Skywatch #113

All our snow is gone for the moment, and we didn't really get a white Christmas after all! No doubt we will be white again sometime soon :)

Life Will Test You

Image by jackhynes via Flickr

...God has come to test you...

Exodus 20:20

Do you remember your school days? When you were being tested the teacher was silent. The Bible says: '...Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him...When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and...He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night [just before the dawn] he went out to them,walking on the lake...They cried out, because they...were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed' (Mark 6:45-51 NIV).

This story teaches that: 1) Being in the will of God requires you to go through storms. 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all' (Psalm 34:19KJV). 2) When you can't see Him, His eye is still on you. You are never out of His sight, His care or His reach. 3) He will never give you an assignment you can complete without His help, so don't try it alone. 4) If you let it, fear will cloud your thinking and keep you from recognising Him when He comes to you. 5) First He will speak to you, then to the circumstances that threaten you. When He does, you'll experience supernatural peace. 6) When your boat is 'in the middle' of the storm, the best is yet to come! 7) The darkest hour is just before the dawn. Rejoice! The sun will shine again; God won't fail you.

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

God Revealed

daffodil, originally uploaded by losiek.

For a child will be born for us,
a son will be given to us,
and the government will be on His shoulders.
He will be named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

The dominion will be vast,
and its prosperity will never end.
He will reign on the throne of David
and over his kingdom,
to establish and sustain it
with justice and righteousness from now on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:6-7

This is such a familiar passage, often heard during Advent and at every Christmas carol service. It is one of the many prophecies in the Old Testament pointing to the birth of Jesus Christ. However, what we often fail to notice here is the reference to the complete Godhead; the Father (Eternal Father) and the Holy Spirit (Wonderful Counsellor).

Jesus said, "Have I been among you all this time without your knowing Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? "(John 14:9) and The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed. Luke 4:18.

In Jesus, we see the fullness of God revealed in human form. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him. Col.1:19. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Now there's something mind blowing to meditate on!

The Nativity

This week the BBC are airing a four-part series on The Nativity.. If you can see it somehow then you must! The whole approach is to show us just how human the characters were and how they would have responded... much like us. And the birth of Jesus is one of the most moving scenes of TV I have ever seen. Wonderful stuff!

Related articles

• Tony Jordan interview: The Nativity has changed me, and that's the gospel truth (telegraph.co.uk)

My Other Blog

New post at my other place.

Skywatch #112

South Bank Eye, originally uploaded by duopastorale.

Yes, there is sky there! Very black :) The Southbank is looking beautiful this year with all the coloured lights. Westminster also looked amazing from our river boat cruise :)

The Christmas Story

Thanks to Melanie at Coffee and Flip Flops for sharing this great video!

What Does The Lord Require?

To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice... He has showed you O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God... "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams"... "To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

But you must return to the LORD your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always... Mary.. sat at the Lord's feet listening to what He said... "But only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

For it is God who works in you to will and act according to His good purpose.

Pr. 21:3, Mic. 6:8, 1 Sam. 15:22, Mk 12:33, Hos. 12:6, Lk. 10:39, 42, Phil. 2:13

So there I am again, having been overtaken by my own sin and fed up. What is my first thought? "What can I do to put things right? What can I give up? How can I make things hard for myself to show the Lord that I'm repentant?" And then I read this. The truth is, I can't make things right. My instinct to punish myself and give things up to earn favour is pointless and futile. He doesn't want it, all the grovelling and writhing. Of course there is a point to fasting and other ascetic exercises, but they will never get me forgiven or more acceptable to God than I already am!  All He wants is a heart's desire to do right and the will to do it. For the rest He has made provision. Mary sat at His feet and there she had her heart changed. That's where is starts and ends. 

Show Appreciation

Image via Wikipedia

'...Encourage him...' 

Deuteronomy 1:38

Some of us 'self-starters' need little or no appreciation; the rest of us need it regularly. God told Moses to encourage Joshua, his replacement, because he'd big shoes to fill. Even Paul needed appreciation. '...we were troubled on every side...Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus' (2 Corinthians 7:5-6 NKJV). When you show appreciation, you're doing God's work! We think wonderful things about people but we don't tell them. Appreciation only works when you express it! 

A psychologist interviewed the son of a successful business tycoon. The boy had refused to take over the family business after his dad's death, even though it would have made him very rich. The boy explained: 'You don't understand the relationship I had with my father. He was a driven man who came up the hard way. His objective was to teach me self-reliance, and he thought the best way to do it, was never to encourage or praise me. Every day we played ball in the yard. The idea was for me to catch the ball ten straight times. I'd catch it eight or nine times, but always on the tenth throw he'd do everything possible to make me miss it. He'd throw it on the ground or over my head so I'd no chance of catching it.' Then he paused tearfully and said, 'That's why I have to get away; I want to catch that tenth ball!' This young man grew up feeling he could never be good enough to please his father. Sound familiar? The Bible says, 'Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad' (Proverbs 12:25 NKJV). So, show appreciation.

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Facts & Feelings

Image by Arnett Gill via Flickr

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

After my last Word For Today post I got to thinking about faith and emotions. It's a big question and one I grapple with a lot. It's true that people are different and some are more ruled by emotion and intuition than their heads. I am the former. When  it comes to faith and spirituality this can create a few conundrums for me. On the one hand I am invited by God to walk in joy, peace and fulfilment, finding satisfaction in the amazing Presence of the Holy Spirit, and on the other hand I am not to rely on emotions that may be fleeting and transient, although I hope that in the new creation these positive emotions will be permanent!

As I write, I am not unaware of some of the appropriate theological answers. Yes, His Presence is a fact and not necessarily felt; I live in an imperfect world where my emotions are damaged; maybe there is another spiritual force which can affect my feelings; spiritual joy is very deep and not related to what I feel (I never quite got that one!). But I am a little uncomfortable when I hear preachers say we shouldn't listen to our emotions. God is emotional and he made me in His image. He can be angry (Ps 2:12), jealous (Zch 1:14-15), merciful (Ps 78:38), and joyful (Dt 30:9). Emotions are not bad and when they affect my relationship with God they are to be listened to, and maybe even trusted.

Our church community has been going through a very difficult time in the last few years and you could say the emotional life of the community has been extremely strained. Someone said to me, "there is no feeling anymore". That may be subjective, but it's important nonetheless. Finding spiritual life in such an atmosphere is a challenge to say the least. I am rambling I suppose, but I'm interested in how others approach this. When someone says "Our faith is based on God's revelation, not on our emotions", how does that work in practice if you are a sensing, introverted type as opposed to a rational, thinking type? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

He Will Work It Out

Image by briancweed via Flickr

The LORD will work out his plans for my life -

for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. 

Don't abandon me, for you made me. 

Psalm 138:8

Knowing What You Believe

Image via Wikipedia

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine

Titus 2:1

You may not think that doctrine is important, but it is. Pilots fly by the laws of aerodynamics, and surgeons operate by the doctrines of medical science. Aren't you glad they think doctrine is important?

Let me illustrate what I mean. A psychology student in the army was given kitchen duty, so he decided to test the response of the different groups of soldiers to apricots. First he took the negative approach, "You don't want apricots do you?" 90% of then said, "No!" Then he tried the positive approach, "You want apricots don't you?" Over half said "Yes." With the third group he tried the either/or technique; "Would you like one dish of apricots or two?" In spite of the fact that most of them didn't like apricots, 40%  took two dishes, and 50% took one. The point is, if you have no doctrine of your own, you are at the mercy of everybody else's.

Now listen to Paul's challenge to Timothy - and you: "Preach the word; be prepared in season and out os season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine..." (2 Timothy 4:2-3). When your feelings won't sustain you, your beliefs will, for one is built on emotion, and the other is founded on the eternal Word of God.

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Free Hugs

For one moment our lives met

our souls touched

Oscar Wilde

Skywatch #111

Cotton Snow, originally uploaded by duopastorale.

Snow has arrived in London. Here in the west of the city we have not had the amount that the east and parts of Kent have had, but of course it only takes a sprinkling to disrupt! If this is the effect of global warming (ie hotter summers, colder winters) then we will have to get used to it!

Handel's Messiah - Calvin R. Stapert

Handel's Messiah - Comfort for God's People by Calvin R. Stapert - Eerdmans Pub Co (2010. A free audio download of this book is available here at christianaudio.com

Handel's oratorio Messiah is a phenomenon with no parallel in music history. No other work of music has been so popular for so long. Yet familiarity can sometimes breed contempt and also misunderstanding. This book by music expert Calvin Stapert will greatly increase understanding and appreciation of Handel's majestic Messiah, whether readers are old friends of this remarkable work or have only just discovered its magnificence. Stapert provides fascinating historical background, tracing not only Messiah's unlikely inception but also its amazing reception throughout history. The bulk of the book offers scene-by-scene musical and theological commentary on the whole work, focusing on the way Handels music beautifully interprets and illuminates the biblical text. For anyone seeking to appreciate Handels Messiah more, this informed yet accessible guide is the book to have and read. (Handels Messiah: Comfort for Gods People is the newest volume in the flourishing Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Liturgical Studies Series, edited by John D. Witvliet.)  Google.

Related articles

• Handel's Messiah: Comfort for God's People (challies.com)

Lift Them!

Image by Josep Ma. Rosell via Flickr

'...Jesus stooped down...' 

John 8:6

Remember the woman 'caught in the act' of adultery? The Pharisees stooped to pick up stones. Jesus stooped to pick her up. Which group are you in? You can't be choosy about who you help. Some of us think we should only help those who believe like we do. No. '...uphold the weak, be patient with all' (1 Thessalonians 5:14 NKJV). 

There's a story about a guy who fell into a pit and couldn't get out. A subjective person came along and said, 'I feel for you down there.' An objective person came along and said, 'Well, it's logical somebody would fall down there.' A Pharisee said, 'Only bad people fall into pits.' A judgmental Christian said, 'You deserve your pit.' A realist said, 'Now that's a pit.' A geologist told him to appreciate the rock strata in the pit. A tax agent asked him if he was paying taxes on the pit. A self-pitying person said, 'You haven't seen anything until you've seen my pit.' An optimist said, 'Things could be worse.' A pessimist said, 'Things will get worse.' Jesus, seeing the guy in the pit, reached down, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit. 

Have you noticed how Jesus ends his famous parable about the Good Samaritan? '... "Go and do likewise"' (Luke 10:37 NKJV). You have power to affect the lives of those around you. Your encouragement can be the difference-maker in someone's day, week or even life, sending them in a whole new direction. But it's difficult to encourage people if you don't know what they need. So become a student of people. Learn what makes them tick, know what lifts them.

Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.