‘O Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in You…’ (Psalm 84:12)

Read Psalm 84

For the people in Old Testament times the Temple was the most sacred and holiest place on earth for they believed it to be the dwelling place of the Lord. At the very heart of the Temple in the Holy of Holies was the Shekina, the Glory of God, the visible manifestation of the presence of God. They did of course know that ultimately neither earth nor heaven could contain God; that God didn’t dwell on earth in the way they did. Nevertheless, God had been pleased to ‘put His name’ in Jerusalem in this way and therefore the Temple would continue to be revered in the way it was.

The Psalmist begins by declaring how much being in the Temple means to him, his whole being cries out for it; to enter the courts of the Lord was for him to approach the living God Himself. Today in the circumstances we find ourselves in we may well echo the words of the second verse. We all miss not being able to enter the Lord’s House to come together for worship and pray that we will soon be able to do so once again.

In the meantime, however, perhaps we can recall the words of John 1:14, The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us…’  We may not be able to gather in the House of God today but we can still come to the Lord – anytime, anywhere – and we can still ask of Him, ‘Hear my prayer, O Lord God Almighty…’ and share with Him all that is in our hearts, knowing that by His Spirit He is with us. We can still give thanks for His strength and provision, and for His blessings, especially in these days upon those who are finding things so stressful at this time. And we can still hold in our heart that God is our shield and that He continues to bathe us in His light. All we need do is to trust in Him; trust in Him for all things and He will watch over us.

Lord, we give You thanks that we can come to You at any time day or night, wherever we are, and know that You are there. Help us to continue to put our trust in You at all times and to hand all things over to You, for we ask all these things in Jesus name…Amen.

 

Question Of The Day: Why did Hannah name her son Samuel?

Read Luke 13:1-9

What is the crux of Jesus teaching in this passage?

1. Was God punishing the Galileans because of some great sin in their lives?
2. What is the significance of the parable of the fig tree?
3. What can we say about the attitude of the owner of the land the tree was on?

What valuable lessons can we take from these verses as we live out our faith today?

Luke 13:10-17

How could we describe the attitude of the rulers of the Synagogue in this passage?

1. Indignant, arrogant, legalistic, hypocritical, angry….. Why might they have behaved in this way?
2. Because they were the true ‘guardians’ of the law?
3. Or because Jesus was showing them for what they really were?

Are there times when we might stand accused of being hypocritical in terms of our faith lives?

Luke 13:18-30

What do the two short parables teach us and what do we learn from the verses on the narrow door.

1. A little faith will go a long way and will grow as it does so.
2. Not all who think they will be saved, will be.

Do we exercise our faith in this way? Do we know God as we should?

Luke 13:31-35

What was Jesus reaction to the threat of Herod and why did He react in this way?

1. Jesus was willing to put His life in His Father’s hands and to do His will, no matter what.

Are we willing to give our lives over to God?

 

This chapter could almost be headed, ‘Give Up’…

Give Up.. .Your Sins – Jesus call to the people is straight to the point in verse 3.

Give Up… Your Legalistic Attitude – Jesus call to the rulers of the Synagogue who had adopted their own attitude to the Law, regarding it as a moral straight-jacket.

Give Up.. .Your Own Ideas To Be Saved – Jesus call to the Rabbis and others who often theorised as to the number of those who might actually be saved.

Give Up.. .Your Unwillingness – Jesus call to those who refused God’s offer of salvation through Him.

This theme of, ‘Giving Up’, continues on into chapter 14 when we see Jesus call on the people to Give Up.. . Their Pride, Their Excuses, and finally, Everything, if they would truly seek to be His disciple.

 

Lord, as we reflect on these verses we ask that You would increase our faith and our willingness to hand our lives completely over to You. In Jesus name…Amen

Question Of The Day: What is the relationship between Obed and King David?

‘My God be gracious to us and bless us…’ (Psalm 67:1)

Read Psalm 67

If we stopped to consider our prayer lives we would probably realise that when we pray we adopt a particular ‘format’ in the way we come before God. For example, we might speak of our need to give thanks to God for all He has given us, of our need to acknowledge our faults before Him and seek His forgiveness, and then we would petition Him for the needs of the world around us, the Church of His Son, our own communities and families and finally ourselves. This may of course vary from time to time, but just pause to think about how you pray and whilst it may not adhere to this structure, how often do we begin by praying for ourselves.

Psalm 67 is all about the blessings of God and our praise of Him and it is one of these Psalms that brings so much comfort to us. It begins with words very similar to the Blessing bestowed upon someone during the Sacrament of Baptism, the only difference being that here we are asking for those blessings to be poured upon us. And perhaps that is why many find this Psalm so comforting, knowing that we can petition God in this way knowing that He will look upon us, that He will make His face shine upon us and bless us. However, although it is comforting and reassuring to know that God will bless us in this way, when we read the Psalm in its entirety we see that to pray for ourselves in this way isn’t simply about being selfish, it’s also about making the Lord known to others through us.

Through blessing us in this way, the Lord’s salvation is made known to all people. All too often today people ask the question, where is God? As Christians we claim to know, to love and to follow our Lord and if through receiving these blessings from God we are able to make God known more to others and enable them to see the difference He does make in our lives, then perhaps they too will seek to know the Lord and find salvation. Yet we need to look beyond even that because our ultimate hope should be that not only will others come to know the Lord and His salvation, but through this come to worship and praise God. The greatest incentive in any evangelism is to make known the glory and honour of God that in so doing others make come to salvation and worship God.

Lord, we give You thanks for all the many blessings You pour upon us day after day and for Your continued goodness towards us. Help us to share these in all we do that through our witness others may come to know and worship You. All this we ask in Jesus name…Amen.

 

Question Of The Day: Who owned the barley field where Ruth gleaned each day?

‘Create in me a pure heart, O God…’ (Psalm 51:10)

Read Psalm 51

Only a few words into Psalm 51 and we know at once that what we have here is a Psalm that clearly speaks of Divine mercy for those with penitent hearts. This is the fourth of seven Penitential Psalms in the Bible and like Psalm 32 scholars believe it speaks of David’s sin in relation to Bathsheba. It is effectively split into three parts which speak of the need of God’s mercy, the expression of God’s mercy and the results of God’s mercy. The passion expressed in the words is so intense and palpable that we can almost visualise David emotionally and spiritually drained as he pours his heart out to God. And perhaps there is a challenge there for us – when did we last pour our hearts out to God in this way?

We might of course contend that we have never committed such a sin as David whereby we need to pour our heart out to God in this way – and maybe that’s true. Yet whatever our sins may be or how serious we consider them to be, we still need to confess them before God and repent – no matter how bad we believe them to be or not. And in a way this is highlighted in the opening verses of the Psalm where three separate words are used to describe the nature of David’s shortcomings, namely his transgressions, his iniquity and his sin.

No matter where we might view our faults and failings and into which of these ‘categories’ we might choose to place them, whilst we need to seek the forgiveness of those whom we have wronged, ultimately what this Psalm teaches us that any sinful actions represent a rebellion against the Lord and for that we need that forgiveness that only He can offer. But God not only forgives our sin, He not only blots them out, He cleanses us afresh that we may be at one with Him once again. And look what happens when David repents of his action and receives this mercy from God, he declares his praise for the Lord. God has given David a clean conscience and a clean heart and the sorrow that his sin had caused is now turned into joy and gladness.

Whatever our faults and failings may be this Psalm teaches us that if we come to God with penitent hearts, genuinely and faithfully seeking His forgiveness, He will cleanse us and restore us to Himself once again and of course we know today that He will do that through His Son and our Lord Jesus Christ….Amen

Lord, we thank you for the forgiveness You offer us through Your Son. Help us to come to You each day acknowledging our faults and failings safe it that knowledge, that once again we may walk with You. And all this we ask in Jesus name. Amen

 

Question Of The Day : What are the seven penitential Psalms?

 

‘I will come to you…’ (John 14:18)

Read John 14:15-21

Yesterday would have been the start of the General Assembly in Edinburgh, which I was due to attend this year. But as you know that was cancelled, along with so many other events, because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the installation service of the new Moderator, Rev’d. Dr. Martin Fair, went ahead, with only a few people in the Assembly Hall and others participating from elsewhere. And I hope you were able to see that from home.

One of the things I enjoy about going to the Assembly is the heightened sense you experience of being part of the wider Church. Talking with others from all over Scotland and beyond, listening to their experiences and sharing our own, you get a greater sense of the work of our Church as we seek to serve God in our communities. All of us doing different things in different ways and focussing on different perspectives. But all of it – no matter who or where we are, or what we are doing – all of it underpinned in our love for Jesus Christ, at all times, seeking as best we can to serve Him as He has called us to. And of course the way that we do that best is to listen to and follow the guidance of His Holy Spirit.

Advocate, Helper, Comforter – all of these are perfectly acceptable translations of the Greek word Parakletos used in our Gospel passage this morning to relate to God’s Holy Spirit. And if we stop to think about that for a moment, each has its place as we seek to live out our Christian faith in the world that we live in today. But in our passage this morning we focus on the word Advocate.

An Advocate is someone who will stand up for you, no matter what. Someone who will stand by your side; someone who will support you and respect you, even when you mess things up. And just think for a moment how often we have needed someone like that to be by our side in our own lives. Think of all those occasions when something we have said or done has left other people shaking their head in disbelief or pointing their finger in condemnation – or abandoned us altogether. That person – that Advocate – has been there for us. Indeed not only have they been by our side, they have helped to pick us up, to get us back on our feet and on the right path we should be on, offering us support and encouragement along the way. Why…because of the love they have for us.

How good does that make us feel – to know that we were not on our own, to know that we have someone like that by our side. But of course they are not just by our side, they also offer us help and the comfort, the other aspects of the Parakletos when we need it most. Too know that we have someone like that by our side is wonderful.

But for all that, how much better then to hear Jesus say that He will give us another Advocate to be with us – The Holy Spirit will be our Advocate. How amazing to know that God’s Spirt will forever be with us, and that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He will always be here – in our hearts and souls. No matter how good an advocate we may have in a family member, friend or colleague, there is nothing else that compare to knowing that God is always with you, no matter where you are or what you are doing, by His Spirit, God is always there.

And that leads us on to another possible meaning of the word Parakletos  – ‘one called alongside’ – essentially, a companion who will journey with every one of us along life’s path. Guiding us through the many obstacles we face and helping us to overcome any difficulties on our way, guiding us together every step of the way.

Today in the wake of this pandemic that we are all caught up in, how we all need to know that we have an Advocate, Helper, and Comforter – someone walking alongside us as we journey through this together. Of course we can all be a help to each other, we can all comfort each other, we can all walk with each other, spiritually, through each day – and I know that we have been doing that here in our churches. A sign that God’s Holy Spirit is indeed working among us.

But walking alongside us all and holding us all together is God’s Holy Spirit – every single step of the way. And if we allow Him to come to us, He will be our Advocate, our Helper, our Comforter – and whilst the journey ahead may not be easy, in His strength and by His grace we will come through this.

Let’s pray together…

God of compassion, we know only too well of some of the suffering that is going on in this world today. We see that so many people are afflicted in so many ways as a consequence of the pandemic we are now facing and we ask that your hand would be upon them at this time. We remember also those suffering in so many other ways. Hear those who cry out to you for help and open the eyes of those who never pray for themselves. Have mercy on those whose lives are filled with pain and heartache at this time and be with those who have lost loved ones in recent days and weeks, thinking especially of those here in our own families and communities. Give to them that peace and comfort that only You can give and assure them that we are thinking of them at this time. And in a moment of silence now we bring before You those who are uppermost in our hearts and thoughts today, asking that You would be with them at this time.

God of eternal life, You have given us a share in the inheritance of Your saints and by Your Holy Spirit they surround our steps as we continue on our journey with You. Help us to rejoice with them now, in your everlasting Kingdom and be with all whom we have thought of this day. And all this we ask in Jesus name…Amen.

 

 

Sunday evening – national call to prayer

As has been the case over the past few weeks, the leaders of all churches have come together to call us to prayer at 7.00pm this Sunday evening. Underneath is a prayer by the leaders of all churches that could be used to begin this time of prayer. The full statement can be found on the Church of Scotland website where it also lists all those leaders whom signed that statement.

 

Living God, you are our Creator and our Maker
And the very breath of life is given as your gift.
We thank you for the gift of life
And we embrace and treasure that gift.

Living God, you are the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
Whose presence in the world reveals your love for us.
In the giving of your Son,
You reveal the depths of your love.

Living God, your Son embraced the Cross
And the depths of human suffering.
We thank you that you delivered him
On the day of Resurrection.

Living God, as you spoke to the bereft and the orphaned in days past,
Speak to the bereft and the orphaned in days present.
Speak to the uncertain and the anxious.
Speak into the depths of our incomprehension and fear.

Living God, your promise
Is that we will not be left alone to face the world.
We thank you that through the gift of your Spirit
That promise is fulfilled.

Living God, be with all who sustain our common life at this time,
Carers and nurses, cleaners and porters,
Doctors and ambulance staff, delivery drivers and posties.
Through their giving our common life is sustained.

Living God, as you have watched over us in the past,
Watch over us in the present.
As once more we thank you, that through Christ
And by your Holy Spirit, we are not alone. Amen.

 

‘The Lord Almighty is with us…’ (Psalm 46:7)

Read Psalm 46

Often when we read through Scripture, we don’t always appreciate how interconnected the various books of the Bible are, perhaps especially so in the Old Testament, where the historical books and the books of prophecy in particular are all interlinked. But the book of Psalms are also interconnected in this way, some to specific experiences in the life of King David and others to different periods in the life of Israel, where the words of the Psalm are in many ways an expression of the people at that time.

Psalm 46 is effectively written in three parts. The first few verses declare a sure and certain confidence and faith in the Lord, the next few speak of special situations and experiences before the Psalm ends with verses of complete assurance in the Divine intervention of the Lord on behalf of His people. Because of the content of the Psalm and the use of specific language resembling the metaphorical language used in Isaiah at places, many believe this Psalm is speaking of the overthrowing of the Assyrian army in the time of Hezekiah – a time of deliverance for the people of Jerusalem, a time when they knew the Lord their God was with them.

Today the Psalm can offer us that same assurance that the Lord will be with us in our times of trouble. Read through the verses again and see how each time it speaks of something dramatic taking place it is followed by the assurance that God is in the midst of that. So it is today in our lives. No matter the situation we find ourselves facing, no matter how fearful we may be, no matter how awful it may seem, the Lord is there with us – look at how many times we are assured of that in this Psalm. The Lord is with us and always will be.

‘Be still and know that I am God…’ With all that we are facing today, perhaps more than ever we need to just take time every now and then to reflect of the words of this Psalm. Take time out to be at one with God and remind ourselves of this message – that the Lord is indeed with us. He is our refuge and our strength.

Lord, when we consider the words of the Psalmist here, we take so much comfort in knowing that You are always with us. Help us to remember this, especially so at this time, and to remind others of this, that in that knowledge they too might find the comfort they need to know. And all this we ask in Jesus name…Amen.

 

Question Of The Day: Why did God tell Gideon to reduce the number of his army?

 

‘I sought the Lord and He answered me…’ (Psalm 34:4)

Read Psalms 42 and 43

Over our lifetime there may be many occasions when certain events and circumstances might cause us to question our faith or even lose it altogether, even if only for a short while; times when we will become spiritually despondent. At a personal level illness and bereavement is sometimes a trigger for this or when we find ourselves going through a period when nothing seems to be going right and all our hopes and aspirations seem to come to nothing. Looking at the bigger picture, facing the kind of pandemic that we are today might also lead others to experience this same kind of spiritual despondency. At times such as this Psalms 42 and 43 offer us some hope.

Although these are presented as two separate Psalms in the Bible, many believe that they are clearly meant to go together and when you look at the tone and content of both it’s difficult to argue against that, especially as both appear to end with the exact same wording.

Throughout these Psalms we have this picture of someone who is going through an inner turmoil in terms of their faith, lamenting the fact that they seem to be somewhat detached from God. However, where we can find hope is that on three occasions when we see this happening, the Psalmist does not submit or succumb to this, rather he questions himself as to why he feels so far from God and summons himself to once again put his faith and trust in God – and on doing so he is once again come before the Lord in joy and delight able to acknowledge that God is his stronghold, his light, his Saviour. What a word of encouragement for us when we feel distant from God.

‘Why are you downcast O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him…’Amen.

 

 

Question Of The Day: What land was given to Caleb as an inheritance because of his faithfulness?

 

‘I sought the Lord and He answered me…’ (Psalm 34:4)

Read Psalm 34

The Apostle Paul said that we should not boast in anything but the Lord and in a sense that is what much of this Psalm is all about. For us perhaps the most notable verse, or the one we are most familiar with, is verse eight, ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good…’ because this is one often used as we celebrate Holy Communion. But if we look at the Psalm in its entirety we find that it is essentially a combination of worship and witness. Indeed Charles Spurgeon once said of this Psalm that the first ten verses were like a hymn and the remaining twelve like a sermon – and so we see that as we look at the verses closely.

For us as Christians there are so many things that we take from this Psalm and it might in fact be possible for all of us in both churches to take something different from it such is the ‘richness’ of this Psalm. Yet there are probably one or two things that we might all learn from it, irrespective of however this Psalm ‘speaks’ to us.

The first is the personal, intimate nature of the experience of the Psalmist. The beauty of the Psalm depicts a personal relationship between the Lord and the individual and we have this wonderful image of a God who genuinely cares for the well-being of that individual. Then we have the faith of the Psalmist, that genuine belief he has that when he calls on God, the Lord will answer – based on more personal experience of God in the past. And all of this leads the Psalmist, not only to rejoice, but to encourage others to do likewise, to seek the Lord and know that outpouring of love only He can give.

However, the Psalm also reminds us that none of the above exempts a believer from times of trouble. Trials and tribulation will come our way and we may become broken-hearted and crushed in spirit. But if we hold fast to the Lord through those times of testing, He will be with us every step of the way and help us through whatever we face and again the Apostle Paul would echo this sentiment, ‘ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed…’(2 Cor. 4:8)

However this Psalm may resonate with us personally, ultimately Psalm 32 is about answered prayer, about bearing witness to and giving thanks and praise for that and exhorting others to seek the Lord in the same manner – in many ways a snapshot of what our Christian lives should be all about!

Lord, we do indeed praise You for all Your goodness and blessings and for all that You do for us each and every day. Help us to be truly thankful and to bear witness to these blessings in our own lives of faith, that in so doing others too, in the words of the Psalmist, may come to seek the Lord. Amen

 

Question Of The Day: Who advised Moses who select elders to help him settle disputes?

Read Luke 10:25-37

The story of the Good Samaritan is one we all know very well and one of those Bible stories that most people, even those with no faith or no church connections, are aware of. But even though it is well known I wonder how often we have paused to consider how the ‘main parties’ in this story viewed the traveller in this story. Read the passage again and reflect on this.

• Staring with the lawyer who asked the question. He initially starts well with his answer to Jesus response to his question, quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. He understood the law demanded complete devotion to God and love for our neighbour.
• But in continuing this discussion what does this reveal? That he now looked upon the traveller as a subject of conversation to be discussed?
• What about the thieves? The traveler presented them with an opportunity. He was someone to be exploited for their own gain.
• The Priest? Seeing the traveller now lying wounded he could and should have helped, but in so doing he would have made himself ritually unclean. So the wounded man was a problem to avoid.
• The Levite? Again he could and should have helped. But again the wounded man was a problem to avoid.
• What about the innkeeper? Yes he helped take care of the man, but was paid to do so. Would he have done so without any recompense?
• Then we have the Samaritan. He stopped and he helped, at cost to himself. To him the wounded man was a fellow human being in need of love, care and attention – and he offered that freely.

We all like to think that we would be the Good Samaritan in this story but the reality is that very often, when we are confronted with a situation concerning the needs of others, our first thought, perhaps without fully appreciating it, is how taking action will impact upon us and we can learn a few things from this passage.

• How easy we at times find it to justify our lack of love.
• Our neighbour is any of God’s children in need.
• True love means meeting a person at their point of need and freely giving of yourself, your time, your energy, your resources to help.

Read Luke 10:38-42

Who are we more like – Mary or Martha? Who should we be more like?

What do these few verses teach us?

• Are we so busy doing things for Jesus that we’re not spending time in His company as we should?
• Are we in danger of let our service becoming self-serving?

The reality is that we probably need to be a bit like both Mary and Martha, however unless we spend time in devotion to God, talking and listening to Him, our service to Him will never be as it should be.

Lord help us to learn the lessons of these verses. To learn to spend time with You that we may find the inspiration we need to serve You as You have called us and to share Your love in all we say and do. Aned we ask all this in Jesus name.  Amen.

 

Question Of The Day: After what event did Miriam lead others to praise God?

‘Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven…’ (Psalm 32:1)

Read Psalm 32

I wonder how often we have been in a position where we have something that we are desperate to share with someone else, some news or information that we find so difficult to keep to ourselves and just need to share with someone. How do you then feel once you have shared that news, what are the overwhelming emotions that you experience? It will of course depend on whether you are sharing good news with that person or sharing with them a matter of concern. So our emotions may range from joy and elation to relief and that sense of knowing someone else knows what you are going through. But how do they compare to the emotion we feel when we know that our sins have been forgiven – by those whom we have sinned against and by the Lord Himself.

Our Psalm today begins with one of the most wonderful statements that any of us might wish to hear – to know the blessing of having our sins forgiven. I’m sure we have all been in that position where we have upset, hurt, or offended someone, perhaps never intentionally, but after acting rashly or foolishly in the heat of the moment. But then, on offering our apologies, to have the person we have so hurt say that they forgive us – it is like a weight being taken off our shoulders.

Ultimately, of course, true forgiveness comes from God and David, believed to be the author of this Psalm after his shameful dealings with Bathsheba, knew that only too well. Read the words again slowly and digest them. He knew he had acted wrongly, so he confessed before the Lord and repented of his sin, and received God’s forgiveness. To know this kind of forgiveness is a blessing indeed. But on the other side of the coin look at the consequences of not confessing and seeking the Lord’s forgiveness – a painful draining of mind, body and soul. Only the forgiveness of God could replace this with blessing. What a comfort it is for us to know that we can receive such a blessing from the Lord.

However, it doesn’t end there. Not only did David resolve not to make the same mistakes again, his experience of this forgiveness through repentance encourages him to plead with others to do the same – he is a witness to the forgiving love of God. So we too should resolve, in God strength, to truly repent by not making the same mistakes again and by sharing with others how the forgiving love of God has so blessed us.

Lord, every day You pour Your love and blessings upon us in abundance and for that we thank You. Help us to truly seek Your forgiveness for all those things that we think, say and do that we know we shouldn’t and as best we can, to once again walk the path that You have set before us. In Jesus name. Amen

 

Question Of The Day; Who did Miriam get to nurse baby Moses after he was discovered in the Nile?