Category Archives: worship

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)

Wonder of wonders…

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I cannot tell how he will win the nations, how he will claim his earthly heritage,
How satisfy the needs and aspirations of east and west, of sinner and of sage.
But this I know, all flesh shall see his glory, and he shall reap the harvest he has sown, and some glad day his sun will shine in splendour,
When he the Saviour, Saviour of the world is known.

I cannot tell how all the land shall worship, when at his bidding every storm is stilled,
Or who can say how great the jubilation when all our hearts with love for him are filled.
But this I know, the skies will sound his praises, ten thousand thousand human voices sing, and earth to heaven, and heaven to earth will answer,
'At last the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is King!'
(W.Y. Fullerton, 1857-1932)

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus…. who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead….

(Rom 1.1&3)

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.. each in his own turn; Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

(1 Cor 15.19-23)

[Christ Jesus].. being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

(Phil 2.5-11)

Let all God’s children cry, Amen! Let it be! For today we celebrate the defeat of our great enemy and the glorious assurance which has been won for us by Christ Jesus as he destroys the tyranny of sin and death, releasing us from bondage and bringing us to life in God’s kingdom now and in the age to come. We live in him today, and his power will carry us through the valley of death into his nearer presence and eternal fullness of life, a form of existence beyond our imagining in its pure and vivid perfection. Death is no longer to be feared, but faced with childlike trust in Jesus Christ and in the powerful promises of our Father God. Our elder brother has gone before us, and we can see him as we face that dark doorway, his arms extended in welcome and anticipating joy.

This victory, won once for all time and also gloriously effective day-by-day in our lives, is cause for boundless rejoicing, and will infuse our corporate praise today with great gladness. And as we contemplate the author of this victory, our Lord Jesus, we join our voices and our hearts with all the citizens of the heavenly realms in praising him, extolling his name and worshipping him. Surely he is worthy, worthy to receive so much more than our small songs and frail hearts can offer – but how marvellous to find that even our flawed offerings are cherished and welcomed, and that as we praise our Saviour, he abundantly blesses us and continues to pour out his love upon us. 

Oh Father, how we rejoice today in the wonderful revelation which is Easter Sunday! How we exult to see the tomb empty, and to hear the compassionate love of our Lord as he addressed Mary in her grief, turning mourning into dancing, and giving us an unshakeable hope!

We hear the spiritual realms reverberating with the deafening affirmation of our Lord’s defeat of sin and death; we catch the echo of the angelic shout of triumph as the risen Christ stepped from the grave and the morning sun fell upon his glorious face. We bow in worship before our Lord and Saviour, and wonder, with all the saints, at his glory, majesty, love and passion for sinners. How marvellous, how wonderful is your love for us in Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen

 

And breathe…

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Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm.  He said : “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations? .. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know? Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone – while all the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

“Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it?… Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been shown to you?.. Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?”

(Job 38, extracts)

My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. 

But I have stilled and quietened my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and evermore.

(Ps 131)

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 rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.. and hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

(Rom 5.1,2&5)

I sometimes feel that I have spent much of my adult life trying on different roles, looking at other people and wondering if I ought to be more like them. As I approach my elder years, the pattern persists, and my thoughts continually dwell on what I ought to be doing as a responsible, adult, servant of God – doing with my time, my talents, my body. I can’t seem to get to the place of peaceful maturity which I see in so many other people, and which looks so comfortable! I know that my salvation and identity as God’s beloved child is assured to me, and to that degree, I am at peace with my Father because I live in his love – the only true foundation for peace in this world.

But I remain restless and deeply unsure about what my time and energies are for.. I try one thing, then another; I compare my life and habits to other people and wonder if their pattern is the one for me. I hear an interminable inner monologue of doubt and uncertainty; and underlying that doubt is a major weakness, which is the desire for someone else to tell me exactly what I am for and how that should work itself out day-to-day in my life.

The monologue has been particularly loud in recent weeks, and while I am – obviously – praying for wisdom and the Lord to be working through this to bring me to a fresh discernment and peace in His calling, I also need to be actively seeking ways to switch off the inner voice.. This morning, that looked like a walk near our house, which takes me by a swiftly running river, through great trees and a broad parkland, past beautiful buildings and hardly any busy roads. It was a deliberate step into God’s handiwork, and having chosen to leave my phone at home, it was also a choice to keep all my senses engaged with my surroundings.

And how quickly the Lord met me with his gifts of love – the sense of cold fresh air on my skin; the beauty of the great cedar tree reflected in the water; the calm and focussed absorption of the fisherman with his graceful line floating over the surface; the fascinating immobility of a heron, sheltering in a waterside thicket and seeking food; the sound of running water and the joyous abandon of a dog racing after a ball, every line of its body expressing the joy of being alive.

I returned home refreshed in spirit, and full of thankfulness for the miracle which it is to be alive in God’s good world, and to see, hear, taste and touch the good things which He so generously gives. I am calmed, and reminded that it is ok not to understand, ok to find life overwhelming at times, ok just to slow right down and to be.

Loving Father, I thank and praise you for the gift of this day’s life in your amazing creation. I thank you for the truth that I am safe in your arms, and you love me – no matter what muddles I get into in my thinking about what I am for. Thank you that you delight in me as I am. Thank you that you are so much greater than I can possible imagine, and that your love will never run out. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Getting out of the valley…

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Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?… Those who walk righteously and speak what is right… they are the ones who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. Their bread will be supplied, and water will not fail them. 

Your eyes will see the king in his beauty and view a land that stretches afar… your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved, its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken. There the Lord will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.. For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.

(Isa 33.14-17,20-22)

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.

(Ps 1.1-3)

“It is written; ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

(Matt 5.4)

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

(Jn 4.14)

In these days I am testifying with a full and grateful heart to God’s keeping and directing of me over these months; for his sustaining grace through struggle and weariness; guarding me from folly and from dishonouring him as I seemed to be walking in a maze of dead ends down in the valleys, hungry for the wide open spaces which I believed to be out there! Thanks be to God, who has led and fed, and kept company with me, through his people and through his word – provided for the feeding of his people, who have the privilege of continually being nourished and learning afresh from it. I have received a revelation of grace, experienced the unravelling of knots and been led up over the foothills to the great ‘high ways’ of God’s people.

I am rejoicing in God’s goodness – with renewed appetite for his word and confidence in its power as I see it bear fruit in my life. I am delighting in prospect of a study group with whom to share in learning, sisters in Christ with whom to grow in faith, to share the sheer joy of learning to know God better, to see Jesus more clearly and to worship him with them. A rich banquet is laid out before us on which to feast, where we will meet God and honour him. Truly, our good shepherd provides good food and clear waters for us!

There is a sense of having left behind the narrow and baffling lanes in the valley with their restricted views and lack of perspective. Now I am walking on the ridges, my vision is far-ranging; I can see where I am and where I am going within the context of God’s great plan of redemption and re-creation. The air is clean and invigorating, the prospect glorious, I have food and drink in abundance for my spirit, and lack nothing.

And by whose agency am I brought to this place? By the One whose righteousness is now my inheritance and secure possession, by Jesus Christ the one who has paid for all my sins and through whom I am adopted as God’s beloved daughter. It is all by his loving sacrifice, and thus to him belongs all my praise and thanks. I see the king in his beauty, and the glorious sight brings me such peace and hope. I see the spacious land to which I now belong, and where I will dwell with God and all the saints, and I am near to bursting point with gladness and praise!

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the lessons which you have been teaching me in the valley; and for your preservation of me in those devious and trying paths. I praise you that your grace is now more fully revealed to me, and I am reinvigorated for my journey. Let me not forget the lessons of the valley – above all let me not forget that I can trust you to be working even when I am baffled, grieved and weak. In the name and for the sake of my precious Lord and Saviour, Jesus, I pray, Amen.

Love.. is

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God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature…”

(Gen 1.26. the Message)

Jesus said,”.. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!…. to see me is to see the Father”

(Jn 14.7&9. The Message)

Love from the centre of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. .. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.

Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got in in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”

Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other… When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.

(Romans 12.9-19, 13.8&10. The Message)

By his son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the son at the end. This son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature.

(Heb 1.2&3. The Message)

What are we here for? What is our purpose, and the reason for being human with all that means? The very first words of the Hebrew Scriptures give us the fundamental answer from which an infinite variety of paths will flow – we are here in order to be like God! That doesn’t sound very practical… so let me unpack a little.

God is revealed as the Maker, the great Artist and source of all creative energies. To be like Him therefore is to reflect his creativity, delight in beauty, to share in his care for creation. That overwhelming abundance of good things is made to glorify God and reflect his nature, his generosity; it is an expression of a love that delights to give.

The little word ‘us’ indicates to the reader that God exists in community; beyond time and created space, our Almighty and infinite Maker is in loving relationship, enjoying and sharing at the very heart of deity. To be like God then, is to be made for community, for mutual appreciation and affection, for shared life.

Let’s think in particular, of how to be like God is to love –  how does God love? I believe that all of scripture is a revelation of love in action. From the codes of law which God gave as an expression of love, through the admonitions of the prophets against the lovelessness of God’s people, and ultimately in Jesus life, death and resurrection that love is demonstrated and expressed. This is not a soft, indulgent love; this is a never-quenched flame which burns to achieve the best possible outcomes for the beloved – guarding them against danger, calling them back from the ways of folly and rebellion, providing for them what they most need and cannot achieve for themselves.

We, as the creatures of this loving God, are not called to do all that He does. But in Jesus we have a clear example of what it means to be “like God” as mere human beings. Jesus claimed to be God, to be revealing God to humanity in a perfect way. So Jesus shows us what it is like for a human being to love as God loves.

As you read the wonderfully rich list of love-in-action in Romans, consider how Jesus did all these things during his time walking among us. Rejoice that none of these things is out of our reach! We are not being called to an impossibility but to the fullest kind of life, one which is our calling, that perfectly fits what we are designed for – to love, because God first loved us.

We have this one shared purpose, and there will be as many expressions of it as there are human beings – no two people will live for and with God in the same way, but each may know what it is to love God and others with all that they are. Love, is to offer up all that God has given us in his service, generously sharing his gifts and our own experiences of his goodness in that unique path to which we are assigned by his grace.

People of the book

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“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

(Jos 1.7-9)

Be good to your servant while I live, that I may obey your word. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times… Your statues are my delight; they are my counsellors.

(Ps 119.17-20&24)

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfil them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

(Matt 5.17-18)

“You study the scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very scriptures that testify about me.. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me..”

(Jn 5.39&46)

How do you approach the book we call the bible? It is in two parts, and consists of multiple books of diverse nature, written at least 2000 years ago and much of it longer ago still.. As a follower of Jesus, I look to his opinion, and find that he describes what we call the Old Testament – the law, the prophets and the wisdom books – as all speaking about him! He describes himself as the fulfilment of that great diverse collection of narrative, poetry and vision. He never rejected any of them, rather he says that if we read and treasure those scriptures without finding him, then we are wasting our time! The whole point of that great enterprise, the formation of the Hebrew Scriptures, was to lead people to expect and then to recognise Messiah; to understand and embrace what God was doing. We cannot therefore call ourselves followers of Jesus and reject those very books which He came to fulfil. The carefully crafted biographies of Jesus, and the early church, the pastoral letters, and the great vision of John have all been accepted by God’s people as authenticated scripture – the words of the Father to the body of Christ as the means by which we might know and learn and share the good news.

Our attitude to scripture matters – if we want to really begin to learn from it, then we have to accept that it is unlike our literature; written in ancient languages, birthed out of alien cultures, grounded in basic assumptions which we no longer share, designed to be heard and read aloud in community, delivering its message through narratives and poetry, and revealing in its structures the core belief of the human authors that they were serving the Divine purpose in writing, editing, collecting and arranging the work.

This collection of books is unlike anything else we might encounter in our lives – the God-breathed, human writings which in spite of their age and distance from our cultures, yet speak truth and reveal God’s nature and purpose to us. We, as Christians, treasure the bible because in it we find Jesus, and although we may struggle with some of the methods of revelation, and with some of the messages and narratives which we read, yet we are compelled to keep reading, thinking and learning. This collection of books will go on yielding rich fruit through a lifetime of meditation and study!

Heavenly Father, I thank and praise you for the revelation which is contained in what we call the Bible. I thank you that we can spend our lives reading and learning from it, and never master it – it is a mirror of your infinite beauty and wisdom.

I thank you Father for the skill and wisdom of those who, down the years, have given their talents and time to unpack truth for us, sharing and recording their discoveries so that we might grow in wisdom and confidence in your word.

I thank you Father that in your generosity, you speak to us through the words of scripture whether we have only a few minutes or little understanding; or have spent hours and years learning. Guard us, your church, from the mishandling and dishonouring of your word – let us be humble in our assertions and willing to discover that we may have been wrong!

Let us not worship the words, but the Word revealed; let us respect the words and glorify the One whom they present; let us keep on learning and growing in understanding, not because we thus earn salvation, but because we thus live more faithfully and joyfully with you. For the sake of our Lord Jesus and in his name we pray, Amen.

*the author wishes to acknowledge her debt to the team at the Bible Project for the inspiration of this post..https://bibleproject.com/

The blessed ordinariness…

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‘The Elixir’

Teach me, my God and King, in all things thee to see,
And what I do in any thing, to do it as for thee:

Not rudely, as a beast, to runne into an action;
But still to make thee prepossest, and give it his perfection.

A man that looks on glasse, on it may stay his eye;
Or if he pleaseth, through it passe, and then the heav’n espie.

All may of thee partake: nothing can be so mean,
Which with his tincture (for thy sake) will not grow bright and clean.

A servant with this clause makes drudgerie divine:
Who sweeps a room, as for thy laws, makes that and th’ action fine.

This is the famous stone that turneth all to gold:
For that which God doth touch and own cannot for lesse be told.

(George Herbert, 1593-1633)

My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and for evermore.

(Ps 131)

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

(1 Tim 6.6-8)

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

(Col 3.23&24)

I am in a season of uncertainty and shadows, besieged by questions and easily distressed by the normal challenges and little problems which we each face daily. I am drawn to the small daily responsibilities which are my privilege, and reminded that in everything we are and do, we are offering ourselves in worship to the Lord. The poem with which I began today is not particularly easy to read, the language is antique, but I would encourage you to take a little time to ponder its meaning. It has always brought me great comfort in seasons like this – when all I seem able to cope with are the small things of life.

My attitude to my tasks – whether it be washing dishes, cleaning bathrooms, weeding and tidying the garden, taking time to listen to friends and share their lives for a time, sending birthday cards and connecting with family – speaks of my attitude to the opportunity of my life. It is God’s daily gift to me, a fresh opportunity to serve Him and to love Him, seeing and giving thanks for the abundance of good things which I receive and can share with others. It is a privilege to have a house to keep, food to cook, clothes to wash and friends to meet. A garden is a wonderful opportunity to appreciate and care for creation, seeing in my small patch a little portion of the marvellous creativity of the Maker of all things.

Cultivating faithfulness to my Lord in the small ordinary things is good for me, helping me to remember that I depend on Him for everything, and that every day brings me opportunities to enjoy His goodness, His gifts, and His presence. I see the beauty in the mugs and plates we use each day – the colours delight my eyes. I feel the warmth of the clothes which cover me, and am grateful for the skill of the designers and makers who bring colour and texture into each day. I taste the goodness of our food, and the fresh air delights my senses, like the light on my face and the wind in my hair. All these things can be prompts to thankfulness and worship of my God, to renewed trust in His provision for me and faith that He will not fail me tomorrow..

Heavenly Father, I thank and praise you for the daily opportunities of my life; opportunities to taste and see your goodness in creation, to receive your love for me through Jesus, and to share that love and all you give me, with others.

Help me to see you each day, to discern your voice and to obey it. Help me to cherish every opportunity to work for you, in whatever form that may come to me, offering up the work in praise and thanksgiving as I serve my Lord in loving response to his abundant love for me.

Thank you that even in the small ordinariness of life, I can know you, serve you, and glorify you, Amen

To hear is to obey…

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Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live..

(Isa 55.2&3)

My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding.. then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

(Prov 2.1,2&5)

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said…. [the Lord answered] few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.

(Lk 10.38,39&42)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do.

(Jas 1.22-25)

I think we can all sometimes have ‘hearing’ problems when it comes to our relationships, particularly with God but also with one another. How often have I been guilty of distracted listening, of paying little real attention to the person speaking to me? And the result is that I misunderstand them, often hurting them as it becomes clear by my inappropriate responses that I have not cared enough about them to really listen and absorb their words. Arrangements get messed up, feelings are hurt, and a whole heap of unnecessary trouble arises, when I fail to listen. Our sense of hearing can only really function properly when our minds are also engaged, to process and act upon what we hear.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word used for ‘hearing’ implies an obedient active response. If nothing is done in response, in or by the listener, then they weren’t actually listening at all! As a follower of Jesus, I am called to listen for his voice, not only because He wants me to know him, but also because without listening – really hearing with all that implies about willingness to respond – I cannot know what He would have me be and do as his disciple.

As I listen, I put aside my own assumptions about God’s character and purposes for his kingdom, and I choose to be open to being wrong about all sorts of things! I put aside the wisdom of the world around me, and I choose to learn the truth of God. I choose to remember that I am dust, and that God’s ways are far above my comprehension – that not to understand is no reason to disobey the Almighty, if I truly trust him…

There are many good things which could be done in the name of Jesus, but unless I prioritise listening in humility and expectation, then I may end up very busy with a whole lot of things that are not my calling.. I trust that God will lead and enable me for the work I am to do, and that labour will always be founded in obedience to the word which I hear. There will be a continual rhythm of attentive, critically self-aware listening, which naturally bears fruit in a life of sacrificial love and delight in the One whose voice we are tuned to above all others.

Heavenly Father, let me, like Mary, choose to sit at my Lord’s feet as his disciple. Give me the hunger to hear his words, and the humility which keeps me from thinking I already know it all. Let me remember that busyness is not equal to holiness; that I do not earn your favour by working for it; that all I can ever do is respond in thankful service to your abundant and unfathomable grace to me.

Let me live then in this rhythm of listening first; of making time to read and ponder your word, and trusting that you will lead and enable me then to live for and with you. Speak, O Lord, and let me truly hear and obey your voice – for your glory and the blessing of many in the kingdom, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Not empty rituals but reason…

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“See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations.. What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? …only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget… Teach them to your children and to their children after them…

(Deut 4.5-9)

Ezra came up from Babylon, He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given… [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)

… all the people came together as one.. They told Ezra.. to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. So.. Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand.. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.. The Levites instructed the people in the Law.. making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.. Then all the people went away to.. celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

(Neh 8. 1-3,7&12)

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

(2Tim 3.14-17)

One of the many wonderful things which are revealed to us in the pages of what we call the bible – the combined Hebrew scriptures, gospels, the story of the early church and the letters – -is the emphasis on reason, on understanding, on the clear desire of our Creator that his people should bring all the powers with which He has endowed them to the understanding and expression of our worship and faith. Certainly, rituals were instituted and established by God, to be lived lessons in the relationship which a holy God has with sinful humanity –  but there was always a purpose, a lesson to learn and a principal to apply to life. Our God seeks intelligent worshippers, not blind slavish observance of ritual.

When we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we do not leave our intellect and reason behind, but bring them into the glorious discipline and light of the revelation which God has given us – they are to be used, as every other gift is to be used, to glorify God and to spread the good news of the kingdom which is coming.

In the story of the exiles returning from Babylon to rebuild the temple and city of Jerusalem, we find a wonderful picture of the proper attitude to scripture – recognising its author, its authority, and joyfully celebrating the communication which is given to us by our great and loving God. How amazing, how marvellous and humbling, to find that the eternal, unlimited and all-powerful One would choose to make himself known to our tiny and limited minds… so that we can (at least dimly) glimpse his glory and grasp something of his character. Our minds as well as our strength, our love, and our gifts, are all most fully and satisfyingly occupied when we put them at God’s disposal and spend them in his service.

I know that I shall never come to an end of learning, of finding fresh treasure in the word of God. I know that I am more hungry than I have ever been for this food which nourishes my faith and brings me back to worship – because the more I learn, the more I realise I do not know! 

Lord God, author of wisdom and truth, it is good when your people recognise the authority of your revelation, place themselves under that authority and seek to be transformed by it. Your people are to be your witnesses, and how can we do that unless we know you, know your word and purposes? By that wisdom and the Spirit’s transforming power, may we testify to you in every sphere of life, bringing all our powers to be harnessed in your service. Let our minds be transformed according to your word, and be glorified in us we pray, for Jesus’s sake, Amen.

 

A prayer for the new year…

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Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no-one holy like the Lord; there is no-one besides you’ there is no Rock like our God.”

(1Sam 2.1&2)

Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.

Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name. Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts.

Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees. Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.

(Ps 119.129-136)

“I am the Lord’s servant, ” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.”

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation..”

(Lk 1.38,46,47&50)

I am a child of God. I am a beloved daughter of the King of Kings, and my place in his love, my inheritance, is assured to me. The death and resurrection of Jesus has broken the power which bound me in rebellion against God, and now I am learning what it is to fulfill my calling, my vocation, as one who – in loving and worshipping God – is able to care for the world which He created for us to cherish, and to love people in his name. I am one in the great kingdom of priests, a divine image-bearer to a lost humanity and bearer of good news – the hope which is ours in Christ Jesus. I am slowly becoming fully human, even as Jesus is!

What an amazing and encouraging way to face a new year, with all its unknowns. I have meaning and purpose, I am absolutely secure in the love of God himself, I am fully known and totally accepted. I echo the words of Hannah and Mary, women who trusted God and praised him, not waiting for the fulfilment of their prayers. My soul rejoices in God, my Saviour; there is no Rock like my God!

Almighty God, rock and refuge of your people down the generations, and our deliverer from all that would keep us in exile, far from you and unable to fulfil our calling, I praise you today. I thank you for the revelation of your nature, of the divine purpose to which we are called, and for your great act of salvation by which we are restored and set free to love  and serve you in your creation.

Lord God, I pray with the psalmist for your mercy, that I might receive your direction for my life and not be swayed by the opinions of those who do not know you. I pray that I might be useful to you, in honouring you and serving your people. Grant me an ever greater love for others, that I might be available to them in your name. Grant me your wisdom in speech, in action, in prayer.

Thank you for those divine encounters, when you have used me to bless others in your name, to be light and hope and help. Lord, in your mercy, grant that I may continue to serve you in this way, not shying away but opening my heart to those in need. Let me trust that a passing word, or smile may be enough, and grant me faith to leave them in your hands as I go.

I pray today for those whom I have left behind in 2023 – those encountered in passing, and also those from whose lives I have been withdrawn – by your will and to my sorrow. Lord God, have mercy on us all in our vulnerability, sustain us through loss and change. I pray for those I will meet in 2024, those who will be encountered in passing, and those into whose lives I will be drawn. Lord God, may I be a blessing, never a curse or a barrier to faith and obedient living. 

Father, I confess my lack of love, my disinclination for hard tasks, my fretfulness and so many things that make me hard to live with. Thank you, that in Jesus I am forgiven. I pray that those who suffer by my faults and neglect might, by your grace, be strengthened and healed. May I meet them with humility and love, seeking to give and not to receive.

Loving Lord Jesus, I pray for those who hurt me. May I meet them with love, may I forgive as often as I remember the hurt, and  so obey your command and live as you lived. Let the hurts which others inflict on me only drive me deeper into your love, and make me ever more tender-hearted.

I am your creation, and re-creation. I am your handiwork, to be used for your glory in any way you choose. Let me accept and rejoice in your directing of my ways, even when I find them painful, or tedious, even when they appear to me pointless. Keep me teachable, humble and responsive, and may I find that in the quiet tasks of daily life, you are present and I can live for you there. 

Let me become more and more like Jesus, more fully human, more worshipful and eager to obey your will and to minister your love. Be glorified in me, through my Lord Jesus Christ. Amen