Category Archives: encouragement

Undivided loyalty… to whom?

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This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down…. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

(Jer 29.4&7)

.. the administrators.. tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”..[Daniel] went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just has he had done before.

(Dan 6.4,5&10)

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favour when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

(Eph 6.5-7)

The story of Daniel, the young man taken into exile and put to serve in the administration of the all-conquering Babylonian empire, is a most encouraging one for all who follow Jesus in these ‘in-between’ days. Our Lord will come again, and meantime, we are called to live as those in exile from their homeland, to live in a broken world, whose values are contrary to the kingdom to which we belong. Daniel personifies faithfulness to God, loyalty to the true king, in a foreign land. And Daniel’s faithfulness and loyalty do not take the form of isolation, or rejection of the community to which he has been brought. Neither does he spend his life trying to create rebellion, or undermining the regime which has brought destruction to his land.

Daniel recognises the hand of God in all that is happening – exile itself is the direct result of Israel’s chronic failure to keep the God’s covenant, and Daniel has faith and wisdom to discern the truth that God’s love and faithfulness to his people means that although exiled, they are by no means forgotten or abandoned. And so Daniel does exactly what God commanded the exiles – through Jeremiah the prophet – in committing themselves to seek the good of their new communities. To be loyal and obedient to God, as an exile, meant being the very best citizen of Babylon that he could be, serving with all his strength and integrity… and that without adopting the religion of Babylon, or letting anything else take God’s place as Lord.

Daniel shows us it can be done, that to faithfully follow our Lord as exiles means being fully committed to the welfare of our fellow human beings; putting all our resources to work in their service; being fully present in this broken world, while remaining entirely loyal to God. This calls for trust, that God is at work to fulfill his promises; it calls for discernment to know when to stand for God’s ways in the face of persecution – and then for courage to go on obeying God as Daniel did in continuing to pray when it had been prohibited by the king. May we have wisdom in our own lives to recognise those places where God’s authority in our lives is being undermined or challenged; may we have courage to stand firm in obedience and in loyalty to our God at those times. It is fascinating to see that Daniel and his fellow Israelites – Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego – didn’t go looking for fights, they had wisdom to know what really mattered, and then to stand firm – and how courteous and peaceful is their resistance!

But I also find it very encouraging to see that Daniel lived a fruitful and godly life as an exile, knowing and walking with God, enjoying his favour over long decades of service to pagan rulers. Daniel was able to witness to God down the years, to a succession of rulers, and only in glory will we discover just how many citizens of Babylon came to living faith in the God of Israel because of the testimony and life of his loyal servant. Isn’t that encouraging to us?! May God sustain our faith and keep us loyal to him in our own exile; may we also find that our service of God bears fruit in blessing those around us; and may we also continue faithful in prayer and dependence on the goodness of God from day to day.

What kind of pilgrim?

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As for God, his way is perfect. The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he causes me to stand on the heights.

(Ps 18.30-33)

Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”..

Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs… 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;… 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.

(Isa 35.3&4,6-8,10)

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

(Matt 7.13&14)

“I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.”

(Jn 14.6)

I was privileged on a recent holiday to spend 3 days walking in the Italian Alps, to be immersed in the glory of creation and slowed right down to that moment-by-moment focus which deeply refreshes the spirit. Sometimes the path wound through trees, by fast flowing icy streams, gently climbing or descending so that I could relax and enjoy the view, take in the scents and sounds. At other times, the conditions were so demanding that every step was a matter of careful deliberation, of balance and of courage – ‘Don’t look down, just move slowly, don’t think about how loose all these stones are.. ‘ This was a regular internal conversation!

I had brought a book to read at night – choosing ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ by John Bunyan, and finding that although the language feels alien, yet the truth it portrays is as powerful as ever, and was reinforced by my daily experience. And as I thought about all the different characters whom Bunyan introduces, I wondered what kind of pilgrim I am? As a child, reading ‘Little Pilgrim’s Progress’ (by Helen L Taylor, 1947), I found myself identifying strongly with Much-Afraid, a young woman much oppressed by her many fears. And I have to confess that she remains the pilgrim with whom I feel most connected – how our fears and doubts can hold us back from the joyous, confident and steady progress which is our Lord’s calling, and for which He has made such ample provision!

The testimony of scripture is that our pilgrimage as God’s beloved, redeemed people is indeed abundantly provided for – we as followers of Jesus, are called followers of the Way, and he has defeated every foe that we may encounter on that road. His victory is ours, and his strength, wisdom and joy are also ours to appreciate and live by on our journey. He is both our journey’s end, and also the means by which we travel; and since he knows the path which we take, nothing surprises or takes him unawares. He has called us and brought us safely through the narrow gate onto the path which is the Way of holiness – his holiness, not ours – and no matter whether we pass through green valleys and by clear refreshing streams, or toil over high and exposed mountain passes, yet we go in his company, by his strength, and with our eternal home awaiting us.

If, at some of the most exposed and dangerous parts of our walk, I had allowed fear to take hold of my mind, then I would have been in even greater danger! Fear doesn’t solve the problem, or make it go away, it only paralyses and postpones the ordeal… When I chose to trust my guide, to trust that there was a path where none seemed visible, and to step out – quite literally at one point over the edge – in faith, then I found the way open before me. What a marvellous picture of our journey in faith this is; to recognise the fear, to name it, and then to put my trust in my guide, the Way himself, and to step forward and – trembling at times, tearful at times – tread the path a little nearer home.

May our great guide, our Master and the Victor over all that might frighten us into immobility on the Way, continue to inspire us to follow his leading, depending on his strength, and giving him the glory as we travel homewards!

Not make-believe… truth

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Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life – no longer at sin’s every beck and call! What we believe is this: if we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection.

We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.

That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time – remember you’ve been raised from the dead! – into God’s way of doing things. Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God.

(Rom 6.6-14, the Message)

God brought you alive – right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant cancelled and nailed to Christ’s cross. So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it….. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life – even though invisible to spectators – is with Christ in God. He is your life.

(Col 2.13&14; 3.1,3&4)

Isn’t it weird, how the same words which have been spoken to or read by you for years can suddenly become illuminated with new meaning?! These past months have found me experiencing the personal equivalent of shifting tectonic plates, as my understanding of a particular and key aspect of faith has changed.

It has taken years for me to get to this place, a place where I really know just what it is that I have not understood, and can see clearly the problems that stem directly from that failure. I have prayed and talked, and God in his mercy has directed me through so many different  things – books, recorded sermons, public worship and confession, and above all through the study of his word, particularly in Colossians. I didn’t know it at the time, but this book has been absolutely the right one for me just now!

I am rejoicing in a new sense of who I am as a believer – of the difference that it makes to accept Jesus as Lord of my life. I now more fully grasp what it is to be ‘in Christ’, to be a partaker through him in the divine life and a channel for divine power and love to reach this broken and needy world.

It is not merely make-believe to think of myself as a beloved daughter of the Almighty, it is the truth. It is not a case of pretending something until it becomes real, but a case of stepping confidently into a new reality and then living it out to my fullest capacity. When my heavenly Father looks at me, he doesn’t have to pretend that I am acceptable, doesn’t have to pretend that I am beautiful and pure. It.. is.. the truth, the fact, the reality. How marvellous is that!!

Heavenly Father, I thank and praise you for you have rescued me from darkness into light and liberty in Christ Jesus. I praise and exalt my Saviour, who is the source, the foundation of faith and whose redeeming love for me has won my freedom and established your kingdom. I praise Jesus Christ as the object of faith – all that I hope for, all that I depend on is in him and therefore it is only by faith in him that I can live. He is the author and also the perfecter of faith; he is its beginning and its end. O let me continue to work out in my life what it means that for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain!

Let me learn to love my Saviour more, to enthrone him in my life, to worship him and truly to live in all the riches which he has won for me, and which are my inheritance in him. O Lord, teach me! In the name and for the sake of my Lord Jesus, Amen.

Whose work is it anyway?

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Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.

(1Cor 15.58)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

(Rom 8.28&29)

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

(Phil 1.3-6; 2.12&13)

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart… God disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

(Heb 12.2&3,10&11)

There is something of a mystery going on here; did you notice that quotation from Philippians, where Paul exhorts his readers to ‘work out’ their salvation, and then says it is actually God who is working in them! Who is doing the work?! 

This is one of those areas of faith where we must walk carefully – never falling into the trap that it is by our works that we are assured of salvation, and also avoiding the assumption that I only have to ‘let go, and let God have his way,’ in some passive surrender. I am saved by the all-sufficient work of Jesus, and nothing I can do will add to that supreme act of redemption, nor in any way enhance God’s love for me. I am also called – as a new-made child of God – to give myself wholly to living for and with my heavenly Father, growing closer and closer to my Lord Jesus (and therefore more like him), and depending more and more fully on the Holy Spirit within me to enable all these things. I must work… and yet, it is God who is working in me to fulfill his good purposes!

In sovereign omnipotence, the Almighty God is indeed working to bring all of history to the long-intended climax, the return of Jesus Christ as King of Kings, and the full revelation and establishment of his kingdom. In ways which I cannot begin to understand, this work includes the tiny details of my short and insignificant life – the Eternal One has made this human being his business, and has magnificent plans to include her in what he is doing. And I am invited to fully embrace, accept and eagerly align myself with that working – by the power of the Holy Spirit to submit, to commit, to keep on turning to Jesus. When I recognise the scale of the story into which I am now come as a beloved daughter, I am enthralled and amazed, and long to do all I can to engage with God’s work. 

It isn’t so easy when what I am called to is discipline, suffering, endurance and disappointment. But, if God is truly at work in me, and calling me to embrace that work, then this too is a means of grace. This is part of the work, and I am assured that God will complete what he has begun – so my griefs and labours are never wasted but are taken up and made part of his transformation of me into Christ-likeness.

Heavenly Father, thank you that I can trust you to work your perfect will in my life. Thank you that your Spirit enables me to align with that work, to bring my own fitful and limited powers for your transforming use. Thank you for stirring up in me the desire to embrace your work in my life, to accept your will and find your provision for each step. 

Let me work more and more in harmony with you; trusting that my labours are not in vain because you are directing and enabling them for your glory and the blessing of others. All that I do, is by your power, all the praise is to you, through my Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Words, words, words

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.. we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from God…

Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvellous life God has given us.. Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!

(2Cor 5 & 6, extracts: The Message)

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see….. 

(Heb 11.1-3)

Do you ever find yourself dizzy with words? Driven to distraction by the sense of what seems to be meaningless noise echoing around your head? I love words, I need to articulate my thoughts, but even I can get to the point where I long for some kind of communication which does not include text or speech! The whole of our scripture is about the revelation of the Almighty God to his creation, to his beloved humankind, and much of that revelation is actually by deeds – by the ways in which God deals with people in all their messiness and rebellion. We are encouraged to learn from that recorded history not by memorising the actual words, but by discerning their meaning, the patterns and lessons which they reveal. The glorious exposition of faith-in-action which we find in Hebrews ch 11 is a call to remember, to meditate, to learn from the lives of others – and we can apply that same learning to the lives of those nearer to us in time. I have found so much encouragement from the stories of faith which are shared by more contemporary figures, people like CS Lewis, Elisabeth Elliott, Joni Eareckson Tada, Pete Greig to name but a few.

And yet, over and over I find that until I have wrestled those life lessons into my own words, I have not actually understood them – and as for learning and putting them into practice….well, why do you think this blog is named ‘a forgetful soul’?! On one level, words are meaningless because of themselves, they cannot do anything. And yet on another level, they are powerful because they are the means by which our thinking and understanding is shaped and changed. And so, although I get weary of reading, weary of wrestling with my thoughts to articulate them, weary of chasing first one writer and then another in hopes that their words might somehow communicate to me just what I need to hear – yet still I read, I wrestle, and I investigate. And all the time I am praying that God will take these words and make the truth which they represent real for me – that I will learn to know by experience what the words are trying to portray for me. My constant cry is “What does this look like in real life, in my life today?”

I write today to encourage myself to persevere with words; and to encourage others also as they seek to grow in faith and maturity, in wisdom and love as God leads and directs our lives. The 66 books which we call our bible (which simply means a mini-library of books) are where we start; our lived experience informs much of what we read and must be where we work it out; the lives of others will teach and shape us as we observe God at work in their situations too. And ultimately, it is by the Holy Spirit working within that the truth read becomes the truth lived – we no longer seek to explain faith; we live it. We no longer simply describe the freedom of Christ as it should transform our lives; we exercise and experience it. The bud breaks, and the flower of Christ’s life in us is unfolded day by day, as his power unfurls each glorious petal of our transforming personality.

Merciful and loving Father, hear us today as we thank you for your power in us to transform our lives. We read and learn and ask that you will take the words on our lips and in our minds and make them real in us. May we live by faith in you, trusting in you at every step. May we live expansively, generously, unafraid and great-hearted because you have set us free in Christ. Let our words mean something for eternity; let us embody Christ, the living word of God himself – for your glory and our blessing. Amen.

Love so amazing…

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Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on.”

(Mk 12.41-44)

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgements, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and leasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.

(Romans 11.33-12.1)

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

(Ps 51.17)

The revolutionary work of Jesus in his life, death and resurrection has depths of meaning and significance which humanity has never plumbed, and which will be revealed only in the days of the age to come when all is made new and God dwells with his people for ever in glory. But, it also achieved much that we can, at least partially, grasp, and there is so much to rejoice in and give thanks for as we meditate on all that happened that first Easter.

We know that because of the cross, the power of darkness and evil over humanity has been broken – the door has been opened that the slaves might be free and also that the opposition to God’s purposes in creation might be fulfilled. There is nothing which can stop God’s kingdom from being fully and gloriously established.

We also know that because of the cross, the brokenness and rebellion in our own hearts has been dealt with; God’s holy wrath against sin has been rightly expressed and the penalty paid. We know that as those who accept Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, we have nothing now to fear; not only this, but the one who frees us is also seeking to know and love us – he is inviting us into the relationship for which we were always destined and from which sin divided us.

What is our response? We cannot in any way enrich God, all we are and have is his gift to us! But the divine love which has passionately pursued and redeemed us compels a response.. Christ died that I might belong completely to him. Let me then hold nothing back – and let me also never be ashamed of how little there is! A loving and committed heart will always delight the Lord, and whether we come in robust health and worldly riches, or in poverty and illness, we are welcome. It is our intimate trust and acceptance of his love which he desires.

The missionary Amy Carmichael learnt much about bringing her troubles, weaknesses and apparent poverty to the Lord as her worship and offering. This poem beautifully articulates her shame at having not even patience to endure pain – no virtue with which to extol the Lord. But how tenderly her offering of emptiness is received, how gently she is reassured that her Master longs for nothing so much as to be present with her, how strong the promise that there will be songs of praise again.

The Song Bird’s Song

Thy servant, Lord, hath nothing in the house,
Not even one small pot of common oil;
For he who never cometh but to spoil
Hath raided my poor house again, again,
That ruthless strong man armed, who men call
 Pain.

I thought that I had courage in the house,
And patience to be quiet and endure,
And sometimes happy songs; now I am sure
Thy servant truly hath not anything,
And see, my song-bird hath a broken wing.

My servant, I have come into the house —
I who know Pain’s extremity so well
That there can never be the need to tell
His power to make the flesh and spirit quail:
Have I not felt the scourge, the thorn, the nail?
And I, His Conqueror, am in the house,
Let not your heart be troubled: do not fear:
Why shouldst thou, child of Mine, if I am here?
My touch will heal thy song-bird’s broken wing,
And he shall have a braver song to sing.

– Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)

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.

Ordinary people, with an extraordinary God!

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Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent… Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

(Gen 18.10-14)

The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “Alas, Sovereign Lord”, I said, “I do not know how to speak, I am too young.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young’. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid.. for I am with you.”

(Jer 1.4-7)

The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa.. He said “The Lord roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem;”

(Am 1.1&2)

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah.. his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God…. and they were both very old. Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense… Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him.. “Do not be afraid Zechariah, your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you.. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God”

(Lk 1.5-11,13&16)

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled”….. Elizabeth exclaimed.. “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

(Lk 1.38&45)

‘I’m only..’; ‘I couldn’t….’; ‘what use would I be?’ Perhaps you can identify with these phrases, perhaps like me, they spring often to your lips or mind? Today, I stood with others to watch athletes taking part in a 10km race, full of admiration for the strength and stamina on display, and well aware that I can’t do that. I read or hear of people who are incredibly creative, producing works of art, or wonderful crafts, and my own abilities become insignificant by comparison. I am not particularly clever or witty; I am unable to sustain a reasoned argument in theology or anything else; I am illogical and sentimental; I am almost allergic to adrenaline except in a very few circumstances and thus avoid risk at all costs! What use can I be to God?!

How encouraging then to be reminded, in the words of scholar NT Wright, that

“God regularly works through ordinary people, doing what they normally do, who with a mixture of half-faith and devotion are holding themselves ready for whatever God has in mind.” (Luke for Everyone; SPCK, London;2001)

Sarah thought she was too old; Jeremiah thought he was too young; Amos was a shepherd, not a trained theologian or speaker; Zechariah and Elizabeth also felt rather past it for child-rearing; and Mary, the mother-to-be, wasn’t even married! Each one was met by God, met with strength and enabling as they stepped forward into God’s calling on their lives. Each one found that the God who had called all things into being, whose cosmic plans for salvation and transformation reached across the centuries, yet knew their hearts, their fears and doubts, and said ‘Is anything too hard for me?’

In their, and our weakness, God’s strength and wisdom are displayed. In their, and our obedience (however doubting and hesitant), God’s purposes are fulfilled both for us personally and for his greater glory. Our God has not changed; and thus we may expect that as we make ourselves available – just as Mary did (although possibly more in the incredulous spirit of Sarah or Zechariah!) – so our God will glorify himself and bless us as we persevere in dogged, dutiful, devotion.

Heavenly Father, thank you that so many times you have worked through the small people, the insignificant people, unseen by the world because they are just ‘ordinary’. Thank you, that you are the Extraordinary God, whose power is seen so fully when we surrender ourselves to your bidding, and choose to make your will our delight. Thank you for the empowering of your Spirit within, which makes us able and willing to live for you in this way. Let awareness of my own weakness never stand in the way of obedience to your call, but let me say, like Mary, “May your word to me be fulfilled.” For Jesus sake, Amen.

 

 

Cause for celebration

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And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name….. Be joyful at your festival

(Deut 16.11&14)

“Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below – you who keep your covenant of love with your servants… But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!”

(1Kgs 8.23&27)

Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, ‘Amen, Amen!’ Then they bowed down and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground…. Nehemiah said, ‘Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’

(Neh 8.6&10)

‘You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.’

(Jn 4.22-24)

Human beings live with a great dilemma – whether they recognise it for what it is or not… I believe that we are made, in love and wisdom, by the author of creation itself, by God who is outwith time and space, whose power and majesty, holiness and glory are beyond our comprehension. We are made to be in relationship with God – we are loved, and designed to be fulfilled in that mutually delighting context. BUT, because of the stain and brokenness caused by our rebellion and pride, we cannot ever enter into that state of total fulfilment and satisfaction, we must be ever searching and never finding, always hungry and never filled. No other source of satisfaction can take the place of our Father God in our hearts, no other purpose can truly absorb and rightly use all our gifts and abilities.

The story which is revealed through the history of God’s interaction with people, first with Abraham and ultimately with the Jewish people, is a story of redemption, of putting right, of making it possible for God to dwell with his people again and for them to know and love him, thriving in his presence. That purpose was fulfilled, not only for the Jewish people, but for all nations of the earth, in the work of Jesus Christ and through him alone we see hope for our transformation and restoration, for the inauguration of God’s kingdom as it was designed to be.

Because of Jesus, we can know our maker; because of Jesus, we can come into his presence without fear, and with the eagerness of beloved children; because of Jesus, we dwell continually in the light of God’s smile and under his providing and directing hand; because of Jesus, we know who we are, and whose we are, and our lives have purpose.

The unimaginable greatness of our God should bring us to our faces on the ground in worship and awe; and the love of our God, through Jesus, should bring us to our feet and cause our voices to ring out in praise and loving thankfulness for such limitless grace. Of all the creatures under the sun, Christians should live each and every day with a wellspring of delight, joy and hope, because we have seen the face of the Eternal, and it is love, forgiveness, transformation. It is the face of Jesus Christ, who made his dwelling among brokenness in order to make all things new, in order to destroy the power which kept us blind, powerless and shut out from the life and light of God’s love.

Almighty God, dwelling in glory and purity, unrivalled in power and majesty, I worship you today. It is because of Jesus that I can know the One who knows and loves me; because of Jesus I can be at home with you – at the seat of life in all its fulness, which is your life dwelling in me by the Spirit.

Let me honour the privilege which is mine through Christ, let me never forget that I dwell by your grace within the care of your love and am safe forever in your family. Let this glorious truth underpin my days; let it sweeten every bitterness or disappointment; let it be my strength for the trials and my crown of joy in every situation. For the sake of your Son, my Saviour, Amen.

Remembering well….

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When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests… took their places to praise the Lord.. :”He is good; his love to Israel endures for ever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid…

(Ez 3.10-12)

‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘This is what I covenanted with  you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear…. The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.

(Hag 2.3-5,&9)

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland…. to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself, that they may proclaim my praise.

(Isa 43.18-21)

As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ… you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

(1 Pet 2.4,5&9)

One of the beaches where I used to swim often had lines of shingle and shells thrown up by the tides, and after spotting one, I began to collect these little yellow shells whenever I visited the beach. Now they sit on my desk as a tangible reminder of a special place and season of my life, times of great happiness and precious friendships.

What do we do with such memories? I believe memory is a gift, one of God’s good things for us to enjoy – and like all his gifts, to accept and use responsibly for our blessing and his glory. Will I choose to use memory as a means of growing in faith and thankfulness? Or will I choose instead to cling to memory as a means of feeding resentment, self-pity and doubt?

Many of the people of Israel who returned from exile to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem could remember the old building; the city as it had been before the Babylonians reduced it to rubble and ruins. When the first celebrations took place around the new altar, with the foundations of the new temple visible, they were overcome with grief for what had been lost, remembering past glories and all the people and way of life which had been swept away. We can understand and sympathise with their feelings – who among us has not experienced such complex and overwhelming sadness on revisiting old haunts where we knew precious people and events?

But God knew the danger of such emotions, if unchallenged, and sent Haggai and Zechariah to speak to the people, to channel memory along different paths. When they looked back, it was to see overwhelming reasons to trust that God would fulfil his promises, and to find confidence and courage to obey him in the task appointed to them. Our God is sovereign over time and history, and his ways are beyond our understanding. His kingdom confounds human expectations, his strength looks like weakness, and his wisdom looks like folly. But, he is at work and the final glory of his house will indeed be so much greater than any of us can imagine!

God would indeed build a new house, a people to glorify his name as has always been his plan – and in every age, his ways will be different. Let us then be thankful, that we are part of this wonderful kingdom building, and while we give thanks for what is past, we do not expect or demand that God return to past glories when what is promised is so much better.

Heavenly Father, I bring to you my grief for good things which are past – people and places which are no longer in my life – and pray that you will keep this wound clean and free of any infection of bitterness. Let me be thankful for your faithfulness, for all the past evidences of your power, your love and provision for me. Let me not resent that you have taken lovely things from me, but rather be thankful that I had them, and be hopeful and expectant for the good things which you will yet give.
When I grieve for the state of your church in our land, remembering past glories, great saints and days of joy, let me not give way to despair, but give thanks for your work in those days. Let me take confidence that you are still working, doing new things that are building your kingdom and bringing glory to your name. Let me be part of this work, part of a people who praise your name, and who look back with thanksgiving and forward in expectation.