Bower
Canisbay
Dunnet
Halkirk
Keiss
Watten
Bower
Canisbay
Dunnet
Halkirk
Keiss
Watten
Sermon notes... (most recent first)
September 5th
Luke 14:28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate' the cost to see if has enough to complete it."
It is said that there are four most important virtues in life: temperance, prudence, justice and fortitude. Prudence is that virtue by which we discern what is proper to be done under the various circumstances of time and place. Often this virtue is misunderstood and mocked. Some critics look upon prudence as having a cool self regard, and a persistence in securing one's own welfare. It is seen as a selfish withdrawal from the great ventures of faith into a cowardly attitude. Some see it as a particular vice associated with the Scottish character, to be put alongside meanness and tight fistedness.
The real meaning of prudence is seen in those who have a far sighted faith, and plan for the future, rather than live in fear of it. A prudent father makes provision for his family, a prudent statesman foresees and plans for the good of the country. It is the true adventurous courage which has counted the cost, foreseen the dangers, and yet still ventures forward.
Jesus taught his disciples to be prudent in this way. They were to count the cost of building a house before starting to lay the foundation. They were to realise the eternal significance of their decision to follow him. We are to make provision not only for an earthly future, but for a heavenly eternity. This world is not our home, and no matter how much we may gain from this world, and no matter how many of its treausures we may possess, we must very soon be parted from it all.
A king once gave his court jester a staff to give to a bigger fool if the jester should ever meet one. When the king lay dying the jester came to visit him. The king said that he was going to an unknown country from which he would never return, and that he had made no provision for the journey. The jester laid the staff on the king's bed, and said that at last he had found a bigger fool than himself. On the staff, he inscribed the words "The fool has said in his heart, 'there is no God'."
King Solomon once said, "remember your creator in the days of your youth, when trouble come' This is true prudence.
August 29th
Luke 14:1, 7-14 Towards a round table world
In any society meals are important, and even we may treat guests in different ways: some have the best china, others sit round the kitchen table. In the ancient world, meals were occasions when people's status was publicly displayed. Who was invited, where they were seated and what food they were served, was very important. People gained kudos from being treated with appropriate respect, and honour was highly prized and competed over.
The play performed in the Kirk Hall last, ‘The Dining Room’ showed how all the important occasions of life were lived out around the dining room table- a sadly missing feature in many of our homes today.
Despite Luke's cautions over the misuse of wealth, he pictures Jesus as a frequent guest of the wealthy. What he says on this occasion is called a parable, but sounds more like sensible advice. Those who were keen to be treated with the respect they felt was their due might take the most valued seats – those nearest the host, but that would risk being moved further down the table, which would bring public shame. Better to start lower, so that when invited further up the table, others will notice, and that would bring even more honour. So is Jesus showing himself highly skilled in the 'honour game', perhaps with a dig at those who over-rated their own importance? This is not impossible. Jesus was viewed as a wise teacher in his own time (Luke 12.13), and we know from Paul that people could bring into the church their desire for status (1 Corinthians 11.18-22). Yet verse 11 suggests that Luke also saw a parable in this advice. It is in God's nature, too, to exalt those who think little of themselves, and to 'bring down the powerful from their thrones, (Luke 1.52-53, 18.14).
The second piece of teaching would have been more challenging. In the ancient world you invited those who would invite you back, those to whom you owed a favour or from whom you hoped to gain one. Jesus challenges this with the injunction to invite those whom no one else would invite, who could never offer an invitation in return. This may not win you status on earth, but it will bring God's reward. If this seems the wrong motive for doing good, then we should remember that any hope of future reward is a matter of faith.
This teaching of Jesus’ would have made many Jewish listeners remember Proverbs 25.6-7, where seating patterns in the Royal Court were also a matter of people’s sense of importance.
The shape of the table
In chapter 14 of Luke's Gospel we engage with a number of stories in which the sharing of meals and hospitality is a major theme: the great feast, the prodigal son (whose return is celebrated by a meal), the story of Dives and Lazarus. They are prefaced by two earlier passages: the account of the seating arrangements at a wedding banquet (14.7-14, the Gospel reading for Sunday 29 August), and the comment in 13.29 'Then people will come from east and west, from north and south and will eat in the Kingdom of God.'
There is a marvellous song by Fred Kaan, 'The church is like a table,a table that is round...' In Fred Kaan's vision of the round-table church there is no higher or lower place. It is a good commentary on Luke 13.29, about people coming from all over the world to eat in the Kingdom of God, alongside this. People from all over the 'round world' coming to eat at a 'round table'. That is a real vision of equality! There is a ‘Round Church in the village Bowmore, in the island of Islay in Scotland. The local tradition is that it was build in this shape so that the Devil woulc have nowhere to hide!
Are we prepared to create a 'round table' in our world today, or are we wedded to a vision in which higher and lower placings at table are seen as part of the rightful natural order?
Surely one of the tasks of the church is to encourage the 'round-tableness' of the world? But it can only do that if it is truly prepared to be a model of a round table itself.
Letty Russell in her book Church in the Round suggests that the image of the 'table' is a metaphor for a church based on hospitality. She goes on to argue that one of the tasks of feminist ecclesiology is to enable people to move beyond the model of the Church as a household ruled by a patriarch, and replace it with the vision of 'a household where everyone gathers around the common table to break bread and share table talk and hospitality'.
It is to such a table that Jesus himself came as guest and host, and it is to such a table that he invites us.
August 22nd
Luke 13: 10 17 "The crippled Woman'
At first sight this story might seem to have all the essential ingredients of the miracles we have already studies together: the synagogue and Sabbath setting, the attribution of illness to the fallen nature of the world, the authority of Jesus and his power to heal, the opposition of the Jewish establishment to Jesus. We see all these aspects of the miracles in this story, but let us also
Note some new points about this story.
It was Jesus' last visit to a synagogue –
And he spent it in his traditional fashion: teaching, challenging and healing. How would we like to spend our last Sunday? in God's
house of course, being faithful to the Lord's praise.
It was the woman's first taste of freedom
from her crippledness which had probably been brought on by a rheumatic fever in earlier life. How appropriate that she should find liberation on the Sabbath, for worshipping God is a release from bondage. Yet those who opposed Jesus would have kept. her in bondage because of their stifling tradition.
August 15th
Today we celebrate the 450th anniversary of the Scottish Reformation. We have been quoting the great Reformers of the 16th century each week all summer to bring us up to this day. Here are some our of quotes:
Today we celebrate the 450th anniversary of the Scottish Reformation. We have been quoting the great Reformers of the 16th century each week all summer to bring us up to this day. Here are some our of quotes:
From William Tyndale, English Reformer and Bible translator:
‘The blessing of a baker that knoweth the truth is as good as the blessing of our most Holy Father the Pope’
So much of the Reformation goes back to Martin Luther:
A simple layman, armed with scripture, is to be believed above a Pope
God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees, and flowers, and clouds and stars.'
Next to theology I give to music the highest place and honour. Music is the art of the prophets, the only art that can calm the agitations of the soul, it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.
The heart of religion lies in its personal pronouns
'God creates out of nothing. Therefore until a man is nothing, God can make nothing out of him.'
Every man must do two things alone: he must do his own believing, and he must do his own dying.
The Reformation in Europe was centred in Geneva:
‘ Social disorder is first and foremost disdain for the poor and oppression of the weak’
(John Calvin)
‘ The Good Samaritan, who he came upon the man who had fallen among thieves, did not ask him to what denomination he belonged.
(Katherine Zell)
In Scotland, George Wishart would be an early martyr and hero for John Knox:
If any persecution comes to you for the Word of God's sake, do not fear them that slay the body, but afterward have no power to slay the soul.
But on his way to certain arrest in Ormiston in 1546, Wishart sent Knox back with the words,
'Go back to your bairns (i.e. your pupils), ane is enough for a sacrifice'.
About John Knox:
There lies one who neither feared nor flattered any flesh,’
(James, Stewart, Earl of Morton, on the death of John Knox, whom he opposed, but also admired.)
Befor he haid done with his sermont, he was lyk to ding that pulpit in blads, and fly out of it.’
(James Melville, ‘The Lyff of John Knox’ )
‘ What John Knox did for his nation was a resurrection from the dead. The people began to live. Without the Reformation, Scottish literature and thought would be lifeless.’
(Thomas Carlyle, Scottish historian)
An apologist for the Roman Church said of the marriage of John Knox (59) and Margaret Stewart (17):
'She ane damosil of nobil blude, and he an auld decrepit creatur of mast bais degree of anie that could be found in the countrey'.
(Their son in law from this marriage, Zachary Pont, became minister of Bower)
July 18th
Luke 10:38 42 Change of Attitude
Here is a story to test our discipleship, and our priorities. We can learn from Jesus how to balance work and worship in our Christian lives.
Martha:
v. 38 She was willing to open her home to Jesus She did not leave her faith in a religious building, but took it into her daily life.
v.40a She was willing to serve Jesus in practical ways. which involved sacrifice of time and expense. In Luke 9 we read of how the disciples had to be taught humility and service for others.
v.40b She was willing to take her problems and resentments to Jesus. This helped her see things in the right perspective,
Mary:
v.39 She was willing to listen to Jesus, and not be too Impatient or too full of her own views. She valued Jesus' company so much and enjoyed his presence I2:3 3 that other things seemed less important.
See John 12:3. She was willing to lavish a gift on Jesus that would honour him, and demonstrate her love.
Jesus' assessment:
v. 41.42 - Martha was rebuked, not for her work, but for her worry.
Mary was commended, not for her laziness, but for worship. It is the essence of worship to listen to and learn from God.
Martha's concept of devotion was activity for the Master.
Mary's concept was centred on the Master himself
Jesus says that "Mary has chosen what is better". Today we must also be devoted to the Lord's worship if we arc to be useful in his work, We must set a highest priority to listening to his Word as we gather on Sundays. Only then can we put that teaching into practice in willing and worthwhile service in our daily lives. Only when we love Christ as our Lord will we be willing to lavish our time, talents and resources on him and his work.
July 11th
Holiday reading last week was the historical novel 'Columba' by Nigel Tranter (1987). It was appropriate for a week that was spent in the Inner Hebrides following in the sea-wake of that saint's missionary journeys. Here are a few quotations from that great story:
Columba brings God’s peace to Emchat at Urqhuart on Loch Ness
"You have heard of Christ God? And the Christians?"
Again the faint nod.
"He is a God of love, not hatred. Of kindness, not evil. Of hope and not fear. He comes to you now. What is it that you need, Emchat? What is your wish?"
There was the faintest of whispers.
Colum bent lower. "I did not hear. No doubt God did ‑ but I did not. Say again, Ernchat."
"To ... die ... in ... peace. " The four words, wide‑spaced, were just to be heard.
There were gasps and exclamations from around the bed.
"So you shall, friend ‑ so you shall. That I promise you. But ‑ you must believe. Do you believe? Can you believe?"
The other stared up uncomprehendingly but beseechingly.
"Believe, Emchat, that the Lord Christ Jesus, Son of the Almighty God, can give you peace now. And life hereafter,of joy and love. You have been a good man, they say, such as Christ loves. So He has sent us to save you, in your need. The Druids and the devils cannot aid you, but He can. Or we would not be here. Can you believe that?"
The nod was a little stronger.
"Good. Christ Himself died, and not in peace, for mien. In love, offered Himself as sacrifice. For you and for me and for all. And went to prepare a place for those who show love. Believe that, and you are saved. Can you?,'
The eyes closed and there was no answer.
Colum, in his urgency, actually reached to shake the frail shoulder. "Emchat ‑ hear me. God will give you the strength and faith you need. Then let you go in peace. Heed me. Are you prepared to believe? Willing?"
The eyes opened, and after a moment there was another nod.
"Praise be! Then say it. Say I believe in Christ Jesus. Who can save me, now and hereafter."
That was asking too much. The lips trembled and the head nodded. That was all.
"Try man, Emchat! Try! Then, go in peace."
Slowly words came, thick, hesitant. "I ... believe. "No more.
"It is enough," Cormac exclaimed, at Colum's back.
"Yes. Enough." He turned. "Water. Give me water."
The youngish man who had spoken to them hastened to bring a beaker of water. Colum, taking it, made the sign of the cross above it.
"In the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I bless this water. It is holy." Dipping his fingers in, he sprinkled some of the water on that straggle of white hair. "In the name of God the Holy Trinity, I baptise you, Emchat, into Christ's Church. You are His, now. He waits for you. Go in peace."
The old man did not speak. But slowly a smile spread over his wasted features.
Colum blinked away his disbelief. The creature existed. It was coming near, at extraordinary speed. It was very large, obviously, for the last hump was many feet behind the head. It might be part of a tail, of course. The impression given was not so much of bulk as of length and serpentine motion. And speed. Clearly it was heading right into the river, and so for the coracle.
Amidst all the excitement, transmitted to himself now, Colum took a grip of himself. Lugbe and the woman were in evident danger. Drawing a great breath, he raised hand again, and shouted at the pitch of his powerful lungs.
"Go! Go! Back, creature ‑ back! In the name of Almighty God, Creator of you as of us all ‑ go! Turn! Leave us. Back, I say, in the name of Jesus Christ the Son of God!"
For some dire moments thereafter the monster came on, and in those moments even Colum's faith waverered. Then, in a most graceful motion that head and arching neck curved down into river again, and there were only three humps, moving fast, then only one.
Colum decided that they had to do something. Finishing their meal, they would go outside into the courtyard and sing psalms, loudly. And keep it up until Brude appeared from wherever he might be. A pity that they did not have their cymbals; but perhaps they might take out some of these silver platters and beakers, and beat the time with them instead.
Nobody could think of a better plan, so they trooped out, with the silverware,. the servants looking on askance but none interfering.
In the centre of the courtyard they started off with the forty‑sixth Psalm, one of Colum's favourites:
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,
Therefore we will not fear though the earth be removed.
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof . . .
His great voice ringing out, the others sought to match it, clashing the dishes and mugs in stirring fashion, less effective than cymbals but beating the time resoundingly. And quickly they drew an audience, folk appearing from all around. Undoubtedly these had never before heard the like. Presently they had their reward when Brude himself, with sundry of his nobles, came to the central doorway.
"Was that . . . worship?" Brude asked.
"To be sure. The Psalms of King David, of the Hebrews. A servant of the Most High."
"Your god likes singing?"
"Indeed yes. Why else did He give men and women tuneful voices? To sing on the land. As the birds in the air. And the seals in the sea. And His angels in Heaven. I swear that God sings for joy Himself ‑ when He is not weeping for the ignorance and blindness, the sins and cruelties, of mankind created in His image!"
"What do you mean? A god weeping and singing?"
"Why not? Jesus Christ His Son wept and sang. His Father, and ours, would have us to sing and be joyful."
"You must tell us of this strange god.
Colum tried not to reveal his elation.
June 27th
Luke 9:51-62 Christ’s persistence
in the face of danger.
v.51 ‘Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem’
His resolve involved making preparations for his visit to get things ready in advance. There wee preparations to make for disappointments, as well as for encouragements. Christ’s sown setbacks would prepare his disciples to cope with theirs. See John 13:1’ Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the end’ True love lasts, and does not give up when there are difficulties, or when there is the temptation to lavish self pity on ourselves.
In the face of prejudice
v.53 ‘ They did not welcome him’ The Samaritans objected to Jesus who challenged their misplaced worship (see John 4:24) Racial and ethnic tensions still face Christian mission around the world.
In the face of misplaced anger
v.54 ‘Lord do you want us to destroy them?’. James and John wanted the power to judge and penalise. They through, mistakenly, that they were motivated by a burning zeal for Christ’s honour, but that was a dangerous assumption ( see Matthew 7:1)
In the face of closed doors
v.55 ‘They went to another village Christ did not give up his ministry because of the failings of his disciples. they carried on together with their bond of fellowship and trust intact ready for the next opportunity of service. See Romans 5:3 We know that suffering produces perseverance and perseverance produces hope’ That is character building at its best, all because Christ’s Spirit lives within us.
See also Hebrews 12:1 ‘Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us’ As well as drawing on the example of Christ, we can draw on the great catalogue of good examples in Hebrews chapter 11, listing many of the great heroes of faith from the Old Testament times.
See also 2 Peter 1:6 ‘Add faith.. goodness.. knowledge,, self-control.. perseverance .. godliness.. kindness.. love.
Jesus encounters three would- be followers (Luke 9:57- 62)
Not everyone who met Christ had a changed life as a result. For some, the challenge was too demanding, and they went back to their old ways. Here are three examples:
Someone who was too quick.
He was impulsive, and had not counted the cost. Christ never poured cold water on sincere enthusiasm. but neither did he change the terms of discipleship for those who wanted exceptions. Jesus treated everyone equally, rich and poor, high and low.
Jesus encounters three would be followers (Luke 9:57 62)
Not everyone who met Christ had a changed life as a result. For some, the challenge was too demanding, and they went back to their old ways. Here are three examples:
Someone who was too quick.
He was impulsive, and had not counted the cost. Christ never poured cold water on sincere enthusiasm. but neither did he change the terms of discipleship for those who wanted exceptions. Jesus treated everyone equally, rich and poor, high and low.
Someone who was too slow.
He wanted to postpone his response until after his father's death Jesus on the cross would make provision for his mother's care, so he could not be accused of being heartless But he could also see through an excuse, and the many lawful and respectable things which can be turned into excuses for inactivity.
Someone who was too selfish
He said "first ..me", but true Christianity says, First ... Christ" He wanted just one more day of his old life, and for that day to be without a limit.
Christ's response to these people was to warn them against looking back, instead of looking forward. Looking backwards when you are trying to plough a furrow, or run a race, or just walk in a straight line would be disastrous. Instead we should fix our gaze on. the goat ahead. And what is true about ploughing, running etc., is also true for life and faith "Fix your eyes on Jesus, on whom your faith depends" (Hebrews 12.2)
He wanted to postpone his response until after his father's death Jesus on the cross would make provision for his mother's care, so he could not be accused of being heartless But he could also see through an excuse, and the many lawful and respectable things which can be turned into excuses for inactivity.
Someone who was too selfish
He said "first ..me", but true Christianity says, First ... Christ" He wanted just one more day of his old life, and for that day to be without a limit.
Christ's response to these people was to warn them against looking back, instead of looking forward. Looking backwards when you are trying to plough a furrow, or run a race, or just walk in a straight line would be disastrous. Instead we should fix our gaze on. the goat ahead. And what is true about ploughing, running etc., is also true for life and faith "Fix your eyes on Jesus, on whom your faith depends" (Hebrews 12.2)
June 6th
Tonight, in a special service at Halkirk, to mark the centenary of the Edinburgh 1910 Missionary Conference, we see what contribution Caithness folk made to missionary endevour over the last 150 years, and find that pioneering work of about 100 years ago is still being carried out by Caithness folk today.
That has been repaid in recent times by a number coming from overseas to help us in our own ministry and mission, and so build up a sense of partnership with the worldwide church.
The film material that we have prepared for tonight will be useful for talks in the coming year at schools, hospitals, Guilds and community events.
May 16th
Acts 1:6-11 ‘He ascended into heaven’
The Apostles' Creed
The message of the Ascension is that Jesus Christ has now a position of authority. He is a ruling Lord In overall control. This gave the first Christians an unshakable optimism. They went on feeling on top of the world however much the world seemed to be on top of them. This made a great impression in a weary first century, and can still make a great change to outlooks in our world. When we believe that ‘Jesus the saviour reigns’, then we have great certainties:
Christ rules God's World.
He won a decisive victory over all dark powers. It is like a chess game in which the result is sure but the losing player has not yet given up. When he ascended, Jesus' lordship became a cosmic fact. So we have confidence that the world is in God's overall control. This helps us when we think of the perils and evils that face our world and its environment. The Lord who created is also the Lord who will sustain the world.
Christ prays for God's people.
We think of our Lord receiving our prayers and offering them up constantly before God, long after our voices are silent. We think of Christ standing in for us and standing up for us, even when we do not have the words to pray or the strength to pray. And so our Lord ensures that we have strength and grace to help us in every time of need. When we have the feeling that someone has been praying for us, and helping us that is our ascended Lord at work. To be ‘sitting on the right hand of God...'‘ does not imply retirement, but a new phase of divine activity and Lordship.
Quote:
‘The disciples had a friend they could touch, could see, and could hear. And yet they denied Him, they betrayed Him, they left Him. He gave them a Friend they could not touch, nor see and this Friend changed their lives. Without the Holy Spirit Christianity would be a drama without a last act. But when He came He made men who 'turned the world upside down'. The failure with us is that we have not known that we have a Leader, a Partner, as truly as the first disciples had’.
May 9th
Acts 4:1-13 Christ's Growing Church
a) By preaching
The Jewish authorities were frightened of this, and tried to silence Peter and John. The apostles made sure that the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost and the healing of the crippled man were not merely interesting phenomena, but challenges to respond to. Luke uses 13 different Greek words to describe the preaching of the gospel- the apostles and disciples used words in every possible way in order to make their message known and understood.
b) By courage
Courage is the finest of human qualities because it guarantees all the others..
Winston Churchill
"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear not absence of fear."
Mark Twain
One person with courage is a majority."
Andrew Jackson
There are too many people praying for mountains of difficulty to be removed, when what they really need is the courage to climb them. Courage is being the only one who knows you're afraid.
"The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue."
(Napoleon Bonaparte)
c) By being recognized as companions of Jesus
Not in the silence only,
Not in the solitude,
Let my thoughts rise to Thee in praise,
My God, so great, so good.
But mid the din and noise
Of city conflict rude,
In crowded street where daily pours
The hurrying multitude.
Not on the Sabbath only,
In the dear house of prayer,
Where earthly din cannot intrude,
And only God is there.
But all week long, in spite
Of care and vanity
That thus, even in the crowd, I may
Be still alone with Thee.
(Horatius Bonar, 1808 1889)
d) By leadership
'The first task of the leader is to define the mission.'
Peter F Drucker
Anyone can steer the ship when the sea is calm.
Leaders create energy in others by distilling purpose.
'Either lead, follow or get out of the way.'
Ted Turner
A truly great leader is someone who never allows their followers to discover that they are as ignorant as they are.
A leader does the right thing. A manager does the thing right.
'Example has more followers than reason.'
Christian Bovee
The only safe ship in a storm is leadership.
What this country needs is more leaders who know what this country needs
May 2nd
'Decide this day whom you will serve (Joshua 24:15)
Unlike the clergy of just 40 years ago in my home town in Lanarkshre, I will not tell you whom to vote for in the General Election, but I will tell you five kinds of voters some people are, and which is the best kind to be:
1) Road Runners: This separatist approach says that Christians should stay away from the government and politics altogether, because if they didn't, they'd only get their hands dirty. Supporters of this view believe that although God installed government out of necessity to keep order (because government is better than anarchy), he didn't endorse it or give it his seal of approval. Therefore, the Christian response is to accept powerlessness, avoid interaction with government, and disobey it if conscience requires.
2) World Huggers: This approach claims that the government's purpose is to improve the lives of its citizens. Therefore, proponents take an activist view, often emphasizing social justice issues, and look to Christ as a model for their advocacy because he was a supporter of the down‑andout and saved his hard words for the established "powers‑that‑be."
3) Brothers in Arms: This approach says that government was not only created to keep order, but also to improve people's lives. People in power are true public servants, committed to the needs of others and leading society to virtue. These Christians believe that they should respect the government's laws, but if a law goes counter to God's Word, then it's no longer a law, but a perversion ‑ and they don't follow it.
4) Tightrope Walkers: Although this "balancing acC perspective doesn't forbid being involved in politics or government, it does see politics more pessimistically than the other approaches do (except the Road Runners). Advocates of this view don't expect much from the government, other than to preserve order so people can live their lives. As a result, they don't see social reform as a major priority, and they see the ideals put forth in the Bible as largely irrelevant to how a secular society works.
5) Transformers: This view has a more positive, activist view of government, charging that the government should do more than just keep order, bringing Christian virtues into how it rules. Christians have used their convictions to act out this transformer model. e.g. the anti‑slavery movements, (William Wilberforce was a Christian who worked to abolish slavery on moral grounds. Christians still believe that they were called by God to transform any unjust systems in the world.
So vote to be a - Transformer!
April 25th
John 21.15-19
Peter’s shame
The rebuilding of the relationship between Jesus and Peter was not easy. Is Peter's guilty conscience indicated, like that of Adam and Eve after the Fall, symbolised by the covering of his nakedness (a reasonable explanation for Peter's getting dressed to go for a swim)? Jesus' threefold repetition of the question 'Do you love me?' is a stark reminder of Peter's threefold betrayal of Christ. It's not a cruel 'rubbing his nose in it' moment - but a subtle yet clear reference. Peter has to face what he's done. Until that happens he can't leave it behind. There is no glossing over of the issue - it has to be tackled, but in love. Illustration
Christ’s initiative
Jesus forgives Peter. He gives him a fresh start, trusting him to carry on the work of love in God's creation that Jesus began, without ever actually saying 'you denied me - I forgive you'. It is then up to Peter to accept Christ's forgiveness.
Peter's forgiveness comes about through encounter with Jesus and the transformation that then happens. In giving Peter a new direction, Christ initiates the change in him.
Peter’s realism about himself
Peter's response to Christ's question shows he no longer claims exceptional devotion. He acknowledges his flawed humanity. Like King Lear's youngest daughter he is saying he loves as deeply and fully as his nature allows him to; he's become wary of making claims for himself about his ability to love. Just as Jesus offered Thomas peace before he believed, Jesus doesn't wait for Peter to acknowledge forgiveness before moving him on. Christ is always more ready for us to move towards him than we are to move. This theme is echoed in Acts 9.1-20, where it is God, rather than human authority that moves things on.
NO MAN IS AN ISLAND
(A man who has been very ill hears a bell tolling)
Perchance he for whom this bell tolls may be so ill, as that he knows not it tolls for him; and perchance I may think myself so much better than I am, as that they who are about me, and see my state, may have caused it to toll for me, and I know not that. The Church is Catholic, universal, so are all her actions; all that she does belongs to all. When she baptizes a child, that action concerns me; for that child is thereby connected to that Head which is my Head too, and engraffed into that body, whereof I am a member. And when she buries a man, that action concerns me. As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come; so this bell calls us all; but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness. The bell doth toll for him that thinks it doth; and though it intermit again, yet from that minute, that that occasion wrought upon him, he is united to God. Who casts not up his eye to the sun when it rises? but who takes off his eye from a comet when that breaks out? Who bends not his ear to any bell, which upon any occasion rings? but who can remove it from that bell, which is passing a piece of himself out of this world? No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in man kind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
(John Donne, Sermons)
April 18th
John 21:1-9 The Lord of Life"
Another miracle of catching fish
Note the contrast between working for themselves and working for the Lord Their futility was changed into fruitfulness, their poverty into enrichment. Jesus was interested in their work as well as their worship. WE are to make him the Lord of our daily lives with all their tasks and duties . He wants us to have fulfilling lives, and to find satisfaction in worthwhile endevours. God is not to be restricted to Sundays, Christ's influence is not to be confined to the "spiritual" life.
Another miracle of bread and fish (v.7 -14)
Jesus had fed 5000 people with bread and fish before to care for hungry bodies. Now he uses the same objects to care for bewildered minds, and to convince them that he was not a ghost. We too are assured that he is risen at another feast not of bread and fish, but of bread and wine. the fish became a Christian sign, partly because it symbolised the missionary task of the "fishers of men" disciples, and partly because the letters of the Greek word "Ichthus' spelt out the simple confession of faith: "Jesus Christ, Son of God, our Saviour"
A beach is a good place to experience resurrection. The tide makes all things new. Old mistakes, like footprints are washed away. The surf reinvigorates and heals many wounds. And so it was fitting that it was on the beach that Jesus appeared to his disciples and reinstated Peter, Peter's church, built on that very spot on the shores of Galilee is one of the most moving places in the Holy Land. To kneel on that beach is so sense Christ's risen presence. To share bread and fish there is to feel a deep bond of fellowship with other Christians. So let our sanctuary today be an Easter garden, and an Easter beach.
April 11th
John 20:19 23 "The First Easter Evening"
This was the moment of birth for the Church, when the broken disciples were remade by the power of the resurrection. When Jesus said "Peace be with you" he transformed them into a fighting force with a mission
They were Words of Faith;
which dispelled their fears of the Romans and the Jews Now they could look the world in the face and know that there was no power greater than the name of Jesus. Easter should strengthen us in our faith and hopes.
They were Words of forgiveness
which wiped out their past failures and weakness. Jesus did not remind them that they had failed him in his hour of need. Many today are ashamed to come to worship thinking that God will not welcome them. Easter is a time of acceptance.
They were Words of commission
which gave them a task to do. they were to win the world for Christ, carrying on the work he had started. They were promised his presence and his power. They were not being sent out alone and helpless.
As we believe in the sun, even when it is not shining.
As we believe in love, even when I cannot feel it.
So may those who suffer believe in Thee, Lord , even when you seem to be silent.
( A Jewish Prisoner of War)
April 4th Easter Day
John 3: 16 The Gospel In Miniature
God: The greatest lover.
So loved: The greatest degree.
The world: The greatest company,
That he gave: The greatest act.
His only begotten Son: The greatest gift.
That whosoever: The greatest opportunity.
Believeth: The greatest simplicity.
In Him: The greatest attraction,
Should not perish: The greatest promise.
But: The greatest difference.
Have: The greatest certainty.
Everlasting life The greatest possession.
March 28th Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday and Monday
Palm Sunday and Monday
They pluck their palm branches
and hail Him as King,
Early on Sunday;
they spread out their garments;
hosannas they sing,
Early on Sunday.
But where is the noise of their hurrying feet,
the crown they would offer,
the sceptre, the seat?
Their King wanders hungry,
forgot in the street,
Early on Monday.
Edwin McNeill
March 26th (preached at the induction of Rev Gordon Oliver to the parish of Latheron)
Paul and Barnabas were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders (Acts 15:2)
I hope our text from Acts has the same impact as another such text in this story:
A Christian lady surprised a burglar in her kitchen. He was all loaded down with the things he was going to steal. She had no weapon and was all alone. The only thing that she could think of doing was to quote Scripture. So, she held up a hand and said, 'Acts 2:`!
The burglar quaked in fear and then froze to the point that she was able to get to the phone and call for the police.
When the police arrived, the burglar was still frozen in place. They were very much surprised that a woman alone with no weapon could do this.
One of them asked the lady, 'How did you do this?'
The woman replied, 'I quoted Scripture.'
The officer turned to the burglar, 'What was it about the scripture that had such an effect on you?'
The burglar replied, 'Scripture! What Scripture? 1 thought she said she had an axe and two 38s.'
I attended a conference recently at Bankfoot Church, Perthshire, called, 'The Centre meets the fringe', organised by the Emerging Ministries Fund of the Ministries' Council. It was an opportunity for the Ministries' Council to hear from the churches which had used grants from the Emerging Ministries' Fund to do something innovatory to provide for worship and outreach and church growth. Our New Testament reading tonight was the meditation at the start of that conference day, and it recognised that God usually works on the fringes rather than at the centre. Our charge had been given a grant for projection and film making technology, which has helped enable us to have three Sunday services each week in the time of two (the Tesco Principle) I will be happy to give a fuller report to Presbytery on the 4th May.
In our Old Testament reading, there was a famine at the geographical centre of the promised land, but God had provided food, and his agent and food distributer Joseph to be strategically placed on the fringe - in far away Egypt - to be the means of saving God's covenant people.
At other times in the Old Testament journey, God would provide for the continuation of his covenant through people in exile while the spiritual and/or geographical centre was collapsing.
The birth of Jesus was in a corner, his upbringing was in a backwater, his ministry was largely conducted in the far north, and when he did come to the centre, he was treated badly and then crucified.
His followers were always on the outside of the religious establishment. But it was in the upper room, or in the outer temple courtyard, rather than in the sanctuary, that the Holy Spirit came to energise and empower the church.
There is a lovely picture of healing and renewal 'at the edge' in the gospel- Mark chapter 5, the intertwinning of two stories- Jesus is sought urgently to heal the son of an important official, but he pauses to heal an nameless woman at the edge of the crowd, who wanted to touch the edge of his cloak. The picture is captured in this old Redemption Hymn:
She only touched the hem of his garment
As to His side she stole
Amid the crowd that gathered around Him,
And straightway she was whole
Oh, touch the hem of His garment,
And Thou, too, shalt be free;
His saving power this very hour
Shall give new life to thee.
(Redemption Hymn, 731, George F Root)
In Luke 17.11-19 , the cleansing of ten lepers, we see Christ's mission on the Fringe of society. We see a community of need at the edge of society, among people drawn to each other with a common bond. So there is no barrier between a leprous Jew and a Samaritan fellow sufferer. With one voice the mixed group of 10 can cry out for help from Jesus. Age old hostility was forgotten on the fringe, and that absence of pride allowed Jesus to heal them on the fringe in a way that he could not have done in a situation where there problems of pride, prestige and position to overcome.
In Acts 15, there was a crunch meeting of the centre and the fringe. It was held in the centre when Paul and Barnabas came to report on what God was doing on the margins of Christian mission. the gospel was being taken into a new culture- gentile rather than Jewish,
The challenge for the old centre of Jerusalem was to recognise that the epicentre of the church was moving away from the Jewish world that Jesus lived in, to Greek places like Ephesus, and Roman places like Malta.
There was also a change away from the Jewish world of religious regulations and observances to a different world of culture, language, food, dress, and other sensitivities. The Jewish world of the original apostles had to decide: would they hold onto power and snuff out the revival on the fringe, or would they voluntary give up their controlling influence, their veto on what the emerging church would do, and embrace change.
- They went for change. And that should become the pattern of all future meetings of the centre and the fringe.
This theme of renewal of the church at the fringe rather than at the centre is one that we have held dear in the geographical fringes of coastline and islands of our country . The late Rev. Alex Muir of Canisbay and Keiss, whose funeral was on Tuesday , often spoke, sung and wrote about revival starting in the far north and then affecting the whole of the land. His vision was of the fire of revival burning southwards through Scotland from the Pentland to the Solway, and inspired the song:
God has given us a dream of a glorious day to come,
When the light of Christ will shine on every hand.
He'll fulfil our heart's desire when He sends in the heavenly fire
That will sweep in flames of glory o'er the land.
When he moved to Carinish on North Uist, Alex also wrote Gaelic hymns of revival under the title, Fuaim an Dusgaidh, (The Sound of Revival) . One of the tunes is now used in the new church hymnary for Psalm 40, 'I waited patiently for God'
This theme of revival from the north has been taken up recently by our present locum at Canisbay, Keiss and Dunnet, Lyall Rennie. In a recent sermon, he said,
'Revival may not come through the Church of Scotland central offices in Edinburgh. It may come through a tiny congregation in the far north of Scotland. Here we come to church because it is the right thing to do, not because we want to be seen gong to church, nor because we feel superior to others. We are here to worship God, and want to know Him better.
The DVD Caithness Connections begins with the perspective that Caithness is seen as the far north by he rest of mainland Scotland, but once in our history, it was the southern outpost of the Viking World. I was speaking to a previous minister of Lybster and Bruan, the Rev David Dickson just a week ago. He remembered a schoolteacher coming to Lybster from Shetland, a Mr Renwick, who liked to be known as Baron Renwick of Ravenstone. When he was welcomed to the north of Scotland, he replied, This is no the north, this is the sooth, man'.
In the years, and in the first generation of leaders following the Scottish Reformation, two famous brothers, the Reverends Zachary and Timothy Pont, both came to Bower and to Dunnet parishes in Caithness. Zachary was John Knox's son in law. Timothy was a well known cartographer. But they both chose the fringe, rather than the centre.
And the Castle o' Mey is still a great example of how generations of the Royal Family have found inner and spiritual renewal at the fringe of their realm, and go back to the centre strengthened in body, mind and spirit.
What called me to the boundary?
Was it the wind?
one of those finer airs
That play around the cliff tops,
Over grey rocks
And lichen-covered stones,
Stirring the tufted grass
That grow upon the edge?
Who calls me to the northern shore?
Is it strong death?
God's messenger, who comes
To bear the soul to highest Heaven?
There on some rocky outcrop
To rest awhile,
And resting there behold
Across unmeasured space
The Majesty of God.
There are other centres that need to give way to the fringes in the church. There are centres of control which will go bad if hoarded to themselves. The Presbyterian principle of equality means there is no extra power given to seniority, and the positions of authority and honour should be rotated within the whole of the governing body. Young and old, new and experienced, lay and ordained should all be given the opportunities and responsibilities of leadership.
Think of the example of the King Penguins surviving the Antarctic winter: the rotate themselves between the outer fringe of the colony and the centre. They must all take their turn at being the windbreak, and all take their turn to have their body warmth return. If the ones at the centre refused to give up that position, the whole colony would die of exposure.
In a small Presbytery, where we don’t have a big turnover of members, it would be good for more people from the fringe to have their experience of other places to be honoured, by giving all our locums seats and votes in Presbytery, just as we did for the diaconate 20 years ago. To have our locums as essential workers in the parishes, but only spectators in Presbytery, is to diminish the fringe where God is at work.
Then, as we look beyond our own little life as a Presbytery, to the wider community, we also learn from the commitment of Jesus to the fringes of society, to serve people there. We do the same, with the same spirit of self-sacrifice, the spirit of the cross. This is at the very centre of what it means to follow Jesus. We cannot help but be moved by our Lord’s remarkable lack of concern, not only for his own well-being but also for his image in the community. He routinely associated with unclean people – prostitutes, lepers, unobservant Jews. He seems genuinely not to have cared what people said about him, so moved was he by the plight of people who spent their lives out on the margins of acceptability. Believing in Jesus is not enough. We must "take up our cross and follow him."
March 21st
Mark 14:3 A woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
No fragrance without brokenness
An alabaster jar was a sealed jar. This one might, have been a fine looking jar but the really precious thing was the ointment inside it. Until the jar was broken, no fragrance could be experienced.
The New Testament tells us that we are to have the fragrance of Christ about us, but often we have a hard outer crust which needs to be broken before this can happen. When people meet us, they're conscious, perhaps, of our gifts, abilities, ideas and opinions, instead of becoming aware of Jesus. A hard lesson which many of us have to learn is that unless our outward self is broken. none of our gifts and abilities will bring anyone closer to Jesus. I believe many people who would never come to a church, would genuinely like to see and know the living Christ. But we won't be able to show him to them unless we can say with Paul, 'I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me' (Galatians 2:20). God is probably using difficulties in our lives to bring us to the point of brokenness. So if you're experiencing the buffeting of illness, disappointment, failure, trouble of one sort or another, it may be that God in his love wants your life to be filled with the fragrance of Jesus by his Spirit.
From a high, secret shelf, I take what I hid myself —
Perfume, precious and rare, never meant to spill or spare.
This I’ll carefully break, this I’ll empty for his sake:
I will give what I have to my Lord.
Though the action is crude, it will show my gratitude
For the truth that I’ve learnt from the one who’s heaven-sent;
For this life once a mess which his beauty can express,
I will give what I have to my Lord.
With his critics around, common gossip will abound.
They’ll note all that they see to discredit him and me.
Let them smirk, let them jeer, say what people want to hear;
I will give what I have to my Lord.
It’s because he’ll receive, that the likes of me believe
God has time for the poor. He has shown us heaven’s door.
Be it perfume and care, be it anger or despair,
I will give what I have to my Lord.
March 14th
A Mother's Legacy
I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 2 Timothy 1:5
Mothers and grandmothers can have a powerful spiritual impact on their families. Through them, many of us see Jesus for the first time. Before we can even speak, we breathe in the heavenly aroma of Christ. As we watch our mothers and grandmothers, we see in them the light that has come into the world.
Notice that Paul doesn't say in 2 Timothy that Timothy's father or grandfather raised him in the faith. Rather, he gives the credit to two godly mothers in Timothy's life, Lois and Eunice.
Perhaps the men in Timothy's life weren't followers of Jesus. Some commentators think Acts 16:1 -- where Luke describes Timothy's father "a Greek" -- might suggest this. Regardless, it is interesting that some early opponents of Christianity criticized it in part because so many "ignorant" and "foolish" women were involved in the ministry of the church.
From one such "foolish" and "ignorant" woman, Lois, came a legacy of faith that helped bring at least two generations into the family of God. Lois was a Jew who accepted Jesus as her Savior, possibly only a decade or two after Jesus' death and resurrection. Coping with any objections her husband may have had, she brought up her daughter, Eunice, in the Christian faith, and Eunice did the same with her son, Timothy.
The effect of Lois and Eunice's godly parenting is apparent to readers of the New Testament. Thanks to their witness, Timothy grew to become a powerful force in the early church, impacting hundreds or even thousands of lives with the truth of the gospel. Even today, God uses godly mothers and grandmothers to be Loises and Eunices in their families.
This Mother's Day, I'd encourage you to thank your mothers and grandmothers for passing on to you a legacy of faith. No one can inherit faith, of course, but godly mothers and grandmothers can at least make sure that Jesus is never a stranger to their children and grandchildren.
March 7th
JESUS CHRIST: HIS TERRIBLE DEMANDS
He was like some terrible moral huntsman digging mankind out of the snug burrows in which they had lived hitherto. In the white blaze of this kingdom of his there was to be no property, no privilege, no pride, no precedence; no motive indeed and no reward but love. Is it any wonder that men were dazzled and blinded and cried out against him? Even his disciples cried out when he would not spare them the light. Is it any wonder that the priests realized that between this man and themselves there was no choice but that he or witch craft should perish? Is it any wonder that the Roman soldiers, confronted and amazed by something soaring over their comprehensions and threatening all their disciplines, should take refuge in wild laughter, and crown him with thorns, and robe him in purple to make a mock Caesar of him? For to take him seriously was to enter a strange and alarming life, to abandon habits, to control instincts and im pulses, to essay an incredible happiness.
H. G. Wells, The Outline of History
Gentle Christ, wise and good,
We nailed him to a cross of wood,
The Son of God, he lived to save,
In borrowed stable and borrowed grave.
Soldiers came at Pilate's call,
Led him up into the common hall,
Took sharp thorns and made a crown.
Dressed him in a scarlet gown.
They spat at him and mocked him then,
Lashed his back again and again,
Laid the cross upon that back,
Forced him up the narrow track.
He stumbled through the city gate,
Became too weak to lift the weight,
A man who passed him, black, it's said,
Carried up his cross instead.
At last they came to the hanging place,
A hill we call the Eyeless Face,
They gave him drugs to kill the pain
He pushed the cup away again.
The soldiers hung him on the cross,
Played for his clothes at pitch and toss.
When each of them had won a share
Sitting down they watched him there.
The death that he died - we were in it too,
With the crowd, or the soldiers, or the High Priest's crew;
We couldn't quite see where the Cross came in
With the life that would lead us away from sin.
Gentle Christ, wise and good,
We nailed him to a cross of wood,
The Son of God, he lived to save,
In borrowed stable and borrowed grave.
Ewan Hooper and Ernest Marvin, A Man Dies
February 28th
A reading quoted in our services today for the second Sunday in Lent:
SELF DENIAL
Self- renunciation does not necessarily result in self realisation. It depends on the object for which we make the sacrifice and the spirit in which it is made. Everybody who really wants something in life practises self denial in one way or another simply because, in this life, we can't have everything. But there is nothing par ticularly praiseworthy in spending less on beer in order that you may put more on horses, or in denying yourself the pleasures of home life in order that you may make more money when you have enough already. And I am not sure that some people, who have given up all that life had to offer them in order to minister to the whims a ' nd selfishness of tyrannical, possessive people, had any right to make that self martyrdom.
Nor again, does self realization necessarily come from utter devotion to a cause. There has probably never been a better example of complete self abandonment to a cause than that of Nazi youth, and yet the complete Nazi is a caricature of a human personality. True self realization comes only when we give ourselves for what is supremely good.
Leslie J. Tizard, Facing Life and Death
February 21st
40 testing days
of trusting by Noah in God's Ark while the world was flooded.(Gen. 7:17)
of mourning by Joseph while the body of Jacob was embalmed (Genesis 50:3)
of fasting by Moses (Ex. 24:18); Elijah (1 Kings 19:8); and Jesus (Matt. 4:2)
of waiting by Moses for the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai (Deut. 10:10)
of observing by Caleb while spying out the Promised Land (Numbers 13:25)
of putting up with the threats of Goliath by David (1 Samuel 17:16)
of probation, given to the Ninevites to allow them time to repent (Jonah 3:4)
of believing in Christ's resurrection by the disciples (Acts 1:3)
40 testing years
of gaining sympathy for his people by Moses during his life in Egypt, then teaching him leadership skills, as a shepherd in Midian. (Acts 7:23,30)
of pilgrimage and nomadic desert life by the Israelites (Exodus 16:35), and finding God's patience with them (Hebrews 3:17)
of preparation for Caleb for his mission to the Promised Land (Joshua 14:7) and for Ezekiel as a prophet (Ezek. 4:6)
of service by Eli as a priest (1 Samuel 4:18)and by Saul as a king (Acts 13:21)
40 punishment lashes was also considered the maximum number to be given and endured for crimes under Old Testament laws (Deut. 25:3); and still in force for Paul as punishment for preaching the gospel -(2 Cor. 11:24)
February 7th
Luke 2:22 The holy Family
Last Tuesday was Candlemas day (2nd February) , which since the 4th century, has commemorated the occasion when Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem 40 days after the birth of Jesus to present him to God as their first born. (Luke 2:22-38).
In the Gaelic world, Candlemas became known as the Feast of Brigid (Fèill Brighde) after St Brigid of Kildare, and her gifts of education of the ordinary people, who was commemorated on the 1st February.
Here are some principles which will help created happy families and individuals, together with some biblical references to show they are in line with God's truth and Christ's example:
1) We will not take the little things of life for granted, but will show our appreciation, both by our words and action, of washed clothes, cooked meals, and financial needs supplied. (Jesus blessed little things- Matthew 14:19)
2) Just as the pleasures and comforts of home life are equally available to all, so are the chores and responsibilities, and we will each do our share without grumbling. (Jesus showed gratitude for hospitality with act of healing- Mark 1:31)
3) Look for things to praise rather than to criticise. When necessary to correct, build up with constructive thoughts rather than tear down with negative ones.(See Paul's big heartedness- Philippians 4:8)
4) Recognise the importance of effort as well as achievement, and praise both equally. (Winning isn't everything- Ecclesiastes 9:11; its the race that is important- Hebrews 12:1; and remember also Kilping's poem 'If')
5) We will admit our faults to others in the family before we complain about other's faults. ( See Jesus' new revolutionary teaching- Matthew 6:11, Matthew 18:33)
6) People matter more than things, and the qualities valued by God matter more than possessions. (What Paul calls the fruits of the Spirit- Galatians 5:22,23)
7) We will accept our home and the people in it as God's specially chosen gift to us, and we will all help each other grow and develop as individuals. We will thank God for the gift of faith handed down through the family (See gratitude for faith in a young man's mother and grandmother- 2 Timothy 1:5)
8) Jesus extended the concept of family to include those we belong to in bonds of faith. Other cultures have a wider concept of family, and our western one is probably too narrow. It would be better to say, 'My family consists of the people I belong to.' (See Jesus' extending his family in John 2:12)
January 31st
We remember the homeless today:
Those whose homes were destroyed in Haiti
Those living rough on our city streets
Those who have lost their sense of belonging to their faith or their families
This demented inn
Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is
absolutely no room for him at all, Christ has come uninvited.
But because he cannot be at home in it, because he is
out of place in it, and yet he must be in it, his place is
with those others for whom there is no room.
Isaiah 35 Steps taken on the road to a wonderful destination
God made a ‘Highway of Holiness’ to bring his people back from exile to their homeland. On this road, they would be free and safe from all dangers of wild animals, desert conditions, rough terrain, attack from robbers and fear of the unknown. the greatest blessing of the road was that it would bring them home. All they had to do was to keep taking steps along that road. Our journey of life as individuals and a church are like that. If we keep on the road that God was given us we will be safe, and it will lead us safely onwards, and eventually homewards. We would also wish the city of Jerusalem and the land of Israel-Palestine to be a safe destination for all its citizens and residents at the present time of unrest, and that Jew and Arab, Jew, Christian and Muslim could all walk that road together.
January 24th
Acts 16:16-40 The changed jailor
After the tragic events in Haiti recently, let us look at another earthquake moment in the Bible, to see how the sovereignty of God is displayed in times like these.
The jailor was given responsibilities to fulfil. In the discharge of those responsibilities and in the reaction to the calamity which befell him, the jailer displays all the symptoms of a man living in the post-Christian era That is to say he saw his job without any reference to a god. When things went wrong he saw he had no alternative but to kill himself.
The jailer is a contemporary figure. Therefore his Journey to faith is of particular interest.
1) He recognised his own guilt This is a pre-requisite to faith,
2) It wasn't so much the nature of the question that he puts to Paul and Silas, it was the simple fact that he raised with them a basic question at all, He was at the end of 'his tether when he cried out., 'what must I do to be saved?' Only when real questions like this arise is there any hope of faith for us.
3) The validity of his faith was apparent in joyful service. He was a kind of parable for the present day.
One of the interesting marks of the secular world in which we live is its reluctance to service stemming from its ignorance of faith and belief. Instead the pattern of today's society is to delegate service to a growing army of professional specialists.
If there is going to be any renewal of the urban housing estates around our city, if there is going to be any glimmer of community life at all then there has to be this two-fold co-relation of faith in God, recognition of the risen Christ., issuing in joyful service to our fellow men.
January 17th
Earthquakes in the Bible
Exodus 14:v. 21 22, 29 31 - the passage through the Red Sea
God used his created forces of wind and earthquake at the time of his choosing to make the safe path through the marshy Sea of Reeds. That physical miracle was accompanied by the miracle of faith as people went through the seeming death of these dangers to find safety on the other side. God calls us from an old way of life through the death of selfish interest to the new freedom and fulfilment of serving Christ. This asks us for a great step of faith.
Exodus 20
The holiness of God was symbolised by smoke, fire, thunder, earthquake and the sound of the trumpet. The people's response to God's holiness was to keep their distance, and to wash their clothes.
Psalm 46: God is our refuge and our strength- even though the earth be moved'
Circle me Lord- keep protection near and danger afar.
Circle me Lord- Keep hope within. Keep doubt without.
Circle me Lord- Keep light fear and darkness afar.
Circle me Lord- Keep peace within. Keep evil out.
(Ancient Celtic prayer, Carmina Gadelica)
Psalm 77 and 114
The story in Exodus, in the account of Psalms 77 and 114 suggest that an earthquake threw up a spur of rock in the sea to part the waters and create a causeway to bring the Israelites to safety.
1 Kings 19 The still small voice of God
does not always work through striking signs and great visible movements. There will not always be great spiritual movements like the wind, or great moral earthquakes, or fiery preaching which will move the great crowds. God. often works gently, softly and unperceived. We need the patience to discern and to listen and to wait for God's plan to unfold.
God's message to Elijah was to get up and do his duty, not to sit and dream. The way ahead would be shown if Elijah was obedient to the immediate calling. The way out of despondency was to get on with the work ready to hand, Answers to great problems are not so likely to come to people dreaming in caves as to those going along the dusty road of being faithful to duty.
Jeremiah 15:18 Why do people suffer?
Jeremiah's despairing has a strangely modern ring. It could have been uttered by any victims of natural disasters, and most recently from the people of Haiti. For Jeremiah, and for us, this is a mystery, for which there is no ready explanation. Yet the peopole of the Caribbean have lived with the turbulence of the land's surface, the winds power and the water's raging for centuries and know that what people call paradise has more than its share of shades of Hades.
A Prayer is ascribed, perhaps in satire, to an English businessman of the eighteenth century, in the following terms: ‘O Lord, thou knowest that I have nine houses in the city of London, and that I have lately purchased an estate in Essex: I beseech thee to preserve the two counties of Middlesex and Essex from fires and earthquakes, and for the rest to do what thou wilt" That reduces Jacob religion to absurdity the love of God for what we can get out of him, and loyalty to him is conditional upon his coming up to our expectations. To such faith adversity constitutes a fatal problem; at the first breath of trouble such religion dissolves in disillusionment.
Far different is the faith of our poet prophet; or of the Psalmist who in adversity will cling to God though pouring out complaints; or of Job who will cling to God with uncomplaining doggedness "Though he slay me, yet will I trust Him"; or of Paul, who will cling to God, believing that all things work together for good. Even Paul does not rise higher than Habakkuk, who in adversity will cling to God radiantly, joyfully, though he has no explanation to lean upon and none to offer.
Matthew 7:24-28
There are two statements in this saying of Jesus that are worth thinking about. One is the simple definition of religion. Jesus says it means hearing his words, acting upon them and doing what he asks us do. But there is another truth in this message. It is that real religion is the secret of stability. Hearing and doing the will of Christ is like having a rock under our feet. It is having sound foundations to the house of life. If we listen to what Christ says and do what he commands we can stand up to any kind of storm. The floods may come, and the winds may blow and beat on our house, but it will not fall for it is built on a rock. The Christian faith begins and ends with Christ:
"Build on the Rock, the Rock that ever stands,
Oh, build on the Rock, and not upon the sands
You need not fear the storm, of the earthquake shock
You're safe for evermore if you, build upon the Rock.
John 9:1-12 Suffering – one of the Barriers to Belief
One of the barriers to faith in the intellectual climate of our land is Suffering. People wonder why God allows it, and does not intervene to prevent it. Older people think of their own, and younger people think of other people's. Many people think of Natural disasters. They are part of our world's cycle of life death and renewed life. (Forest fires, earthquakes etc). This is part of what Paul called nature groaning (Romans 8:22), awaiting Christ's return when there will be no more unease in our world.
Revelation 3:7 13 The letter to the church at Philadelphia
The name of the town meant Brotherly love The church also had a reputation for caring for one another. It's location on the main trade routes meant that the town enjoyed an "open door" to all parts of the country. The church is reminded of the open doors of opportunity and blessing in this letter. The town lay in the earthquake area of Turkey, as Armenia still does today. Faced with that uncertainty, they are reminded that they must live in daily dependence upon God, and that He will not fail to help them in times of need.
January 10th
Christian Premier Radio featured Caithness Ministers battling through the wintry condictions to carry on their pastoral work this week. My own article became a press release from the Church of Scotland, and Paul Read did a broadcast talk on behalf of the Presbytery. I was reminded, in this Epiphany season, of the similarities between our own travel challenges, and the legend of the Wise Men, first proposed by Lancelot Andrews in a sermon to King James VI in 1662, and more recently revived in TS Eliot's poem 'the Journey of the Magi' written in 1942, following his conversion to Christianity.All our own difficult journeys of life, are nothing compared to Christ setting his face to JErusalem to be the sacrificial victim, the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world>
A cold coming we had of it.
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter."
And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces.
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their
liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out,
and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.
Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation,
With a running stream and a water-mill
beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky.
And an old white horse galloped away
in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern
with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt.
I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.
TS Eliot
The Journey of the Magi
We three kings of Orient aren't
from The Daily Telegraph 21/12/2007
'The ways deep, the weather sharp, the days short, the sun farthest off, in solstitio brumali, the very dead of winter."
Those words, in a tremendous sermon by Lancelot Andrewes that King James I heard on Christmas Day 1622, were brilliantly stolen by TS Eliot and incorporated into his poem The Journey of the Magi. And we can see it all: the camels' breath steaming in the night air as the kings, in their gorgeous robes of silk and cloth-of-gold and clutching their precious gifts, kneel to adore the baby in the manger.
Three leaders of the Chinese Christian Church cite an alternate proposal for the origin of one of the Magi. They state that many Chinese Christians believe at least one of the Magi came from China. They cite anecdotal evidence about Liu Shang, the chief astrologer during the Han dynasty in China at the time that Jesus was born. Liu Shang discovered a new star the Chinese called the "king star" - which was associated with the birth of a new king. The disappearance of Liu Shang from China's imperial court for two years shortly after this star was discovered, they interpret as perhaps traveling the Silk Road to Bethlehem.
Whether a wandering magus 20 centuries ago was called Gaspar or not matters to no one much but him. It matters a very great deal whether a child born one summer or winter day in those years was really the prophesied Emmanuel. The gospels declare that he was, and that this is the good news of Christmas.
January 3rd
Matthew 2:2 Wise People still seek Christ.
Epiphany is a celebration of the missionary life of the church. The word means ‘manifestation- i.e. displaying, showing, revealing, The early church could have chosen other Bible stories- Jesus meeting the Roman centurion, the Syro- Phoenician woman; Peter meeting Cornelius; any of Paul’s journeys. But they chose the coming of the Wise Men to the manger at Bethlehem- to show that Christ would be found in the manger by Gentiles, as well as Jewish shepherds. They were men from ‘outside’ who God brought near by the gift of Christ. So there are no outsiders any more.
They had followed a mixture of God’s revelation in the Old Testament and their own academic discipline.
Wise men still seek Jesus. We do not need to be embarrassed about proclaiming Christ in today’s world of many disciplines, and many seekers. In the 19th century, Scotland took the gospel overseas. Now, in the 21st century, we are reaping the partnership with the church around the world to revive our own church.
And then the Wise men returned eastwards, but my a different route, because their lives had been changed. they had been confronted by God in Christ, and now they were being directed by God the Holy Spirit in a dream, to which they were obedient, and so they were kept in safety.
It was Jesus whom the Wise Men saw, not a theological conception, not a report nor a statement. He was the living Word of God became flesh, who lived among us. Let us beware of clothing the living Son of God in garments of our choosing, or of our own cultures. The demand still is: ‘Sir, we would see . . . Jesus.’
December 27th
Luke 1:79 to those who sit in shadows
We hear God's call to ‘Come out of the Shadows’
Come from your homes
with Christmas cards unfinished,
with family arrangements yet to be finalised.
Come share in a celebration
which began with the homeless, the illiterate and the unmarried.
Come from your places of work
with ‘To-do’ lists as long as your arm, with in-trays overflowing and phone calls put off yet again.
Come share in a celebration
where our work is to worship and our ceremony is to set us free.
Come from your communities
where talk is of Christmas shopping, and where our children are whipped up by advertising frenzy.
Come share in a celebration
where we have nothing to peddle but our stories of hope.
Come from your nations
where immigrants are unwelcome , and politicians vie for your vote.
Come share in a celebration
where the proud will be scattered , and the rich sent away empty.
Lord Jesus,
born many miles from your home,
we pray for those who are homeless this Christmas.
born shut out of an inn full of people,
we pray for those who are lonely this Christmas, or sad because they are missing someone they love.
born in poverty,
we pray for those in the world
who are hungry and hurting this Christmas.
December 20th
The Twelve Days of Christmas
A Partridge in a Pear Tree
The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on December 25, the first day of Christmas. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, recalling the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . . ." (Luke 13:34)
Two Turtle Doves
The Old and New Testaments, which together bear witness to God's self-revelation in history and the creation of a people to tell the Story of God to the world.
Three French Hens
The Three Theological Virtues: 1) Faith, 2) Hope, and 3) Love (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Four Calling Birds
The Four Gospels: 1) Matthew, 2) Mark, 3) Luke, and 4) John, which proclaim the Good News of God's reconciliation of the world to Himself in Jesus Christ.
Five Gold Rings
The first Five Books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch: 1) Genesis, 2) Exodus, 3) Leviticus, 4) Numbers, and 5) Deuteronomy, which gives the history of humanity's sinful failure and God's response of grace in the creation of a people to be a light to the world.
Six Geese A-laying
The six days of creation that confesses God as Creator and Sustainer of the world (Genesis 1).
Seven Swans A-swimming
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: 1) prophecy, 2) ministry, 3) teaching, 4) exhortation, 5) giving, 6) leading, and 7) compassion (Romans 12:6-8; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11)
Eight Maids A-milking
The eight Beatitudes: 1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, 7) the peacemakers, 8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. (Matthew 5:3-10)
Nine Ladies Dancing
The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: 1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness,
6) generosity, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, and 9) self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
Ten Lords A-leaping
The ten commandments: 1) You shall have no other gods before me; 2) Do not make an idol; 3) Do not take God's name in vain; 4) Remember the Sabbath Day; 5) Honor your father and mother; 6) Do not murder; 7) Do not commit adultery; 8) Do not steal; 9) Do not bear false witness; 10) Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17)
Eleven Pipers Piping
The eleven Faithful Apostles: 1) Simon Peter, 2) Andrew, 3) James, 4) John, 5) Philip, 6) Bartholomew, 7) Matthew, 8) Thomas, 9) James bar Alphaeus, 10) Simon the Zealot, 11) Judas bar James. (Luke 6:14-16). The list does not include the twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders and the Romans.
Twelve Drummers Drumming
The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed: 1) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2) I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. 4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. 5) On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6) He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7) I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8) the holy catholic Church, 9) the communion of saints, 10) the forgiveness of sins, 11) the resurrection of the body, 12) and life everlasting.
December 13th Third Sunday in Advent
John the Baptist- preparing the way for Jesus
His Greatness
An angel promised his father that he would be great in God's sight (Luke 1:15). Jesus said that John was the greatest prophet (Matt. 11:11). People acknowledged him as a spokesman for God (Mark 11:32). He had an international reputation (Acts 18:25). He was modelled on the greatest prophet- Elijah (2 Kings 1:8), and his preaching re-echoed Isaiah (Isaiah 40:3). We must take this great man seriously.
His discontent
At the heart of his preaching was a clear consciousness of the sin and failure of his age. Luke 3 has the burden of his message: against formalist which blotted out true spiritual values (v.7-8); against dishonesty disguised as officialdom (v.13); against greed which ignored other people's needs (v.11); against tyranny through oppression (v.14). Such rottenness in society would soon bring it down like a tree being felled (v.9).
His discontent was not just negative. It produced a longing for a new and better society, based on God's rule (Matthew 3:1). They key to entering this new community governed by God was repentance, which makes people dissatisfied with their old self-centred way of life and aware of a new potential in Christ.
His expectation
John saw himself as a forerunner. His estimation of himself was as a Voice in the wilderness, to preceded the Messiah, and declare that someone greater than he had now come. John wanted then to fade into the background (see the same process in MP 624).
In Christ, he anticipated: forgiveness- in the Lamb of God (John 1:29); power- to live with a new source of enabling power (Mark 1:8); judgement- through the process of separation of good from evil, and useless from fruitful. (Matt. 3:12).
November 29th - Advent Sunday
Matthew 24:30- 44. Preparing for Christ's coming.
The following principles of preparation can apply to getting ready for welcoming Christ at Christmas at special times e.g. Communion, but most of all for his eventual return. We are sure that he will return, but we are equally certain that we cannot predict when that will be.
BE HAPPY (v.30 35)
In seeing prophecy fulfilled (30a);
in the midst of suffering (30b);
in anticipation of future joys (30c);
in the promise of reunion (31);
in understanding God's ways (32);
in the privilege of being part of God's work (33);
in the assurance of God's control (34)
in learning from the Bible (35).
These are among our reasons for rejoicing when we look forward to welcoming Christ, and making room for him in our hearts and homes. As Christians we need to show to the world that the reason for our happiness is not in materialism or gluttony or following fashions, but in something much more lasting and meaningful. Let us have the "best reasons for being happy, and welcome Christ with Joy.
BE FAITHFUL (v.36 41)
In prayer, like Jesus (36) which trusts God, and confides in God, even though we do not know all the answers. This kind of prayer keeps on even though the answers are now always revealed or understood.
In witness Like Noah's (37 39) which points to God, even when a godless world does not want to believe or listen. Christian witness is judged by standards of faithfulness rather than of obvious or immediate success.
In duty, like Elijah's (v.41), which goes about its business rather than sits star gazing. Because we do not know the time of Christ's return, we must keep busy, lest the Master finds us idle and wasting the limited time while we could have been serving him.
BE READY (v.42 44)
There is a picture of the watchman, (42) on whose alertness a whole city may depend. Would we let others down by our laziness?
There is a picture of security, taking precautions against theft (43). Would we allow our faith to be taken away through lack of precaution?
November 22nd
Philippians 1:1 26 ‘Living Joyfully’
v.1 3 Greetings: to Christians who have 'dual nationality' who belong to two worlds, the earthly and the heavenly. Yet in the Christian faith the two combine. The eternal calling is the key to their lasting joy. As a hymnwriter wrote ‘Solid joys and lasting treasure, none but Zion's children know’.
v.3 8 Thanksgiving: which is another key to joy. Miserable folk are often ungrateful and find fault in others. But thankful people are often generous in their praise and support.
v. 9 11 Prayer: which springs from concern and faith. Paul prays for them, that their love and loyalty may mature (9), their understanding may deepen (10a), and their characters may develop in Christlikeness (10b). Paul wants them to live joyfully.
November 8th
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
Where there's death, there's hope
Jesus was willing to lay down his life for us, both in service and in death, for two main reasons. First, he knew that it was only through the untold agony of the cross that there could be forgiveness for men, and it was for this cause that he had come into the world.
Second, 'for the joy set before him he endured the cross' (Hebrews 12:2). He knew that the best was yet to be.
Paul, along with the other disciples, accepted the pain of following Jesus for the same two reasons.
First, although his sufferings could never atone for sin, he saw that 'I fill up in My flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his Body, which is the church' (Colossians 1:24). His sufferings were necessary for the sake of others, that through his weakness Christ's power might touch and transform many lives.
Second, he knew that 'our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us' Romans 8:18). He was abounding in hope,
In contrast, when we are not willing for the cost of discipleship, and for the price of spiritual renewal, it reveals that we are holding on to our lives, clinging to our temporal privileges and insecure in the love of God. We are afraid that if we let go, God may leave us with nothing but himself
October 11th
Luke 17:11 19 The ten lepers
This story is not just about physical healing, but also about an even deeper healing that of gratitude. The story is a contrast between the tragedy of the nine, and the miracle of the one.
The tragedy of the nine
Nine men stood at a distance and asked for Christ's help. They were healed but then forgot to give thanks. Even after being healed, they remained at a distance from Christ, indeed they had disappeared and were even further away from the Lord. Their tragedy is repeated in our day, with the greatest loss in membership of our national Church due to lapsed or disappeared members.
The miracle of the one
The one who returned to give thanks showed that he had received inner as well as outward cleansing. He dared to be a minority, he did not remain at a distance but came near to the Lord who had healed him. We must seek that deeper level of healing of gratitude which this one man
October 4th
Matthew 13:26-43 The parable of the weeds
This parable was referred to in one of our Harvest Thanksgiving hymns 627 verse 2. It helps us understand some of the great mysteries and perplexities that face us in the world, in our congregation, and in our own lives. We grapple with the mixture of good and bad that faces us in each of these situations.
In the world we see advancements in science, technology and social conditions, yet also see wars and hatred. In our congregation there is a mixture of committed and apathetic. in our own lives there are conflicting ambitions, motives and interests In this parable, the mixture of good and bad is symbolised by wheat and poisonous darnel weeds. Both look identical in the early stages growth. They can only be separated at harvest time. Those who would try to uproot the darnel would destroy the wheat as well.
It is God, not mankind, who will take in and reward the harvest of good at the end of time , when he will also judge and condemn evil.
We should not be dismayed when we see evil in the world because God is still in control. Although Satan is allowed to exercise his evil influence for a time, he is still an inferior power which shall be terminated at God's appointed time.
September 27th
Psalm 67 STOP, THINK AND THANK
This is the time of year many of our churches have their harvest thanksgiving services, and when many of us shall sing hymns of gratitude to God for all his goodness. Yet if we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that often we are not as grateful as we should be. Two small phrases betray us, and give away feelings of ingratitude. "I want". and "If only". Try these examples for size, and judge for yourselves how grateful you are.
I WANT . . . to be able to do what I like.
IF ONLY ... I had a car.
I WANT . . to travel around a bit before I settle down.
IF ONLY ... I had plenty of money.
I WANT ... to be left alone.
IF ONLY ... I had a better job.
I WANT ... to live it up before I get old.
IF ONLY ... I had perfect health.
I WANT ... to get married.
IF ONLY ... we had children. I WANT ... a better fife.
IF ONLY . . . I could afford better clothes.
I WANT ... to be famous.
IF ONLY ... I had a new pair of legs.
I WANT . . . , I'm not sure what I want next, because I have forgotten what I already have.
IF ONLY . . . , I'm not even sure what I want to do next because I have not taken the opportunities which I already have.
At Harvest Thanksgiving services, we stop the merry go round of I WANT . .'. IF ONLY ... I WANT ... etc. to realize all the good gifts which God has already given, all the benefits which we enjoy, and all the opportunities which we already have to make life full of purpose and meaning, Then there will be a new vocabulary on our lips, and new thoughts in our minds, and new feelings in our hearts. When we stop to think, we will also stop to thank. We will be happier, cheerier people, and brighten up fife for other people as well.
September 20th
Proverbs on wealth and contentment
The Divine Dimension
Good stewardship of resources begins with acknowledging that all that we have and all that we are comes from God. To steal from or to deny to other people is a sin, because ultimately it is to rob God. Similarly to be kind and generous to others is a service above all to God. (see Matt 25:31-46).
The Caring Dimension (14:20) We are to care for the people who are neglected, unloved and unlovely, because they deserve dignity and respect (see Luke 17:11-19)
Giving Enriches the Giver (11:24,25) This is the wonderful paradox of generosity. It is not just the poor that are the better off. Keeping everything to ourselves is the real poverty (see Matthew 25:14-30)
Value of Thrift (13:11, 22:7) It is not just the people who have lots of money who be generous, but also those who show the discipline of saving (see Luke 15:8-10) Borrowing brings anxiety and limits our sense of freedom. (Luke 7:41-43)
The Present Dangers of Greed (23:4, 18:23, 21:13) The greedy person gets worn out by his labours, and becomes harsh to others, and becomes lonely. (see Luke 13:21-31 and 19:1-10)
The Future Dangers of Greed (21:17, 22:16, 28:22, 23:5) Material prosperity will lead to spiritual poverty, for we take no possessions with us from this world.(see Luke 18:18-30)
Dimension of Judgement (28:6,20, 11:4) We will have to give an account of the way we have used what has been entrusted to us. (see Luke 16:1-13)
The Value of Contentment (30:8) To have enough to live on, and values to live for is all that we should ask for (see Matthew 6:24-34)
September 13th
Proverbs about Wisdom
1) Wisdom Listens- This is essential to the learning process. We listen to God (1:5) in our worship and in our private devotions; to parents (4:1) in our upbringing, to authority (10:8) in our daily living, and to good advice (12:15) from our trusted friends. For knowledge needs to be sought out (18:15), then remembered (10:14)
2) Wisdom Avoids- We need to know what to turn away from, not just what to turn towards when we want our lives to go God's way. We avoid evil (10:23) by not entertaining temptation; pride (28:26) by realising our limitations; arrogance (14:12) by heeding warnings; boasting (12:23) by refraining from showing off; and unseen danger (22;3) by taking precautions.
3) Wisdom Enjoys- learning (12:1) as a process of growing; being creative (14:1) with wisdom gained; planning (14:15) for the future; and home making (24:3,4) where the house is furnished with qualities, not just possessions.
4) Wisdom Works at- puts in the effort to achieve (10:5), and makes the time (23:23). For nothing of worth will be produced easily or cheaply.
5) Wisdom Treasures- Knowledge (16:16), and understanding (16:22). This is the real investment for the future well- being of families and children.
August 30th
Proverbs 3: 5
‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding’
Letting go of someone you love and placing them into God’s hands can be one of the hardest things we ever do. To let go doesn’t mean stopping caring.
It means stop rescuing and allow consequences to correct them and make them whole.
It means you choose neither to fix them or judge them, just pray for them.
It means facing your own selfishness and the need to adjust everything to your own desires. (Luke 22:42 – Not my will but Thine). Letting go is just letting God do it His Way!
Here’s a poem to help us ‘let go and let God’ –
As children bring their broken toys with tears for us to mend,
I brought my broken dreams to God because He is my friend.
But then instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone,
I hung around and tried to help in ways that were my own.
At last I snatched them back and cried, "How can You be so slow?"
"My child", He said, "What could I do … you never let it go."
August 23rd
What are the most important senses of belonging?
We belong to the family of humanity - following in each other's footsteps sometimes for good, sometimes for danger. That means acknowledging our common frailties and bias to selfishness and seeking God's grace to rectify us and purify us. It also means acknowledging out interdependence, to bear each other's burdens and share each other's joys.
When we discover that grace in Jesus Christ, then we can say, with the Heidelberg catechism of 1563,
Q.1 What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A That I belong- body and soul, in life and in death- not to myself but to my faithful Saviour, Jesus Christ, who at the cost of his own blood has fully paid for all my sins... by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.
We can also say, with our closing hymnwriter, In Christ thee is no east or west, in him no north or south.' That author, the clergyman William Dunkerley, wrote poems, hymns, novels under the name John Oxenham, in the aftermath of the First World War, with the hope that his writings would help heal wounds and divisions. Our lives can be like a book to read or a song to sing, or a tale to tell. May the message from our lives be that we belong to this interdependent family of humanity, and also that , within the church, we belong to the new humanity of grace.
August 2nd
1 Samuel 3 "Samuel hears God's call
v.1 10 Samuel is called
because God had prepared him even before his birth. God spoke to him where he was lying in bed. He was called personally and persistently, despite the mistakes, discouragements and disappointments which Samuel experienced. His 'call shows Samuel to be willing to listen and to serve. After ,.his call, he went back to his humble duties without any sense of anti climax. Have we heard and responded to God I s call? That may happen in the ordinary places of our lives. May we have the same patience persistence as young Samuel.
v 11 18 Samuel is equipped –
with God given understanding of the world situation and state of God's people. To serve God, Samuel needed to realise God's character and the enormity of the task in hand. We too are equipped for our task Of mission with the vision that we get in worship, and the strength we get in fellowship.
v.19 21 Samuel is established –
in reputation and in trust, in wisdom, grace and strength, in insight and in a sense of justice, in stature of character. God wishes us all to be established in our faith, so that we may be useful and fruitful in his service.
July 19th
Ephesians 6:10 -20 Fighting for God
Strategy (v.10 -11).
Paul realizes that to be a Christian means that we are on God's side against evil. The sec ret of victory is first to be on the right side, then to obey the orders of the commander and to foll ow the instructions about armour for defence and weapons for attack.
The basic strategy for the Christian is to ‘stand’ to have a stable and loyal faith. If we stand, then Gods work can advance.
The Enemy (v.12)
From his understanding of the scriptures, the teaching of Jesus and personal experience, Paul speaks of all the evil forces that work out the Satanic ambition to destroy the work and people of God. We should neither disbelieve nor be too fascinated by Satan, for both the materialist and the magician will suit his evil purposes. A balanced view is to understand the methods of temptation so that we can counter them and avoid falling.
Weapons (v.13- 18)
Paul had three sources for this picture of the Christian ready to fight for God.
The Roman soldiers who had brought him from Jerusalem to Rome
The Old Testament pictures of a strong and mighty God (see below)
The variety of Christian graces which he had listed in Galatians 5
These basically defensive items are;
Belt of truth.
The belt kept the soldier from being tripped up by the flowing garment. When we take what God says is true and make it true by believing, trusting and applying it to ourselves, we wont be tripped up by lies
Breastplate of righteousness.
This piece of armour is vital for protecting vital organs, and it is vital that we put into practice what we know to be true and right in order to protect our faith and play our part for God's cause.
Footgear of the gospel of peace
The need to stand one's ground was essential for defence and subsequent mobility. We also need a firm base.
July 12th
Joshua- 1:1-11 Be a hero for God
In Joshua chapter one, we see God's initiative and Joshua's co-operation and the people's involvement.
God's Call (v.1 2)
In the midst of the disappointment after Moses' death, God raised up a new leader, end gave him a job to do, and gave the people a leader and a future.
We often have to do something important without some people we have loved and leaned on. But we too are told to "Get ready" for the tasks that lie before us, for God's work must go on. God will raise up new people to take on the tasks. Are we being called to some of these roles that others have filled in the past?
God's Promises (v.3 5).
In the face of great odds against them, the people were given great assurances of victory. The promises were in line with those given to the patriachs, for God is always true to his word. Joshua was assured of a land to possess and God's presence to be with him.
The New Testament equivalent of the Promised Land is Heaven itself, so we do not claim material wealth as our Christian right, for we have a far better inheritance to receive. God's presence with us on earth and God's welcome into Heaven are the promises we claim through faith.
God's Commands (v.6 9)
Against the temptations to be frightened by the unknown, God's commands were to be strong, courageous, faithful and obedient. Joshua was to attempt great things for God and expect great things from God. He was not to take counsel from his fears, otherwise he would be paralysed by them .
Our effectiveness will be determined by our obedience and faithfulness to God. Will we honour him and keep our vows to him?
God's workers (v.10 11)
Joshua passed on the vision, and got everyone involved and mobilised. The excitement of what lay ahead was shared, and a sense of urgency was infused into the whole camp. We also want to share a vision of what we can do together as God's workers.
June 14th
Acts 17:24-31
I believe in God's World (extracts from 'Faith and Understanding' by Howard Taylor)
Q. Has the universe always existed or did it have a beginning?
A Most scientists believe that the universe did begin with a big bang of light seemingly coming from nothing. This is similar to the description of creation in Genesis 1:1-3, Isaiah 40:26; 42:20; 42:5)
Q. Would it be true to say that the God the Father created the world, Jesus the Son came to save it, and the Holy Spirit came to apply that salvation to us?
A. No, because God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in unity both created the world, and saved the world. (Job 26:13)
Q. how were Christ and the Holy Spirit involved in creation?
A. Through Christ, God created everything (John 1:3); the universe was created by God through Christ and for Christ (Colossians 1:15).
Q. Does this mean we have no responsibility for creation?
A. No. We have the responsibility through the Holy Spirit to believe in God and trust him fully. our obedience comes from faith. (Romans 1;5,16)
Q. What is the difference between humans and animals that God has made?
God has breathed his eternal Spirit into humans, so we belong to heaven as well as to earth. We are made in the image of God the creator (Genesis 1:26-29; Psalm 8)
Q. What does it mean to say we are made in the image of God?
A. God has given us freedom, authority and responsibility; a creative instinct in work and in art, literature and music. We can make order and beauty out of chaos. We are able to reflect the holiness, love and truth of God (Hebrews 1:3, Matthew 5:48)
Q. How does our relationships with each other reflect anything of the being of God?
A. We are set in families, not just as a human custom, but because God wants us to live with trust and love- his characteristics. (Ephesians 3:14-15)
June 7th
What kind of God is our God of this Trinity Sunday?
God is a community of mutual honouring in Father, Son and Spirit
whose nature is generosity seen in Jesus Christ
whose mission is the renewal of people, place and planet through the Holy Spirit
in partnership with all God’s people.
And what kind of church are we to be on this Trinity Ssunday?
We are invited to let our imaginations be stimulated
so as to reflect these relationships,
to express that generosity
and to share in these purposes.
May 31st
Acts 2:2 The Holy Spirit as breath
To make mankind in God's image.
See Genesis 2:7 'The Lord breathed the breathe of life, and the man became a living being'' To make humanity in his own image, God gave his Spirit to make mankind spiritual, able to know Him and worship him.
To remind us of God's gift of life
See Job 7:7 'man breathes his last and is no more'- our life is so short: Psalm 150:6- 'let everything that has breath praise the Lord'- every breathe is an opportunity to praise God: Ecclesiastes 12:7 'the breathe of life goes back to God'- when breathing ends, new life begins.
To show God's power
See Ezekiel 37:9 'come O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may life'- breathing new hopes into a beaten army, and new vision into a despairing prophet.
Jesus' parting gift to his friends.
See John 20:22 'Jesus breathed on them and said, receive the Holy Spirit - Jesus always did lovely things with his breathing- told stories, sang songs, taught to pray, whispered to soothe, commanded to heal. Now with breathing, he passes on his Spirit to enable his friends to carry on his work.
The Holy Spirit at work.
See Acts 2:2- ' suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven'- A wind to energise the church's mission, and to take the message of the gospel and blow it like airborne seed to the whole world.
May 24th
Acts 1:6-11 ‘He ascended into heaven’
The Apostles' Creed
The message of the Ascension is that Jesus Christ has now a position of authority. He is a ruling Lord In overall control. This gave the first Christians an unshakable optimism. They went on feeling on top of the world however much the world seemed to be on top of them. This made a great impression in a weary first century, and can still make a great change to outlooks in our world. When we believe that ‘Jesus the saviour reigns’, then we have great certainties:
Christ rules God's World.
He won a decisive victory over all dark powers. It is like a chess game in which the result is sure but the losing player has not yet given up. When he ascended, Jesus' lordship became a cosmic fact. So we have confidence that the world is in God's overall control. This helps us when we think of the perils and evils that face our world and its environment. The Lord who created is also the Lord who will sustain the world.
Christ prays for God's people.
We think of our Lord receiving our prayers and offering them up constantly before God, long after our voices are silent. We think of Christ standing in for us and standing up for us, even when we do not have the words to pray or the strength to pray. And so our Lord ensures that we have strength and grace to help us in every time of need. When we have the feeling that someone has been praying for us, and helping us that is our ascended Lord at work. To be ‘sitting on the right hand of God...'‘ does not imply retirement, but a new phase of divine activity and Lordship.
Quote:
‘The disciples had a friend they could touch, could see, and could hear. And yet they denied Him, they betrayed Him, they left Him. He gave them a Friend they could not touch, nor see and this Friend changed their lives. Without the Holy Spirit Christianity would be a drama without a last act. But when He came He made men who 'turned the world upside down'. The failure with us is that we have not known that we have a Leader, a Partner, as truly as the first disciples had’.
May 10th
John 15:5 The vine and the branches
On a stony hillside above his house, where the thyme grows and the prickly pear, and a wild fig tree fights for its existence in a pocket of shallow soil, a farmer decides to plant a vine. In the autumn he clears a terrace, and brings top soil. He sets a post for the vine to climb, and fixes horizontal supports for its branches. Then in the spring he plants it and fences it against the goats; as it grows he trains it, and in the following autumn he prunes it back.
The vine depends for its life on the farmer, but equally the farmer depends on the vine. For the vine can do what the farmer cannot; it can take the rain that falls on the hillside and convert it into grapes, which the farmer can harvest and tread out in his wine press, and pour the juice into his vat to ferment and bubble. The farmer and the vine are dependent on each other, and the purpose for which they work together is that water should be turned into wine. "I AM the true vine", says Jesus, "and my Father is the farmer." Here is the last great image of I AM the vine with its roots in the earth, dependent upon the Farmer, and its every branch producing bunches of grapes which will be crushed and made into wine to bring joy to those who drink it.
May 3rd
John 21:15 19 A new start for Peter.
A challenge "Do you love me?"
It was given three times to match and make up for the three fold denial by Peter. Peter, though grieved at being asked this question three times, was glad of the opportunity to make up for his past failures. The challenge was a simple, searching and a saving question all at once.
Simple, because Peter was an ordinary untaught man,
Searching, like a searchlight probing his soul
Saving, because it was full of forgiving love.
A confession "You know that I love you".
Peter could hardly appeal to his past record which was soiled with shame, so he unburdened with heart, appealing to the understanding of Jesus. ,In our worship, we do not try to hide or cover up ourselves before God, but appeal to his mercy.
A commission ','Feed my sheep"
Jesus was putting his faith in Peter. In doing so, he showed forgiveness for the past and faith in the future. The Good Shepherd was appointing an under shepherd to share in the care of the flock.
April 19th
John 20:24-29 "Thomas Doubted
Let us see how Thomas was changed by his encounter with the risen Christ
He began as an earnest doubter.
He was an honest man, not afraid to ask questions, and not happy
until he could understand. This is the process that all true faith goes through, becoming stronger through personal experience and understanding.
He became an excited believer.
This is not surprising when we remember his previous displays of strong loyalty for Christ, and his strong bond of personal friendship with the master.
He was convinced because of the evidence of the resurrection.
He had the evidence of his eyes and hands and ears. We have the evidence of the spirit as well as the facts and of history. There is no other explanation for the empty tomb; broken men were given a new boldness; we can experience the presence of a risen Lord in our lives; we see the quiet confidence and unshakable faith which is the hallmark of Christianity based on assurance of resurrection.
March 29th
John 12:24 except a grain of corn falls.. and dies.. it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
Some poems about the great potential when we, like seeds, germinates in service to God and to others:
On the resurrection of Christ
Done is a battell on the dragon black,
Our champioun Christ confoundit hes his force;
The yettis of hell ar broken with a crack,
the sign triumphall rasit is of the croce,
the devillis trimmils with hiddous voce,
The saulis ar borrowit and to the bliss can go,
Christ with his blude our ransonis dois indoce:
Surrexit Dominus do sepulcro.
William Dunbar (1460-1520) East Lothian Scottish Renaissance writer.
The Corn of Wheat
So a small seed that in the earth lies hid
And dies, reviving bursts her cloddy side,
Adorned with yellow locks, of new is born,
And doth become a mother great with corn;
Of grains brings hundreds with it, which when old
Enrich the furrows with a sea of gold.
William Drummond (Hawthornden, court poet. 1585-1649)
Ane by ane
Ane by ane they gang awa'
the Gatherer gathers great an' sma'
Ane by ane mak's ane an' a'.
Aye when ane sets doun the cup,
Ane ahint maun tak it up,
Yet thegither they will sup.
Golden-heided, ripe an' strang,
Shorn will be the hairst ere lang,
Syne begins a better sang!
George MacDonald (1824-1905) Huntly novelist.
Per Ardua ad Astra
Lift me O God, above myself,-
Above my highest spheres,
Above the thralling things of sense,
To clearer atmospheres.
Lift me above the little things,-
My poor sufficiencies,
My perverse will, my lack of zeal,
My inefficiencies;-
Above the earth-born need that gropes,
With foolish hankerings,
Above earth's cumbered lower slopes
For earthly garnerings.
John Oxenham (Edinburgh war poet, written in 1917)
Stones
The great stones of the tomb
Enfold Jesus' body
In silence and deep gloom.
They had him to themselves alone,
That shard of him, sinew and bone, transient dust on their immortality,
And now their inanimate heart
Yearned over that shrouded form:
And while three midnights passed
They made of that tomb
A womb.
William Jeffrey (1896-1946)- an editor of the Glasgow Herald.
The flyting o' life and Daith
Quo life, the warld is mine.
The floo'ers and trees, they're a' my ain.
I am the day, and the sunshine
Quo life, the warld is mine.
Quo daith, the warld is mine.
Your lugs are deef, your een are blin,
Your floo'ers maun dwine in my bitter win,
Quo daith, the warld is mine.
Quo life, the warld is mine.
I hae saft win's, and healin' rain
Aipples I hae, an breid an' wine
Quo life, the warld is mine.
Quo daith, the warld is mine,
I hae dug a grave, I hae dug it deep,
For war an' the pest will gar ye sleep.
Quo daith, the warld is mine.
Quo life, the warld is mine,
An open grave is a furrow syne.
Ye'll no keep my seed frae fa'n in.
Quo life, the warld is mine.
Hamish Henderson (1919- )
March 15th
Acts 27 tells the story of a shipwreck, and reminds us of how faith and practical good sense usually go together. The apostle Paul was a good man to have on board in a crisis. He brought inner calm even when there was a storm raging. He kept the crew, the guards and the passengers all working together when there was the temptation for people to think only of saving themselves. He lived out his faith in God by believing that they could all survive the storm. You could say that he prayed with his eyes open! Due to his good sense, he brought all 276 people on board to safety on the shore.
Today we pay tribute to the RNLI crews around our shores who bring many people through storms to safety. They are following in the pattern of our Lord Jesus Christ and his faithful followers on the seas.
March 8th
Mark 8:31-38 Achievement Through Suffering
v. 31 ‘the Son of Man’-
the great achiever. This is Jesus’ own preferred title , as it expresses his self awareness. In Daniel 7:13-14 the Son of Man is pictured as a heavenly figure who in the end times is entrusted by God with authority, glory and sovereign power.
‘must suffer… be rejected… be killed… ‘
- the path to achievement. Jesus sees himself also in terms of the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. This pattern shows the extent to which the servant is willing to serve.
v.32 ‘He spoke plainly’
(as Jesus himself claimed in John 18:20). His teaching was unmistakable, unforgettable, unambiguous, vivid, - how unlike other religious teachers of his time and since.
v.33 ‘Peter rebuked him… he rebuked Peter‘.
Whenever there is a disagreement between Christ and ourselves, remember, as Paul said, ‘Let God be true and every man a liar’ (Romans 3:4)
v. 34 ‘to come after me.. deny self… take up the cross… follow me’
This is the pattern of achievement. It means turning our self centred values on their heads, and living for others, not just ourselves.
‘what good is it to gain the world and lose your soul?’’
the answer is obvious- no use at all, and yet that is how we are tempted to live. We need to be saved from our own self destruction which also destroys others.
v. 37 ‘what can be given in exchange for the soul?’ another obvious answer- no material thing. And yet many live as if material possessions were more important.
v.38 if we are ashamed of Christ, we forfeit his pride in us.
But the opposite is equally true- he is proud of those who have been proud of him.
March 1st -
Write out the word- CONFESSING, and then find it to be the word that links together all the other words associated with lent. Fit these other words in like a crossword puzzle, each one like a 'down' clue, intersecting with our original word running the length of the page.
Lent is a time in which we need to ADMIT our mistakes and show true REPENTANCE through saying SORRY and APOLOGISING to God. But is also a time for remembering God is ready fo FORGIVE us, a time for rejoicing in his MERCY and PARDON. It is a time which reminds us that, through the grace of Christ, he is ready to ACQUIT and ABSOLVE us - or, as the old English word puts it, SHRIVE us of all we have done wrong.
This, then is what Lent is all about; a time of challenge but also promise, summed up in the words of Psalm 32 verse 5:
'I acknowledge my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord;, and you forgave the guilt of my sin.'
February 22nd Mark 9:2-9 The transfiguration
In most of the other miracles, someone else, or something else is changed, but here, it is Christ whose appearance is changed. Yet, like so many other miracles, this one points forward to the great miracle of Christ's death and resurrection.
We learn more about God.
Jesus changed his appearance to show that he was divine. He was clothed in brilliant white to' represent the purity of God. It Is a picture of humanity and divinity meeting In Christ. it was a picture of the resurrection body which will be still recognisably human but changed (see 1 Corinthians 15:51 54,) It pointed the disciples away from the material world to the world and the life to come.
We find out more about the Old Testament fulfilled in Christ.
Moses and Elijah appear, but can be seen only in the light of Christ. They represent the law and the prophets, and their true worth in seen only in the light , of Christ. Moses had a similar experience in Exodus 24:15 17, but the light of Christ would bring life, not fear (See John 1.14). In the light of Christ we see how the whole Old Testament pointed forward to its fulfilment in the Messiah.
We understand more about the disciples' weaknesses
They were sleepy, as they would be at other intense moments in the life of Jesus. It is part of Christian experience to feel drained in the course of the spiritual battles of worship, prayer and service. When we give our minds, hearts and lives to God's work, there is a costliness as well as a reward.
They did not fully understand. They were confused by what they saw, but looking back, Peter remembered what he heard and they brought understanding (See 2 Peter 1:16 18) Unlike the secular view for the Christian seeing is not always believing (1Cor.13:12)
They were tempted to fossilise the experience
and wanted time to stand still. But Jesus would not let then record the experience in a monument of brick or mortar. He wanted them to take the experience with them, and have an ongoing sense of divine presence with them wherever they went.
February 15th
2 Kings 5 Naaman's Leprosy healed
This story is a parable of God's cure for the basic disease of humanity that we are proud and selfish We go our own way rather than God's way, This Is human sin, and it is often symbolised by leprosy in the Bible, because it is a sickness which spoils and spreads. We learn some aspects of God's cure:
God's cure is a cleansing and a renewing .
Just as Naaman's skin became clean like a child's, so the gospel actually changes people. Our status before God, our attitudes to others, our priorities ambitions, thoughts and feelings. So we are not condemned to be products of our environment. nor always be like parents, friends or peers.
God's cure puts us all on the one level.
Namaan was treated as a leper who happened to be a great man rather than a great man who happened to have leprosy. To Elisha, the important thing was his disease rather than his dignity. So our faith makes us equal in God's sight in our needs just as it makes us equal in God's sight in our worth. So there is no place in the church for snobbery of class or culture.
God’s cure puts the messengers of the cure well in the background
Elisha was a man of few words, and undemonstrative in his actions God often uses shy people to do his work. God often uses actions and examples in place of many words to show what the gospel is like. Namaan's wishes for showy rituals and dramatic displays were not granted. He was told simply what God required of him.
God's cure asks nothing of us simply that we take it
Naaman wanted things to be more complicated, and on a grander scale. He wanted to feel that he had earned it or achieved it himself. He found it difficult to take it on trust and as a gift. Like him we need a simpler faith that can receive without suspicion and can believe without cynicism, and can take God at his word.
"If our love were but more simple, We would take him at his word, And our lives be filled with
glory from the glory of the Lord." (F Faber.)
God's cure dignifies ordinary things and menial tasks
Namaan thought the task of washing was beneath him, and the repeated action was a mockery to his position. Like Namaan we have to humble ourselves when we come to God in repentance and faith, and we have to be humble enough to do the routine, often menial tasks of service of God's kingdom.
God's cure asks us not to give up.
Like Namaan we will need patience to see God's cure work. We will not see all of lite's, problems resolved immediately. To be obedient to God's leading often means that we take a long term perspective on our willingness to follow. We should not give up when we do not see the results, immediately.
February 1st
Tomorrow is Candlemas - one of the Old Scottish Term Days. These were holy days for the people of the Kingdom of Scotland in the Middle Ages, when rent and interest on loans, and ministers’ stipends were due, and when servants were hired and paid. The other Term Days were Whitsun (26th May), Lammas (1st August) and Martinmas (11th November).
Candlemas, on 2 February, was originally the feast of the Purification, or the Presentation of Christ. This was celebrated in pre-Reformation times by candlelit processions. In the Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions it is the day on which believers bring beeswax candles to their local church to blessed for use in the church or in the home.
Today, we compare our lives to beeswax candles to be blessed as lights in the world, showing people the evidence that Christ is alive in his church and giving the light of understanding and warmth and comfort through his disciples.
Think of the way that various hymn writers have described Candlemas:
Christ is our light! the bright and morning star covering with radiance all from near and far. Christ be dour light, shine on, shine on we pray into our hearts, into our world today. (Hymn 336)
This great salvation, long prepared, and now disclosed to view, hath proved thy love was constant still, and promises were true. (Hymn 333)
As by the sun in splendour the flags of night are furled, so darkness shall surrender to Christ who lights the world: to Christ the Star of day, who once was small and tender, a candle's gentle ray (Hymn 332)
Yet His light shall shine from our lives, Spirit blazing, as we touch the flame of His holy fire (Mission Praise 420)
Like a city bright, so let us blaze; light in every streeet turning night to day: and the darkness shall not overcome, till the fulness of Christ's kingdom comes, dawning to God's eternal day (Mission Praise 110)
I heard the voice of Jesus say; I am this dakr world's light; look unto me, thy morning shall rise, and all thy day be bright'; I looked to Jesus and I found in him my Star, my Sun; and in that light of life I'll walk, till travelling days are done. (Hymn 540)
January 25th
Preparing for Holocaust Day
The 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns is just two days before the annual Holocuast Memorial day is the 27th January. The theme for this year's memorial day is Stand up to hatred. Burns had quite a few things to say abut that theme:
"It's coming yet, for a' that, that man to man the world o'er, shall brithers be for a' that."
I murder hate by flood or field,
Tho' glory's name may screen us;
In wars at home I'll spend my blood -
Life-giving wars of Venus.
The deities that I adore
Are social Peace and Plenty;
I'm better pleased to make one more,
Than be the death of twenty.
Robert Burns addressed his hatred of slavery in a poem, The Slave's Lament:
"It was in sweet Senegal
That my foes did me enthral
For the lands of Virginia, 'ginia, O!
Torn from that lovely shore
And must never see it more
and alas! I am weary, weary, O!
"The burden I must bear,
While the cruel scourge I fear,
In the lands of Virginia, 'ginia, O!
With the bitter, bitter tear,
And alas! I am weary, weary, O!"
While writing this verse, Burns must surely have been as sensitive to the importation into the Americas of African slaves as well as the selling of Scots into literal slavery in America - not just indentureship - at the time of the Highland Clearances. His attitude toward the Church may also have been coloured by the knowledge of the acceptance by the Church of substantial contributions from slave-holding colonies at the time of the Clearances.
Address To The Unco Guid (or the rigidly righteous)
Then gently scan your brother man,
Still gentler sister woman;
Tho' they may gang a kennin wrang,
To step aside is human;
February 1st
Reviewing 'The Shack' by William P Young, the number one best seller this week:
In Romans Paul refers to God the Father as "Abba" which literally interpreted is Daddy or Papa. God isn't in the business of demanding formalism, He is into having a personal relationship with Him, truly being as a family. Enjoying that relationship to the fullest. He isn't a God that sits on a throne and demands worship. We worship because we love Him and we love Him because Papa first loved us. Love and grace are the key ingredients in a recipe of relationship. And as we have relationship with Papa, we will have relationship with other brothers and sisters in Christ.
I am love.
"Love and relationship. All love and relationship is possible for you only because it already exists within Me, within God myself. Love is not the limitation; love is the flying. I am love." (p. 101)
I am especially fond of ........ even though I have no favourites (p.118)
There is a lot to be mad about in the mess my kids have made (119)
We are all God's creation and He is especially fond of each and every one us. Whenever I start trying to be "legalistic", I stop and remind myself that I was forgiven - not because I deserved it - because God loved ME.
God REALLY ENJOYS us. I think very few people had parents that truly enjoyed their children. I know for me I always felt like a nusance to have around, and pretty much felt like I was tolerated. (At least that was my perception... I mean all kids can get on your nerves.)
Anyway, for me to know that Papa enjoys having me around no matter what mood I'm in... makes me feel loved and wanted.
Happy Good Friday
"You have judged them worthy of love, even if it cost you everything. That is how Jesus loves. And now you know Papa's heart, who loves all his children perfectly." (p. 163)
"Papa has never needed to evil to establish his good purposes. It is you humans who have embraced evil and Papa has responded with goodness. (p. 165)
The Friendship is Real...Sharing the Journey
"So yes, what we desire is for you to 're-turn' to us, and then we come and make our home inside you, and then we share. The friendship is real, not merely imagined. We're meant to experience this life, your life, together in a dialogue, sharing the journey. You get to share in our wisdom and learn to love with our love, and we get...to hear you grumble and gripe and complain...!" (p. 175)
Contrary to my Purposes
"As well intentioned as it might be, you know that religion can chew up people! An awful lot of what is done in my name has nothing to do with me and is often, even if unintentional, very contrary to my purposes." (p. 179)
Grace
"Just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn't mean I orchestrate tragedies. Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purposes. That will only lead you to false notions about me. Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors." (p. 185)
You are incredible...wonderful
"You and this Creation are incredible, whether you understand that or not. You are wonderful beyond imagination. Just because you make horrendous and destructive choices does not mean you deserve less respect for what you inherently are - the pinnacle of my Creation and the center of my affection." (p. 190)
God's Purpose
"Mackenzie, my purposes are not for my comfort, or yours. My purposes are always and only an expression of love. I purpose to work life out of death, to bring freedom out of brokenness and turn darkness into light." (p. 191)
Everything you do is Important
"Mack, if anything matters, everything matters. Because you are important, everything you do is important. Every time you forgive, the universe changes; every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes; with every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will ever be the same again." (p. 235)
January 25th - at Halkirk for a baptism
"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." He not only affirms the value of children, but that he receives all the children who come to him. He says, "The kingdom of God belongs to such as these."
Our heart needs to be childlike in its simplicity.
Our heart needs to be childlike in its teachability.
Our heart needs to be childlike in its trust.
Our heart needs to be childlike in its forgiveness.
Finally, our heart needs to be childlike in its responsiveness.
Do you have these childlike qualities?
Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
When you come to Jesus in simplicity, with a teachable heart, trusting in him, forgiving others and responding to his invitation, then the door of the Kingdom is wide open to you and to all who have a childlike heart.
January 11th, 2009
Our readings from Jeremiah 32 (the purchase of a field in a time of econimic and political uncertainty), and from Matthew 13:44-45 (the legal purchase of a field to secure a buried treaure) helped us think of the present economic problems. How are people of faith to react to the present financial worries? It is probably a good time to buy a new car, considering the heavily discounted offers available. People with faith in the future will want to invest while credit is cheaper, and believe they will reap the rewards when economic conditions revive.
We also thought of how the present troubles in the Palestinian lands could be allieviated with the work of the Portland Trust, promoted by Tony Blair in his role as Middle East Envoy. Bringing investment and employment to the Palestianian population of Gaza and the West Bank is a sure way of epressing faith in the future.
We also thought of the 'Golden Arches Theory' - so called because it was a view that countries that had MacDonalds fast food restaurants did not go to war against each other. That theory may not always be the case, but it is an interesting view that when countires share an economic depedence on each other, they do not destroy that economic coalition by warfare. If the Golden Arches of MacDonalds have helped build bridges, then so much the better.
For those who are not entrepreneurs, the parable of the buried treasure speaks primarily of Christ as our treasure, and the challenge to give up every other priority in order to follow him, and find life is a treasure when lived for his sake.
December 2008
How much is that nativity set in the window?
A woodcarver made a new nativity set and put it in his shop window two weeks before Christmas. Passers by admired the beautiful craftsmanship of the beautifully carved figures. some went into the shop and asked to buy it, each offering more than the one before. But to each prospective buyer, the woodcarver said, 'It's not for sale'. Then on Christmas Eve, a young boy stopped to look at the nativity set, and after a fw minutes hesitation, he also went into the shop. He said to the woodcarver, 'See that nativity set- I wouldn'd buy it , even though I had lots of money. There's somethng wrong with it.. There is no baby Jesus in the crib, so its not a proper nativity set at all.'
'At last', said the woodcarver, 'Someone has noticed!. And he wne to the drawer of his desk, and brought out the baby Jesus, wrapped in tissue paper. I promised myself that I would not part with it unless someone noticed that the Christ child was missing. And then, when someone noticed, I would gift the nativity set to them. so here it is as my present to you. You at least know that Christmas is not complete without Christ at the cnetre of the story.
And that is the message we all need to learn. That Christmas has no meaning unless it is the celebration of Christ's birthday, and He is at the centre of all of our celebrations.
Church of Scotland Website
