Reflections

In my NIV Bible 1Corinthians chapter 13 is entitled, Love is indispensable…and at the beginning of the chapter Paul speaks about various gifts of the Holy Spirit – speaking in tongues, prophecy and faith – but states that if he has all of these but does not have love then he is nothing.

Indeed Paul goes on to say this more than once – without love he is and has nothing – and as we read through the whole chapter we are left with this wonderful idea of what true love is all about. Love is patient, love is kind…Love always trusts, always hopes…Love never fails. Indeed of faith, hope and love – love is the greatest of the three.

However, when we look at the world around us today, where we see so many situations where kindness is somewhat scarce, where trust is hard to find, where hopes forever seem to be dashed and where patience is in short supply, the idea that love never fails might be a difficult concept for many to understand and accept.

Yet Paul is unmoving in his exhortations and in the same way that we thought of Paul and the fruit of the Holy Spirit last week, this week we look to the gifts of the Holy Spirit and for Paul it is love that binds all things together. And given his own personal encounters and experience with Jesus, it’s perhaps understandable why Paul would believe this.

The question is do we believe this – do we believe that love is indeed what binds all things together, do we believe that love is indeed indispensable and what did our Lord have to say on the question of love?

Let’s pray…

Loving God we thank You for Your continued presence with us each and every day, and as we come to You now, ask that Your Spirit would be upon us, drawing us closer to You. Help us today, as we hear Your Word and meditate on what it says to us, to allow that same Spirit to guide us through the day ahead. We praise You for all the opportunities and challenges that You set before us, and thank You that by Your Spirit, You supply us with the gifts and skills we need to rise up and meet these, to the glory and honour of Your name..

Yet still we confess dear God there are times when we fail to listen to You, times when we ignore Your Spirit altogether and seek to do things in our own way, often realising, only when it is too late, of the foolishness of our behaviour and of how we have failed to act as You would have us. Gracious God, for these and all our faults and failings, forgive us, we pray, and enable us once again to know Your presence in our lives. For despite our sinfulness, deep down we know that You are always there to call upon, always there to offer help, guidance and support, always there to offer mercy and forgiveness and to welcome us back into Your tender loving care.

So help us to look to You at all times, we pray, and to allow Your Spirit to lead us through each day, that in all we say and do, we might not only continue along the journey that You would have us take, but through our witness and using the gifts and faith You have given us, invite others to join with us on that journey. And all this we ask in Jesus name…Amen.

 

Read Matthew 22:34-46

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…Love your neighbour as yourself…’ In these two short sentences Jesus essentially summed up the entirety of the Law in a nutshell. But I wonder if we have ever taken any serious amount of time consider which of these two commands we find easiest to obey. To love God with all we have – or – to love our neighbour as ourselves?

Is it, for example, easier to love the neighbour we can see as opposed to the God we can’t see? Or is it easier to love God than the neighbour who we never seem to be able to avoid? Of course that choice is offered somewhat tongue in cheek.

Yet the reality is that for some loving God is easier than loving their neighbour – and vice versa. However, although both of these commands are quite distinct in their own way, they are both equally compulsory – if we would be the Disciples of Jesus that we wish to be.

The fact that these commandments appear in all three Synoptic Gospels shows how important they that. And whilst John doesn’t quote this great commandment, he does something just as significant, the pivotal moment coming just after Jesus washes his disciples feet in john 13…

I give you a new commandment… love each other…just as I have loved you…so you also must love each other…

So there can be no question that for Jesus the doorway to life is love. And for us today, the essential guiding principle as we face all of life’s big questions – is love.

And if we are serious about following Jesus, then we have no choice but to learn to open our hearts and make love the primary focus of our lives— as tough and messy as that may be. If we call ourselves Christians then the truth we will have to live with is this love can be the only law we live by.

But as we know, that’s not always easy…

In our opening reflection we thought of what Paul had to say about love. But I wonder if we have ever seriously stopped to consider that, love begets love. And whilst some might be suspicious of such a claim, it is true – the more love you give, the more love you have to give.

So essentially, we love by loving. And the way of loving God and neighbour is by loving God in neighbour and loving neighbour in the love of God…and loving the most difficult neighbour at that…

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5, for if you love those who love you, what reward have you. And in 1 John chapter 4 we are told, if anyone says I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen – and this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also…

John of the Cross was a major figure in the counter-reformation in the 16^th century, and was canonised by the pope in 1726. He was also something of a poet and his work often focussed on the growth of the soul. And in one of his poems he says…that in the end we shall be judged by love alone…

And if that is the case, then Paul is correct – Love is indispensable. So where does that leave us?

The kind of love that we are talking about here is not some kind of superficial slushy kind of a love. Nor is it even merely a genuine and sincere love that truly comes from the heart – although that is a good start. The love we are talking about here is a love that can only be found in God Himself. A self-giving, sacrificial kind of love – offered again and again. A love that we see in Jesus Christ.

A love which is more than emotional and which is not merely passive; A love that means being involved in a real and intimate way with those to whom we offer this love. A love that means using our gifts, our services, our talents, to help in any way those to whom we are offering this love; And a love that is not merely a matter of the heart – but also a matter of the mind, body, strength and soul.

However, in our society today, are we capable of such love? Many might suggest we are not, giving many reasons for that. But I wonder if we’ve ever stopped to consider this.

If we look again at what Jesus says – Love God and love your neighbour as yourself. Here it would appear that the way we love ourselves is to be the model for how we love others.

If you remember we kind of touched on this last week when we thought of behaving towards others as we would have them behave towards us. And we concluded that as we would only want people to behave in a good way towards us then we should do likewise to others.

But is it as simple in this situation?

For example, Carl Yung was an eminent psychoanalyst whose work was very influential in philosophy and religion. And he once said, ‘…that I feed the hungry, that I forgive an insult, that I love my enemy in the name of Christ – all these are undoubtedly great virtues. What I do to the least of my brothers, I do unto Christ.  But what if I should discover that the least amongst them all, the poorest of all the beggars . . . [is] within me, and that I myself am the ‘who’ that must be loved – what then?’

Essentially, what if, for whatever reason, we feel so unloved that we are unable to love ourselves? Maybe certain circumstances in our life have driven us to the point of feeling this way, where we have no self-esteem or self-respect and that we are completely on our own and no-one cares for us in any way.

How are we to love others if we are unable to love ourselves? Is that even possible? And where do we go from here?

The Bible tells us that God created us in His own image, His own imprint is within all of us, and He created us so that we might be at one with Him and with all His creation. And although as human beings we ruined that relationship with God, still His love for us is such that He gave His One and only Son to reconcile Himself to us. Remember what John 3:16 says…

The key then is to hold on to this – that God loves us in this way. Why? Because our love of self, cannot contradict our love for and of God, because God’s love is here within us all – it is part of God’s creation within all of us.

So now we can go back to the first command that Jesus gave here – to love God with all our heart, soul and mind – and we do so now, knowing that we can do this because of God’s love for us. And if we can begin to love God in this way, then as part of God’s creation made in His image, we can also begin to love ourselves in the way that God loves us. Then we can move on to Jesus second command to begin to love others in the way we should.

The Gospel we hold on to and the faith we claim to have and seek to live out each day is surely based on these two simple commands that Jesus gives us today. And of course it all begins with God, whom we are called to love with all of our being.  Because if we do indeed love God in this way, then our love of others and ourselves should follow automatically

So let’s seek to do as Jesus commands here – to love God with all of our heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbour as ourselves. If we can all do this and by our example encourage others to do likewise – and if every Christian up and down the land did the same – then in the love of God, who knows what might be possible…Amen.

 

We thank you, Lord for this wonderful world in which we live, full of variety, so that each day is full of new opportunities and challenges; full of excitement, where each day is new and different from the previous; and full of love and compassion, so that each day we are comforted in sorrow and sadness, and uplifted in joy and peace. We thank You for the life we now have in Your Son, and thank You that by your Holy Spirit your Son is still at work in us and in our church today; revealing your truth, renewing our lives and guiding us to your eternal kingdom. 

Yet we know that this world is far from perfect and so we thank you for your Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ, come as one of us to show us how to live our lives in this world today. Help us as your church here on earth to be your disciples in this time and place, to bring warmth where this world is cold, light where it is dark, joy where it is sad and, above all, love in all things.

We remember also those for whom life seems to be a time of constant toil and exertion, and never a time of joy and happiness, and those for whom circumstances cut deeply and wound painfully, and we ask Lord for your intervention in their lives. And we think of those whose lives are now filled with fear and trepidation, those who are caught up in the crossfire of conflict and who no longer feel safe in their own homes, and those who feel so unloved, isolated and on their own. 

Gracious and loving God, these are but a few examples of how your people need your help in this world today and we see them in every nation on this planet. Lord be with all your people we pray and lay your hand upon them. Grant them your peace and comfort, grant them your healing and compassion and minister to each as only you can. That even in their most dark and difficult days they may know your love in all its fullness and see a way forward in You, and so find renewed hope and faith in their lives.

Be especially with those known to us, our families, friends and neighbours, indeed all within our wider communities. You know all their needs, all their concerns, all their fears, so we ask that You would be with them now as only You can. And keep us all safe in your tender care over this coming week. Help us as best we can, in all we do, to live as You would have us, sharing your love with all people at all times. And all this we ask in Jesus name…Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Be still for the presence of the Lord…’

Life is busy and demanding, and despite our best intentions and our best efforts, still it seems that we never have sufficient time on our hands to do all those things we might wish to. The sad reality, however, is that sometimes when this does happen, God gets pushed to the side. We’ll come back to God and our devotions when we have more time – but often we don’t. So let’s remember the opening words of this reflective hymn and take time now, to be still in the presence of the Lord, and share with Him all that is in our hearts.

‘Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound…’

How many times over the years have we sung this inspirational yet humbling hymn?  But I wonder how often we may have simply read this hymn – slowly, line by line – allowing the words to reach deep into our hearts and souls as we open them afresh to the Lord.  Read it again today and give thanks to God for the wonderful love He has shown us in saving us through His Son.

 

‘Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to Thee…how great Thou art, how great Thou art…’

 

Taken from one of our most loved hymns, these lines at the beginning of the chorus say so much about how we should worship God and why we should worship God. We should sing to God with all of our soul – our very being – and we should do so in acknowledgement of His glory and majesty and in thankfulness for all that He has given us and does for us. So take time today to come to the Lord in prayer, opening your heart and soul to hymn, echoing the words of this hymn.

Background Information:

Although Jonah is considered one of the minor prophets, the book of Jonah is unlike any other prophetic books in the Old Testament. It’s focus is more on Jonah himself, rather than any of his prophecies, and so it is more in line with a historical narrative rather than a prophetic narrative. The author of the book is believed to be Jonah himself and it was probably written sometime between 785 – 760 BC.

Jonah ministered to the people in Israel during the reign of King Jeroboam II, approximately between 793 – 753 BC. In 2 Kings 14:23-27 we are told that Jeroboam did evil in the sight of the Lord, yet he was also one of Israel’s most powerful Kings and during his reign Israel enjoyed economic prosperity and peace. At this time Assyria was Israel’s great enemy and Ninevah was a great city that would become its capital, so we can perhaps understand Jonah’s reluctance to even go there, particularly as the Assyrians used grotesque form of torture to subdue and frighten their enemies.

Read Jonah 1:1-16

In the opening verses, what does God command Jonah to do and why is it important that Jonah did as God asked?

• Jonah was to preach against Ninevah – to make known their sins and God’s coming judgement upon them. (Note that we are not actually told what these sins were but we can find out more about them in the first three chapters of Nahum)
• Jonah was a prophet of God and the test of a true prophet was that God’s Word came to pass, hence the significance of Jonah doing as God commanded. (See Deuteronomy 18:18-22)

How did Jonah respond to this command and what can we learn from this?

• Jonah effectively ignored God and ran off in the other direction.
• As Christians we rightly note how our society today ignores the will of God and does its own thing, but here we see one of God’s prophets doing that too.

Have we ever behaved in a similar way to Jonah when God asked something of us?

How does God respond to Jonah’s disobedience and what can we learn from Jonah’s subsequent actions?

• In sending the storm as He did, God is effectively dealing with Jonah in judgement.
• Jonah then apparently recognises his sinfulness, that he is putting the lives of the sailors at risk, and tells them to throw him into the sea.
• But does Jonah also believe that he will die when thrown into the sea?

What do we learn from the actions of the sailors in these verses?

• Considering the fearful predicament they find themselves in they are still reluctant to throw Jonah into the sea.
• Given the ship was sailing to Joppa there sailors were probably Philistines, yet as this encountered progressed we find them worshipping God – the God of Israel.

As we end chapter one consider where we find the main characters in the story so far.

We have Jonah, a prophet of God, drowning in the sea having disobeyed God.

The pagan sailors safe – probably on dry land when they made their sacrifice to God.

God Himself – at the heart of all that has happened and in control.

 

Is this how we might have expected things to turn out thus far? And who can we most easily identify ourselves with in this story – Jonah or one of the sailors? And what about in our own lives of faith, do things always turn out as we anticipate – if not, why not?

 

‘Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me…’ (Matt. 5:11)

 

In the world we live in today we may at times find it a struggle to stand up for and speak out in defence of our faith. Sometimes it may be because we find ourselves in the minority and lack the courage to defend the Gospel as we should, but at other times it may be because some have taken to attacking us verbally because of our faith so we are now reluctant to do so. So today please pray for all who are in this position that they may know the Lord’s hand upon them. Pray also for those who perpetrate this kind of behaviour that they too may know the Lord’s hand upon them and so come to know Him for themselves.

‘Blessed are those who are persecuted because of their righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven…’ (Matt. 5:10)

Here in our own land we are blessed in that we do not face imprisonment, or even death, for declaring and bearing witness to our faith, but many in lands overseas do, so please pray for all who do find themselves persecuted in this way and ask for God’s blessing upon them that they might find strength and courage in Him. Pray also for those who are mocked and ridiculed because of their faith here in our own land and ask that they may too may know God’s hand upon them.

Psalm 139 is one of the best loved and most well known of all the Psalms, and gives us a clear picture of just close God is to us and how much He knows about us. There is nothing God doesn’t know about us and no where we can go to hide from God.

You have searched me Lord and You know me…You are familiar with all my ways…Where can I go from Your Spirit?…

However, as we reflect upon the words of this Psalm there are a couple of questions that perhaps come to mind. First of all, how do we perceive this closeness of God? You might think that obviously it’s something that offers a great sense of comfort and peace to us – knowing God is always there.

But are there times when we wish God didn’t know everything about us. Maybe there are things we have said or done that we wish we could have kept from God. Or perhaps we just find it somewhat disconcerting to know that there is nothing we can hide from God – maybe there are one or two things about ourself that no-one else knows about and we’d quite like that to apply to God too.

Yet if we are among those who find it comforting to know that God is always close to us, there is perhaps a more urgent question to hand. If God does know so much about us and if He is so close to us, why is it that I don’t seem to sense that presence as I go about my life every day. And this is an issue that so many of us struggle with at different times in our lives of faith.

Sadly there is no one answer that anyone can give in response to questions such as this. The late Thomas Merton, an American Monk and Theologian once said that if we find God with great ease, then perhaps it is not God that we have found. What did he mean by that.

In the presence of God there is always a sense of mystery and majesty that we could never fully understand or come to terms with. And the simple fact is that how any one of us perceives the presence of God in our own life may be completely different to the experience of someone else. Ultimately it all comes down to faith.

The Apostle Paul tells us that when it comes to understanding anything about God we can only see through a glass dimly and only know in part – and that is what we need to remember.

We will never fully understand why God acts in the way He does, but if in faith we believe that He is always with us – then He will be. Through His Son and by His Spirit, God is always with us. All we need to do is open our hearts and believe……………

 

Loving God, as we come to You today, by Your Spirit come and be with us now. Help us to know You presence with us and to allow Your Spirit to move within us drawing us closer to You. From all that we are and for all that You are, we offer our love to You.

We praise You, Lord, for the immensity of Your love to us. In silence we lift our hearts in worship of You. You are the light of all creation and the very breath of our lives. You are the offer of forgiveness and the flame of inspiration and we bless You Lord.

And yet, gracious God, with sorrow we have to confess how well we know that our lives have not always been as You would have them be. At times our words and actions have been unworthy of you and have been centred on our own selfish aims and desires.

Forgive us we pray and help us once again to allow Your love to lead us through each day. Help us to know in our hearts that You are always with us, no matter where we are or what we are doing, and in that knowledge to bear witness to Your presence and love to all people. And all this we ask in Jesus name…Amen.

Bible Reading – Exodus 33:12-23

Whenever we talk of Biblical heroes of the Old Testament, Moses is up there among them at the top of the list. From the moment he went to have a closer look at the burning bush and spoke to the Almighty I AM, Moses was destined to achieve great things in the strength and the name of God.

And when we look through the book of Exodus and see all that Moses did, one thing that comes to mind is that for all he had done, still Moses was not afraid to come to God and ask for more. No matter how many times he encountered God or spoke to God, still Moses wanted more.

In God’s name and in God’s strength he had led the people out of Egypt, crossed the Red Sea and given the people the Ten Commandments. And even now, although he was assured of the presence of God through the cloud and pillar of fire, still Moses wanted to come even closer to God. What he has of God’s presence is never enough.

Yet, even whilst God did concede in part to Moses request, still God will not fully reveal Himself in all His glory and majesty, not even to this great servant of His. I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you…But, you cannot see my face…

And I wonder if we can identify with any of this. Maybe we too have found ourselves in that position – always wanting more of God’s closeness, of God’s nearness – more of God Himself in our lives. But at times feeling as if God was holding back from us in some kind of way.

The reality is that whatever else God is, in the world that we live in today, our God is not always obvious. However, that’s not because He is not there, but more as a consequence of our human limitations and sinfulness. And if we look through the Bible it is very realistic about the hiddenness of God.

The prophet Isaiah once said, Truly you are a God who hides yourself…And in the book of Job, amidst his pain and heartache Job also cries out, Oh that I knew where I might find God…I go forward, but God is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive God…

And the simple fact is that for many of us today, we might well echo these words of Isaiah and Job.  Because sometimes it might seem that God’s absence is more palpable to us than His presence. In other words, we look for God but find – nothing. We long for God but feel – nothing. We speak to God but hear – nothing……..Have you ever felt like that?….

But then we have those moments…

Moments when in the middle of the most awful day, when we feel down or despondent and completely on our own, suddenly, and almost out of nowhere, we have an overwhelming sense that we are surrounded by a warm cloud of God’s love.

Moments when we find ourselves tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep because of some anxiety or fear bearing down upon us, and suddenly in the darkness we think we might see the flame of God’s peace that has not been extinguished after all.

And when these moments come to us we latch onto them and hold on to them, never wanting to let them go. Why? So that we can remember them when neither fire nor cloud is visible – because we know that time will come again as we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Not because they have gone – like the cloud and pillar of fire they are always there. But in the midst of life we all too often lose sight of them or they become obscured because of some darkness we are facing in our own lives.

However, whilst we may experience God in some kind of divine or supernatural way and we might take great comfort from this, all too often when these moments come to us it is in the most natural of ways – through the kindness, the care, the love and the compassion of someone else’s presence and actions.

A family member, a good friend, or even a total stranger – a good Samaritan.

Someone who simply offers a kind word, a look of understanding, a listening ear, a simple touch, an acknowledgement of pain, a warm smile – that’s all it might take.  And suddenly we know the presence of God within us – in those around us.

And just pause for a moment to think of how often this has happened to you. How often did these things happen in the most unexpected of ways and suddenly out of nowhere. But how often was it the case that this is precisely what you needed at that time.

Before He returned to His Father in Heaven, Jesus told us that He would be with us until the end of time and through the Holy Spirit He is – and always will be. If only we would open our hearts to Him every minute of every day we would surely know that.

Because the simple truth is that if we no longer feel God’s presence in our lives, it’s not because God has gone anywhere – rather it is us who have shut Him out. Perhaps and hopefully not intentionally, but more likely through getting caught up in all that life throws at us.

But God is still with us, and if we would allow His Spirit to move within us we would know His presence in our lives every day. However, for us as Christians today, this is just the beginning, and there is more to it than simply knowing that God’s presence is with us.

At various times in the pastoral letters he wrote to different Churches, the Apostle Paul speaks of the need for us, as Disciples of Jesus, to imitate our Lord and Saviour as best we can. Indeed he even called on others to imitate him, imitating Jesus as best he could.

But what does that mean for us in practical terms as we seek to live out our faith each day?

In all He said and did, Jesus put the needs of others before Himself, calling on us to love others and to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. And just think for a moment how we would like every other person behave towards us – that’s how we should behave towards others.

The Apostle Paul would go on to tell us that we are all called to show love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – the fruit of the Holy Spirit, that same Holy Spirit which is within us all as Disciples of Jesus. As to how we do this?….

Over the past seven months I have heard of, and seen for myself – so many examples of people doing just this, showing the fruit of God’s Spirit in their lives in the way they have behaved towards others. All these things we thought of before; an act of kindness – helping with shopping or something else; a kind word – a phone call to keep in touch and ask if all is well; sharing with others over the garden fence or in passing on the street. Offering help, comfort and reassurance where it is needed.

Even in these days when we are so limited in the things we are able to do, just being there for someone is still possible and from what I have seen and heard, has been and is still happening. And in all of this we are following the example of our Saviour – looking to the needs of others and if we can help in any way, doing so.

In our society today it’s very easy for people to say, if God does exist, where is He – show me evidence of His presence in the world today. So let’s do that in the way we live – let’s continue allow God’s Spirit to work in and through us, bearing the fruit of that Spirit in all we say and do. That through this witness others may know that God does exist and that He is indeed present in the world today……Amen.

God of love and power we pray for Your Church here in our own communities, in this land and throughout the world. We pray that through the faith and courage of your people Your Word may be preached and lived and that more people may come to know the presence of Your Son and so invite Him into their lives.

We pray for all who are in need this day; that those who are sick may be cared for; those who are lonely, sustained; those who are hungry, fed; those who are oppressed, strengthened; and those who mourn, comforted. We think especially of those in our own community who need you at this time and ask that You would make Your presence known to them in a mighty and comforting way.

And at a time when we hear that cases of Covid-19 are increasing once again and we are being asked to live our lives in a certain way, we think of those who are most affected by this. Those who will feel more isolated and alone, those who will become more anxious and fearful and those who become ill from this virus. And of course we remember those who have lost loved ones in recent weeks and months and ask that Your hand might be upon them.

We remember also today our NHS and Care Sector staff and ask that You be with all of them. And also those, who in these strange days in which we live help to keep our lives as normal as they can be. And of course we remember our own loved ones and all in our own communities. Draw each one close to You and minister to them as only You can. And all these things we ask in Jesus name…Amen.

‘Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God…’ (Matt. 5:9)

It’s a sad fact that we live in a broken, shattered world, where so many can only dream of peace – either within their own communities or within their own lives. So please pray for all those who actively strive for peace in our world today rather than conflict. And remember also those who are struggling to find a sense of inner peace in their own lives, for whatever reason. Pray that God’s hand would be upon them and that in Him they might find that Shalom they earnestly seek.

Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy…’ (Matt. 5:7)

 

What does it mean to show mercy to another? Many may offer their own views and perspective on such a question, however, at the heart of being merciful is a willingness to show compassion and forgiveness to someone. Maybe there have been times in your life where someone has offered you such mercy, or maybe you were the one being merciful. Such attributes and behaviour lie at the very core of the Gospel message, so pray for us all to be more merciful towards others and to offer the same kind of compassion and forgiveness that our Lord Himself came to offer us all.