Author Archives: eps992014

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About eps992014

a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, a mother, wife, sometime runner, singer, gardener, and proud Scot

It’s all a bit.. overwhelming!!

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“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.”

(Isa 42.1-4)

“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone are righteousness and strength.'”…. in the Lord all the descendants of Israel will be found righteous and will exult.

(Isa 45.22-25)

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

(Lk 23.44-48)

Embrace the “covenant of vocation” or, rather, be embraced by it as the Creator calls you to a genuine humanness at last, calls and equips you to bear and reflect his image.

Celebrate the revolution that happened once for all when the power of love overcame the love of power. And, in the power of that same love, join in the revolution here and now.

(NT Wright; p 416,The Day the Revolution Began – 2016, SPCK, )

I have just finished reading this book – not that I have done much more than look at the words… my concentration is not good these days, and theology  can be quite challenging. But…. I am so grateful that I persevered, because even though I failed to grasp much of the argument, yet I retain a flavour of the triumphant story which it tells. The author’s skill and expertise in this masterful exposition of the meaning of Jesus’ crucifixion has been so helpful, stretching my understanding and I thank God for the gifts which have been put to such glorious use for the building up of the kingdom.

I have glimpsed the greatness of the salvation narrative, been blinded by its light and complexity and yet also compelled by the love which it reveals.  While striving to grasp the theology with my mind, my heart has burned with awe and delight, humbly accepting the truth revealed. It is so much more, so much greater and more glorious than we can begin to imagine, and all part of the great purpose of God since before time began… that we might dwell with and delight in one another, sharing as Creator and beloved creatures in the joy for which we are designed.

I have a sense of so many threads gathering together to create a rich tapestry, like a great carpet unfolding ahead of me as I stumble and endeavour to follow, however lamely, in the way of peace, the way of holiness, the vocation to which I am called and now – by Christ’s triumph – am free to fully live! I am relishing the truth revealed, the fresh understanding of where we are going and why the gospel matters for today as well as for tomorrow.  A fresh vision of mission is revealed – to declare here and now that the world is no longer in bondage, that Jesus has defeated those powers that bind humanity in misery, that true freedom is in him and free to all who will come! The great revolution was launched on Good Friday, and as Jesus’ followers, we are commissioned to spread the word of radical change, the word of hope, that because of him, it is possible to be fully human at last!

As the great revolution is being worked out across the world – in God’s word at work and in our experience of him through the sacraments – may we his people be drawn to worship afresh by the magnitude of His plan, the depth of His love, the steadfastness of His purpose which is being fulfilled hour by hour and heart by heart.

For all the saints…

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I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; before the ‘gods’ I will sing your praise. I will bow down towards your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stout-hearted.

May all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth. May they sing of the ways of the Lord, for the glory of the Lord is great.

Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures for ever – do not abandon the works of your hands.

(Ps 138)

For all the saints who from their labours rest, who Thee by faith before the world confessed, Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Halleluia, Halleluia!

Thou wast their rock, their fortress and their might; Thou, Lord their captain in the well-fought fight; Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true light. Halleluia, Halleluia!

(W.W. How, 1823-97)

There is an old postcard in my bible, faded and not very attractive, a design which I would not have chosen to buy for myself… so why is it there, after 36 years? Because it was written and given to me by one of the most precious of the saints who graced my early life and young adulthood, a lady called Mary Inglis. Mary never married, but her ‘family’ was huge! Everyone who met her knew that they were loved, that they mattered to God, and the fruit of her prayers and faithful loving service will only be fully known in the new creation, when one by one, untold numbers will seek her out to thank her for the way that she touched their lives!

Mary wrote this card and referred me to this psalm, in a particularly painful and dark time of my life. Her gentleness and love made her words all the more precious, and I have treasured the card ever since – a reminder of a bright spirit wholly surrendered to her Lord, and given over to loving others in his name. The psalm was one she had shared recently with friends, praying together for one another as each in her own way was facing troubles and challenges, and needing that priceless reassurance that the Lord would fulfil his gracious purposes for each one.

I hope that I have learnt from Mary’s example, or that I am still learning from it, since I am a slow learner… I know that to make time to write words of encouragement can be one of the most powerful ways we can show God’s love to one another; I know that to pursue a quiet life of service and love is not to be insignificant in the kingdom; I know that to share one’s journey of faith with others is to be strengthened and made glad, as we see one another growing in faith, see prayers answered, and are renewed in hope. I know too that she would shrink from any great praise, and would direct all such admiration to her beloved Lord and Saviour, delighting only in humble service and shunning pride in any ‘achievements’.

It has been such sweet food for my spirit to take time to remember Mary, and to write of her life and influence on me – I do indeed praise and thank God for all the saints whom I have been blessed to know, and who now rest from their labours. I thank God for their example, and the encouragement it is to remember how they lived by faith, how they clung to Christ in times of trial, and how they loved, oh how they loved!

May God grant us in our turn the wisdom and willingness to serve his church in this way. May we see and take opportunities to love, to recognise and affirm one another; to speak words of encouragement and comfort; to share our own journey of faith. May we in our turn prove the faithfulness of our Lord, and with the psalmist rejoice in his enduring love, resting in the assurance of his will and purpose to fulfil all he has planned for us in his kingdom.

Lord, for the years…

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Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided, urged and inspired us, cheered us on our way, sought us and saved us, pardoned and provided, Lord of the years, we bring our thanks today.

Lord, for ourselves, in living power remake us – self on the cross and Christ upon the throne, past put behind us, for the future take us, Lord of our lives, to live for Christ alone,

(T. Dudley Smith, 1926- )

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. for,

“Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”..

..in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander…

(1Pet.3.8-16)

“.. to live for Christ alone..” a motivation for marriage, a purpose for our lives both as individuals and as husband and wife. I believe that when I was called into marriage, it was so that in that context, I might live for my Lord. He had and has work for me to do as a wife, and as a mother – and now a grandmother. Those things are not distractions from my calling as a believer. For me, they are my calling! I have rejoiced to live my life of faith in those places, and could not have fulfilled those tasks without the constant presence and enabling, the love and strength of my Father in heaven.

The journey is not over yet, but as the years pass, the tasks change, and I need fresh anointing of grace, wisdom and strength for the new situations where I serve. As I contemplate another anniversary, I want to give thanks for the years down which – as the opening line of the quoted hymn says – my Lord has kept and guided me. There remain mysteries, unanswered questions about why certain things have happened – or not happened – but my overwhelming sense is of being cared for, provided for, and always conscious of my heavenly Father’s sustaining love.

I give thanks for other marriages which inspire me to persevere in faith; to continue looking for new ways in which to serve my Saviour in the places to which he has brought me. I give thanks for the wisdom of those who have gone before, walking by faith and modelling that gracious dependence on God which teaches me how to live now. I give thanks for those who have let me see that their marriages are not perfect, and yet who know that within that context, they are called to serve one another and to love their Saviour and serve their communities. Yes, there may be a few ideal marriages out there, but most of us are sinners, married to sinners, trying our best to grow in love, forgiveness and patience – and so grateful to God for enabling us to keep going.

We made promises, all those years ago, trusting that God would help us to keep them. And as I consider the years, I see how each fresh resolution to keep on trying, keep on forgiving, keep on asking for forgiveness, has been part of the perseverance which I am called to. I didn’t know when I made those promises, just what the years would bring, but I knew something of the God whom I was trusting to bring me through them. Day-by-day and week-by-week, as I kept walking in obedience, he has walked me down the years, and now there is only a heart full of gratitude for all that he has done – often in spite of me – through this married life.

Thank you, Father, for your faithfulness to us down the years. May we not now neglect the fresh opportunities that you have given us to love and serve you in this new chapter of our lives. Let our lives as husband and wife prove a means of blessing to one another and also to your church and the wider community. May we live for you, in harmonious and fruitful companionship, ever thankful for your presence with us, through Jesus our Lord, Amen.

Abundant living…

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‘But this is my word’, Jesus continued ,’for those of you who are listening: love your enemies! Do good to people who hate you! Bless people who curse you! Pray for people who treat you badly… Whatever you want people to do to you, do that to them. If you love those who love you, what’s special about that?… No: love your enemies, do good and lend without expecting any return. Your reward will be great! You will be children of the Highest! He is generous, you see, to the stingy and the wicked. You must be merciful, just as your father is merciful. Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned. Forgive, and you’ll be forgiven. Give, and it will be given you: a good helping, squashed down, shaken in, and overflowing – that’s what will land in your lap. Yes: the ration you give to others is the ration you’ll get back for yourself.’

(Lk 6.27-38: NT Wright translation, 2001)

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. .. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge, I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 

(Rom 12. 17-21)

Jesus came to usher in the ‘age to come’, the kingdom of God unveiled in the heart of a kingdom ruled by the powers of this age, where humankind had been held in bondage, enslaved and unable to fulfil the role for which we were created – to live for and with our God, stewards of his creation and bearing his image. From the outset of his ministry, Jesus consistently overturned expectations about what God was like, and what it looked like to honour, and live in freedom with him.

The religious leaders of Judaism in his day were trying to bring in God’s kingdom by tighter and tighter adherence to the law, laying a huge burden on the people to get it right. Instead of this, Jesus came like a tornado of fresh air, light and boundary-breaking! Jesus said that if our hearts were right with God – in humble repentance, and joyful depending faith – then we had entered the kingdom of God, it was among us and we were loved and secured by God in his family. Jesus set aside the legal observances, turning the spotlight on the heart, and asking – “do you love and trust me above all these rules; above your racial purity; above your wealth and status in Israel?” Jesus came and poured out God’s love unstintingly, with a breathtaking abandon and – in the eyes of the Pharisees and teachers of the law – a reckless disregard for tradition! And time after time, Jesus called those who believed in him to live as he did – because this recklessly generous life reflects the heart of our God, the love which held nothing back when it came to doing for us what we desperately need and cannot do for ourselves.

Do I believe that God is astonishingly merciful? Well, yes I do, because he reached me and rescued me, and continues to seek out those like me who have done nothing to deserve his favour. Do I see God’s provision of sun and rain, day and night, for every human being on the planet? Yes, I do! He does not grudge us the good gifts we receive, and more than that, He chooses to show grace and love even to those who persist in dishonouring and grieving his holy, loving heart.

As I contemplate the way that God’s kingdom generosity pours out from Jesus, I am challenged to consider my own attitudes and behaviour: do I consistently choose to love, to give, to rejoice and live in the light, no matter what happens to me? Am I grudging or giving with gladness? Which attitude honours the God who gave his son for me? Which way of living will rightly mirror the God whose grace is amazing, and whose goodness is readily shown to those who reject him?

O Lord, God of heaven, in your mercy work in me that I might live to honour you by living abundantly, generously, giving as you give, forgiving and eager to do good that others might thrive. Show me what I have to spend in this way – my words, my time, my love… Show me where I am miserly, fearful and indifferent – release me to live for you, showing me what it looks like here and now to be like my Father in heaven. Let me follow my Saviour in a life of selfless love, that you might be glorified and lives transformed. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Outlook.. changeable!

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He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you servants who do his will. Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, O my soul.

(Ps 103. 10-22)

There is a child in my heart; a child who fears to grieve those she loves, who is deeply ashamed to cause trouble or hurt, who longs to see those around her happy and untroubled. The child often apologises for things that may not be her fault, in an attempt to smooth over discomfort. The child is terrified to express desires, or make choices which may cause discomfort or inconvenience to others. The child is often tired of her failings, and of not managing to grow out of them. The child struggles to see any difference between her failings, and herself – often wishing that she herself were out of the way, so that the lives of those she loves could run without the continual irritant of her faults. The child sees little value in her own contribution to life, except as far as she can please others and make their lives better.

The adult in my heart knows that she is made by God for a purpose; made to know and be known by him; made to serve and delight in him; made to delight in the world, in other people, and all the good gifts which he gives day by day. The adult knows that she is loved, saved, guarded by eternal arms and assured of an inheritance in the world to come. The adult knows that she is forgiven, and forgiven again; and that the love that matters will never fail her and knows her heart’s desire is to be made pure.

The voices of the child and the adult are vying for my attention; first one, and then the other speaks loudest, and as a result I am in a pitiable state of turmoil, at the mercy of some deep, destabilising emotions. The outlook changes not only from day-to-day, but almost minute to minute, and it is very tiring. In such a condition, I do my utmost to cling to the rock which is my Saviour’s love and saving power; his settled disposition for my eternal good. I seek the discipline to recall and meditate on God’s promises to me, promises to forgive, and to transform. I seek ways to lift my head up out of my own mess to look at the great big story of His-story – of God making His kingdom come, and His will be done. In that gloriously wide perspective there lies the possibility of renewed confidence, of peace and the conviction that the battle is won, and I walk under the victor’s flag. The struggles which beset me are put into their place and revealed as skirmishes with the enemy of God’s children, who is using my weakness to draw me away from my Saviour, and bind me in a dungeon of self-pity and despair.

I WILL NOT be bound; I WILL claim the victory which Christ has won over all the powers of evil in this world. And this I do because by the Spirit, God will do it for me! He does not change, when I do. He does not weaken or get distracted. Let my soul praise the Lord!

Heavenly Father, Almighty and Everlasting, whose faithful love never fails, and whose purposes are sure of being fulfilled, I praise and thank you for your steadfastness. You know that I am struggling in these days, fighting a wall of noise which accuses me of failure, stirring up every old shameful act, and every memory of a good deed not done. Have mercy on me, you know that I am but dust. In your fathomless compassion, restore in me by your Spirit, the faith, hope and upwelling gratitude which should be the heartbeat and rhythm of my life as your child. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Dreams and visions…

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“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days and they will prophesy… And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles.. which God did among you through him.. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him… Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear…. Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

(Ac 2.17&18,22-24,33&38)

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory.

(Eph 1.13&14)

I have never personally experienced any of the more dramatic gifts of the Holy Spirit, no prophetic words, or dreams, nothing out of the ordinary. I do nonetheless believe that as a follower of Jesus, I am indwelt by the Spirit; I believe that God himself is the source of my life and is transforming me into the image of his Son. I believe that as I walk by faith down the years that God gives me, I am learning to think, to love and to live more and more according to God’s will – because He is making me new by the work of his Spirit. 

God works through each of his children, their gifts and strengths just as much as their weakness and failures – which is a great comfort. It means that I can rely on the Spirit to direct me in serving and living for God in the place to which I have been called. At the moment, that service primarily looks like making a home, and getting to know a large congregation of people. But I am praying that over time, through daily duties and apparently random encounters, God will be directing me and leading me into the particular tasks which are already prepared. 

I don’t have an agenda; I don’t know what is right yet and many things are good! So I pray for wisdom to discern over time just where to commit time and energy. And yet, there are ideas lurking in my mind which I can’t shake off, and which I am accordingly bringing before God in prayer, asking if these are of his sending.. 

I see in my mind’s eye a packed church, with hundreds of young people praising and rejoicing in their Saviour, committing to serve their God and their community in love and faithfulness… a dream, yes. But also a reminder that God can do anything when He releases people from their bondage to sin and death. I believe that, I long to see it in this place…

And I long to share with other believers from across the town in praying for our community and all the various forms of witness to Jesus which happen within it. When God’s people gather to pray, beautiful things happen – mutual encouragement, strengthened faith, new boldness and expectation that God will break through in transforming power.

Lord God, my loving Father, thank you that I can trust you to glorify your name as I surrender to your will and serve you as best I can. Thank you that you are at work transforming my mind and heart, and for these desires which you have given me – to see our young people, and our whole community reached with the good news. Lord, lead me according to your will, to those with whom I can pray.

Pour out your Spirit in this place and bring transforming power to the lives of those around us. The living death which is exile from you and bondage to sin, cannot resist you since Jesus has broken its power, and how we long to see his victory realised in each and every individual! Your kingdom come, your will be done, in this place as it is in the heavenly realms..

in Jesus’ powerful and glorious name I pray, Amen.

 

How can I keep from singing?*

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You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.

(Ps 63.1-8)

In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks, open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock… In the path of your judgements, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.

(Isa 26.1-4, 7&8)

Last week, I wrote very honestly about the weariness and apathy of my spirit, but now I want to remind myself – and you, my readers – of what God’s people have always done as they walk through hard times. They remember, calling to mind the ways that they have seen God working and fighting to regain perspective on reality. Yes, there are many hard things to face: we have concerns about our own spiritual lives, our health and security: we have cares for our families and friends: we see things that undermine our communities and our nation and for all these, we are burdened.

But there are also many things which are good, which show God’s abundant care and divine sovereignty over the power of evil; there are many reasons to persevere and trust in his loving providence.  If, like me, you are prone to looking on the gloomy side of life, the process of realigning your thinking to focus on the positive can feel difficult, and even dishonest. But the evidence of scripture and of thousands of years of God’s people living faithfully, is that this is the best way to deal with the evil one when he tries to bind us in the dungeon of despair, or keep us in byways of introspection and apathy.

So what am I giving thanks for? God’s faithfulness over the 9 months of our time without work, without much idea of the future, living almost day-to-day – our marriage has survived, we have made new friends and had time to rest deeply, so that we enter this new chapter refreshed. God’s timing for us in all of this has been perfect. Our family has seen blessings in the arrival of a new grandchild, the provision of work, places to live, faith sustained and bonds strengthened. There are young people committed to living for Jesus today whom it was our privilege to share life with during their teenage years. And, through all the difficult times of these last months, I have always known that I was held tight in the arms of my Father God, have never felt abandoned or betrayed, and perhaps I have learnt in new ways just what it means to live in His strength, not my own. God is my help, He always has been, and I trust, He always will be. I can sing, because I am within the shelter of his wings.

By all means, be honest with God (He knows your heart anyway!), but then be willing to start counting your blessings, looking at your reasons to be thankful – large and small – and emulate the example of God’s children in receiving God’s providential care with songs of praise.

*This is actually the title of an old and lovely song with many versions, which expresses that desire to honour and respond to God’s faithfulness in a fitting way. I invite you to look it up on the internet and sing along!

My life flows on in endless song; above earth’s lamentation,
I catch the sweet, though far-off hymn that hails a new creation.

Through all the tumult and the strife, I hear that music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul— how can I keep from singing?

What though my joys and comforts die? I know my Saviour liveth;
What though the darkness gather round? Songs in the night He giveth.

No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I’m clinging;
Since Christ is Lord of heav’n and earth, how can I keep from singing?

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart, a fountain ever springing!
All things are mine since I am His— how can I keep from singing?

(R Lowry, 1869)

Can these dry bones live?

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The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones… bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

Then he said to me, “Prophecy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you and you will come to life….. Then you will know that I am the Lord… I will put my Spirit in you and you will live…”

(Ezek 37.1-6&14)

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened… If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

(Lk 11.9,10&13)

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died…. that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again… All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and … he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

(2 Cor 5.14&15, 18-20)

Do you, like me, respond to this command by Jesus to ask, seek and knock by saying… ‘yes Lord, but what about……?’. Perhaps it is just me, with my tendency to see the negative instead of the positive, to focus on the ways that I am not seeing the answers that I want instead of discerning what God is doing.

I am enthralled by the vision of the dry bones coming to life as the word of the Lord is preached to them, and the breath of God, his very Spirit, brings them back from death. I believe that this is a picture of what God does every time a person accepts Christ as their Saviour – they pass from the dry, dusty death which is exile from God and slavery to the ruling powers of this world, into the vivid, spirit-filled and joyous life which is knowing the love of God and fulfilling our place in his plan. The power of the vision is compelling, and motivating – as Paul testifies in his entreaty to the Corinthians not to reject the hope of life which is offered in Christ.

BUT, how many of us have been privileged to witness such transformation? How many of us have prayed for it to happen in the lives of family, friends, work colleagues, members of our community… and seen no change at all? Is this because God’s power is somehow limited? Is it lack of faith on our part, do we fail in perseverance? Surely God is not like some automated vending machine where sufficient input of determined prayer will guarantee the results! But where then does Jesus’ exhortation to persevere in prayer take me?

I have no easy answers to this question, and in honesty I have to confess that at the moment, I am almost apathetic about prayer – the kind of prayer that believes in and hopes for great things to be done; the prayer that keeps on asking, seeking, knocking; the prayer that wrestles with God and will not let go. How can I find the courage and faith to pray like that when I see so many reasons to be hopeless, to lower my expectations as much as possible, to accept the power of sin over so many lives and stop fighting against it?

And so it seems that the dry bones are my own… it is my spirit which is dust-dry and lifeless; my faith which is bowed down into the ground, blind and deaf to God’s work and word. And so I must start with my own heart as I come to God in prayer – prayer as an act of will, a discipline in the teeth of discouragement and weariness, a cry from the heart for renewal and a work of the Spirit in my life so that I may not fail my Saviour. Only God can do this, do I have the strength and faith to keep asking for it?

Lord, have mercy on your child; restore her courage to believe, and strength to live in that faith. May her stumbling efforts at obedience, her dogged attempts to listen and to pray, all these poor rags of discipleship, be objects of your love and compassion. You know how to give good gifts to your children, and you alone know how needy I am. Make these dry bones live, that I might serve you in this place and time, for your glory and in the name of Jesus my Lord, Amen.

On being a faithful workman..

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.. Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses.. [Ezra] had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

(Ez 7.6&10)

Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarrelling about words; it is of no value and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.. don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

(2 Tim 2.11-15,23-26: 4.1-5)

A few days before this piece is published, my husband will have formally taken up his new post as minister for a congregation within the Church of Scotland. The occasion will have included an avowal of a personal desire to glorify and serve Jesus Christ as the primary motivation for his willingness to undertake the task.  In a way, it is the same kind of message which Paul is giving to Timothy in this letter – to a young pastor who is facing the (humanly speaking) terrifying task of leading a church, many of whose members will be older and therefore consider themselves to have more authority and wisdom than he does!!

The calling to serve by entering into Christian ministry, the work of preaching, caring, leading and – where necessary – exercising some discipline – should never be embraced without a great deal of careful thought, prayer and humble, honest soul-searching. It is not a position to be sought for anything other than the conviction that as a believer, one can do nothing else – a strong constraint and sense of identification with the work. If you read carefully through Paul’s charge to Timothy, it is clear that there will be no end to the labour, and that it will be a constant challenge to his temper, his energy, his wisdom, and above all his reliance on God to work through his own personal weaknesses and flaws. Because the best human leaders of God’s people are those who are most acutely aware of their own temptations; who refuse to ‘go it alone’ in the job but make themselves accountable to others; who can apologise where needed, and who will never forget that the work is God’s work, not dependent on their own human wisdom, ingenuity or energetic and constant activity.

As I prepare to support and work alongside my husband in our new place of ministry, may I encourage you to pray for us and for your own leaders, in light of the particular responsibilities and challenges which God has called them to accept?

Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in whose name we pray today, be glorified in the lives and ministries of your servants in the gospel, those called to public ministry and leadership of your people. May each one be like Ezra – knowing your word, living your word and teaching your word faithfully in every situation.

Heavenly Father, these servants are known and loved by you; each one delights you as they serve to the best of their ability, but each is also burdened by a sense of their own limitations, flaws and persistent sins. May they know the joy of being forgiven; may they walk gladly in the light of your love and acceptance of them; may they never forget that your approval matters more than anything else, and their worth doesn’t depend on what happens – for good or ill – in their ministries.

When their energies are lowest; when the human frustrations are deepest; when there seems no hope for change, no fruit for their labours… then, O Lord, have mercy on your servants and visit them with your tender mercies of refreshment and renewal by your Spirit. When there are signs of life, lives being transformed, a liveliness and energy of your power at work… then, O Lord, have mercy on your servants and remind them that this is your work, not theirs and protect them from pride, self-sufficiency and boastfulness.

We commend your servants to you today O Lord, may we love and support them faithfully; may we be honest if we are concerned about them and willing to forgive them, as we ourselves seek to be forgiven. Build your church Lord, for your glory and our blessing we pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

A new place, a familiar task

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The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies – in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

(1 Pet.4.7-11)

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.  In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross!

(Ph 2.1-8)

As I prepare to join a new Christian family, and take up the challenge and privilege of getting to know a lot of new sisters and brothers, I am encouraged by these words from Peter, and Paul. Both writers knew how important it was that these kingdom communities should be distinctive from the society around them – characterised by the values of God’s kingdom, not of the world; places where forgiveness was freely given and gladly received, places where people valued each other and did not seek power, attention, or even the approval of others, but simply made the needs of others their business for the sake of the whole, that all might thrive and grow in love.

We love one another, because Christ loved us: we forgive one another, because in Christ we have been forgiven so much, and it is only as forgiveness acts within the body of Christ that it can thrive, that love can act in transforming, enabling and strengthening us. Unforgiveness destroys not only the offender but also the one offended, and so we must seek God’s help to keep offering it to one another.

My calling in my new place is simply this: to love; to forgive; to offer all that I have been given by God for the good of my new church family. In other words, it is to live as much like Jesus as I am able in this weak and frail flesh. This is my prayer, that I might keep my eyes focussed on Jesus; that his Spirit might continue the work of transformation; that I might be humble, teachable, ready to ask forgiveness and slow to offer advice unless asked! The words of this old hymn put it perfectly….

May the mind of Christ my Saviour live in me from day to day,
by his love and power controlling all I do and say.

May the word of God dwell richly  in my heart, from hour to hour;
so that all may see I triumph only through his power.

May the peace of God my Father rule my life in everything,
that I may be calm to comfort sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea,
him exalting, self abasing this is victory!

May his beauty rest upon me as I seek to make him known;
so that all may look to Jesus, seeing him alone.

May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe,
looking only unto Jesus as I onward go.

 (K B Wilkinson (1859 – 1928))