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))

If.. such a big little word

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While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

(Lk 5.12&13)

Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down, and prayed. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

(Lk 22.39-42)

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

(Jas 4.13-15)

I wonder if you, like me, can identify with the leper in his words to Jesus – “IF you are willing..”? I share the leper’s conviction that Jesus has power to save, to deliver from disease and death. I also share his awareness that it is not for us to dictate to the Sovereign King of all kings, the Ruler of God’s kingdom, the precise ways in which He should exercise that power. It is not for us to grasp every pixel in the big picture, to hold together all the threads of history as it is woven through the lives of millions, across countless thousands of years. We cannot know in detail at any one time just exactly what is best – either for ourselves, our loved ones, or our nation.

If.. is such a little word, but it holds all the dreary and debilitating power of doubt to hold us back from trusting God with all our desires, hopes and fears. We know that down the centuries, God’s children have prayed for peace and had to endure war; they have prayed for rain, and had to watch their children die due to drought; they have prayed for godly leaders, and had to endure persecution, and the authoritarian exercise of power explicitly denying God’s existence. We know from our own experience that faith in Jesus Christ as Lord of Lords and King of Kings does not give us all that we pray for, and we wrestle with disappointment, unanswered questions, crippling grief.

Is God not willing then? Have we misunderstood? I don’t think there are any straightforward responses to this little word, and the massive challenges it raises. But what do we see when Jesus used it? We see an agonised but complete submission to God’s will; a determination to surrender himself to the Love which planned the overturning of human bondage to sin and death, in spite of the price which he would personally pay.

We are called to live as those acutely aware of the frailty of life; of the uncertainty which shrouds our lives even only 24 hours ahead. God asks us to take our hands off the controls (since being ‘in control’ is an illusion in any case), and to let Him be in charge of the world and our lives. We may not always know what God might do in a particular situation – even as the leper was unsure when Jesus came to him that day – but we can always pray for God’s will to be done. We can pray with thanksgiving that in every situation, we have Christ with us and for him to be working in those situations for his glory and our blessing. We can pray for Jesus name to be honoured and for his kingdom to come, heart-by-heart, home-by-home, in our world. We can pray for the Spirit within to motivate and enable us to witness to others by word and deed. We can pray for one another as believers, that we might persevere and grow in our faith, hope and love. We can pray for those who do not believe, that they will repent and return to God before it is too late – since we know that God longs for all his children to know him..

Beloved, let us pray and not lose heart, but, confessing our doubts, bring all our burdens to God, and commit ourselves to submission to his will and obedience to his word. Let unanswered prayer, and especially what look like ‘failed’ prayers bring us quickly to God’s throne in renewed dependence, so that the devil may not render us helpless in despair. Let us pray…

Generous and trusting love

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The King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my father, take your inheritance.. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in… whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

(Matt 25.34&35,40)

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves… Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

(Rom 12.9&10,13)

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God

(Rom 15.5&6)

When we left our previous home 8 months ago, we had no idea what lay ahead, we could make no plans, put down no real roots. It was a difficult experience, waiting and wondering and trying to enjoy each day for the gift it was instead of searching the future. One of the good decisions we made in that time was to commit to attending a church where we had a few contacts, and where we knew the gospel was preached, and lived, week by week.

And what a blessing they have been to us! Knowing that we could not stay for ever, knowing that we could not commit to long-term service and membership, they yet opened their hearts and homes to us and made us welcome. I will never forget the slight anxiety I felt on our first visit to our local homegroup – a strange house, with a room full of people whom we did not know.. by the end of that evening, we were family and how sweetly encouraging and refreshing that was to our unsettled hearts.

This experience has shown me so clearly what a deep bond exists between all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as their saviour, and live to love and serve him. We may know nothing about one another except that one thing, and that is the only one that matters.

When the saints make one another welcome in Jesus’ name, then he is glorified and his love works through us to minister to one another, providing for our needs, whatever they may be. I have needed community in some form, and found it in these loving folk who have let me share their lives, prayed with me, studied the bible with me, and let me share their burdens too. I am in their debt, but I know that they delighted to be generous to me – and I trust and pray that in turn I might follow their example in welcoming the stranger and making myself vulnerable that they might be blessed.

Of course, the drawback of a generous love is the pain of parting; but as believers we know that our parting is not forever. Although our times together in the future may be limited and sporadic, yet in the glory of God’s new creation we will have boundless time and opportunity to share in praising, serving and delighting in Christ together – we will never again run out of time to enjoy one another in his presence!

Heavenly Father, from whom each of us receives our name as your beloved child, I worship and praise you for your goodness to us as we minister to one another in your name, offering grace, love and practical support to friend and stranger.

How beautiful it is to have family that we haven’t met yet, and to know that we glorify you when we meet one another with open and generous hearts. Thank you for this provision which encourages and strengthens us as we journey through life, that we are never without a spiritual home to belong to.

May the Holy Spirit continually soften our hearts to be willing and ready; to be prepared to love even though it may bring the grief of parting; to be prepared to give without thought of return and caring only that the Body of Christ might be built up in love and faith. For the sake and the exaltation of our Lord Jesus, hear this our prayer, Amen

Turning and re-turning..

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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…

(Ps 1.1-3)

…the word of God came to John.. He went through all the region of the Jordan, announcing a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. This is what is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

‘A voice shouting in the wilderness: get ready a path for the Lord, make the roads straight for him! Every valley shall be filled in, and every mountain and hill shall be flattened, the twisted paths will be straightened out, and the rough roads smoothed off, and all that lives shall see God’s rescue.’

‘You brood of  vipers,’ John used to say to the crowds.. ‘Who told you to escape from God’s coming anger? You’d better prove your repentance by bearing the proper fruit! Don’t start saying to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father”; let me tell you, God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! The axe is already standing by the roots of the tree – so every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.’

(Lk 3.2-9, NT Wright translation, 2001)

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work….

(Col 1.9&10)

The words of John the Baptist to his intrigued audience are brutal – he doesn’t congratulate them for coming, but rather castigates them! His mission is to alert the nation of Israel to its desperate need for change – and not merely a political or social change, but a radical heart-transformation which would see them ready to enter into the kingdom of God. John is warning a people steeped in religious tradition that mere ethnic or nominal ‘belonging’ to the children of Abraham would mean nothing, giving no protection from the judgement which will surely come.

John is not saying anything new, but echoing the prophets who had gone before – telling the people over and over that unless they lived out their faith, embracing their calling to be a light to the nations by letting God’s word transform their lives, then they could not expect the receive the blessings of God’s promises.. lip service counts for nothing; going through the motions of ritual observance is fruitless when the heart is far from God.

It takes little imagination to see how this warning continues to apply to God’s people today… the mere fact of having been baptised is meaningless, unless our lives bear the marks of being submitted to God’s word. Having Christian parents guarantees nothing until the child embraces Christ as Lord for themselves in due time, and bears fruit – in turning away from sin, and turning towards God, a continual reorientation throughout their life. Even scrupulous observance of spiritual habits may cloak a heart and mind which remain wedded to the values of the world – remember the rich young man to whom the call to put Jesus before his wealth proved an impossibility?

What am I prioritising ahead of Jesus? What do I hug to myself jealously, fearful lest God should challenge me to set it aside? If John were to come to me today, what would he point out that is hindering my obedience to Jesus, and holding me back from bearing fruit?

Heavenly Father, I confess again that my heart is deceitful and that I need your Spirit to reveal to me my secret sins, my pride, my complacency.  I confess that personal comfort and social acceptance are precious to me.

I desire to bear fruit which will demonstrate your power at work to transform my life; I desire to honour Jesus and glorify him.

May your power work in me to keep me flexible, keeping me sensitive to sin and eager to turn away from it in repentance. Thank you that your power is at work in me to make me fruitful; help me to persevere and to keep re-turning to you in devotion and thankful dependence. For Jesus’ sake I pray, Amen.

For all the saints…

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

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. Alleluia, Alleluia!

(W.W. How, 1864)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

(Heb 12.1&2)

It is good to remember, to give thanks, and to reflect on the blessings of my heritage of faith. This week marked 16 years since father’s death at the age of 69. He died at home, after several years of dealing with cancer, and in that time he taught us so much about submission to God’s will, and contentment in God’s timing and providence. In his acceptance of the illness, he found peace and even joy, and became eager to depart and be with his Lord. My father did not rage against his dying, but graciously and humbly embraced the path marked out for him by God, and never showed any resentment. We were therefore also able release him into our Lord’s hand and keeping,  trusting our heavenly Father to care for us as we said farewell to our human father. I am profoundly thankful that his memory is not a painful thing, but a sweet and joyous thing, bringing tears only when particular joys come to me that I know he would have shared. What a wonderful gift, to be able to remember with gladness and also to know that our parting is only for a time…

He was a father, a faithful son, brother, husband and friend to many, much beloved. He was loyal above all to  the saviour to whom he gave his life as a very young man, and to whose service all his life was devoted. He was a deeply  contented man, finding joy in growing things, in light and colour, in the beauty of creation, and in his family and friendships – one who valued the gifts of God, but loved the Giver most of all.

My father was not perfect, but he was persevering in his faith, and thus his memory is a great and continual source of glad encouragement to me, because I too am not perfect, but by God’s help I am persevering! My father was beloved of God, he trusted in Jesus for salvation and lived to honour Christ – he was a saint in the proper sense of the word. He wasn’t a special class of Christian (there is no such thing as a hierarchy of believers), nor one to whom we should pray (as if Christ were not listening to us, or unwilling to answer our prayers), but he was a saint – one whom God has declared (through Jesus) to be right with him, one chosen and precious and eternally saved. I give thanks for and am proud to be numbered alongside him. The saints of previous generations are examples to us of faithfulness; they testified to God’s goodness and saving power; they modelled godliness and perseverance. From them we learn that although God may not deal with our challenges in the same way as theirs, He is yet a good and faithful God who can and will act for and through us. His promises can be trusted, and our perseverance is possible!

It is, I think, a good ambition for me: to emulate this man in his godliness, contentment and perseverance of faith. I too would be remembered as one who loved Jesus, and showed love and gentleness, generosity and warmth to all who come my way. I would honour my earthly father, by honouring our heavenly Father until the day dawns when we are reunited in his presence and forever share that joy of divine life without shade of guilt, pain or sorrow.

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.

 

 

Resting in His care..

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Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!.. who laid its cornerstone while 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 seen the gates of the deepest darkness?

Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice?

Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’? …. Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jar of the heavens?

(Job 38.4-7,12-13,16-17,28-29,34-35, 37)

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

(Ps 8)

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!.. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

(1 Jn 3.1&4.9)

It has been a cold, wet spring, but I walked today in woods full of the song of small birds, a veil of fresh green covers the trees, the air was warm and the light strong to promote growth and life. I rejoiced in the signs of change, the reassurance that the rhythms which God has created continue at his command, and our world remains under his care.

For all power rests in his hands – no matter what the turmoil and tribulation of our planet might suggest – and we are the object of his love and affection; this beautiful world was made for us to care for in his name. It should be our joy and delight to live as careful stewards of all that is… I am so thankful for the freedom, health and strength to spend time outside in the countryside, appreciating the marvellous handiwork of our great God, and sharing my joy with him. I am encouraged in my spirit as I consider the detail of design, the boundless creativity, the heart-nourishing beauty, and thus my Lord and God sustains and refreshes me.

These past few months have been a testing season for me in many ways – with uncertainty over employment, over where we might live, over the jobs, health, and residence of family and friends. I have not found it easy to wait for the Lord to answer, not always appreciated the answers which he has given. I have been reminded again and again, that it is not I who orders all things for good, but God himself, and it is my part to trust him.

Many questions remain to be answered, with issues unresolved, uncertainties being prolonged; but I was reminded again today that I rest in the hands of the Lord, the maker and sustainer of all things, and that he calls me to trust in his love, wisdom and purposes in all that happens to me.

Lord God, when you spoke to Job of your power and the majesty of your creation, you did not answer his questions.. but you answered his spirit in its agony, and he found rest and peace as he worshipped you. Let me also rest in you; handing over my burdens to you and choosing to trust, praise and glorify you as much in uncertainty and confusion as in times of clarity, certainty and direction. Thank you, that the One who knows and loves me is the One who called the stars into being, and his power and love will never fail me! 

The promise….

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Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up….. be careful that you do not forget the Lord..

(Deut 6.4-7,12)

When the people heard this,… they said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “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. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

(Ac 2. 37-39)

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.

(2Tim 3.14&15)

The baptism of infants is not some magic ritual, nothing about the child changes as a result of having water sprinkled on its head. What happens rather, is that the congregation within which the child is brought for baptism is remembering and celebrating the abundant and free grace of God – who, when we were as dead things, incapable of any move towards Him, sent Jesus to set us free from the power and guilt of sin, so that we might live for and with Him. This child, born to christian parents, is the object of God’s loving care, all because of Jesus.. It is all God’s plan, all God’s power, all God’s agency, and we are invited to receive it!

It is that generosity and love which we celebrate in baptism – the person receiving God’s gift of salvation has done nothing to earn it, and while we pray and trust that they will persevere in faith, the mere fact of having been baptised does not guarantee anything about their future walk with God. Adult believers who have been baptised may walk away from their faith in the same way that the children of believers who have been baptised and raised in their faith may walk away.. I know it, I know those children and their grieving parents. Ultimately, we cannot make a person believe, and baptism can be rejected along with all the other aspects of our calling as believers in Jesus.

Today, I will be joining with my son and daughter-in-law and their congregation as my grandson is baptised. I will pray for him for the rest of my life, that he might grow to walk in the faith into which he has been born; I will pray for his parents to have wisdom in sharing their faith with their son, and in surrounding him with a faith-family; I will do what I can, when I can, to help this little one navigate the hurdles to faith which our blindly self-obsessed culture presents. But I cannot guarantee that he will follow his father and mother, his grand-parents and great-grandparents in trusting Jesus.

The promise was claimed by my parents for me; I claimed it for my children, and today my son will claim it for his son. We are a family rich in God’s grace as some in each generation have accepted their calling to live as followers of Jesus. I desire this more than anything for my own children and their offspring – nothing, nothing else matters as much in all the world, as that they should be safe in Christ. But I also know a very small part of the grief of our great God as he calls people to himself, only to see them reject his love and choose to walk in their own light. If it breaks my heart to see a child walk away from their Saviour, how much more must it grieve God who is love, who made each and every person that has ever lived with the desire that they might know and love him?

Heavenly Father, from whom all good things come, I thank you today for your gift of life and hope, for the child who has  joined our family. Lord God, may he grow up into faith, into a lifelong obedience and service of the Lord Jesus. Thank you that our salvation is your free gift, may I share that good news fervently and freely, so that more may come into your family and find peace.

Lord God, have mercy on those who would reject the faith into which they were born. Give us wisdom to love them well in your name; stir up within them a hunger for more than this world can offer; bring them back to the foot of the cross to accept for themselves the life which Jesus has won for them. Oh Lord, hear our prayer for the straying sheep, and sustain our hope, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Tongue-tied.. but why?

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

(Jn 14.6)

“Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved”

(Acts 4.12)

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no-one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is our righteousness, holiness and redemption Therefore, as it is written :”Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

(1Cor 1.26-2.5)

But in your hearts set apart 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..

(1Pet 3.15)

What is it that keeps me silent when I could speak? Why do I revert to vague generalisations about church, when I have opportunity to speak of Jesus? These questions have been troubling me recently, as I was in that very situation and utterly failed to make proper use of it. I am ashamed and deeply unsettled to realise that I find it so much easier to talk about ‘my faith’, than about the person in whom I have faith.

It has been said that Christianity is not so much a religion, as a relationship, and if that is the case, then I am sadly disengaged from the other party to the relationship! Would a loving wife, when asked about her life, refer continually to her marriage as the best thing in it? Surely she would rather talk about her husband!! In the same way, I realise that my love for Jesus falls short, and is not at the forefront of my thinking. The reality of my salvation, of my eternal hope and the daily help and transforming power of the spirit are what come to mind first, not the person through whom alone I have received them.

This means that my witness, when I have opportunity to speak, is not first of Jesus, but only of how good it is to have faith.. this may have a place, but surely it is not what Paul meant when he shared with the Corinthians, preaching not human wisdom (and much human wisdom relates to the need for faith of some kind!), but the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I do not aspire to be another apostle, but I am aware that the name of Jesus could be on my lips so much more often than it is. I could boast in my Lord so much more than I do, and with gentleness, I could proclaim his unique glory as my saviour and the coming king.

It is pointless to speculate on the whys and wherefores of my reticence, and I don’t want to waste time there, but rather to bring this peculiar reluctance to the Lord himself and ask forgiveness and transformation..

Almighty God, and loving Father, I confess today my lack of love and loyalty to my Lord and Saviour, your son Jesus Christ. I confess that my mind and heart are distracted and often struggle to see him clearly – retreating so readily to consider myself and the blessings I receive from him, instead of recognising and delighting in him as Lord.

I desire to honour you, Father, Son and Spirit; to confess Jesus as my Lord in word and deed, and to proclaim the good news of his salvation to all. I pray you will direct my thoughts, stir up my love, lead my reading and understanding so that the glory, sufficiency, power and unique majesty of Christ might be ever more present in my mind.

Release my tongue to speak of Jesus, in season and out of season; to gently and persistently draw attention to him, and to boast only and always of him. Ignite a fire within my heart, so that all my head knowledge burns with a living flame of love and becomes a place where others may see the light of Christ and meet his love. Let me learn to tell his story and give him glory, in his precious name I pray, Amen.

Hope in the face of despair

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‘Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord, You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth, and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

You are the Lord God, who chose Abram.. You found his heart faithful.. and you made a covenant with him. You have kept your promise because you are righteous. You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt.. You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them.. laws that are just and right…. but they became arrogant and stiff-necked,.. they refused to listen.. but you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, Therefore, you did not desert them..

You gave your good Spirit to instruct them.. You gave them kingdoms and nations.. they revelled in your goodness. But they were disobedient and rebelled against you.. They killed your prophets who had warned them to turn back to you.. You warned them in order to turn them back to your law, but they became arrogant… For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them.. yet they paid no attention, so you gave them into the hands of the neighbouring peoples. But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them.. for you are a gracious and merciful God.

Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all [our]hardship seem trifling in your eyes… In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly…. but see, we are slaves today..’

(Neh 9. extracts between v 5&37)

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” but the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God”, he said,” since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you , today you will be with me in paradise.”

(Lk 23.39-43)

For in my inner being, I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

(Rom 7.22-25)

The truth is that we are broken; our history is littered with things of which we are ashamed and we let ourselves and others down all the time. It is uncomfortable to acknowledge that we are powerless to change the situation, not least because we are the problem – is there then no hope? Humanly speaking, the evidence from history is that even with all our advancing sophistication and knowledge, our capacity to wound, destroy, distort, damage and pollute remains undiminished – even though we claim to know what is good, we cannot do it.

The people of Israel, responding to the Law, confessed their own rebellion, both historic and recent. They recognised the fatal weaknesses which made them incapable of keeping their covenant with God.. their only hope is in the character of the Lord their faithful God, and they simply beg for mercy.

So also the criminal hanging in agony beside Jesus, who made confession of his sin and did not try to justify himself but asked for mercy, by that very act confessing that in Jesus, he recognised the One who had power to deliver, to set free, to make new – the promised Messiah.

And the great apostle, in his wrestling with the deep roots of the glorious gospel which he proclaims, reminds his readers that no amount of zeal for the law and for God’s glory ever enabled a person to overcome their bond to sin – even in his most devoted days as a Pharisee, Paul had known this struggle. BUT now he is set free from that power, and it no longer rules him – he is no longer a slave to sin, but a slave to love and what a transformation that brings!

This is the power of the cross, sealed and delivered as Jesus rose again triumphant over the powers of this world, leading his people into freedom from slavery to the corrupting weakness of sin, and crucially, empowering them by his spirit to live in that freedom.

In the face of our own sins – past and present – we can have hope, because our God is merciful, loving and compassionate. We are forgiven, we have the Spirit within us and new hearts pumping with the love of God, hearts free to choose obedience, loving worship and devotion, hearts which though still overshadowed by human weakness, are no longer bound to fall into rebellion. Our sin is no longer fatal, but a reminder of how much we need to cling to Jesus and trust in his love and saving work on our behalf.

Take courage friends, you are not defined by your past, or even your present, but by the love which claimed you triumphantly on Good Friday, and brought you eternally into the kingdom which one day will be unveiled before all creation – your hope is secure and Jesus has won!