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.

 

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.

Not ‘what if..?’ , but ‘what is!’

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The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbour, and casts no slur on others…. Whoever does these things will never be shaken.

(Ps 15.2,3&5)

“It is reported among the nations… that you are plotting..” I sent [Sanballat] this reply: “Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head.” They were all trying to frighten us…. Also, in those days the nobles of Judah were sending many letters to Tobiah, and they kept reporting to me his good deeds and then telling me what he said. And Tobiah sent letters to intimidate me.

(Neh 6.5&8,17&19)

You, my brothers and sisters were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

(Gal 5.13-15)

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

(1 Cor 13.6&7)

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves and their religion is worthless..

(Jas 1.26)

As a follower of Jesus Christ, one called to live for and with him in a fallen world, I am not given a set of rules to follow for daily living, but rather a person – a holy, pure and loving person whose perfections are both an inspiration and a challenge to me. By the power of the Holy Spirit within me, I believe that I am being made more like Jesus, that each hour and day of my life is seeing his likeness formed more clearly within me and – I pray – that means that I am fulfilling my purpose within his kingdom.

This transformation is not some airy-fairy thing of feelings, or transcendental experience, but totally grounded in practical things – it affects every aspect of my life, all my interactions with other people, both within and outwith my christian family and community. My actions, my use of my time and money, the priorities which direct my decision making and lifestyle, and my words…. friends, our words are part of what God wants to bring into conformity with Jesus too, so that we use them well!

I am reading the gritty and messy story of the return to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the temple and the city after 70 years of exile, under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, and sadly God’s people were not doing terribly well at using their words for the good of the whole community. The social structures, the power and influence wielded by the enemies of God’s people, were having a very dangerous impact on morale. Rumours were spreading, half-truths were being proclaimed, and the godly leaders were being slandered… and the people of God were part of this messy, malicious and potentially catastrophic movement.. shame on them for letting themselves be sucked in to such trouble-making!

But, before we judge them for their actions, we need to take a look at ourselves, and recognise just how insidiously attractive such gossip can be, how delicious it is to speculate on what we do not know, and how easily we fall into this same dangerous pattern of behaviour. We forget that to love our neighbour, means to love truth enough to reject gossip; to refuse to speculate; to hope for the best in a bad situation and always to seek good.

In an age where false information is rife, it is even more necessary for the people of God to love truth; to despise gossip and to refuse to take part in speculation based on half-truth or ignorance. We must learn to hold our tongues and to love others well enough to speak only truth about them. Discretion, confidentiality and a continual discipline of holding fast to truth, are all marks of a faithful and useful servant of God, one who can be trusted with responsibility in the kingdom.. in this way, we can serve the body of the church and not harm it, strengthening instead of undermining it.

Heavenly Father, renew in me a love for you and for my neighbour which will make me also love truth. Let my speech be courteous, considered, and let me learn discretion so that I can be silent and keep the troubles of others private. Deliver me from the slippery path of gossip and speculation, and help me to stand and speak firmly from what is true, instead of being tossed on the waves of ‘what if?’  Thus may I serve and glorify you, and be a blessing to your people. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

When I feel so useless..

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Declare what is to be, present it – let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Saviour; there is none but me…

“Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and  carried since your birth. Even to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. 

I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please… What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do… I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendour to Israel.

(Is 45.21; 46.3&4,9&10,13)

“When [our plans] are interrupted, his are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled, moving us always (including those minutes or hours or years which seem most useless, or wasted, or unendurable).” (Elisabeth Elliot; 1926-2015)

The sun is splitting the skies, the birds are singing and there is a tangible excitement as spring dances on the edge of our days, with so much light and colour and the promise of more to come.

And I am unwell; confined to the house; moving stiff and carefully; sleeping badly and feeling as though my world has contracted to a tiny space. What will I do with this challenge? Last week, I wrote that our speech and actions should not be determined by our circumstances… and now I am labouring to prove the strength of the Lord in pursuing patience, gentleness and acceptance of his plan for these days.

Such situations are always a good exercise in recognising how our ego likes to continually add up ‘worth-points’, totting up every activity on some invisible register which somehow makes me significant or valued by God. It is humbling when – as now – there is nothing to add up! Will I accept that for the moment, my Lord asks me to embrace inactivity, weakness and discomfort, and in and through those things, to find ways to praise him? There is so much to be thankful for; will I poison those good things by resenting what God has chosen to withhold? And surely that would show clearly that I value the gifts much more than their giver..

So often in these situations, I go to Elisabeth Elliot’s strong spiritual sense – she never pretended to anyone that being a Christian would be a bed of roses, and her uncompromising words brace me, showing me the truth – that my furious rejection of this season of illness is simply a tantrum of self, and a refusal to trust that God is good, and has a right to do as he pleases with his creation. I am not indispensable, and I am loved, saved and accepted not because of what I do, but because of Jesus’ love and death for me.

I have been brought into relationship with the God of creation, the Almighty and eternal One in order that I might share in his great purposes for the kingdom of Jesus. Do I believe that He will complete what He has begun? If I do, then my own part – anything which I can do is a privilege and not a means of earning my place – is entirely up to God to direct, and certainly not up to me to dictate! Pride and self-importance have no place in this relationship, all comes to me as God’s free and loving gift. The challenging and austere words of William Law show me how I can truly glorify the Lord in the trials of this time.. and also show me how very far I am from that state of highest faith and deepest trust.. may the Lord have mercy and sustain me to glorify him in whatever he may decree should lie ahead.

“Receive every inward and outward trouble, every disappointment, pain, uneasiness, temptation, darkness and desolation, with both thy hands, as a true opportunity and a blessed occasion of dying to self, and entering into a fuller relationship with thy self-denying and suffering saviour.

Look at no inward or outward trouble in any other view, reject every other thought about it: and then every kind of trial and distress will become the blessed day of thy prosperity. That state is best, which exerciseth the highest faith in, and fullest resignation to God.” (William Law; 1686-1761)

A ready and generous affection

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..but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord…. the alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

(Lev 19.18&34)

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

(Jn 13.34&35)

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing  debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow-man has fulfilled the law…. Love does no harm to its neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.

(Rom 13. 8&10)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…

(1 Cor 13.4-8)

Love is not proud, and how often pride is at the root of all our disobediences.. love is ready to leap to greet another, ready with a smile, a kind word, a hug. Love is not afraid to show emotion, to be vulnerable and allow others to show love; love is generous, not stingy and mean in measuring out affection. Jesus calls us to love, AS HE LOVES. We can’t say there is no model, but we can choose to justify our deviation from it – and what does that say about our hearts and our sense of how much we are freely, undeservedly, loved?

Last week, as I walked in a big city, I met an old friend who took one look at me, opened his arms and embraced me in the biggest hug. It was such comfort to my hurting heart – he didn’t know that, but our Lord knew that was what I needed, and so he sent me that generous, eager loving heart to greet me as Jesus greets all his children – ” My dear, it is so good to see you!”

That little miraculous moment left me wondering how often we manage to take our opportunities to love generously, to love like Jesus, with no thought of reward, or of what others are thinking?

We all respond differently to different expressions of love, and part of the wisdom of being like Jesus is learning how to say “I love you” to some who don’t like physical displays of affection – what can I do or say to let them know the divine love today? For me and for many of us perhaps, words are a powerful way to both build up and to undermine love. So today I want to think particularly about how Jesus used words and to challenge us all to be more aware of what damage we may be doing by careless talk…

Jesus does not make himself significant by putting others down, by using sarcasm or being patronizing, by mocking those weaker than himself. Jesus infallibly spoke to the women he encountered with an unheard of respect, honesty and as equally beloved to God – an attitude which led them to seek him out, to follow him with devotion and serve sacrificially. This man didn’t belittle or send them back to the kitchen or the nursery, he listened, reasoned and made them know their worth in God’s eyes… Sadly, his church has failed to effectively follow his example very well, but the principle and model are there for us to follow.

Jesus welcomed the children, those suffering from obnoxious diseases and disabilities, and spoke to them as the object of God’s – not patronizing pity- but transforming and empowering love. Jesus took care that his words fitted his hearers, and his divine love and wisdom shine through clearly to show us that it is entirely possible to live as those who choose never to destroy, but always to build up the body of Christ, always persevering and meeting harshness with love and respect.

What will you and I do with our words this week? Will we make excuses and hide behind our busy-schedules, behind particular health/family or employment stresses? I don’t think Jesus leaves us any room for taking out our troubles in our words on those whom we are called to love – He didn’t do it! Will we use the acid-biting sarcasm, the bewildering cryptic comments that leave our hearers feeling utterly stupid, the patronising comments that treat them like less than God’s dearly beloved image bearers?

Will we use words to say instead: “Hello my precious friend, loved and unique, how can I serve you today, how can I encourage you to know the utter security of God’s hold upon you and to have joy in knowing that love, and sharing it?”

I know which one I want to be, and to that end, I share these verses from an old hymn which beautifully expresses that desire to love in the Lord’s name.

I ask Thee for a thoughtful love, through constant watching wise, to meet the glad with joyful smiles, and wipe the weeping eyes, and a heart, at leisure from itself, to soothe and sympathise.

Wherever in this world I am, in whatso’er estate, I have a fellowship with hearts to keep and cultivate, and a work of lowly love to do the Lord on whom I wait.

(Anna L Waring, 1823-1910)

Real life, real faith..

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There, by the Ahava canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, because we had told the king, ‘The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his anger is great against all who forsake him.’ So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer…..

On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days…

Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel… they also delivered the king’s orders to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God.

(Ez 8.21-23,31&32, 35&36)

A song of ascents.. When the Lord restores Zion’s fortunes, we should be like dreamers. Then will our mouth fill with laughter and our tongue with glad song. Then will they say in the nations: “Great things has the Lord done with these.” Great things has the Lord done with us. We shall rejoice.

(Ps 126.1-3; R Alter translation)

There is a task to be undertaken, something we are to do for the Lord – perhaps the life-long task of parenting; or the calling of godly living as a single or married person: perhaps something immediate and challenging, like a difficult conversation, or committing time and energy to a particular project. Every day, we are called to accept the duties and privileges of living as God’s image-bearers in our families, our communities, and to fulfil our tasks as well as we can for his glory and our blessing. Every day, there are choices to be made about how we live, what our priorities are, and whether we trust God to be sovereign over and in all that happens.

Ezra gives us so much to meditate on as he obeyed God’s call and undertook to lead a cohort of exiles back from Babylon to join the group already established in Jerusalem. His task involved a large and long term goal – the establishment of God’s law as the rule of life for all the people of Judah and Jerusalem – which was to be achieved by small daily steps of obedience and faith.

First, they had to get there.. a journey of many miles which took three months across potentially dangerous lands. Ezra recognised the risks – exacerbated by the fact they they carried great wealth with them – and began by calling the people to pray, committing themselves to God in faith, and asking him to honour his name and reputation by protecting them. There is no record of a particular answer, except in the actual experience of the travellers, which spoke clearly of God’s keeping! They asked, and then set off to act – demonstrating faith by living as if God’s promises would be kept.

Having first asked for help, and then experienced it as they obeyed, the people then formally and gladly thanked God for doing as they had trusted him to do! They had experienced the shielding love of God, and now worshipped and praised him for his faithfulness and grace to his people.

It is simple, and yet sometimes so difficult to do:- to ask, to act in faith, and then to take time to give God praise as we see and experience his work. We are tempted to wait for answers before undertaking the work, to look for supernatural guidance, when our sanctified common sense is there to direct us step-by-step. Ezra didn’t wait for a vision; he prayed and then went… Each day, I have the opportunity to take the next steps of service and obedience in the work to which I am called, the small tasks which are building God’s kingdom and fulfilling my purpose for his glory. Will I not trust the Lord to provide what I need for each task, each step? To live steadily and attentively by faith, is to live in thanksgiving, on the basis that what God has said, he will do – may I grow in such faith, that I might, like Ezra, be useful to my God and King.

Never abandoned or forsaken

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Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

(Ps 139.7-12)

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

(Dan 3.16-18)

But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze..”

(Isa 43.1&2)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? …in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Rom 8.25,35,37-39)

I suspect that I have written about this before, but it bears repeating…. as God’s beloved children, those redeemed by his son and alive with his divine life, we are never left alone to face anything that may happen to us… never.

The importance of grasping this was brought home to me again recently during a bible study discussion of the desolation of those who feel that God has shut them out, that there is silence and no sense of his presence with them. That experience is very real indeed, and can be utterly devastating to the confidence of a believer… not only are bad things happening, but the one source of comfort has become mute, and there is no perception of love, or even interest in their plight. What can we do?

God has asked his people throughout history to trust him in the darkness; to trust him for the improbable and the impossible; to trust him and praise him when things go wrong, and never to believe the lies which have been told from the beginning – that God doesn’t really care for our good, that his ways are not loving, and that we must look out for ourselves. God has called his people to believe that there is something worse than all the troubles which life may bring – and that is to choose to live without him, to deny ourselves the hope of glory and eternal joy, to refuse to believe that there can be a life worth dying for.

When, by faith and the blessed strengthening of the Spirit of God within us, we hold on to God’s promises in the face of severe trials, we defy the darkness and the evil; we claim God’s goodness and our inheritance as his children, and affirm that what lies ahead of us is worth infinitely more than anything we may lose here. This is what Stephen the martyr did; this is what Shadrach and his companions did, and what Paul stated as he endured so much suffering; this is the example that Jesus set for us – enduring the cross, utterly focussed on the good things which God had planned for him, trusting God utterly with everything.

All the promises, all the stories, are there to encourage us in the face of divine silence and apparent inaction. We are to learn that when we feel alone and forsaken, it is never true; when everything seems to be going wrong and we can’t see the good outcome we desire, it isn’t the end. God keeps his children safe as they cling to him in spite of silence and desolation; keeps them through devastating troubles and unspeakable pain; and through death itself he brings them into his nearer presence, prepared for glory and unimaginable fullness of life.

Friends, when the silence is deafening, and the darkness void of love’s warmth, let us take courage and stand firm: praying, lamenting, praising and living as though the promises were true, taking God at his word and knowing that we are not alone.

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.

Uncomfortable reading

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“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: ‘Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.. Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them: “‘The Lord will roar from on high; he will thunder from his holy dwelling and roar mightily against his land. He will shout like those who tread the grapes, shout against all who live on the earth. The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth, for the Lord will bring charges against the nations; he will bring judgment on all mankind and put the wicked to the sword,'” declares the Lord.

(Jer 25.15,30-31)

The tempter came to [Jesus], and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread,’ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every mouth that comes from the mouth of God,'”

(Matt.4.3&4)

“You diligently study the scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

(Jn 5.39&40)

[Jesus] said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself.

(Lk 24.25-27)

..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)

In recent years, I have been privileged to spend time reading and thinking about Job, Isaiah, and Daniel in local bible study groups. These have been occasions of great blessing, but also very challenging as they bring me face to face with some difficult truths about human life, divine sovereignty, the reality of evil and the facts of suffering.

I am aware that over the years, I must have heard many sermons on these themes, and yet every time I come across another difficult, violent passage like the one quoted above from Jeremiah, I find myself wincing away from it, deeply disturbed by the images conjured up. What am I, a 21st century Christian who enjoys health, peace and freedom, to make of the sheer quantity of bloodshed, wrathful speech, grim forebodings of judgement and general gloom which characterise so much of the Old Testament?

I do not subscribe to the notion that our bible – combining as it does the Hebrew scriptures, the gospels and epistles – actual talks about two different deities. I do not believe that there is a vengeful Old Testament God, and a loving New Testament God. For one thing, there is nowhere that Jesus attempts to distance himself from the Hebrew Scriptures and their portrayal of the God of Israel. This was the only scripture which Jesus knew, and the one from which he drew in explaining his mission, calling and identity to his followers! If there were some deep issues with the Old Testament portrayal of God, the heavenly Father who so loved the world that he sent his son to die, then surely Jesus would have dealt with it?

No, my Lord and Saviour regarded the Hebrew scriptures as the word of God, the source of truth, and the place where all the teaching necessary to prepare his people for his coming had been recorded. I must then follow his lead, and begin from a place of acceptance, trust and willingness to learn – and to accept that my own human understanding is limited!

I want to grow in maturity of faith and understanding, I want to be able to handle the word wisely and not to be afraid of the difficult things, and so I invest in resources, I ask questions, I push myself to try and change lazy habits of thinking. Sometimes it feels like my brain is stuck – but I trust that the Holy Spirit can undo the knots and barriers to comprehension, and that as I continue to approach the word humbly, willing to learn and to face hard things, to hold seeming contradictions together, I will indeed be better equipped to serve my Lord, wherever he may call me.

What am I afraid of?

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The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring for ever.

(Ps 19.9)

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

(Ps 111.10)

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs,… and they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

(Isa 6.1-5)

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid: you are worth more than many sparrows.”

(Matt10.28-31)

Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died… we implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

(2Cor 5.11,14&20)

What is it to fear? Why is it that on one hand, we have so many exhortations to ‘fear God’, and on the other, so many instances where God encourages and reassures his children that they are not to be afraid? I think that – like the word ‘love’ – the word ‘fear’, has a range of meanings, and that the idea of a healthy, even liberating fear has got lost for many people – especially as applied to their spiritual lives and relationship to God.

It is a complex topic, too large for a short conversation, but I want to tease out one or two things – if I can! Since the word of God to us includes such a strong message that to fear him is to enter into wisdom, to know freedom and peace, then it must be more than dreading the infliction of pain or loss, because our God is holy, loving, gracious and good – we see in Jesus a generosity of compassion which takes our breath away – why should we be afraid of that?

Paul’s fear of the Lord propelled his mission, driving him on to spread the good news of the salvation and transformation which Jesus offers to all who will accept him – and Paul was no craven, trembling slave of a forbidding divinity, but an exultant apostle, shouting for joy about the love of God! If that is what ‘the fear of the Lord’ can do, then we need not be ashamed of it, but rather pursue it!

As fallen humanity, we dread the approach of purity, light and love, because we have rebelled against it, and shut it out – to have such light shine on us is unbearable as it shows up our poverty and filth, shows how we have squandered our potential on ashes. But, as God’s redeemed children, we approach that purity, worship that power and glory, and tremble to think of grieving the heart of Love – we rightly ‘fear’ to dishonour and disappoint him, to fail to use all we are and have for his glory. This kind of fear is indeed the beginning of wisdom, the beginning of knowing what it is to be fully human!

When, through faith in Jesus, I am restored to my true calling or vocation – to be God’s image bearer in his creation – I am what I am made to be, and need fear nothing else. My hearing is obedience waiting to spring into action, and nothing has any power to daunt me, because I am utterly secure in my identity as God’s beloved child. I may fear to offend, not because I dread punishment, but because the heart of Love is tender, and I long to honour and imitate it. And even here, I need not ‘fear’ when I fail, because my Lord has forgiven me, accepted me, and my mistakes cannot derail his purposes.

I will not fully live without unhealthy fear until I am made new, but I rejoice to know that God is at work to change me, to loosen the hold of lies on my thinking, and set me free to take courage for each day. He cares for me, what need I care for anything more than delighting to do his will and enjoying what he sends me? As I wrote this blog, the words of this old hymn based on Psalm 34 came to mind, and I share them with you as encouragement today.

Through all the changing scenes of life, in trouble and in joy, the praises of my God shall still my heart and tongue employ.

O, make but trial of his love, experience will decide, how blest are they, and only they, who in his truth confide.

Fear him, ye saints, and you will then have nothing else to fear; make his service your delight, your wants shall be his care.

(Nahum Tate: 1652-1715)