and whose character was purified, tested and verified by those experiences. When the cancer which clouded his last years returned with a terminal diagnosis, it was crystal clear just how that character had been transformed into a pure dependence upon God’s faithfulness. My father’s hope was stronger in his last days than it had ever been, and his acceptance of God’s providence in ordaining his death in that way and at that time was complete. That acceptance was a rock for our family as we prepared to say farewell to him.

It is my father’s example which I desire to follow as I enter my later years – growing in perseverance, increasingly purified and refined by it so that my character becomes more Christ-like and glorifying to God; and also humbly recognising my own human limitations in terms of both physical and also mental scope and strength. I believe that the centre of our faith is actually a great mystery, and that while some of the finest minds have wrestled to unpick and systematise what happened, and how it all works, yet still no human mind can fully penetrate the depth of the mystery, nor encompass the breadth of its work. And I pray for the grace to accept those limitations, and to hold fast to what I can understand and know – since as well as being deeply mysterious, the gospel is actually very simple and readily apprehended! I want to be more preoccupied by the lived business of trusting my Heavenly Father day-by-day, than with the theological niceties of the multiple facets of God’s work in Christ in redemption. The latter are not unimportant, it is from the accomplished facts of justification and adoption as God’s child that my new life springs and by them is maintained, but if I find myself so deeply enmeshed in complicated explorations that I neglect kindness, love, peace-making, service, patience and all God’s calling on my life, then I am wasting my time. It is not for nothing that the writers of the epistles to the churches regularly warned them against getting bogged down in complicated discussions of doctrine, instead of getting on with loving their neighbours and witnessing to Christ!

Our bible study group agreed wholeheartedly that we desire a simplicity in our lives of faith – a plain dependence upon plain facts, so that we may rest in God and not fret over exactly how it all works! After all, most of us drive around quite happily without trying to understand how our cars work… May the Lord have mercy upon us, and keep us focussed on living close to him, sitting lightly to intellectual entanglements which may render us inactive in his service.

There’s a wideness in your mercy Lord, as wide as the boundless ocean; there’s a kindness in your justice which is richer than liberty.

There is nowhere like heaven for a full appreciation of our earthly sorrows, and it is there that our failings are most kindly judged.

Your love, our God, is so much broader than our narrow minds; and your eternal heart of love is most wonderfully kind.

The blood shed in redemption will suffice for all who will accept it, and we rejoice as members of Christ’s body, because his sorrows have delivered us into your grace.

O Lord, let our love be simple; let us take you at your word, then our lives will be increasingly filled with the glory which is yours, overflowing abundantly from you to us in Christ. Amen

(paraphrase of a hymn by FW Faber, 1814-63 – “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy)

Treasures along the way..

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Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land;

I am weak, but thou art mighty, hold me with thy powerful hand:

Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more!

Open Thou the crystal fountain whence the healing stream doth flow;

Let the fiery, cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through;

Strong deliverer, strong deliverer, Be thou still my strength and shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside;

Death of death, and hell’s destruction, land me safe on Canaan’s side;

Songs of praises, songs of praises, I will ever give to Thee!

(William Williams, 1717-91, translated by P Williams, 1721-96)

I have never tried hard to memorise verses or extracts from the bible, although I know many people recommend this as a valuable discipline: given the amount of useful information that I can forget in a remarkably short space of time, I have never been drawn to it as a good use of my time and energy! When it comes to the songs of our faith however, it is a quite different matter. Something happens when I put words and music together, and sing them regularly – they stick! I have friends in other congregations who grew up singing only from the Psalms, in metrical version, and who can still quote great screeds of those marvellous songs and prayers of God’s people, because they spent years singing them!

Last Sunday, our service concluded with the singing of this great 18th century hymn, translated from the Welsh and sung to the magnificent tune of Cwm Rhondda. I learnt this as I grew up in my parent’s church, where we were strongly encouraged to sing it with vigour, conviction and in the four-part harmony which so greatly enriches the last lines. I have such strong and vivid memories of those days, standing with many across the generations, our voices blending, but clearly giving out the different parts, and sometimes daringly repeating the final ‘Songs of praises’ twice, in an attempt to raise the roof! Those memories came back as I rose to sing last Sunday morning, and I was looking forward to it very much..

And then, I began to pay attention to the words again, properly, and to make sure that I was singing the sense of them, making them my own for my life today and the years that the Lord will yet spare me here. And my joy and gladness grew, until I felt that I would burst with it! One of the members of our church choir, who stand up at the front looking at the congregation commented afterwards to me that he thought I had enjoyed the singing – what an understatement that was. The great hymn-writer, Charles Wesley was spot on when he yearned for ‘a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise…’ I know how he felt!

It is always possible to sing on ‘autopilot’ when we know the words and tune well enough – and while that is pleasant, it does miss the point. Our sung worship is an act of responsive offering up, of renewed commitment and affirmation of our faith in God, a reminding ourselves of who it is on whom all our hope is founded. If we glide through our songs without paying attention, we not only rob our fellow worshippers of our own heartfelt contribution to praise, but we miss out on an opportunity to be strengthened; we don’t pay enough attention to let the Spirit apply the words afresh to our lives. I wonder if this is what Paul had in mind when he wrote to the saints in Ephesus and its surrounding communities:-

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Eph 5.18-20)

That great hymn gave me the opportunity to respond in renewed dedication to God, as I thought of what I had heard preached – of Christ as the One who leads us out of slavery, through the waters of death, and on towards our promised home, the greater-than Moses. The words reminded me of all that I know of my deliverance, won by Christ, and gifted to me as I believe in him, a freedom which cannot be taken from me, and the assurance of divine presence, protection and provision for all my earthly pilgrimage. And it enabled me to celebrate in the strongest language just how great is my Lord’s victory – don’t you just love that phrase, ‘death of death’?!!

As I responded personally, I was also recalling my parents and their generation who raised me in the faith; those who stood around us as we sang those words all those years ago. I was revelling in the sense of community with those who have gone before, and with whom we will sing those endless Songs of Praises – I have so much to be thankful for, and so much to look forward to…

Oh great Jehovah, God of my fathers and mothers in the faith, unchanged by the years and unfailing in your covenant-keeping love for your people, how I thank and praise you for this gift of song, by which we celebrate you, and also grow in our understanding, are strengthened in faith, and encourage one another. Let us not neglect this gift, but rather use it wisely and well, attentive to the words which are on our lips, fully invested in making them our own, as prayer, petition, confession, lament and praise.

How we look forward to the day when, with all your saints, we will sing your praises without wearying, and our hearts won’t burst with the beauty because you will have made us new, with bodies that can both express and contain the joy which will be ours! In Jesus’ precious, and glorious name, we thank you, Amen.

[Author’s note: I am not sufficiently well-versed in how this particular website facilitates text formatting to deal with the extra spaces between the lines of the hymn – believe me, I tried. So apologies to all those who find it as irritating as I do!]

A Way of Life…not a rule-book.

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The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy… And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it…But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

(Isa 35.1&2,9&10)

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

(Mk 1.16&17; 2.13&14)

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.”

(Jn 14.6)

Our hope for salvation rests entirely upon the finished work of Jesus, and the outpouring of grace which that represents. If ever we are tempted to think that our lives have somehow earned favour from God, we have fallen into error and the bondage of rule keeping again. BUT there is a place for our good works, our good habits, our aspirations to do and be better! These are not the means by which we approach salvation – not the road to the Cross – rather they are the result of the Cross! It is because we have been so deeply loved, so powerfully made alive in Christ, that we find the Holy Spirit working in us to produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and so many other fruit. It is because of the Spirit that we even desire these things!

I believe that, in the same way that an athlete organises their entire life around the goal of excelling in their chosen sport, or a musician in their particular field, so also the follower of Jesus can make choices about their lives which will tend to support and enable spiritual maturity, transformation and fruitfulness. These things can be described as a Rule of Life, but given the negativity attached to ‘rules’, it is perhaps better to think of rhythms or habits of life, which will both support and flow out of a growing and living faith.

We want to be disciples of Jesus; we are called to be disciples! We are summoned, as were Levi, Andrew and Peter, to follow him, to be with him, to learn by doing and sharing life together with our Lord and the community of believers. The enemy of our souls is continually at work to distract, draw us away, disempower us, and uses all means in his power to do so. If we do not deliberately cultivate godly habits, making ourselves harder for the enemy to reach, then we will assuredly be conformed to his ways, and will miss all that God desires for us. In the same way that an apple tree can be trained to a particular way of growing – eg against a wall, with parallel horizontal branches – so also the ‘rules’ or rythmns which we speak of in relation to our lives as followers of Jesus are a means of training, helping us to go where ultimately we want to go of our own accord and free will – which we will do as the Spirit transforms us into Christ’s likeness. We are the trees, and our godly habits and disciplines are the trellis or training structure to which we commit ourselves in faith and trust in God’s power to transform us.

We don’t follow rules in order to be saved… we are saved, and in loving gratitude, humble submission and eager partnership with God’s spirit, we are led into a life where every aspect is touched and changed, resulting in habits and qualities which reflect our saviour. The way of life commended to us in scripture is not a book of rules to be fearfully kept, but a guidebook, an indicator and aid to our training in righteousness and growing sanctification. Isaiah describes it as a way which is full of life and joy – even in the midst of a desert – because the Lord is with his people and gives them life and eternal hope.

Heavenly Father, I rejoice today in your grace which has brought me from death in sin, to life in Christ. I rejoice to know that I live by your Spirit from day to day, and that your plans for me are good. Let me submit joyfully to all that it means to follow Jesus; let me grow in wisdom and self-control, discerning those things which will put me in the right place to work with your Spirit and not resist or suppress his transforming power. Show me what it looks like in this season of my life to follow Jesus, to be with him, to grow in likeness to him, and let me not hold back from the Way which is laid before me – for my blessing and for your glory I pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

I was glad….

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The Lord spoke to Moses: “Tell the Israelites to take an offering for me. You are to take my offering from everyone who is willing to give. This is the offering you are to receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair; ram skins dyed red and fine leather; acacia wood; oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx along with other gemstones for mounting on the ephod and breastpiece. They are to make a sanctuary for me so that I may dwell among them.

(Ex 25.1-8)

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

(Ps 122)

“Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern he had seen…. But Solomon built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands, as the prophet says, ‘Heaven is my throne and the earth is the footstool for my feet. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is my resting place? Did my hand not make all these things?.’

(Ac 7.44,47-50)

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name I am there among them.”

(Matt 18.20)

What is it that makes the psalmist glad, when he is invited to join the procession to God’s house? When we read in Exodus of the precious materials used to create the tabernacle, and in 1 Kings of the extraordinary wealth which was poured into the temple constructed by Solomon, it is easy to imagine that the gladness stemmed, at least in part, from experiencing so much beauty at close quarters. And perhaps in part that was intended – that the materials used, and the skill exercised by the gifted craftspeople should all tend to glorify God and to demonstrate the honour and majesty of his Name among his people. After all, God commanded that these things be done, and gave detailed instructions to Moses about everything! It is hard for us to imagine the impact which these two structures would have upon the people who lived around them, the contrast with their own circumstances was so great.

The tabernacle and the temple were visible signposts to the glory of the unseen God, to his majesty and to the worship which is due to him – there is nothing too precious to be devoted to his service. They would humble and awe the worshipper, lifting them out of ordinary concerns to concentrate on God and take part in the celebrations and corporate praise. But what part do buildings play for the people of God today? We are God’s chosen, redeemed and adopted into his family through our Lord Jesus, who came to fulfil the Law and the Prophets, to move out of the temple and set aside the need for ongoing sacrifice, and to usher us into God’s glorious presence without any other intermediary than himself. We no longer need a special building in order to meet with God, or to worship him in acceptable ways. We no longer have to go to a particular place in the world in order to meet with his people.

Our buildings are simply a means to an end – creating shelter for a community of believers where they may meet in order to worship together. Yes, it is good to make them seemly, comfortable enough, and above all useful as tools in the work of the gospel. But I think that the centuries of institutional power and wealth which the church has enjoyed in Western Europe has led to a serious preoccupation with externals, with buildings and display, which take our energies, and our resources away from the business of following Jesus in our broken world and making disciples in his name. When a group of people meet in a tin-roofed hut in rural Uganda, they are the body of Christ in that place and he is present in power. When a group of people meet secretly in a disused car-park in a country where Christians are persecuted, they are the body of Christ in that place and he is present in power. Our gladness in going to the house of God is in meeting with his people, and sharing with them in his presence – the building does not matter…

When our church buildings become more like art galleries, museums and ancient monuments – soaking up money and time and distracting God’s people from loving him by loving his world – then something has gone badly wrong. We were not called to be custodians of historical relics, those who keep looking back, but people who look to a new creation and new beauties of which this world carries only a faint echo. How do we work this out in our own local context? May God give his children wisdom and courage to let go of things, and lay hold of our hope in what He is doing!

Who am I fooling?!

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I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me: let us exalt his name together.

(Ps 34.1-3)

Jesus told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ’Oh God, I thank you that I am not like other people – robbers, crooks, adulterers, or heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.’

Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, ‘God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.’” Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”

(Lk 18.9-14, the Message)

For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift…. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded.

(Rom 3.22,23,24&27)

Everything that we have – right living and right thinking, a clean slate and a fresh start – comes from God by way of Jesus Christ, that’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.”

(1 Cor 1.31, the Message)

Truly, God’s word penetrates deeply and illumines the realities of our private thoughts, cherished pet sins, and ungodly desires. We can be putting on a great act for those around us, but God is never fooled by that, and some of Jesus’ strongest words of condemnation were for the hypocrites, whose religiosity masked hearts of stone, adamantly resistant to his message of the kingdom of God.

I was brought up short recently during preparation for our study in Romans, by that simple assertion that boasting – in race, in covenant promises, in possession of the Law – all so dear to the Jewish people – is totally excluded by the reality of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. I am not a Jew, but a Christian, who has known so many blessings and privileges through her life, protected from so many of life’s trials. On one level, I know that I have nothing to boast about – as a sinner I am utterly dependent on grace.. but I know my heart and my fears and insecurities, and I know the conversations that happen in my head. I know that inner voice of self-congratulation and the subtle judging of other people which goes on, it sounds very like the pharisee in Jesus’ story.

Am I the only person who goes into a social gathering protecting herself from hurt and rejection by an inner assertion of her own moral worth and innate value? How easy it is to make assumptions about those around us, and silently, with quiet inner relief, to add up the sums and decide we’re ok, because of something, anything in others that doesn’t quite meet our approval – morals, habits, characteristics. How deadly is this temptation to continually compare myself against others in a critical way, looking for things that will enable me to feel a bit better about myself! Human pride is so devious, continually changing ground and colour, hiding in plain sight because we simply don’t recognise its latest disguise! It is my pride which drives me down this horrible, mean path of inner judgement and self-elevation; it is pride which wants to think well of myself and which writhes under the weight of gospel truth – that truth which demonstrates that I have simply no reason whatsoever to be pleased with who I am… who I am apart from Christ that is!

I want to learn to live differently, now that I have been shown this fact about myself and see it for what it is – sin. I want to be changed by the inner working of Jesus’ Spirit, to abhor such behaviour, and instead to embrace his love for my fellow sinners. And I think one of the most powerful means to changing is to embrace the things I can boast about more effectively! I can and must exalt my Saviour, praising the love with which He loved and loves us, praising his saving power and complete work on our behalf; praising his perfections which are ours by faith in him. He is altogether worthy of praise and adoration, and absolutely worth boasting about! Not in some possessive way, but in the best kind of boasting – we have this gift, this good news which is for everyone who will believe, and so we shout about it in order to invite those who do not yet know him to come and find out.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your mercy in showing me the truth about the way pride still pollutes my behaviour and my thinking.

Thank you for the forgiveness which Jesus has won for this sin, and for the power of your Spirit within to transform and purify me, so that I become victorious over it.

Go on driving out false human pride, out of every place that it hides, and fill me instead with that humble thankfulness which sees my need, and then rejoices in my Saviour’s complete provision. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

The creeping cold…..

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Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them” – .. Remember him – before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.

(Ecc 12.1,6&7, 13)

Praise the Lord!

I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate…. He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever – holy and awesome is his name.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

(Ps 111.1-4,9&10)

I was sharing recently with a close friend of many years, a woman at my own age and stage of life. We have a few aches and pains, our husbands are nearing retirement, we have grandchildren and also the needs of elderly parents on our minds. We have years of church commitment behind us, across a variety of contexts, and a deep desire to go on in faithfulness and honouring the Lord in our later years. But we are tired of living in a national context of declining churches and growing indifference/hostility to faith; we have seen many initiatives come and go in our congregations – apparently bearing little if any fruit. We are tired of praying for straying and lost family members, and seeing no change in their lives. We are tired of raising our hopes only to have them dashed again and again – isn’t it wiser to avoid getting hopeful in the first place?

Well, no, that’s not what our scriptures teach us!

The author of Ecclesiastes could certainly identify with world-weariness, with the cynicism – deadly and insidious – which arises so readily in a life buffeted by the reality of a fallen and painful world, where joy and sorrow are continually intermixed, and as we age, it becomes normal to expect less and less, to guard ourselves against disappointment. It is very easy to say, with the Teacher of that book, that all is futile! But look how the book ends, with a passionate exhortation to the reader to consider another attitude, a different path which can lead to a different outcome and way of living.

We are called to ‘remember our Creator’, which by definition implies recalling that we are created – we are limited, and He is not; we are mortal, and He is not; He is worthy of praise and also of our awed and humble worship. A healthy fear of God is the basis of wisdom, because it is the recognition that we are not in control of our lives, and only by looking to and depending upon him can we have any hope. As followers of Jesus, those whom God has adopted into his family eternally and who live now with him, we have even more reason to depend upon this God! He has shown his love for us, once and for all, and he will never renege on that act of salvation. His compassion will not fail us, and his redemption of us is assured.

We know that we can gradually become physically very cold without realising it, so also we can gradually lose our spiritual warmth, and fall into what we call ‘realism’, when actually, we have become cynical about God, about his purposes and his power to keep his promises. If the enemy of our souls can get us into that condition, we become not only sad within ourselves, but a danger to other believers instead of a blessing to them!

I think there is a place for grieving when life has turned out less sweet than we had hoped; when church is harder and lonelier than we would like; when we aren’t seeing the answers to prayer we hoped for. But, if we are genuinely following Jesus, that involves moving onward, and therefore leaving behind the habits, thoughts, and experiences of the past. We are being invited every day to step into the next part of God’s plans for us, and while they may be different from our past life, and different than what we hoped for, yet we are invited to trust that the future can yet hold fruitfulness, joy and hope – right up to the day when he calls us home!

Heavenly Father, I pray against the creep of cynicism in my life, in my thinking and in my faith. I pray for your Spirit within to keep me tender hearted and expectant that your power and love are undiminished and you will lead me to new fields of service, and reasons to give thanks.

Help me to focus my reading, my praying and my whole life on following Jesus, releasing the past with thanksgiving, and looking to the next step in faith, because you are so gracious and compassionate and your will is to be glorified in me. You are my Creator, I am your creature and also your child, adopted into your family and given the family likeness – let this truth guard me from the cold, and burn within to keep me warm for you in the days ahead, for Jesus’ sake, Amen.

Rich meats!!

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Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it – the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

(Rom 1.1-6, 16&17:3.21-26)

I firmly believe that one of the most useful things which any church leadership can do for their flock is to teach them not to be afraid to read and learn from every part of the bible. That may sound a bit obvious, but not every congregation of believers has regular teaching from books of prophecy, Old Testament history or law, the wisdom books like Ecclesiastes – and many will not know much beyond the gospels in the New Testament! This can leave us fearful of the reputation of a book which we have never studied – we hear it described as “challenging” and decide to skip it.. thereby missing out on things which God has designed and provided for our blessing as the Spirit works through the word in our minds and hearts.

I have much to be thankful for when I recall the congregations in which I grew up, not least the commitment of the ministers in each one to the systematic exposition of the bible, a deliberate investing of teaching time in every kind of biblical writing, which has set me free from fear arising from ignorance. In particular at this time, I am grateful to James Philip, under whose ministry in Edinburgh I was raised, and who had a great passion for the letter of Paul to the Romans – he preached through it several times over the course of his decades-long ministry. I am so thankful that I can approach a current bible study in Romans with confidence, and anticipation, because I recall Mr Philip’s deep enthusiasm for it as treasure worth mining!

I do not intend – nor am I equipped – to embark on a succinct and helpful summary of that immense, deep, closely reasoned and forensically accurate argument which Paul presents in his letter, I only want to encourage others to get hold of a decent commentary, and start reading and mining its depths for themselves! Yes, Paul can get very intense, and his paragraphs are breathless in their flow of thought, but I love that! I get the feeling of being in the room with the great apostle, hearing the joy and thrill in his voice as he pours out the truth which has transformed his life, and which he sees transforming lives and communities everywhere he goes. Paul, in his former life a highly trained Pharisee, was God’s perfect instrument for this articulate and detailed exposition of the problem of human sin, the place of the law and the old covenant, the promise of salvation, and the glorious reality which is God’s gift of grace – the story of the rescue which humanity so desperately needs, and which must come from the One against whom we have so completely and consistently rebelled.

I know that I could go on revisiting this great text for years and never fully master its arguments and realise the breadth and depth which Paul is revealing to us. And how wonderful is that?! What a treasure to have with us, what satisfying rations for the journey of faith we find in this book..

Heavenly Father, I praise and worship you today for the great and glorious gospel which is revealed to us in Jesus; I rejoice to know myself the object of your grace and to rest by faith in the complete saving work of your appointed sacrificial lamb.

Let the studying of your word nourish and strengthen the faith which you have gifted to me; let me feast on the rich and strong meats which are in Paul’s letter to the Roman church, and be able to say with him, that I am not ashamed of the gospel, but rather exult in it, and exalt the One who revealed and delivered it! In His Name and for His glory I pray, Amen!

Daily grace…. a constant miracle!

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The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

(Rom 16.20)

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfil every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(2Thess 1.11-12)

The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms…. So that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because,

”God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Be self -controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

(1 Pet 4.7-11: 5.5-11)

It’s been one of those days, you know, when my good intentions go out the window, and I lose all self-respect as my worst habits and weaknesses take hold – yet again! And when that happens, the accuser of our souls, the enemy of our Lord Jesus, is right at my shoulder and ready to drag me down into all sorts of misery and inward-looking torments… And at this point, even though nothing very bad has happened, and no one else is suffering for my failures, yet still I need to recognise that I am in danger from an enemy, and that I have a choice over what happens next!

Peter exhorts his readers to humble themselves, casting their anxiety upon God in full expectation that His care for them is sufficient to deal with whatever the issues may be. Does this apply in my own private messes too? Indeed, I believe that it does! I have this window, this moment in which to recognise my danger, and to humble myself before God – to admit that I have messed up again, and that I cannot make anything good of my days without God’s aid and strength. AND I admit that I need his transforming Spirit’s work in my heart and mind to continue – so that I learn to be more self-controlled, and able to resist my own weaknesses better next time!

Above all, I remember and cling to grace – because it is there that my hope lies. I can face my own failures, repetitive and pathetic as they are, because God’s grace is sufficient to deal with them over and over again. Indeed, my Saviour delights to exchange his beauty and peace and righteousness for my daily messes – it is his desire to give, and my immeasurable privilege to receive. I exchange guilt for grace; remorseful self-reproach for humble praise and thanksgiving; I turn from myself, to look upon my Saviour, and hope is restored because he remains faithful, ever living to intercede for me and to keep me close to my Father. How marvellous is this daily miracle?! How much we have cause to rejoice as believers in this sustaining flow of hope, peace and love, which we receive in Jesus Christ.

Surely, this has to be part of the reason that almost all the letters included in our New Testament end with the prayer that the readers might know and receive grace? It is as necessary to us every day as is our daily bread, as the air we breathe. Grace not only – as John Newton’s great hymn puts it – “taught my heart to fear, and … my fears relieved”, but it will also “lead me home.” The key to faithful and persevering Christian living, is depending on grace, not on our own graft. Thus we are free every day to serve, to love and live in fellowship with our Lord, and to the praise of his name – just as Paul prayed for the Thessalonian church.

O Father, how good it is to know grace! What freedom you have brought us into as we receive all your riches through Christ, and are delivered from the tyranny of sin and death, to know joy and peace and hope in you.

Let me depend daily upon grace; rejecting the temptation to rest upon my own efforts, and standing firm when the enemy of my soul would tempt me to despair over my failures. Let me stand proudly and resist him, claiming the grace of my Lord Jesus as my protection now and always! In his name I pray this, Amen.

Made in His image….

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Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

(Gen 1.26-27)

The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel, son of Uri… and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills – to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of crafts..

(Ex 31.1-5)

All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your saints will extol you.

They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.

(Ps 145.10-13)

For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is for ever praised. Amen.

(Rom 1.20&25)

What is the chief end of man?

Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him for ever

(Westminster shorter catechism, question 1)

The Bible teaches that all creation is formed by God, revealing so much about him – even as every subsequent act of human creation reveals things about its maker – and that includes humanity itself. Our own creative instincts are a part of our likeness to God, the Author of beauty, and as makers, we can share his delight in making.

Before humanity rebelled against God, choosing to disbelieve his love and goodness, and to reach for a role and status that we were never fitted for, we too revealed the truth about God, and because of sin, that revelation is marred – but it is not lost. The human potential for creativity remains, a potent force for good or ill, as are every other aspect of our lives, and when used to glorify God it is used for its highest purpose.

On a recent short visit to Florence, I was struck once again by the astonishing attention to detail which the craftsmen of the Renaissance brought to their labours – there are details in stonework, in mosaic and painting, which for centuries have been invisible to the naked eye of those walking about in the street below. So why bother going to all those lengths to create beauty which remains unseen? Why?! Because the creative instinct was driving an act of worship, and reflecting the truth that all we do is seen by our Father in heaven, and ultimately it is only his favour which matters. I love the idea of those master masons, and all the other trades and crafts pondering how best to create beauty in inaccessible corners, knowing that their delight in what was made would be shared by their Father in heaven!

Consider for a moment how much beauty exists in the world which we never see – how ridiculous it is then to assume that unless the human eye rests upon and approves it, there is no ‘point’ in that glorious moment! All of creation shouts praise to God, and he delights to receive that praise, from animate and inanimate, from the greatest movements of galaxies, down to the still unknown (to humanity) secrets of physics, biology and geology.

Our God-of-abundance has made more than we can imagine, more than we can ever see in our lifetimes, and all is made to speak of his divine nature and glorious power. I am thrilled to know that I can share that revelation as I seek to live with Jesus day-by-day, praying that God’s likeness might be revealed in my making and my loving, in my being, and that – with all creation – I might glorify my Maker, and enjoy knowing and being known by him into eternity.

“I came to see that the human imagination is not paramount in the creative process: that what is paramount is “The Creation” and He who created it and that what the true artist is expressing is not himself but his response to this eternal continuing process of Creation… I believe that, in the humblest way, we are collaborators on earth in God’s continuing act of Creation, and that this is the role of the artist in society.”

(Hew M Lorimer OBE, 1907-1993, Royal Scottish Academician, sculptor)