DAILY BYTE
This week we have looked at the lives of different women who each in their own way have been heroines of faith. One of the things that St. Therese, Dorothy Day, Penny Lernoux and Anne Frank had in common was their writing. Indeed, it was through their writings that we have been drawn into their world of faith. As we bring this week’s devotions to a close, we do so with the story of a woman who was unable to read or write. Yet in spite of her illiteracy, her life story was written with great courage and faithfulness.
HARRIET TUBMAN (c.1820 – 1913)
Harriet Tubman was an African-American woman born into slavery on a plantation in Maryland around 1820. Growing up she experienced the typical cruelties and indignities of slavery, but a fervent faith in God convinced her of her worth and of God’s intention that she should be free.
Robert Ellsberg writes, “It is one of the miracles of Christian history that African slaves, having received a false gospel from their “Christian” slavemasters, nevertheless heard in the biblical story a message of life and liberation. The slavemasters’ teaching stressed the virtue of obedience and counseled slaves to be content with their lot. But the slaves heard a different message. The God of the Bible was the God who led Moses and the Hebrew slaves out of bondage in Egypt, who inspired the prophets, and who was incarnate in Jesus Christ. This was not the god of the slavemasters, but the God of the oppressed.”
Harriet Tubman enjoyed a special relationship with God. In 1849 she had a vision that she interpreted as a signal from God for her to begin her escape. Although small in stature, she was a remarkably strong and resourceful woman. Using all her skills she made a daring escape into the free state of Pennsylvania. But at once she was seized by a sense of wider mission. She said, “I had crossed the line. I was FREE; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land; and my home, after all, was in Maryland…. But I was free and THEY should be free. I would make a home in the North and bring them there, God helping me.”
And so, having made her perilous way to freedom, Harriet Tubman chose to return to the South to assist in the escape of others living in slavery. Over the next twelve years she returned a total of 19 times to “Pharaoh’s Land”, in the process rescuing at least 300 slaves and earning the nickname “Moses”.
Among slave owners she became one of the most hated figures in the South. A fantastic price was put on her head and wanted posters of her were widely circulated. More than once her cunning and her unassuming appearance saved her from being caught. The “Moses” of the wanted posters was imagined to be a person of impressive features and stature – probably even a man – and certainly not a scrawny, gap-toothed woman.
After the Civil War and the emancipation of all slaves, she continued to provide shelter and care to poor blacks, well into her old age. She lived into her nineties and died peacefully on 10 March 1913.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Thank you Lord for the stories of others that can inspire us to live more selfless and faithful lives. And thank you that you are a God who chooses to use ordinary people like us, in the messy circumstances of our everyday lives, to fulfil your loving purposes for all the world. Amen.
FOCUS READING
2 Corinthians 3:3 (The Message)
Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it.
Two quotes from Mother Theresa:
“I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.”
“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.”
This week’s devotions were written by Rev Roger Scholtz of the Manning Road Methodist Church in Durban. Comments and feedback can be e-mailed to bdc@mrmc.co.za
Friday 30 April 2010
Thursday 29 April 2010
Heroines of Faith - Part 4
DAILY BYTE
ANNE FRANK (1929 – 1945)
The story of Anne Frank is fairly well known. She was a Jewish girl who perished during the Holocaust at the hands of the Nazi’s. Yet her great gift was to maintain a candlelight of humanity in a dark age and so guarantee that darkness should not have the final word.
During the Nazi occupation of Holland, Anne’s family and another – the Van Daams – went into hiding in a secret annex in her father’s office in the centre of Amsterdam. With the help and support of Dutch friends, they remained undetected for two years, before being betrayed in 1944 and dispersed to the Nazi death camps.
It was during the time of hiding in Amsterdam that Anne started to keep a diary. For her it was not simply a distraction but a responsibility to record her experiences and feelings as accurately as possible. In the early pages of her diary she wrote, “I want to write, but more than that, I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart.” What emerged were remarkable insights on the meaning of life and faith in the face of adversity.
If we remember that this fourteen-year-old girl spent two years in a confined space with seven other people, with a death sentence hanging over their heads, her capacity to see beyond the horror of their immediate circumstances is astonishing indeed. Every evening she would finish her prayers with the words, “I thank you God for all that is good and dear and beautiful. I am filled with joy. I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.”
On another occasion she wrote, “I know what I want, I have a goal, an opinion. I have a religion and love. Let me be myself and then I am satisfied. I know that I’m a woman, a woman with inward strength and plenty of courage. If God lets me live…I shall not remain insignificant, I shall work in the world and for mankind! And now I know that first and foremost I shall require courage and cheerfulness.”
It is an excruciating thought that this remarkable young life was cut down so soon by such evil designs. But in the light of her tragic fate there is even more poignancy and power in these words written just days before her arrest: “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart…. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever-approaching thunder, which will destroy us too. I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right…. In the meantime, I must uphold my ideals, for perhaps the time will come when I shall be able to carry them out.”
PRAY AS YOU GO
Help me today, dear God, to look beyond the hardships and miseries of my life and our world, to see the beauty of your presence and the wonder of your grace. Amen.
FOCUS READING
2 Corinthians 3:3-6 (The Message & CEV)
Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it.
We are sure about all this. Christ makes us sure in the very presence of God. We don't have the right to claim that we have done anything on our own. God gives us what it takes to do all that we do. His letter authorizes us to help carry out this new plan of action. The plan wasn't written out with ink on paper, with pages and pages of legal footnotes, killing your spirit. It's written with Spirit on spirit, his life on our lives!
ANNE FRANK (1929 – 1945)
The story of Anne Frank is fairly well known. She was a Jewish girl who perished during the Holocaust at the hands of the Nazi’s. Yet her great gift was to maintain a candlelight of humanity in a dark age and so guarantee that darkness should not have the final word.
During the Nazi occupation of Holland, Anne’s family and another – the Van Daams – went into hiding in a secret annex in her father’s office in the centre of Amsterdam. With the help and support of Dutch friends, they remained undetected for two years, before being betrayed in 1944 and dispersed to the Nazi death camps.
It was during the time of hiding in Amsterdam that Anne started to keep a diary. For her it was not simply a distraction but a responsibility to record her experiences and feelings as accurately as possible. In the early pages of her diary she wrote, “I want to write, but more than that, I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart.” What emerged were remarkable insights on the meaning of life and faith in the face of adversity.
If we remember that this fourteen-year-old girl spent two years in a confined space with seven other people, with a death sentence hanging over their heads, her capacity to see beyond the horror of their immediate circumstances is astonishing indeed. Every evening she would finish her prayers with the words, “I thank you God for all that is good and dear and beautiful. I am filled with joy. I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.”
On another occasion she wrote, “I know what I want, I have a goal, an opinion. I have a religion and love. Let me be myself and then I am satisfied. I know that I’m a woman, a woman with inward strength and plenty of courage. If God lets me live…I shall not remain insignificant, I shall work in the world and for mankind! And now I know that first and foremost I shall require courage and cheerfulness.”
It is an excruciating thought that this remarkable young life was cut down so soon by such evil designs. But in the light of her tragic fate there is even more poignancy and power in these words written just days before her arrest: “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart…. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever-approaching thunder, which will destroy us too. I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right…. In the meantime, I must uphold my ideals, for perhaps the time will come when I shall be able to carry them out.”
PRAY AS YOU GO
Help me today, dear God, to look beyond the hardships and miseries of my life and our world, to see the beauty of your presence and the wonder of your grace. Amen.
FOCUS READING
2 Corinthians 3:3-6 (The Message & CEV)
Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it.
We are sure about all this. Christ makes us sure in the very presence of God. We don't have the right to claim that we have done anything on our own. God gives us what it takes to do all that we do. His letter authorizes us to help carry out this new plan of action. The plan wasn't written out with ink on paper, with pages and pages of legal footnotes, killing your spirit. It's written with Spirit on spirit, his life on our lives!
Wednesday 28 April 2010
Heroines of Faith - Part 3
DAILY BYTE
This week we’re looking at some recent heroines of faith. Yesterday we reflected on the life of Dorothy Day, who through her work as a journalist on a religious newspaper found a way to connect her faith with the social issues of her day and her particular concern for the needs and the plight of the poor. Today we look at another journalist we made a similar journey of awakening, but in a vastly different context.
PENNY LERNOUX (1940 – 1989)
In sharing Penny Lernoux’s story let me start by quoting Robert Ellsberg, who writes, “In the 1970’s Christians around the world became aware of two extraordinary and related stories unfolding in Latin America. One was about the spread of terror and repression wrought by brutal military dictatorships throughout the continent. The other story concerned the transformation of the Latin American church. Traditionally a conservative institution allied with the rich and powerful, the church was being renewed as a prophetic force, a champion of human rights and the cause of the poor. These stories converged in the imprisonment, torture, and martyrdom of countless Christians, guilty only of professing the gospel message of justice and peace.
One woman who helped to tell these stories was Penny Lernoux, an American journalist based in Latin America…. She had drifted away from the church, disillusioned in part by its conservatism and seeming irrelevance. In the early 1970’s, however, she came into contact with priests and missioners who were living out a different model of the church in solidarity with the poor. The encounter renewed her faith at the same time as it affected her mission as a journalist. As she later wrote,
‘It was through them that I became aware of and entered into another world – not that of the US Embassy or the upper classes, which comprise the confines of most American journalists, but the suffering and hopeful world of the slums and peasant villages. The experience changed my life, giving me new faith and a commitment as a writer to tell the truth of the poor to the best of my ability.’”
In her willingness to see in a new way, and in her courage to tell the truth of what she saw, she became a voice of the voiceless and a hero to many who depended on her to reveal the truth of what was happening to them. Her critique extended not only to the political systems in Latin America, but also to the hypocrisy evident in the institutional church. For this she faced opposition, disparagement and condemnation, yet remained resolute in her commitment to speak out in the name of truth, however uncomfortable that may have been for her.
She died on 8 October 1989, one month after being diagnosed with cancer. Two weeks before her death she wrote, “I feel like I’m walking down a new path. It’s not physical fear or fear of death, because the courageous poor in Latin America have taught me a theology of life that, through solidarity and our common struggle, transcends death. Rather, it is a sense of helplessness – that I who always wanted to be the champion of the poor am just as helpless – that I, too, must hold out my begging bowl; that I must learn – am learning – the ultimate powerlessness of Christ. It is a cleansing experience. So many things seem less important, or not at all.”
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord, open my eyes that I may truly see, and my mouth that I may truly speak, and let me be a faithful witness to your truth, whatever the cost of that may be. Amen.
FOCUS READING
John 8:32
Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free!”
This week we’re looking at some recent heroines of faith. Yesterday we reflected on the life of Dorothy Day, who through her work as a journalist on a religious newspaper found a way to connect her faith with the social issues of her day and her particular concern for the needs and the plight of the poor. Today we look at another journalist we made a similar journey of awakening, but in a vastly different context.
PENNY LERNOUX (1940 – 1989)
In sharing Penny Lernoux’s story let me start by quoting Robert Ellsberg, who writes, “In the 1970’s Christians around the world became aware of two extraordinary and related stories unfolding in Latin America. One was about the spread of terror and repression wrought by brutal military dictatorships throughout the continent. The other story concerned the transformation of the Latin American church. Traditionally a conservative institution allied with the rich and powerful, the church was being renewed as a prophetic force, a champion of human rights and the cause of the poor. These stories converged in the imprisonment, torture, and martyrdom of countless Christians, guilty only of professing the gospel message of justice and peace.
One woman who helped to tell these stories was Penny Lernoux, an American journalist based in Latin America…. She had drifted away from the church, disillusioned in part by its conservatism and seeming irrelevance. In the early 1970’s, however, she came into contact with priests and missioners who were living out a different model of the church in solidarity with the poor. The encounter renewed her faith at the same time as it affected her mission as a journalist. As she later wrote,
‘It was through them that I became aware of and entered into another world – not that of the US Embassy or the upper classes, which comprise the confines of most American journalists, but the suffering and hopeful world of the slums and peasant villages. The experience changed my life, giving me new faith and a commitment as a writer to tell the truth of the poor to the best of my ability.’”
In her willingness to see in a new way, and in her courage to tell the truth of what she saw, she became a voice of the voiceless and a hero to many who depended on her to reveal the truth of what was happening to them. Her critique extended not only to the political systems in Latin America, but also to the hypocrisy evident in the institutional church. For this she faced opposition, disparagement and condemnation, yet remained resolute in her commitment to speak out in the name of truth, however uncomfortable that may have been for her.
She died on 8 October 1989, one month after being diagnosed with cancer. Two weeks before her death she wrote, “I feel like I’m walking down a new path. It’s not physical fear or fear of death, because the courageous poor in Latin America have taught me a theology of life that, through solidarity and our common struggle, transcends death. Rather, it is a sense of helplessness – that I who always wanted to be the champion of the poor am just as helpless – that I, too, must hold out my begging bowl; that I must learn – am learning – the ultimate powerlessness of Christ. It is a cleansing experience. So many things seem less important, or not at all.”
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord, open my eyes that I may truly see, and my mouth that I may truly speak, and let me be a faithful witness to your truth, whatever the cost of that may be. Amen.
FOCUS READING
John 8:32
Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free!”
Tuesday 27 April 2010
Heroines of Faith - Part 2
DAILY BYTE
This week we’re hearing the stories of five women of faith, who can challenge and encourage us in the living of our lives.
DOROTHY DAY (1897 – 1980)
In the year that Therese of Lisieux died, Dorothy Day was born in New York City. Growing up she had little exposure to religion, and by the time she was in college had totally rejected Christianity. Her friends and social circle comprised an odd assortment of communists, anarchists, artists and intellectuals, most of whom accepted Karl Marx’s dictum that “religion was the opium of the people.”
At the age of 29 she had a child with a man she deeply loved, and this sparked a mysterious conversion for her. She became aware of the aimlessness of her Bohemian existence and so committed both herself and her child to God. A painful consequence of this was the end of her common-law marriage, as the man she loved had no use for marriage or God. She also suffered from a sense that her conversion was a betrayal of the cause of the poor, as the church seemed to her to identify more with those in positions of power and privilege. She spent some lonely years in the wilderness, raising her child alone, praying for some way of reconciling her faith and her commitment to social justice.
The answer came in 1932 when she was encouraged to start a newspaper that would offer a radical Gospel critique of the social system and stand in solidarity with the working class. The ‘Catholic Worker’ was launched on May 1, 1933 – a publication that sought not only to denounce injustice, but also to announce a new social order based on the recognition of Christ in one’s neighbours.
In an effort to practice what they preached Dorothy Day converted the offices of the ‘Catholic Worker’ into a house of hospitality – the first of many – offering food for the hungry and shelter for the tired masses uprooted by the Depression. This became part of her enduring legacy as she continued to live out the implications of the gospel with great courage and often at great cost.
Her favourite saint was Therese of Lisieux (whom we looked at yesterday) whose “little way” indicated the path to holiness within all the business of our daily lives. From Therese, Dorothy Day drew the insight that any act of love might contribute to the balance of love in the world, and any suffering endured in love might ease the burden of others. But when people referred to her as a saint she would reply, “Don’t dismiss me that easily!” She wanted ordinary people to take the challenge of her life seriously, for she ardently believed that the challenge of the gospel was not for a few select “saints” but for everybody.
PRAY AS YOU GO
O Lord, we are all called to live extraordinary lives. And by your grace we can do so when we dare to take the challenge of the gospel seriously, and to express it in our daily lives. Strengthen us for this high calling we pray. Amen.
FOCUS READING
2 Corinthians 3:3-6 (The Message & CEV)
Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it - not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives - and we publish it.
We are sure about all this. Christ makes us sure in the very presence of God. We don't have the right to claim that we have done anything on our own. God gives us what it takes to do all that we do. His letter authorizes us to help carry out this new plan of action. The plan wasn't written out with ink on paper, with pages and pages of legal footnotes, killing your spirit. It's written with Spirit on spirit, his life on our lives!
This week we’re hearing the stories of five women of faith, who can challenge and encourage us in the living of our lives.
DOROTHY DAY (1897 – 1980)
In the year that Therese of Lisieux died, Dorothy Day was born in New York City. Growing up she had little exposure to religion, and by the time she was in college had totally rejected Christianity. Her friends and social circle comprised an odd assortment of communists, anarchists, artists and intellectuals, most of whom accepted Karl Marx’s dictum that “religion was the opium of the people.”
At the age of 29 she had a child with a man she deeply loved, and this sparked a mysterious conversion for her. She became aware of the aimlessness of her Bohemian existence and so committed both herself and her child to God. A painful consequence of this was the end of her common-law marriage, as the man she loved had no use for marriage or God. She also suffered from a sense that her conversion was a betrayal of the cause of the poor, as the church seemed to her to identify more with those in positions of power and privilege. She spent some lonely years in the wilderness, raising her child alone, praying for some way of reconciling her faith and her commitment to social justice.
The answer came in 1932 when she was encouraged to start a newspaper that would offer a radical Gospel critique of the social system and stand in solidarity with the working class. The ‘Catholic Worker’ was launched on May 1, 1933 – a publication that sought not only to denounce injustice, but also to announce a new social order based on the recognition of Christ in one’s neighbours.
In an effort to practice what they preached Dorothy Day converted the offices of the ‘Catholic Worker’ into a house of hospitality – the first of many – offering food for the hungry and shelter for the tired masses uprooted by the Depression. This became part of her enduring legacy as she continued to live out the implications of the gospel with great courage and often at great cost.
Her favourite saint was Therese of Lisieux (whom we looked at yesterday) whose “little way” indicated the path to holiness within all the business of our daily lives. From Therese, Dorothy Day drew the insight that any act of love might contribute to the balance of love in the world, and any suffering endured in love might ease the burden of others. But when people referred to her as a saint she would reply, “Don’t dismiss me that easily!” She wanted ordinary people to take the challenge of her life seriously, for she ardently believed that the challenge of the gospel was not for a few select “saints” but for everybody.
PRAY AS YOU GO
O Lord, we are all called to live extraordinary lives. And by your grace we can do so when we dare to take the challenge of the gospel seriously, and to express it in our daily lives. Strengthen us for this high calling we pray. Amen.
FOCUS READING
2 Corinthians 3:3-6 (The Message & CEV)
Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it - not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives - and we publish it.
We are sure about all this. Christ makes us sure in the very presence of God. We don't have the right to claim that we have done anything on our own. God gives us what it takes to do all that we do. His letter authorizes us to help carry out this new plan of action. The plan wasn't written out with ink on paper, with pages and pages of legal footnotes, killing your spirit. It's written with Spirit on spirit, his life on our lives!
Monday 26 April 2010
Heroines of Faith - Part 1
DAILY BYTE
Last week our theme was ‘Faithful Companions’. We reflected on the people who join us along the journey of life, offering to us strength, encouragement and inspiration to live faithful lives of our own. This week we continue with that broad theme, but in a different way. Over the next five days we will simply hear the stories of five people who, in quite varied ways, have demonstrated a remarkable faithfulness in the living of their lives.
All the stories that have been chosen are of women. Some died very young, others lived long lives. Some lived a long time ago in circumstances vastly different from ours today, others were virtually contemporaries of this generation. But all of them have something significant to say to us today. The invitation this week is for you to simply read and enjoy the stories of these five remarkable women, and then to ask yourself what you can take from the testimony of their lives.
I need to acknowledge a huge debt of gratitude to Robert Ellsberg for many of the biographical details of these women, contained in his outstanding book entitled, ‘All Saints: Daily reflections on saints, prophets and witnesses for our time.’
THERESE OF LISIEUX (1873 – 1897)
The story of Therese would probably never be made into a Hollywood blockbuster, because it is completely lacking in outward drama. When she was 15 years old she entered the convent of Lisieux, a small town in Normandy where she was born. There she remained, cloistered in the convent, until she died of tuberculosis at the young age of 24. One would think that the memory of such a brief and uneventful life would have remained within the walls of the convent. Instead, her name and reputation quickly circled around the world, and within 30 years of her death she was declared a saint by the Catholic Church.
The reason for this remarkable rise to prominence of this obscure young woman lay in the posthumous publication of her autobiography, ‘The Story of a Soul’. It is a compelling account of the path to holiness in everyday life, which immediately struck a responsive chord with the “simple faithful”. In her writings Therese considered herself to be of little account – literally a “Little Flower” – though for this reason no less precious in the eyes of God. She referred to her spiritual path as the Little Way, requiring the continuous offering of simple, childlike acts of faithfulness that were possible for all of God’s “little ones”. But Therese believed that this simple way might transform any situation into a profound arena for holiness, and that through the effect of the subtle ripples of faithful devotion, one might make a significant contribution to transforming the world.
The last years of her short life were filled with great physical suffering as her health deteriorated dramatically. Yet she embraced her condition with joyful grace, demonstrating her conviction that every moment in life, if accepted and lived in a spirit of gratitude and love, is an occasion for heroism and a potential step along the path of holiness. When she died, surrounded by the Sisters of her convent, her last words were, “Oh, I love Him! … My God…I love you.”
PRAY AS YOU GO
Loving and gracious God, thank you for the testimony of Therese’s life. Thank you for the reminder that she brings that our faithfulness and love in the small things of life really matter. Thank you that our devotion to you in the relative obscurity of our ordinary, everyday lives can truly become a significant part of your transforming power at work within the world. Like Therese we may simply be “Little Flowers”, but may our lives reflect your beauty and the fragrance of your love, today and every day. Amen.
FOCUS READING
2 Cor 3:3
Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it - not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives - and we publish it.
Last week our theme was ‘Faithful Companions’. We reflected on the people who join us along the journey of life, offering to us strength, encouragement and inspiration to live faithful lives of our own. This week we continue with that broad theme, but in a different way. Over the next five days we will simply hear the stories of five people who, in quite varied ways, have demonstrated a remarkable faithfulness in the living of their lives.
All the stories that have been chosen are of women. Some died very young, others lived long lives. Some lived a long time ago in circumstances vastly different from ours today, others were virtually contemporaries of this generation. But all of them have something significant to say to us today. The invitation this week is for you to simply read and enjoy the stories of these five remarkable women, and then to ask yourself what you can take from the testimony of their lives.
I need to acknowledge a huge debt of gratitude to Robert Ellsberg for many of the biographical details of these women, contained in his outstanding book entitled, ‘All Saints: Daily reflections on saints, prophets and witnesses for our time.’
THERESE OF LISIEUX (1873 – 1897)
The story of Therese would probably never be made into a Hollywood blockbuster, because it is completely lacking in outward drama. When she was 15 years old she entered the convent of Lisieux, a small town in Normandy where she was born. There she remained, cloistered in the convent, until she died of tuberculosis at the young age of 24. One would think that the memory of such a brief and uneventful life would have remained within the walls of the convent. Instead, her name and reputation quickly circled around the world, and within 30 years of her death she was declared a saint by the Catholic Church.
The reason for this remarkable rise to prominence of this obscure young woman lay in the posthumous publication of her autobiography, ‘The Story of a Soul’. It is a compelling account of the path to holiness in everyday life, which immediately struck a responsive chord with the “simple faithful”. In her writings Therese considered herself to be of little account – literally a “Little Flower” – though for this reason no less precious in the eyes of God. She referred to her spiritual path as the Little Way, requiring the continuous offering of simple, childlike acts of faithfulness that were possible for all of God’s “little ones”. But Therese believed that this simple way might transform any situation into a profound arena for holiness, and that through the effect of the subtle ripples of faithful devotion, one might make a significant contribution to transforming the world.
The last years of her short life were filled with great physical suffering as her health deteriorated dramatically. Yet she embraced her condition with joyful grace, demonstrating her conviction that every moment in life, if accepted and lived in a spirit of gratitude and love, is an occasion for heroism and a potential step along the path of holiness. When she died, surrounded by the Sisters of her convent, her last words were, “Oh, I love Him! … My God…I love you.”
PRAY AS YOU GO
Loving and gracious God, thank you for the testimony of Therese’s life. Thank you for the reminder that she brings that our faithfulness and love in the small things of life really matter. Thank you that our devotion to you in the relative obscurity of our ordinary, everyday lives can truly become a significant part of your transforming power at work within the world. Like Therese we may simply be “Little Flowers”, but may our lives reflect your beauty and the fragrance of your love, today and every day. Amen.
FOCUS READING
2 Cor 3:3
Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it - not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives - and we publish it.
Friday 23 April 2010
Faithful Companions - Part 5
DAILY BYTE
As we bring this week’s devotions to a close, we consider another faithful companion who joins us on the road, offering strength and grace to us to persevere. It is, of course, none other than Jesus, who is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
Indeed, Jesus is not only the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, but also of the faith of all who have gone before us, and all those who will follow behind. Without Jesus no faithful living is possible, because all faith has its beginnings and its fulfillment in him. And so every time we discover his gracious companionship along the way, our faith is strengthened and deepened to continue along the road with him, following him wherever he may lead.
It was this recognition of the constant companionship of Christ, and the commitment to follow him wherever he would lead, that enabled that faithful disciple, Mother Theresa, to write and live these words. They speak about persevering in faithfulness.
She wrote:
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, people may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It never was between you and them anyway.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord Jesus Christ, you find us on the road as you come with graciousness to share our life’s journey with us. Thank you that your presence strengthens and sustains us, and enables us to carry on. Help us Lord, not simply to carry on along our own path, but to carry on along the path that you would have us go. We can find it by simply following you, by letting your words and your ways become ours. Help us to be your faithful followers and friends. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
This week’s devotions were written by Rev Roger Scholtz of the Manning Road Methodist Church in Durban. Comments and feedback can be e-mailed to bdc@mrmc.co.za
As we bring this week’s devotions to a close, we consider another faithful companion who joins us on the road, offering strength and grace to us to persevere. It is, of course, none other than Jesus, who is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.
Indeed, Jesus is not only the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, but also of the faith of all who have gone before us, and all those who will follow behind. Without Jesus no faithful living is possible, because all faith has its beginnings and its fulfillment in him. And so every time we discover his gracious companionship along the way, our faith is strengthened and deepened to continue along the road with him, following him wherever he may lead.
It was this recognition of the constant companionship of Christ, and the commitment to follow him wherever he would lead, that enabled that faithful disciple, Mother Theresa, to write and live these words. They speak about persevering in faithfulness.
She wrote:
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, people may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It never was between you and them anyway.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord Jesus Christ, you find us on the road as you come with graciousness to share our life’s journey with us. Thank you that your presence strengthens and sustains us, and enables us to carry on. Help us Lord, not simply to carry on along our own path, but to carry on along the path that you would have us go. We can find it by simply following you, by letting your words and your ways become ours. Help us to be your faithful followers and friends. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
This week’s devotions were written by Rev Roger Scholtz of the Manning Road Methodist Church in Durban. Comments and feedback can be e-mailed to bdc@mrmc.co.za
Thursday 22 April 2010
Faithful Companions - Part 4
DAILY BYTE
We’re reflecting on some of the traveling companions who join us in our journey of life. Yesterday we looked at those who have gone before us, who have been faithful. Today we consider those who will come behind us, following in the footprints we will leave. They may only be following us in the future. Indeed, they may not even be born yet, but in a very real sense they are part of our journey here and now.
Indeed, one of the characteristics of the faithful listed in Hebrews 11 was the way in which they lived their lives so as to entrust their future, and their descendants, to God.
The question for us is this: In the ways in which we live our lives, what will be the legacy that we bequeath to our children and the generations that are to follow? This is a real question for all of us, whether we have children of our own or not. For all of us belong to this generation that will hand on our world, this country, the church and our faith to the generations that are to follow.
There’s a beautiful song by Jon Mohr entitled ‘Find us faithful’. The last verse goes like this:
“After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find.”
And then the chorus:
“O may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
O may all who come behind us find us faithful.”
What will our children discover about us, even after we’re gone, of the shaping influence of our world upon theirs?
If you’re facing something right now that makes you want to give up, or if you’re in some moral or ethical dilemma, think about those who will follow after you. What legacy do you want to leave behind? What shaping influence do you want to impart? May the vision of those who will come behind you sifting through the testimony of your life inspire you to persevere with faithfulness and purpose here and now.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Gracious Lord and God, what an awesome privilege it is to be a link in the great chain of faith that stretches across the ages and binds all your people together. And what a great responsibility to live my life in such a way that this chain not be weakened. May those who come after me receive the rich heritage of faithfulness that is passed down through godly living. On my own this is impossible, but with your help all things are possible. So help me today please Lord, for the sake of my children and all who are to follow, to live with faithfulness and purpose. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Hebrews 11:17-22
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.
We’re reflecting on some of the traveling companions who join us in our journey of life. Yesterday we looked at those who have gone before us, who have been faithful. Today we consider those who will come behind us, following in the footprints we will leave. They may only be following us in the future. Indeed, they may not even be born yet, but in a very real sense they are part of our journey here and now.
Indeed, one of the characteristics of the faithful listed in Hebrews 11 was the way in which they lived their lives so as to entrust their future, and their descendants, to God.
The question for us is this: In the ways in which we live our lives, what will be the legacy that we bequeath to our children and the generations that are to follow? This is a real question for all of us, whether we have children of our own or not. For all of us belong to this generation that will hand on our world, this country, the church and our faith to the generations that are to follow.
There’s a beautiful song by Jon Mohr entitled ‘Find us faithful’. The last verse goes like this:
“After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find.”
And then the chorus:
“O may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
O may all who come behind us find us faithful.”
What will our children discover about us, even after we’re gone, of the shaping influence of our world upon theirs?
If you’re facing something right now that makes you want to give up, or if you’re in some moral or ethical dilemma, think about those who will follow after you. What legacy do you want to leave behind? What shaping influence do you want to impart? May the vision of those who will come behind you sifting through the testimony of your life inspire you to persevere with faithfulness and purpose here and now.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Gracious Lord and God, what an awesome privilege it is to be a link in the great chain of faith that stretches across the ages and binds all your people together. And what a great responsibility to live my life in such a way that this chain not be weakened. May those who come after me receive the rich heritage of faithfulness that is passed down through godly living. On my own this is impossible, but with your help all things are possible. So help me today please Lord, for the sake of my children and all who are to follow, to live with faithfulness and purpose. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Hebrews 11:17-22
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.
Wednesday 21 April 2010
Faithful Companions - Part 3
DAILY BYTE
Yesterday we said that there are traveling companions who join us along the road of life, who can strengthen and encourage us to persevere, especially when the going gets tough. Over the next three days we will consider some of these traveling companions, or groups of companions, that share the journey with us.
The first of these refers to those who have gone before us, who have been faithful.
The magnificent passage of scripture in Hebrews 11 that we’re reflecting on this week points to some of these heroes of the faith – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses – the list goes on and on. Men, and women, who persevered and continued to trust in God throughout their lives. Notice that in recounting their lives, there are stories of great triumph and victory, as well as stories of tremendous suffering and persecution.
The effect is to remind us that in every age, in every conceivable circumstance of life, including whatever it is that you or I may be going through right now, there have been many who have held fast to the faith and have persevered The testimony of their lives can inspire us to a faithfulness of our own, as they cheer us along and encourage us to press on.
This of course includes not only the famous heroes of the faith of long ago, but also the ordinary people known to us who have lived and who continue to live faithful lives.
Take a moment to think about the heroes of faith that you have known personally - ordinary people who have lived extraordinary lives of faithfulness. What do your memories of them evoke within you? How have they helped to point you towards God? How have they helped to bring the image of Jesus into clear and sharp focus for you? In what ways do their lives inspire you to live differently?
In remembering the faithful servants of God who have gone before us, let us give God thanks and praise for the gift of these traveling companions who share the road with us. (Next week, we will be reflecting on the stories of five such people who have lived fairly recently, and stand as powerful examples of lives faithfully and fully lived.)
PRAY AS YOU GO
“We're pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace.” (Jon Mohr)
How we thank you O God for the testimony of the lives of your faithful servants, who have gone before us. We thank you for the ways in which their lives continue to point us to you, and reveal the truth of your enduring presence and grace that enables us to persevere. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Hebrews 11:32-38
And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets - who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two,l they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented—the world was not worthy of them.
Yesterday we said that there are traveling companions who join us along the road of life, who can strengthen and encourage us to persevere, especially when the going gets tough. Over the next three days we will consider some of these traveling companions, or groups of companions, that share the journey with us.
The first of these refers to those who have gone before us, who have been faithful.
The magnificent passage of scripture in Hebrews 11 that we’re reflecting on this week points to some of these heroes of the faith – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses – the list goes on and on. Men, and women, who persevered and continued to trust in God throughout their lives. Notice that in recounting their lives, there are stories of great triumph and victory, as well as stories of tremendous suffering and persecution.
The effect is to remind us that in every age, in every conceivable circumstance of life, including whatever it is that you or I may be going through right now, there have been many who have held fast to the faith and have persevered The testimony of their lives can inspire us to a faithfulness of our own, as they cheer us along and encourage us to press on.
This of course includes not only the famous heroes of the faith of long ago, but also the ordinary people known to us who have lived and who continue to live faithful lives.
Take a moment to think about the heroes of faith that you have known personally - ordinary people who have lived extraordinary lives of faithfulness. What do your memories of them evoke within you? How have they helped to point you towards God? How have they helped to bring the image of Jesus into clear and sharp focus for you? In what ways do their lives inspire you to live differently?
In remembering the faithful servants of God who have gone before us, let us give God thanks and praise for the gift of these traveling companions who share the road with us. (Next week, we will be reflecting on the stories of five such people who have lived fairly recently, and stand as powerful examples of lives faithfully and fully lived.)
PRAY AS YOU GO
“We're pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace.” (Jon Mohr)
How we thank you O God for the testimony of the lives of your faithful servants, who have gone before us. We thank you for the ways in which their lives continue to point us to you, and reveal the truth of your enduring presence and grace that enables us to persevere. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Hebrews 11:32-38
And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets - who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two,l they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented—the world was not worthy of them.
Tuesday 20 April 2010
Faithful Companions - Part 2
DAILY BYTE
Yesterday I posed the question, “Do you ever feel like you just want to give up?” While we may be reluctant to admit it, the truth is that many of us experience dark and desolate times when we feel totally exhausted and overwhelmed by the immensities of life that are thrust upon us. In those times, we need more than just the good advice not to give up.
Let me share a personal story that illustrates the point.
Back in February 2000 I ran my first ever marathon. I’d been training for a few months but I was still a complete novice and really didn’t have the first clue as to how one should go about running 42 km’s. I did everything wrong. On the morning of the marathon I had nothing to eat. On the run I only drank water and half of one cup of coke. And I proceeded to run the first 32 km’s without walking once, which is an important way to pace oneself. All of which meant that in the latter stages of the race I was running on empty.
And so it should come as no great surprise that with about 7 km’s to go, I suddenly, involuntarily came to a complete stop. Talk about hitting the proverbial wall – it happened for me quite spectacularly. My legs simply refused to take another step – they were staging a full-blown mutiny, and there was nothing I could do about it. I remember holding on to a street lamp to keep me upright, because I knew that if I sat down there was a good chance that I would never get up again. I also knew that I had absolutely no idea how I was ever going to get moving again, let alone reach the finish line. I was ready, in fact more than ready, to give up.
Some passing runners said to me, ‘Don’t give up!’ I know that they were trying to encourage me and be kind, but I wanted to punch them. Because when you’re in a place where your resources are completely depleted and you don’t know what to do, the last thing you need is some perky advice. You need real help.
Thankfully for me, help came along that morning in the most surprising way, as an old school mate of mine whom I hadn’t seen in 12 years came running by. I couldn’t believe it. He’d been on the same road running the same marathon with me all this time and I never knew it. And then it hit me. I realized that if I somehow managed to connect with him and stay with him he would get me home. So I shouted ‘Wait for me!’ And before I knew it I was moving again. I honestly have little recollection of those last 7 km’s. But what I do remember was the commitment I made that no matter what happened I would stick with my mate. Which I did – and we finished the race together.
That story is a kind of parable, which can help us to hear the good news of the gospel. Which is this:
When we feel like we just want to give up, there are traveling companions that join us along the way, that can strengthen, encourage and inspire us to carry on. In particular there are three such traveling companions, or groups of companions, that constantly share the road of life with every one of us. Over the next three days we will consider each of these in turn.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord God, thank you for the often surprising ways in which you come to me, offering your love and your life. Open my eyes that I may see you, and all that you have promised. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Hebrews 11:13-16
All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.
Yesterday I posed the question, “Do you ever feel like you just want to give up?” While we may be reluctant to admit it, the truth is that many of us experience dark and desolate times when we feel totally exhausted and overwhelmed by the immensities of life that are thrust upon us. In those times, we need more than just the good advice not to give up.
Let me share a personal story that illustrates the point.
Back in February 2000 I ran my first ever marathon. I’d been training for a few months but I was still a complete novice and really didn’t have the first clue as to how one should go about running 42 km’s. I did everything wrong. On the morning of the marathon I had nothing to eat. On the run I only drank water and half of one cup of coke. And I proceeded to run the first 32 km’s without walking once, which is an important way to pace oneself. All of which meant that in the latter stages of the race I was running on empty.
And so it should come as no great surprise that with about 7 km’s to go, I suddenly, involuntarily came to a complete stop. Talk about hitting the proverbial wall – it happened for me quite spectacularly. My legs simply refused to take another step – they were staging a full-blown mutiny, and there was nothing I could do about it. I remember holding on to a street lamp to keep me upright, because I knew that if I sat down there was a good chance that I would never get up again. I also knew that I had absolutely no idea how I was ever going to get moving again, let alone reach the finish line. I was ready, in fact more than ready, to give up.
Some passing runners said to me, ‘Don’t give up!’ I know that they were trying to encourage me and be kind, but I wanted to punch them. Because when you’re in a place where your resources are completely depleted and you don’t know what to do, the last thing you need is some perky advice. You need real help.
Thankfully for me, help came along that morning in the most surprising way, as an old school mate of mine whom I hadn’t seen in 12 years came running by. I couldn’t believe it. He’d been on the same road running the same marathon with me all this time and I never knew it. And then it hit me. I realized that if I somehow managed to connect with him and stay with him he would get me home. So I shouted ‘Wait for me!’ And before I knew it I was moving again. I honestly have little recollection of those last 7 km’s. But what I do remember was the commitment I made that no matter what happened I would stick with my mate. Which I did – and we finished the race together.
That story is a kind of parable, which can help us to hear the good news of the gospel. Which is this:
When we feel like we just want to give up, there are traveling companions that join us along the way, that can strengthen, encourage and inspire us to carry on. In particular there are three such traveling companions, or groups of companions, that constantly share the road of life with every one of us. Over the next three days we will consider each of these in turn.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord God, thank you for the often surprising ways in which you come to me, offering your love and your life. Open my eyes that I may see you, and all that you have promised. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Hebrews 11:13-16
All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.
Monday 19 April 2010
Faithful Companions - Part 1
DAILY BYTE
Do you ever feel like you just want to give up?
Do you ever feel that the circumstances of your life are such that you wish you could just pack it in and escape from it all, even for just a while?
Maybe it’s an exhausting relationship that continues to suck the life out of you.
Maybe it’s your work that is placing an unbearable burden of stress and strain upon you.
Maybe it’s a financial crisis that feels like a noose around your neck.
Maybe it’s the constant, never-ending demands of raising children.
Maybe it’s been a recent experience of crime or corruption that has been one experience too many for you.
Maybe it’s the endless treatment of a medical condition that just won’t improve.
Maybe it’s the pain of a deep grief or a bitter memory that continues to break open at unexpected times and wound you afresh.
Maybe it’s the disappointment of doors constantly closing on a dream that you’ve cherished for a long, long time.
Maybe it’s the aching loneliness of feeling that nobody understands you and nobody cares.
Do you ever feel like you just want to give up?
Of course, wanting to give up is something that we wouldn’t normally acknowledge.
We live in a world that places a high premium on being upbeat and positive. And there is a great gift in that. There are many inspiring stories of people who have overcome overwhelming odds through their tenacity of spirit, their dogged determination and their stubborn refusal to give up.
Here’s a fun poem that illustrates this very point:
Two frogs fell into a bowl of cream, (or so the story’s told).
The bowl’s sides were smooth and steep, the cream was deep and cold.
"Oh, what's the use?" said Number One, "It's fate - no help's around."
"Good-bye, my friend. Good-bye, cruel world." And just like that, he drowned.
But Number Two, of sterner stuff, dog-paddled in surprise,
And licked his creamy lips and face, and blinked his creamy eyes,
"I'll swim,” he said, “while I have breath, until my strength is spent
That when I come to meet my end at least I’ll die content.”
So round and round he kicked and swam, not once did he stop to mutter,
And then hopped out the bowl of cream, which now was a bowl of butter
The moral of the story – never give up! And it’s a great moral that we can all applaud. Except for one thing. When we’re in that place where we’re ready to pack it in, being told not to give up is simply not enough. We need something more to strengthen, encourage and inspire us to carry on.
Thankfully, God has given us something more than just good advice. In the dark and desperate experiences of our lives God comes to us, to help us in our need, and to strengthen us with a strength beyond our own that we might persevere to the end.
In our devotions this week we will explore some of the ways in which God comes to us, particularly through the lives of others that can be a source of encouragement and inspiration for us all. We will also be reading sections out of that great passage in scripture which talks about the heroes of the faith – Hebrews 11, as we consider the faithful companions who join us on the road.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Loving Lord God, sometimes the pressures and demands of life just get too much, and I’m not sure how I’m going to cope. Thank you that in times like these I am not alone, but you come to help me and sustain me. Thank too for the stories of your faithful servants who have hold fast to the faith, even in the midst of struggles of their lives. This week, may I be strengthened and encouraged by their example. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Hebrews 11:8-10
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Do you ever feel like you just want to give up?
Do you ever feel that the circumstances of your life are such that you wish you could just pack it in and escape from it all, even for just a while?
Maybe it’s an exhausting relationship that continues to suck the life out of you.
Maybe it’s your work that is placing an unbearable burden of stress and strain upon you.
Maybe it’s a financial crisis that feels like a noose around your neck.
Maybe it’s the constant, never-ending demands of raising children.
Maybe it’s been a recent experience of crime or corruption that has been one experience too many for you.
Maybe it’s the endless treatment of a medical condition that just won’t improve.
Maybe it’s the pain of a deep grief or a bitter memory that continues to break open at unexpected times and wound you afresh.
Maybe it’s the disappointment of doors constantly closing on a dream that you’ve cherished for a long, long time.
Maybe it’s the aching loneliness of feeling that nobody understands you and nobody cares.
Do you ever feel like you just want to give up?
Of course, wanting to give up is something that we wouldn’t normally acknowledge.
We live in a world that places a high premium on being upbeat and positive. And there is a great gift in that. There are many inspiring stories of people who have overcome overwhelming odds through their tenacity of spirit, their dogged determination and their stubborn refusal to give up.
Here’s a fun poem that illustrates this very point:
Two frogs fell into a bowl of cream, (or so the story’s told).
The bowl’s sides were smooth and steep, the cream was deep and cold.
"Oh, what's the use?" said Number One, "It's fate - no help's around."
"Good-bye, my friend. Good-bye, cruel world." And just like that, he drowned.
But Number Two, of sterner stuff, dog-paddled in surprise,
And licked his creamy lips and face, and blinked his creamy eyes,
"I'll swim,” he said, “while I have breath, until my strength is spent
That when I come to meet my end at least I’ll die content.”
So round and round he kicked and swam, not once did he stop to mutter,
And then hopped out the bowl of cream, which now was a bowl of butter
The moral of the story – never give up! And it’s a great moral that we can all applaud. Except for one thing. When we’re in that place where we’re ready to pack it in, being told not to give up is simply not enough. We need something more to strengthen, encourage and inspire us to carry on.
Thankfully, God has given us something more than just good advice. In the dark and desperate experiences of our lives God comes to us, to help us in our need, and to strengthen us with a strength beyond our own that we might persevere to the end.
In our devotions this week we will explore some of the ways in which God comes to us, particularly through the lives of others that can be a source of encouragement and inspiration for us all. We will also be reading sections out of that great passage in scripture which talks about the heroes of the faith – Hebrews 11, as we consider the faithful companions who join us on the road.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Loving Lord God, sometimes the pressures and demands of life just get too much, and I’m not sure how I’m going to cope. Thank you that in times like these I am not alone, but you come to help me and sustain me. Thank too for the stories of your faithful servants who have hold fast to the faith, even in the midst of struggles of their lives. This week, may I be strengthened and encouraged by their example. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Hebrews 11:8-10
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Friday 16 April 2010
Being Sheep Together
DAILY BYTE
We often talk about the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus.
And, we talk about the importance of having good relationships with one another, but you see – God’s very self shows unified relationships. There is relationship between a father and a son and a spirit. God is community, and he sacrifices it all so we can all be joined together as one. So, our personal relationship with Jesus cannot be separated from our relationships with one another.
As we shepherd one another, we are first and foremost all called to follow the one voice of the good shepherd. One of the things I was first told when I became a minister was that you cannot be a good leader unless you are a good follower.
Followers join together, drawing strength from one another, sharing compassion with one another, and having a common direction. They walk on their journeys not as individuals, but they eat together, rest together, talk together, and argue together, and that’s not an easy way to live, is it?
I remember how difficult it was when I lived in community with three other women in graduate school. There were constant struggles, as we negotiated each other’s individual problems and hopes. And there were many things I wish we had done differently. But we were stubborn sheep, especially as people training for ministry who thought that our primary identity was one of shepherds. But during our final year of school, we began to go together and pray with one of the secretaries, who was struggling with cancer. Every Tuesday after a class we shared together, we would troop up to this lady’s office, stand in a circle, hold each others’ hands, pray for one another, and listen together for God’s voice.
We returned to being sheep, led by a good shepherd, laying down our life’s struggles and prayers together, and through that, God unified us from our scattered, individualist aims, and every week, God saved us.
The scripture encourages us this week that the seemingly small ways we reach out to one another, sacrificing for one another in the name of Christ’s unity actually work against the scattered divisiveness of the world, the church, and our closer relationships.
Because in the end, we don’t have to “like” all sheep. We will not like all people we encounter. But we are called to love them, and to be sheep, following the example of a good shepherd God who leads us and loves us all, as one flock.
Do you want to be a part of something greater than yourself? How does being Jesus’ “sheep” change the way you see your relationships with God and with other people?
GUIDING SCRIPTURE
John 10:16b
So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Gracious God, help us to follow you so that you will unite us with one another and bring your goodness into the world. Amen.
We often talk about the importance of having a personal relationship with Jesus.
And, we talk about the importance of having good relationships with one another, but you see – God’s very self shows unified relationships. There is relationship between a father and a son and a spirit. God is community, and he sacrifices it all so we can all be joined together as one. So, our personal relationship with Jesus cannot be separated from our relationships with one another.
As we shepherd one another, we are first and foremost all called to follow the one voice of the good shepherd. One of the things I was first told when I became a minister was that you cannot be a good leader unless you are a good follower.
Followers join together, drawing strength from one another, sharing compassion with one another, and having a common direction. They walk on their journeys not as individuals, but they eat together, rest together, talk together, and argue together, and that’s not an easy way to live, is it?
I remember how difficult it was when I lived in community with three other women in graduate school. There were constant struggles, as we negotiated each other’s individual problems and hopes. And there were many things I wish we had done differently. But we were stubborn sheep, especially as people training for ministry who thought that our primary identity was one of shepherds. But during our final year of school, we began to go together and pray with one of the secretaries, who was struggling with cancer. Every Tuesday after a class we shared together, we would troop up to this lady’s office, stand in a circle, hold each others’ hands, pray for one another, and listen together for God’s voice.
We returned to being sheep, led by a good shepherd, laying down our life’s struggles and prayers together, and through that, God unified us from our scattered, individualist aims, and every week, God saved us.
The scripture encourages us this week that the seemingly small ways we reach out to one another, sacrificing for one another in the name of Christ’s unity actually work against the scattered divisiveness of the world, the church, and our closer relationships.
Because in the end, we don’t have to “like” all sheep. We will not like all people we encounter. But we are called to love them, and to be sheep, following the example of a good shepherd God who leads us and loves us all, as one flock.
Do you want to be a part of something greater than yourself? How does being Jesus’ “sheep” change the way you see your relationships with God and with other people?
GUIDING SCRIPTURE
John 10:16b
So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Gracious God, help us to follow you so that you will unite us with one another and bring your goodness into the world. Amen.
Thursday 15 April 2010
I am the Good Shepherd
DAILY BYTE
Yesterday, we looked at God’s aversion to scattering in Ezekiel – let’s look now at how God fleshes out his understanding of unity in the Gospel of John.
As we look at the Good Shepherd passage, keep in mind that the Gospel of John was written in the context of a community that was desperately struggling with unity. These were some of the very earliest Christians, and there were many questions of how to remain united as followers of Christ while still loving and interacting with the surrounding community. Things have not changed so much.
And so in the midst of this challenging situation, we thankfully find Jesus saying, “I am the Good Shepherd.” This is one of Jesus’ famous “I am” sayings. It takes us straight back to the beginning of Scripture, uniting us with all of the people of God since the Book of Exodus when Moses asked God for his name, and God said simply – I AM.
I AM - what? I AM the Good Shepherd is one response. In the core of my being, God says, I desire to lead you, to find you, to care for you, and I desire for all of you to follow who I am.
And Jesus doesn’t just say he is a shepherd. He says, I am the good shepherd, which reminds us that if there’s a good shepherd, there must be a bad way of shepherding. And we remember Ezekiel, where the shepherds exploited and scattered their own sheep.
But Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.” I AM the God who does nothing for personal gain, but instead lays down my life. In these short eight verses, Jesus talks about laying down one’s life five times.
In Greek, the word for ‘life’ does not just mean bodily living. It’s the root from where we get our words like psyche and psychology. It means one’s inmost being – in addition to the physical body. As the good shepherd, God gives himself – his inmost being and his body – so that everyone might relate to one another with the same kind of loving sacrifice and bring his goodness into the world.
How have you seen the good shepherd working in your life?
What of your inmost being are you willing to lay down so that all people can experience goodness, love, and care?
GUIDING SCRIPTURE
John 10:11 (NRSV)
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
IF YOU ARE FEELING BRAVE…
Make a list of the ways you have seen the good shepherd leading and caring for you in your life. Pray about how you might be able to share some of this goodness and grace with others you meet today.
Yesterday, we looked at God’s aversion to scattering in Ezekiel – let’s look now at how God fleshes out his understanding of unity in the Gospel of John.
As we look at the Good Shepherd passage, keep in mind that the Gospel of John was written in the context of a community that was desperately struggling with unity. These were some of the very earliest Christians, and there were many questions of how to remain united as followers of Christ while still loving and interacting with the surrounding community. Things have not changed so much.
And so in the midst of this challenging situation, we thankfully find Jesus saying, “I am the Good Shepherd.” This is one of Jesus’ famous “I am” sayings. It takes us straight back to the beginning of Scripture, uniting us with all of the people of God since the Book of Exodus when Moses asked God for his name, and God said simply – I AM.
I AM - what? I AM the Good Shepherd is one response. In the core of my being, God says, I desire to lead you, to find you, to care for you, and I desire for all of you to follow who I am.
And Jesus doesn’t just say he is a shepherd. He says, I am the good shepherd, which reminds us that if there’s a good shepherd, there must be a bad way of shepherding. And we remember Ezekiel, where the shepherds exploited and scattered their own sheep.
But Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.” I AM the God who does nothing for personal gain, but instead lays down my life. In these short eight verses, Jesus talks about laying down one’s life five times.
In Greek, the word for ‘life’ does not just mean bodily living. It’s the root from where we get our words like psyche and psychology. It means one’s inmost being – in addition to the physical body. As the good shepherd, God gives himself – his inmost being and his body – so that everyone might relate to one another with the same kind of loving sacrifice and bring his goodness into the world.
How have you seen the good shepherd working in your life?
What of your inmost being are you willing to lay down so that all people can experience goodness, love, and care?
GUIDING SCRIPTURE
John 10:11 (NRSV)
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
IF YOU ARE FEELING BRAVE…
Make a list of the ways you have seen the good shepherd leading and caring for you in your life. Pray about how you might be able to share some of this goodness and grace with others you meet today.
Wednesday 14 April 2010
Scattered
DAILY BYTE
As we continue to contemplate what it means for God to be a shepherd, it’s also crucial for us to think about the fact that we are made in the image of God and must grapple with how God calls us also to be shepherds. Otherwise, it seems we will become like the people of God in Ezekiel: where the people who were supposed to be leading and caring for one another were selfishly feeding their own mouths instead. The prophet Ezekiel says the shepherd leaders weren’t building up the weak ones and healing the sick, doctoring the injured, going after the strays, and looking for the lost. They were refusing to sacrifice anything of themselves so that the greater group would thrive.
And as a result, they turned people into “mere prey,” “easy meals for wolves.”
When people fail to look after one another, only seeking their own self-interest, a climate of fear is created instead of a climate of assurance and freedom.
Are we turning people into mere prey?
When on a pilgrimage around Durban in 2007, I was told that there were actually fewer robberies of stores in Warwick Triangle – a place that is often considered “unsafe” in the Durban community – than there are in Musgrave Centre, a “safe” community area. And the reason was that the shopkeepers in Warwick Triangle had banded together to form a community that protected one another from robbers, but the shops in Musgrave Centre continue to try to live as their own separate entities, therefore becoming - mere prey.
When God jumps into the scene in Ezekiel, he says, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep. I myself will make sure they get plenty of rest. I’ll go after the lost, I’ll collect the strays, I’ll doctor the injured, I’ll build up the weak ones, and oversee the strong ones.” God, here, presents a more comprehensive picture of a shepherd’s role than the people did. The people totally left out the need for the strong ones to be shepherded.
In their desire to seek power, the leaders of the community forgot that their primary roles were not as shepherds but as sheep, following God.
And as prophets do, Ezekiel spoke truth to those in power, reminding them that in God’s eyes, both the weak and the strong live together in community and are all overseen by the same shepherd. They all need someone to follow, or the community will fall apart and scatter.
God’s voice through Ezekiel is almost frantic in its frustration and anger about how people have been scattered. The Message’s account of Ezekiel describes God saying, “You bully and badger them. Now they’re scattered every which way because there was no shepherd – scattered and easy pickings for wolves and coyotes. Scattered – my sheep! - exposed and vulnerable across mountains and hills. My sheep scattered all over the world, and no one out looking for them!” God’s voice cries out against stubborn, individualistic disunity.
In the way that you lead others and participate in community, are you causing people to scatter? Do you see yourself primarily as someone who leads or someone who follows?
GUIDING SCRIPTURE:
Ezekiel 34:11-12a (The Message)
"'God, the Master, says: From now on, I myself am the shepherd. I'm going looking for them. As shepherds go after their flocks when they get scattered, I'm going after my sheep.
As we continue to contemplate what it means for God to be a shepherd, it’s also crucial for us to think about the fact that we are made in the image of God and must grapple with how God calls us also to be shepherds. Otherwise, it seems we will become like the people of God in Ezekiel: where the people who were supposed to be leading and caring for one another were selfishly feeding their own mouths instead. The prophet Ezekiel says the shepherd leaders weren’t building up the weak ones and healing the sick, doctoring the injured, going after the strays, and looking for the lost. They were refusing to sacrifice anything of themselves so that the greater group would thrive.
And as a result, they turned people into “mere prey,” “easy meals for wolves.”
When people fail to look after one another, only seeking their own self-interest, a climate of fear is created instead of a climate of assurance and freedom.
Are we turning people into mere prey?
When on a pilgrimage around Durban in 2007, I was told that there were actually fewer robberies of stores in Warwick Triangle – a place that is often considered “unsafe” in the Durban community – than there are in Musgrave Centre, a “safe” community area. And the reason was that the shopkeepers in Warwick Triangle had banded together to form a community that protected one another from robbers, but the shops in Musgrave Centre continue to try to live as their own separate entities, therefore becoming - mere prey.
When God jumps into the scene in Ezekiel, he says, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep. I myself will make sure they get plenty of rest. I’ll go after the lost, I’ll collect the strays, I’ll doctor the injured, I’ll build up the weak ones, and oversee the strong ones.” God, here, presents a more comprehensive picture of a shepherd’s role than the people did. The people totally left out the need for the strong ones to be shepherded.
In their desire to seek power, the leaders of the community forgot that their primary roles were not as shepherds but as sheep, following God.
And as prophets do, Ezekiel spoke truth to those in power, reminding them that in God’s eyes, both the weak and the strong live together in community and are all overseen by the same shepherd. They all need someone to follow, or the community will fall apart and scatter.
God’s voice through Ezekiel is almost frantic in its frustration and anger about how people have been scattered. The Message’s account of Ezekiel describes God saying, “You bully and badger them. Now they’re scattered every which way because there was no shepherd – scattered and easy pickings for wolves and coyotes. Scattered – my sheep! - exposed and vulnerable across mountains and hills. My sheep scattered all over the world, and no one out looking for them!” God’s voice cries out against stubborn, individualistic disunity.
In the way that you lead others and participate in community, are you causing people to scatter? Do you see yourself primarily as someone who leads or someone who follows?
GUIDING SCRIPTURE:
Ezekiel 34:11-12a (The Message)
"'God, the Master, says: From now on, I myself am the shepherd. I'm going looking for them. As shepherds go after their flocks when they get scattered, I'm going after my sheep.
Tuesday 13 April 2010
Stubborn Wanderers
DAILY BYTE
Yesterday, we read a fairly unflattering comparison of humankind to stubborn sheep… and so, as we think about our own ‘sheep-ish’ qualities (excuse the pun…), we remember that while being a shepherd may look idyllic, wearing a bathrobe and rescuing fluffy lambs from bramble, shepherding is actually a terribly difficult job. Battling simultaneously with the tendency for sheep to be both stubbornly individualistic and mob-like, the shepherd’s challenging task is to care for them, which is dirty and smelly enough, but also to unify them. To teach them all to trust, following the sound of one voice, so that no matter what they encounter, they will not wander and they will not be scattered.
Churches talk a lot about how God, through Jesus, graciously rescues the lost sheep, when they wander away. We tend to point fingers at who those lost sheep are… And, we get warm and fuzzy inside when we think about Jesus saving us. But, God through Jesus, as the good shepherd, is not only about rescuing the lost. His greater task is about unifying the flock.
We struggle with unity, don’t we? Unity in politics like the election we’ve recently experienced, in the global church with all its denominational and hierarchical divisions, in the local church, with our personal stubbornness and relational resentments, and even in our families. And we ask ourselves time and time again, how is unity really possible?
Unity is possible because God is stronger, wiser, more patient, and more loving than the most stubborn of sheep.
When Desmond Tutu spoke in Durban a few weeks ago, he described the story of the shepherd who rescues the one lost sheep. And he said that we always picture that sheep as a fluffy little lamb that just happened to wander astray and innocently get caught. But, isn’t it more likely that the sheep who wandered was an old, stubborn ram with a matted, filthy coat, its limbs bleeding and scarred from being constantly stuck with bramble? This is the sheep that Jesus comes to find. He struggles to loosen it from the things that trap it, as it fights bleating and kicking because it rebels against the rescue the shepherd brings, but the shepherd still persists in bringing it back and uniting it with the rest of the flock.
Jesus’ description of himself as this kind of shepherd gives us a fuller picture of who God is. Philip Yancey says that “Books of theology tend to define God by what he is not: God is immortal, invisible, infinite”. God is, of course, all of those things. But they can make God feel very far away so that it seems easy to scatter and wander. But, the image of God we find in the shepherd shows us that God is also a God who is prepared to roll up his sleeves and get our blood on his hands disentangling us from things that bind us and entangling us in unity with him and with one another.
So, do you believe in this kind of God? The kind of God who seeks after all of us, even the people with the most tattered lives and the most resistant spirits?
GUIDING SCRIPTURE:
Luke 15:3-6
So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'
PRAY AS YOU GO
Patient and rescuing God,
You have promised to seek after everyone in your creation. Help us to lay down our stubbornness and fear, instead opening us to your embrace and unifying us in relationship with one another. Amen.
Yesterday, we read a fairly unflattering comparison of humankind to stubborn sheep… and so, as we think about our own ‘sheep-ish’ qualities (excuse the pun…), we remember that while being a shepherd may look idyllic, wearing a bathrobe and rescuing fluffy lambs from bramble, shepherding is actually a terribly difficult job. Battling simultaneously with the tendency for sheep to be both stubbornly individualistic and mob-like, the shepherd’s challenging task is to care for them, which is dirty and smelly enough, but also to unify them. To teach them all to trust, following the sound of one voice, so that no matter what they encounter, they will not wander and they will not be scattered.
Churches talk a lot about how God, through Jesus, graciously rescues the lost sheep, when they wander away. We tend to point fingers at who those lost sheep are… And, we get warm and fuzzy inside when we think about Jesus saving us. But, God through Jesus, as the good shepherd, is not only about rescuing the lost. His greater task is about unifying the flock.
We struggle with unity, don’t we? Unity in politics like the election we’ve recently experienced, in the global church with all its denominational and hierarchical divisions, in the local church, with our personal stubbornness and relational resentments, and even in our families. And we ask ourselves time and time again, how is unity really possible?
Unity is possible because God is stronger, wiser, more patient, and more loving than the most stubborn of sheep.
When Desmond Tutu spoke in Durban a few weeks ago, he described the story of the shepherd who rescues the one lost sheep. And he said that we always picture that sheep as a fluffy little lamb that just happened to wander astray and innocently get caught. But, isn’t it more likely that the sheep who wandered was an old, stubborn ram with a matted, filthy coat, its limbs bleeding and scarred from being constantly stuck with bramble? This is the sheep that Jesus comes to find. He struggles to loosen it from the things that trap it, as it fights bleating and kicking because it rebels against the rescue the shepherd brings, but the shepherd still persists in bringing it back and uniting it with the rest of the flock.
Jesus’ description of himself as this kind of shepherd gives us a fuller picture of who God is. Philip Yancey says that “Books of theology tend to define God by what he is not: God is immortal, invisible, infinite”. God is, of course, all of those things. But they can make God feel very far away so that it seems easy to scatter and wander. But, the image of God we find in the shepherd shows us that God is also a God who is prepared to roll up his sleeves and get our blood on his hands disentangling us from things that bind us and entangling us in unity with him and with one another.
So, do you believe in this kind of God? The kind of God who seeks after all of us, even the people with the most tattered lives and the most resistant spirits?
GUIDING SCRIPTURE:
Luke 15:3-6
So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'
PRAY AS YOU GO
Patient and rescuing God,
You have promised to seek after everyone in your creation. Help us to lay down our stubbornness and fear, instead opening us to your embrace and unifying us in relationship with one another. Amen.
Monday 12 April 2010
We like Sheep...
This week's BDC is by Rev Anna Layman
DAILY BYTE
When I was in elementary school, every summer, I used to go to church camp for a week, and this was no ordinary church camp. It was church musical camp… I was just that cool. We would go to the bush, sleep in mosquito-infested cabins and spend the whole week learning a dramatic musical production, which we would then perform for our parents and for a local retirement home.
One year, the chosen musical made a particularly strong impression on me, and perhaps it was because the theme song went like this: We like sheep, we like sheep, we like sheep ‘cause sheep is what we are. ‘Cause sheep is what we are, we think they’re the best by far…” And so it went. This kind of song has a strange habit of becoming lodged in one’s memory.
But in all seriousness, we do like sheep, don’t we? I used to beg my parents to buy me a sheep – a plea that seemed to fall on deaf ears. But we enjoy pastoral images of lambs peacefully grazing in a well-contained herd while shepherds lazily lounge nearby, catching rays of golden sun.
But, as my parents were quick to remind me when I expressed my desire to own one, sheep are not the brightest of bulbs in the barnyard. There is a reason that sheep need a shepherd! In his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, former sheepherder Phillip Keller says that “the behavior of sheep and human beings is similar…Our mass mind (or mob instincts), our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, our perverse habits are all parallels of profound importance.”
It’s not the most flattering picture of humankind, but I think we can all identify with at least part of that description.
And so, this may seem a goofy question, but consider today in what ways (both positive and negative) your behaviour resembles a sheep’s. Also ask yourself, in what ways (both positive and negative) you find your life resembling that of a shepherd. This week, we will be exploring God’s description of both himself and his people as shepherds and sheep, or lambs. To have a full picture of who God is and who we are, as his people, it is crucial for us to explore this sheep imagery!
So, do you like sheep?
GUIDING SCRIPTURE
Mark 6:34 (NIV)
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
DAILY BYTE
When I was in elementary school, every summer, I used to go to church camp for a week, and this was no ordinary church camp. It was church musical camp… I was just that cool. We would go to the bush, sleep in mosquito-infested cabins and spend the whole week learning a dramatic musical production, which we would then perform for our parents and for a local retirement home.
One year, the chosen musical made a particularly strong impression on me, and perhaps it was because the theme song went like this: We like sheep, we like sheep, we like sheep ‘cause sheep is what we are. ‘Cause sheep is what we are, we think they’re the best by far…” And so it went. This kind of song has a strange habit of becoming lodged in one’s memory.
But in all seriousness, we do like sheep, don’t we? I used to beg my parents to buy me a sheep – a plea that seemed to fall on deaf ears. But we enjoy pastoral images of lambs peacefully grazing in a well-contained herd while shepherds lazily lounge nearby, catching rays of golden sun.
But, as my parents were quick to remind me when I expressed my desire to own one, sheep are not the brightest of bulbs in the barnyard. There is a reason that sheep need a shepherd! In his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, former sheepherder Phillip Keller says that “the behavior of sheep and human beings is similar…Our mass mind (or mob instincts), our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, our perverse habits are all parallels of profound importance.”
It’s not the most flattering picture of humankind, but I think we can all identify with at least part of that description.
And so, this may seem a goofy question, but consider today in what ways (both positive and negative) your behaviour resembles a sheep’s. Also ask yourself, in what ways (both positive and negative) you find your life resembling that of a shepherd. This week, we will be exploring God’s description of both himself and his people as shepherds and sheep, or lambs. To have a full picture of who God is and who we are, as his people, it is crucial for us to explore this sheep imagery!
So, do you like sheep?
GUIDING SCRIPTURE
Mark 6:34 (NIV)
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
Friday 9 April 2010
Walking the Emmaus Road - Part 5
Daily Byte
This week we’ve explored in some detail the resurrection story in Luke 24:13-35. It’s the story of two disciples who encountered the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus, and came to recognize that it was Jesus as he shared a meal with them in their home.
The conclusion to this remarkable story is equally remarkable. We read that these disciples got up at once and returned to Jerusalem. The place of defeat and death from which they had fled now held no terrors for them. In fact, it would already have been nightfall, and making the 11km journey back to Jerusalem would have been dangerous.
But for them their entire world had been turned upside-down, or was it the right-way-up, once again. Jesus was alive. He had triumphed even over the powers of death, which meant that there was nothing, absolutely nothing, that his followers need fear. This life-changing, death-defying, world-shaping news was so great that they couldn’t wait a moment more before sharing it with all the others. So at once they hurried back to Jerusalem to share the good news.
In their willingness to extend themselves as messengers of the good news of resurrection, they discovered something wonderful. They were not alone in their witness! Upon returning to Jerusalem they were greeted with the wonderful confirmation that this amazing news, which seemed too good to be true, was indeed true. And they heard further stories of other appearances of their risen Lord.
What an encouragement to us! As we extend ourselves to share the good news of resurrection with others, we will discover that we are not alone in the witness we bear, as we hear other stories of the transforming presence and power of the risen Christ.
Yes, Easter is for sharing. And in sharing Easter its good news becomes even better.
Pray as you go:
Lord Jesus Christ, I recognize that every experience I have of your transforming presence and risen power in my life is not simply for my own benefit, but for the benefit of others also. I pray that you would grow in me a bold and generous spirit that is eager to share the wonderful things of God with others in ways which will be life-giving for them. Help me to live as one of your Easter people, that in my attitudes, my speech and my actions I would point others to you as my life reflects your beauty. I know that on my own this is impossible, but the story of Easter reminds me that with you nothing is impossible. Thank you for hearing this prayer. Amen.
Focus scripture
Luke 24:33-35
They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
This week we’ve explored in some detail the resurrection story in Luke 24:13-35. It’s the story of two disciples who encountered the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus, and came to recognize that it was Jesus as he shared a meal with them in their home.
The conclusion to this remarkable story is equally remarkable. We read that these disciples got up at once and returned to Jerusalem. The place of defeat and death from which they had fled now held no terrors for them. In fact, it would already have been nightfall, and making the 11km journey back to Jerusalem would have been dangerous.
But for them their entire world had been turned upside-down, or was it the right-way-up, once again. Jesus was alive. He had triumphed even over the powers of death, which meant that there was nothing, absolutely nothing, that his followers need fear. This life-changing, death-defying, world-shaping news was so great that they couldn’t wait a moment more before sharing it with all the others. So at once they hurried back to Jerusalem to share the good news.
In their willingness to extend themselves as messengers of the good news of resurrection, they discovered something wonderful. They were not alone in their witness! Upon returning to Jerusalem they were greeted with the wonderful confirmation that this amazing news, which seemed too good to be true, was indeed true. And they heard further stories of other appearances of their risen Lord.
What an encouragement to us! As we extend ourselves to share the good news of resurrection with others, we will discover that we are not alone in the witness we bear, as we hear other stories of the transforming presence and power of the risen Christ.
Yes, Easter is for sharing. And in sharing Easter its good news becomes even better.
Pray as you go:
Lord Jesus Christ, I recognize that every experience I have of your transforming presence and risen power in my life is not simply for my own benefit, but for the benefit of others also. I pray that you would grow in me a bold and generous spirit that is eager to share the wonderful things of God with others in ways which will be life-giving for them. Help me to live as one of your Easter people, that in my attitudes, my speech and my actions I would point others to you as my life reflects your beauty. I know that on my own this is impossible, but the story of Easter reminds me that with you nothing is impossible. Thank you for hearing this prayer. Amen.
Focus scripture
Luke 24:33-35
They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Thursday 8 April 2010
Walking the Emmaus Road - Part 4
Daily Byte
The two disciples on the road to Emmaus were joined by the risen Christ who came to share their journey with them (Luke 24). We read in the story that they were kept from recognizing Jesus, and so didn’t know who it was with whom they were conversing.
But then these disciples did a simple, but beautiful thing. They offered to this stranger the hospitality of their home. We read, “As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, ‘Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.” (Luke 24:28-29)
There they shared a meal with Jesus, and it was while he was at the table with them, as he took, blessed, broke and gave some bread to them, that their eyes were finally opened and they recognized that this was in fact Jesus, their Lord.
As the story is told, it is conceivable that had these two disciples NOT offered this unknown traveling companion the gift of their hospitality, they would not have experienced directly the good news of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. It was in that kind and compassionate act of connection with a stranger that they came to perceive that Jesus was alive.
It’s a powerful lesson for us about what can happen when we offer kind and generous hospitality to strangers. We live in a world that has grown so wary and suspicious of strangers – sadly, with good reason. But one of the compelling lessons this Easter story teaches us is that the presence of the risen Christ with us is experienced as we dare to reach out in kindness to others.
Pray as you go:
Loving Lord God, I hear the challenging lesson of the gospel today that it is in acts of kindness, compassion and hospitality that your risen presence is experienced in a real and tangible way. Help me to become the kind of person who, more and more, is willing to risk reaching out to others, and as I do open my eyes to recognize you in them. Amen.
Focus scripture
Luke 24:28-32
As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
The two disciples on the road to Emmaus were joined by the risen Christ who came to share their journey with them (Luke 24). We read in the story that they were kept from recognizing Jesus, and so didn’t know who it was with whom they were conversing.
But then these disciples did a simple, but beautiful thing. They offered to this stranger the hospitality of their home. We read, “As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, ‘Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.” (Luke 24:28-29)
There they shared a meal with Jesus, and it was while he was at the table with them, as he took, blessed, broke and gave some bread to them, that their eyes were finally opened and they recognized that this was in fact Jesus, their Lord.
As the story is told, it is conceivable that had these two disciples NOT offered this unknown traveling companion the gift of their hospitality, they would not have experienced directly the good news of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. It was in that kind and compassionate act of connection with a stranger that they came to perceive that Jesus was alive.
It’s a powerful lesson for us about what can happen when we offer kind and generous hospitality to strangers. We live in a world that has grown so wary and suspicious of strangers – sadly, with good reason. But one of the compelling lessons this Easter story teaches us is that the presence of the risen Christ with us is experienced as we dare to reach out in kindness to others.
Pray as you go:
Loving Lord God, I hear the challenging lesson of the gospel today that it is in acts of kindness, compassion and hospitality that your risen presence is experienced in a real and tangible way. Help me to become the kind of person who, more and more, is willing to risk reaching out to others, and as I do open my eyes to recognize you in them. Amen.
Focus scripture
Luke 24:28-32
As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
Wednesday 7 April 2010
Walking the Emmaus Road - Part 3
Daily Byte
This week we’re exploring the story of the two disciples on the Emmaus Road that we read about in Luke 24. Yesterday we said that Emmaus represents any place we go to in order to escape the dark and desperate experiences of life. And so the feelings experienced on the Emmaus Road are dark ones indeed.
The remarkable thing about the story of the two disciples on the Emmaus Road is that the risen Christ comes and joins them as they walk this road. And in joining them he takes an active interest in the matters that concern them. “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” he asks them. What follows is a lively conversation about the things that mattered most to these two disciples, as Jesus listens to them, challenges their misperceptions and stretches their understanding of faith as he explained the Scriptures to them. Later, as they reflect on the whole experience they say to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Here is a message of great hope to us all. In our experiences of grief, desolation and despair, the risen Christ comes to share the journey with us. In sharing the journey he takes an active interest in the things that concern us. He is eager to listen to us, to know our hearts, and then to offer the richer, fuller understanding of his perspective that will always lead us into deeper levels of maturity and faith.
You may be thinking, “That all sounds very nice in theory, but I can’t see Christ with me in this tough experience I’m living through. How can I trust that this is for real?” The response to that valid question is simply to remind you those two disciples on the road didn’t recognize Christ walking with them either. It was only as they looked back that they were able to recognize what had in fact happened to them on the road.
Maybe as you look back on your life, particularly the tough times, you can recognize the unexpected ways in which God showed up to walk with you in your pain and to offer you the bigger picture of his perspective. Maybe it was through the kindness of a friend, an article in a magazine, a programme on TV, a particularly beautiful sunset or even a sermon that seemed to speak directly to you.
Give thanks that the risen Christ continues to show up in our lives in surprising, unexpected, but heart-warming ways.
Pray as you go:
Risen Lord Jesus, thank you that your love for me is so great that you take an active interest in the details of my life. Thank you that you want to share the journey of my life with me. Thank you that you will never leave me nor forsake me. Amen
Focus scripture
Matthew 28:8-10
The women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell the others to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
This week we’re exploring the story of the two disciples on the Emmaus Road that we read about in Luke 24. Yesterday we said that Emmaus represents any place we go to in order to escape the dark and desperate experiences of life. And so the feelings experienced on the Emmaus Road are dark ones indeed.
The remarkable thing about the story of the two disciples on the Emmaus Road is that the risen Christ comes and joins them as they walk this road. And in joining them he takes an active interest in the matters that concern them. “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” he asks them. What follows is a lively conversation about the things that mattered most to these two disciples, as Jesus listens to them, challenges their misperceptions and stretches their understanding of faith as he explained the Scriptures to them. Later, as they reflect on the whole experience they say to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Here is a message of great hope to us all. In our experiences of grief, desolation and despair, the risen Christ comes to share the journey with us. In sharing the journey he takes an active interest in the things that concern us. He is eager to listen to us, to know our hearts, and then to offer the richer, fuller understanding of his perspective that will always lead us into deeper levels of maturity and faith.
You may be thinking, “That all sounds very nice in theory, but I can’t see Christ with me in this tough experience I’m living through. How can I trust that this is for real?” The response to that valid question is simply to remind you those two disciples on the road didn’t recognize Christ walking with them either. It was only as they looked back that they were able to recognize what had in fact happened to them on the road.
Maybe as you look back on your life, particularly the tough times, you can recognize the unexpected ways in which God showed up to walk with you in your pain and to offer you the bigger picture of his perspective. Maybe it was through the kindness of a friend, an article in a magazine, a programme on TV, a particularly beautiful sunset or even a sermon that seemed to speak directly to you.
Give thanks that the risen Christ continues to show up in our lives in surprising, unexpected, but heart-warming ways.
Pray as you go:
Risen Lord Jesus, thank you that your love for me is so great that you take an active interest in the details of my life. Thank you that you want to share the journey of my life with me. Thank you that you will never leave me nor forsake me. Amen
Focus scripture
Matthew 28:8-10
The women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell the others to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
Tuesday 6 April 2010
Walking the Emmaus Road - Part 2
Daily Byte
Yesterday we introduced the questions, “What do you do and where do you go when your whole world is falling apart?” Over the next four days we’ll be looking at the story of two of Jesus’ disciples for whom these questions were real. They are the two disciples we read about in Luke 24 who were walking on the road to Emmaus.
We know very little about the town of Emmaus, and what it represented for these two disciples who journeyed there. In all likelihood it was their home, but even of that we cannot be sure. What we do know is that it was away from Jerusalem. Jerusalem, a place of disappointment and despair for the disciples of Jesus. A place of desolation and defeat, for it was in Jerusalem that their Lord had died. But Emmaus was away from that place, it was away from Jerusalem. It was to Emmaus that these disciples walked.
Frederick Buechner writes:
"Emmaus is the place we go to in order to escape - a bar, a movie, wherever it is we throw up our hands and say, "Let the whole damned thing go hang. It makes no difference anyway." Emmaus may be buying a new suit or a new car or smoking more cigarettes than you really want, or reading a second-rate novel or even writing one. Emmaus is whatever we do or wherever we go to make ourselves forget that the world holds nothing sacred: that even the wisest and bravest and loveliest decay and die; that even the noblest ideas that people have had - ideas about love and freedom and justice - have always in time been twisted out of shape by selfish people for selfish ends.”
If Emmaus is indeed such a place, it's understandable that the feelings that are experienced on the Emmaus Road are dark ones indeed. While the two disciples were walking away from Jerusalem, escaping perhaps from all that had happened there, the chaos of Jerusalem couldn't be left behind. Dark and desperate feelings followed them like the deepening shadows that grew longer as they walked in the fading daylight.
Sadness - because the one whom they had been following was dead.
Disappointment - because the hope for deliverance that had been growing within them had been dashed.
Anger - because they had been abandoned.
Hostility - because their own religious leaders had engineered their Lord's death.
Despair - because they didn't know how to pick up the pieces and carry on.
Confusion - because some disturbing, perplexing stories had been reported by their women-folk returning from the tomb that morning.
Exasperation - because their Lord's body could not be found.
These are the dark and desperate feelings of the Emmaus Road that make us want to run away and hide.
But it is precisely on that Emmaus Road that these two disciples are found by the risen Christ. He walks with them and talks with them and so shares in their journey right to its end. But his presence transforms the destination of that journey from being a place of escape, to being a place of encounter. That's the good news of Easter, which we too are called to hear and receive.
Over the next few days we’ll explore in greater detail exactly what happened when they were met by the risen Christ, for it’s what can happen for us.
Pray as you go:
Lord God, sometimes it feels like I just have to get away, to escape from all the stress and strain of life. Thank you that you are not intimidated by these feelings within me, and that wherever I may go, you are there. For your risen presence fills the entire world. Amen.
Focus scripture
Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, [a] you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
Yesterday we introduced the questions, “What do you do and where do you go when your whole world is falling apart?” Over the next four days we’ll be looking at the story of two of Jesus’ disciples for whom these questions were real. They are the two disciples we read about in Luke 24 who were walking on the road to Emmaus.
We know very little about the town of Emmaus, and what it represented for these two disciples who journeyed there. In all likelihood it was their home, but even of that we cannot be sure. What we do know is that it was away from Jerusalem. Jerusalem, a place of disappointment and despair for the disciples of Jesus. A place of desolation and defeat, for it was in Jerusalem that their Lord had died. But Emmaus was away from that place, it was away from Jerusalem. It was to Emmaus that these disciples walked.
Frederick Buechner writes:
"Emmaus is the place we go to in order to escape - a bar, a movie, wherever it is we throw up our hands and say, "Let the whole damned thing go hang. It makes no difference anyway." Emmaus may be buying a new suit or a new car or smoking more cigarettes than you really want, or reading a second-rate novel or even writing one. Emmaus is whatever we do or wherever we go to make ourselves forget that the world holds nothing sacred: that even the wisest and bravest and loveliest decay and die; that even the noblest ideas that people have had - ideas about love and freedom and justice - have always in time been twisted out of shape by selfish people for selfish ends.”
If Emmaus is indeed such a place, it's understandable that the feelings that are experienced on the Emmaus Road are dark ones indeed. While the two disciples were walking away from Jerusalem, escaping perhaps from all that had happened there, the chaos of Jerusalem couldn't be left behind. Dark and desperate feelings followed them like the deepening shadows that grew longer as they walked in the fading daylight.
Sadness - because the one whom they had been following was dead.
Disappointment - because the hope for deliverance that had been growing within them had been dashed.
Anger - because they had been abandoned.
Hostility - because their own religious leaders had engineered their Lord's death.
Despair - because they didn't know how to pick up the pieces and carry on.
Confusion - because some disturbing, perplexing stories had been reported by their women-folk returning from the tomb that morning.
Exasperation - because their Lord's body could not be found.
These are the dark and desperate feelings of the Emmaus Road that make us want to run away and hide.
But it is precisely on that Emmaus Road that these two disciples are found by the risen Christ. He walks with them and talks with them and so shares in their journey right to its end. But his presence transforms the destination of that journey from being a place of escape, to being a place of encounter. That's the good news of Easter, which we too are called to hear and receive.
Over the next few days we’ll explore in greater detail exactly what happened when they were met by the risen Christ, for it’s what can happen for us.
Pray as you go:
Lord God, sometimes it feels like I just have to get away, to escape from all the stress and strain of life. Thank you that you are not intimidated by these feelings within me, and that wherever I may go, you are there. For your risen presence fills the entire world. Amen.
Focus scripture
Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, [a] you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
Monday 5 April 2010
Walking the Emmaus Road - Part 1
Daily Byte
What do you do when it seems like your whole world is falling apart? What do you do when you discover that your most cherished dreams have been dashed? What do you do when it appears that death has destroyed everything that you hold dear? When love is dead. When hope is dead. When purpose is dead. When dignity, and truth, and goodness, and integrity, and your very identity are dead. What do you do?
Where do you go when it seems like your whole world is falling apart? Where do you go when feelings of anguish and despair and utter desperation are so overwhelming that they are like a flood, like a surging torrent that cannot be restrained? Where do you go when the pain becomes too much to cope with? When the grief becomes too big to bear. When the chaos becomes too hectic to handle. Where do you go?
Well? What DO you do? Where DO you go?
It was these very questions that Jesus’ disciples faced in the chaotic and confusing aftermath of his death. What were they to do? Where were they to go? For them, it must have seemed like their world was falling apart. For Jesus’ death spelt the death of so many other cherished things for them. This wasn’t simply a friend who had died, but someone on whom their very lives had been centred. It’s difficult for us to imagine the feelings of anguish and despair and utter desperation that must have overwhelmed them. Or maybe it isn’t, because there are many people reading these words who are well-acquainted with such feelings.
In these devotions this week we will explore the story of two of Jesus’ disciples who were faced with questions like these. In their response, and the remarkable encounter they had with the risen Christ, may we find echoes of our story and the promise of Easter breaking over our lives.
Maybe you would like to start reading their story now. It is found in Luke 24:13-35. The first part of it is included below:
Pray as you go:
Lord God, when things fall apart in my life, I’m often unsure what to do or where to go. I pray that through the scriptures and devotions of this week you would help me to realize that in desperate times you are a God who is present and active in my life, making the decisive difference that I need. Thank you Lord. Amen.
Focus scripture
Luke 24:13-27
Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16but they were kept from recognizing him.
He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"
They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"
"What things?" he asked.
"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."
He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
What do you do when it seems like your whole world is falling apart? What do you do when you discover that your most cherished dreams have been dashed? What do you do when it appears that death has destroyed everything that you hold dear? When love is dead. When hope is dead. When purpose is dead. When dignity, and truth, and goodness, and integrity, and your very identity are dead. What do you do?
Where do you go when it seems like your whole world is falling apart? Where do you go when feelings of anguish and despair and utter desperation are so overwhelming that they are like a flood, like a surging torrent that cannot be restrained? Where do you go when the pain becomes too much to cope with? When the grief becomes too big to bear. When the chaos becomes too hectic to handle. Where do you go?
Well? What DO you do? Where DO you go?
It was these very questions that Jesus’ disciples faced in the chaotic and confusing aftermath of his death. What were they to do? Where were they to go? For them, it must have seemed like their world was falling apart. For Jesus’ death spelt the death of so many other cherished things for them. This wasn’t simply a friend who had died, but someone on whom their very lives had been centred. It’s difficult for us to imagine the feelings of anguish and despair and utter desperation that must have overwhelmed them. Or maybe it isn’t, because there are many people reading these words who are well-acquainted with such feelings.
In these devotions this week we will explore the story of two of Jesus’ disciples who were faced with questions like these. In their response, and the remarkable encounter they had with the risen Christ, may we find echoes of our story and the promise of Easter breaking over our lives.
Maybe you would like to start reading their story now. It is found in Luke 24:13-35. The first part of it is included below:
Pray as you go:
Lord God, when things fall apart in my life, I’m often unsure what to do or where to go. I pray that through the scriptures and devotions of this week you would help me to realize that in desperate times you are a God who is present and active in my life, making the decisive difference that I need. Thank you Lord. Amen.
Focus scripture
Luke 24:13-27
Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16but they were kept from recognizing him.
He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"
They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"
"What things?" he asked.
"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."
He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Sunday 4 April 2010
Easter Sunday!
Christ the Lord is risen today! Hallelujah!
Jesus is alive!
The powers of sin and death have been defeated!
There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can separate us from God’s love!
So, go rejoicing with Living Faith!
Prayer:
Risen Lord Jesus,
When all the world seems against us,
Keep our hopes alive,
Help us to remember
That after crucifixion,
Comes the resurrection,
That after darkness
Comes the dawn
And after the bitterness of defeat
Comes a new beginning.
Keep our hopes alive
So that we may be ready.
Amen.
Jesus is alive!
The powers of sin and death have been defeated!
There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can separate us from God’s love!
So, go rejoicing with Living Faith!
Prayer:
Risen Lord Jesus,
When all the world seems against us,
Keep our hopes alive,
Help us to remember
That after crucifixion,
Comes the resurrection,
That after darkness
Comes the dawn
And after the bitterness of defeat
Comes a new beginning.
Keep our hopes alive
So that we may be ready.
Amen.
Saturday 3 April 2010
Day 40 - Holy Saturday
Simply reflect today on the emptiness, darkness, mustiness, and cool of the stone tomb.
Picture yourself entering there and being present with Christ.
Write or draw your responses to Christ’s sacrifice, given so that you, personally, and the whole world might live.
Picture yourself entering there and being present with Christ.
Write or draw your responses to Christ’s sacrifice, given so that you, personally, and the whole world might live.
Friday 2 April 2010
Day 39 - Crucifixion
Reading : John 18:1-19:42
We have meditated this week on various aspects of our environment and our relationship through Christ to them, and today on Good Friday, we read that Jesus is crucified on pieces of wood chopped from an ordinary tree.
Christ died on a tree.
Think for a few moments today about whether, or not, the person who grew and chopped down that tree knew it would be used for such a crucifixion. Were the foresters and carpenters blindly following orders? Were they participating in that industry simply to turn a profit?
How often do we participate in systems and follow the commands of superiors and the crowd without questioning the end results of our actions?
How often do we act unthinkingly, as we chop down forests without accounting for the ecosystems that live within them, create mountains of waste instead of recycling, buy products from the shops without questioning their origins and the bi-products of their development, and mine for precious minerals, leaving lands clear-cut and eroding away.
In what ways are we inadvertently, or purposefully, crucifying the world around us?
Do we really ‘know not what’ we do?
As we look toward Easter Sunday, how might Christ desire us to become more aware of the ways we affect His world? How might Christ desire us to help resurrect it?
Prayer:
Oh Lord, we know not what we do. Father, forgive. Amen.
We have meditated this week on various aspects of our environment and our relationship through Christ to them, and today on Good Friday, we read that Jesus is crucified on pieces of wood chopped from an ordinary tree.
Christ died on a tree.
Think for a few moments today about whether, or not, the person who grew and chopped down that tree knew it would be used for such a crucifixion. Were the foresters and carpenters blindly following orders? Were they participating in that industry simply to turn a profit?
How often do we participate in systems and follow the commands of superiors and the crowd without questioning the end results of our actions?
How often do we act unthinkingly, as we chop down forests without accounting for the ecosystems that live within them, create mountains of waste instead of recycling, buy products from the shops without questioning their origins and the bi-products of their development, and mine for precious minerals, leaving lands clear-cut and eroding away.
In what ways are we inadvertently, or purposefully, crucifying the world around us?
Do we really ‘know not what’ we do?
As we look toward Easter Sunday, how might Christ desire us to become more aware of the ways we affect His world? How might Christ desire us to help resurrect it?
Prayer:
Oh Lord, we know not what we do. Father, forgive. Amen.
Thursday 1 April 2010
Day 38 - Gifts of Darkness & Light
Reading : John 13:31b-35
Holy Thursday, or Maundy Thursday, is often marked by a service of Tenebrae, which means shadows, or darkness.
As the lights are extinguished in the sanctuary, slowly the story leading up to the crucifixion unfolds until the very moment of crucifixion is spoken, and total darkness descends.
As we prepare for this service, we ponder today the gifts of light and darkness. We have often heard news about the current electricity crisis in South Africa, and many of have experienced power outages in the recent months.
For many in poor areas of this country, light in darkness is a luxury, not a consistent reality.
Often in scripture, disciples of Christ are called to be lights of the world. In worship and Christ-centered fellowship, candles are often lit to symbolize the presence of Christ.
In what ways are we being called to bring both physical and spiritual light to the world?
How might we conserve light in homes and workplaces so that power will be available for others?
As we sit in the darkness of crucifixion tonight, ask yourself how you feel. Do you feel scared? Disoriented? Restful? Awkward? Tired? Electrified by the moment? Anxious? Freed? Hopeful?
How might our knowledge that light will come in the midst of darkness affect how we relate to other people and to the world around us?
How might it teach us to love one another, as Christ has loved us?
In many Tenebrae services, one candle is lit at the end to signify that people may go out into the world.
It is the light of Christ. As you think of that small light, picture how strongly it shines, after you have been sitting in darkness for a while.
Questions for reflection:
Reflect here on a personal experience with darkness.
Reflect here on a personal experience with light.
Putting Faith into Action:
Holy Thursday, or Maundy Thursday, is often marked by a service of Tenebrae, which means shadows, or darkness.
As the lights are extinguished in the sanctuary, slowly the story leading up to the crucifixion unfolds until the very moment of crucifixion is spoken, and total darkness descends.
As we prepare for this service, we ponder today the gifts of light and darkness. We have often heard news about the current electricity crisis in South Africa, and many of have experienced power outages in the recent months.
For many in poor areas of this country, light in darkness is a luxury, not a consistent reality.
Often in scripture, disciples of Christ are called to be lights of the world. In worship and Christ-centered fellowship, candles are often lit to symbolize the presence of Christ.
In what ways are we being called to bring both physical and spiritual light to the world?
How might we conserve light in homes and workplaces so that power will be available for others?
How might our knowledge that light will come in the midst of darkness affect how we relate to other people and to the world around us?
How might it teach us to love one another, as Christ has loved us?
In many Tenebrae services, one candle is lit at the end to signify that people may go out into the world.
It is the light of Christ. As you think of that small light, picture how strongly it shines, after you have been sitting in darkness for a while.
Questions for reflection:
Reflect here on a personal experience with darkness.
Reflect here on a personal experience with light.
Putting Faith into Action:
- Every time you turn on a light or turn off a light today, say a prayer for those who are without power.
- Research issues related to the recent Escom crisis. Pray for a godly and just solution to it, and commit yourself to practicing energy conservation strategies.
- Pray through this verse in John 1:3-5, asking God to show you how to bring light to the world, both literally and spiritually: All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
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