A Runner’s Prayer – Part 2

DAILY BYTE

Yesterday we started exploring a section of St Patrick’s Breastplate that has particular meaning for me as a runner. Today I’d like to conclude those thoughts as we look at the remaining part of that prayer:

Christ beneath me, Christ above me
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger
Christ in hearts of all that love me
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger

Christ beneath me
As my feet continually pound the tarmac thousands upon thousands times, I love to imagine that they are actually being cushioned by Christ who is beneath me. From a technical running perspective it also reminds me to run with ‘quiet feet’ – that is, not to slap my feet on the tar – which is better for a smooth ‘heel to toe’ motion that improves the weight transfer through your feet as you strike the ground with each stride, thereby minimizing the harsh impact on your joints.

Walking gently through this world by being aware that wherever we tread we are indeed walking on holy ground, is one of the best ways of minimizing the harsh impact that we otherwise might have on others and the earth. When I pray ‘Christ beneath me’ it’s a further reminder that the whole earth on which I live is God’s, and that I need to move across it with reverence, consideration and deep respect.

Christ above me
In the air and sky and sunshine all around, the Christ who is above me can also be known. So even the sun, that can be hot and fierce in the middle of the day, is mingled with the radiance of Christ. This phrase of the prayer (‘Christ beneath me, Christ above me’) is also a further reminder that in the many ups and downs of the run (and indeed of life), Christ is there. It’s also a particularly comforting phrase to pray at the bottom of Inchanga or Polly Shorts!

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger
On Comrades there are often tranquil sections – perhaps the part through Winston Park or else Harrison Flats – where not too much is happening other than the perseverance of putting one foot in front of the other. But then there are ‘hot’ spots – the Big Five hills, halfway, the finish itself – where there is often high drama. Praying ‘Christ in quiet, Christ in danger’ is not simply a reminder that Christ is present in every varying circumstance, but is also an invitation to actively look for Christ in those situations.

In the dull (and dare I say ‘boring’?) parts of a long run, it’s a great opportunity for some deeper introspection, where the Christ who simply IS can be known. (“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10.) And in the dangerous sections, when the inner demons of self-doubt and debilitating fear and despair rear their heads and taunt our faith, to affirm that Christ is there, is to open ourselves to knowing Christ in a way that otherwise we would never know.

Christ in hearts of all that love me
When I pray this line I always think immediately of my mother. And then of others in my family – my children, my dad, my sisters. And then the special people in my life whom I love and who also love me. All of these, in their own way, are holding me in their hearts. It is one of the greatest sources of strength and comfort to me as I run. And so, to affirm that Christ is in their hearts as they love me, helping them to hold me in love... wow!!! Of course, as I pray this line and am mindful of all of these things, I am holding all of those loved ones in my heart also.

Some people say that to run Comrades you need strong legs and lungs. Many others add to that by saying you need a strong mind too. I agree with all of that. But most important of all is surely having a strong heart! It’s not being overly sentimental to say that the measure of a strong heart lies in its capacity to hold others in love, and to be held by others in love in return.

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger
Make no mistake, the words of encouragement that we runners receive on the road make a massive difference. Generous words spoken in kindness have a transforming quality about them. The bible tells us that it was through God’s spoken word that the world was created. A similar creative power is entrusted to all of us through the faculty of human speech.

One of the amazing things about the Comrades Marathon is that the overwhelming majority of the words that are spoken and heard, in my experience, are life-giving. In my three previous runs I’ve never had anyone say anything nasty or unkind to me. The chatter between runners is always encouraging. The words from bystanders are always affirming. How truly remarkable!

And so when I pray ‘Christ in mouth of friend and stranger’, I can immediately recognize that in the affirming words that I hear from others there is an echo of Christ’s affirmation of me as a cherished and beloved child of God. It is also a challenge to me as to the Christlike quality of my speech, and the words of life that others will hear coming from my lips.

To my fellow Comrades who will be running on Sunday, go well and go with God!

To those who will be somewhere along the route – please wave and say ‘Hi’ as I go by. (I’ll be wearing running shorts and a vest!)

PRAY AS YOU GO

For the long, winding road that you lay before all of us, O God, we thank you. For the opportunities it affords for our faith to be grown, our hearts to be enlarged and our experience of Christ to be deepened, we praise you. For your continued grace and strength to be ours in our times of frailty and need, we beseech you. In the name of Christ. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING

Hebrews 12:1-2a

“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.”

A Runner’s Prayer

DAILY BYTE

Yesterday I spoke about St Patrick’s Breastplate, the beautiful prayer that was such a great source of strength and inspiration to me as I ran the Comrades Marathon last year. As I prayed it repeatedly on that run, there was a particular portion of the prayer that had special meaning for me as a runner.

Today I’d like to explore it from that perspective, for two reasons. Firstly, whether you’re a runner or not, we’re all journeying through life on what is essentially a long and winding road. And so the themes relevant to long-distance running are relevant to us all.

Secondly, if you know someone who is running the Comrades on Sunday, why not forward this message on to them. Encourage them to memorise at least this portion of St Patrick’s Breastplate, and offer to pray it on their behalf as a sign of your solidarity with them on Sunday.

This is the part of the prayer I’d like us to explore:

Christ be with me, Christ within me
Christ behind me, Christ before me
Christ beside me, Christ to win me
Christ to comfort and restore me
Christ beneath me, Christ above me
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger
Christ in hearts of all that love me
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger

Christ be with me
In the midst of this experience, whatever it brings, Christ is with me. In the good patches and the bad patches; when my muscles are screaming in protest; when I’m feeling anxious about an unsettled stomach or lifted by the encouragement of friends cheering on the side of the road – in all of this Christ is with me. If I remain fully present to this experience, I will encounter the Christ who is here in it with me.

Christ within me
One of the things you have to pay careful attention to as a long-distance runner is your nutrition, and especially the energy stores that are available for you to draw on. As I write this I’m sipping my specialist carbohydrate loader drink that is part of my carbo-loading programme for these next three days before Comrades. There are different stores of energy that the body uses in an endurance event. First, the body uses up glucose. Then it moves on to glycogen – those carbohydrates stored in our muscles. Then it draws on long-chain fatty acids. And finally when all those reserves are depleted, the body will start burning fat to keep going.

Praying ‘Christ within me’ is a reminder that in addition to these necessary physical stores of energy, there is another source of strength within – Christ. I like to imagine Christ mingling with the glucose, glycogen, long-chain fatty acids, etc in my body to enable them to do the work they’re designed to do.

Christ behind me, Christ before me.
When I run Comrades I have a pacing chart with me that keeps track of how far I’ve come and how far I’ve still got to go, and the relevant times that I’ve set for myself at every stage. How wonderful to affirm at any stage of the run that ‘Christ behind me’ means that Christ has been in every part of the journey thus far, and is the one who has faithfully brought me to this place. And not just on race day, but also in the months of training and preparation leading up to it.

Praying ‘Christ before me’ is a reminder that in the miles that remain, Christ is already there waiting to welcome me. So every step I take is like stepping more deeply into the reality of Christ’s waiting embrace. I particularly love to picture him on the finish line, clapping and cheering me home.

Christ beside me
The big thing about Comrades is the camaraderie. It is the most remarkable shared experience for those who are participating. Praying ‘Christ beside me’ is affirming that Christ is part of that, a comrade who joins me on the road. What is more, it reminds me that in the face of any of my fellow runners, the face of Christ can be seen.

Christ to win me
My 5 year old son asked me yesterday if I was going to win the Comrades. I said no. He then asked me if I was going to come second. You’ve got to smile!

For just about everyone running, winning the Comrades (in the sense of coming first or second), is obviously not the point. Comrades changes one’s whole notion of what it means to win, and what the focus of our winning should be. Praying the phrase, ‘Christ to win me,’ is such a challenging reminder of this. It suggests that this fellow runner (Christ) who is beside me wants to win me over to his priorities, perspectives and purposes. He joins me on the road with the express intention of encouraging me to imitate him, to follow him, to become like him. Does my attitude and approach reflect this? Will people experience Christ in me, whether they are consciously aware of it or not?

Christ to comfort and restore me
What a magnificent line to pray when my muscles are aching, when my reserves are low, when I’m feeling like giving up. The comfort and restoration that Christ offers may include an actual easing of the pain one is enduring, but it certainly includes a greater capacity to bear the burden of the situation with greater peace and confidence. The promise of restoration is also an encouragement that no matter how bad one is feeling right now, it’s always far too soon to panic, because the story is not yet over.

That’s all we have time for today. Tomorrow, we will finish off these reflections on this particular part of St Patrick’s breastplate.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Lord Jesus Christ, you are utterly amazing! You find us, you join us, you stay with us, you bless us! In every situation you are there. We are never alone! Thank you! Amen

SCRIPTURE READING

Colossians 1:15-20 (The Message)

We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels — everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.

He was supreme in the beginning and — leading the resurrection parade — he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe — people and things, animals and atoms — get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.

St Patrick’s Breastplate

DAILY BYTE

One of the things that I did before running the Comrades Marathon last year was to memorise an ancient prayer that is known as St Patrick’s Breastplate. Committing things to memory – like prayers, psalms, scripture passages and poems – is a wonderful way to have quick and ready access to nourishing words wherever you are. But it’s more than just a way to have access to information. Committing something to memory is a powerful way to allow those words to seep deeply into you and to become a part of you.

Memorisation was a discipline that was practiced consistently in the life of ancient Israel and throughout much of the church’s history. Sadly, it’s seldom practiced anymore. We live in an age of instant information, and certainly through the cellphones in our pockets we have access to just about anything that we wish to know. And yet, how much of this is truly a part of us? How much of it is truly ours? Memorising something – even a fairly lengthy passage – is not nearly as difficult as most people assume. It just takes a little time and perseverance. Try it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. And the rewards are rich indeed.

Anyhow, to get back to St Patrick’s Breastplate.It’s a beautiful prayer that’s attributed to St Patrick from the 5th century that has been prayed by millions of Christians over the ages. It’s essentially a prayer for protection, hence its name. (It’s sometimes called The Lorica of St Patrick, because ‘lorica’ in Latin means breastplate.) The prayer talks about putting on (‘I bind unto myself’) various things that are part of the Christian story. In calling to mind the Trinity; the saving work of Christ; the work and witness of the heavenly host and the saints in glory; the natural world that God has made; the attributes of God and the pervasive presence of Christ, St Patrick was affirming that these are the things that are his daily protection. This is the breastplate that he puts on each day.

‘Armed’ with this prayer committed to memory, I took it with me last year as I ran the Comrades, and prayed it quietly over and over and over again as I ran. In the midst of everything else that was happening all around me – the cheering crowds, the chatter of fellow runners, the ever-changing landscape, the ticking of the clock, not to mention my wearying muscles – it became a beautiful reservoir of stillness and peace within me. It reminded me that I was not alone – not just because Christ was with me, but also because in praying it I sensed the camaraderie of those countless Comrades in the faith who had also prayed this prayer over the ages, who were cheering me on as I prayed and ran.

Tomorrow I’ll explore a particular section of the prayer that is especially fitting for those who are runners. Maybe you know of someone who is running the Comrades that you can send it to. But for now, let me share the entire prayer with you in the hope that you might pray it as your own, and maybe even take the time to commit it to memory. (There are different versions of the prayer. This one is a hymnic version written by Cecil Frances Alexander in 1889.)

St Patrick’s Breastplate

I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity
By invocation of the same
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day, to me, forever,
By power of faith Christ’s incarnation
His baptism in the Jordan River
His death on the cross for my salvation
His bursting from the spiced tomb
His riding up the heavenly way
His coming at the day of doom
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
of the great love of Cherubim
The sweet ‘Well done’ in judgement hour
The service of the Seraphim
Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word
The Patriarchs’ prayers, the Prophets’ scrolls
All good deeds done unto the Lord
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlight heaven
The glorious sun’s life-giving ray
The whiteness of the moon at even
The flashing of the lightning free
The whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks
The stable earth, the deep salt sea
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead
His eye to watch, his might to stay
His ear to hearken to my need
The wisdom of my God to teach
His hand to guide, his shield to ward
The Word of God to give me speech
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Christ be with me, Christ within me
Christ behind me, Christ before me
Christ beside me, Christ to win me
Christ to comfort and restore me
Christ beneath me, Christ above me
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger
Christ in hearts of all that love me
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger

I bind unto myself the name
The strong name of the Trinity
By invocation of the same
The Three in One and One in Three
By whom all nature hath creation
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation
Salvation is through Christ the Lord. Amen

Here be dragons!

DAILY BYTE

I have a real fascination for medieval maps. The picture of the world which they portray is often quite different from the one that we're familiar with, because there were still so many uncharted and unexplored parts of the world in those days. The unexplored parts were often described on those maps with terrifying phrases like, "Here be dragons!" or "Here be monsters!"

For most ordinary folk, the fearsome prospect of these frightening creatures made them very grateful that they lived where they did, safe and secure. But for a few of adventurous spirit, there was something captivating about these strange, unknown lands. And so they would set off on great voyages of exploration and discovery - Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, James Cook, David Livingstone, Roald Amundson. These were the great explorers, who in turn captured the imaginations and stirred up the adventurous spirit even within those ordinary folk who stayed at home.

It's risky stuff venturing off into the unknown. For what if, in those unexplored places, there really are dragons and monsters. As I write this it is 5 days (112 hours and 43 minutes to be exact) before I attempt to run the Comrades Marathon. Although I have done so on a few occasions before, the truth is that the territory beyond 56kms remains largely uncharted for me. I can't help but wonder what dragons and monsters may be lurking in those far off places, deep into ultra-marathon territory. This is risky stuff. But with it comes the possibility of exciting new discoveries, new experiences, new understandings, new ways of seeing the world.

Adventures of this kind are not restricted to the great global explorers or the Comrades runners amongst us. All of us can venture forth as explorers into areas of exciting discovery. In fact, this is precisely what God has in mind for us when God calls us to the life of faith. This is what happened to Isaiah (Is 6:1-8). Having seen the holiness of God in the temple - something he had never even imagined before - and having overheard God asking "Whom shall I send?" he takes a risky, adventurous step into a whole new world of obedience, when he replies, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah didn’t know where that response of risky commitment would take him, or the dragons he might encounter in the uncharted territories that he would explore. But having caught a glimpse of the holiness of God, he knew the One to whom he was offering his life. And so he was able to do so with a courageous, trusting confidence.

What new territory are you being called to explore? As you boldly step out in risky obedience, you will discover that the more accurate and truthful description of that place is not ‘Here be dragons!’ but rather, ‘Here be God!’

PRAY AS YOU GO

Great Adventurer God – thank you that the life that you call us to is never dull or dreary. But is a life that requires our courageous commitment and risky obedience, as we are stretched and grown in all kinds of ways. Remind us that no matter how terrifying it might seem, you are the God who has promised always to be with us. And truly, with you all things are possible. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING

Isaiah 6:1-9a

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go!”

Comrades!

DAILY BYTE

Next Sunday I will be lining up with about 17000 others who will be attempting to run the 87kms from Durban to Pietermaritzburg in this year’s Comrades Marathon.

To say that this is a daunting prospect is a massive understatement. In anyone’s language, 87kms is a jolly long way to run. Having run this race a few times before, and having heard the “war-stories” of countless others, I am also well aware that no matter how adequately (or inadequately) one has prepared, and no matter how familiar (or unfamiliar) one may be with the course and the general experience, on race day there are so many unknown factors that may arise that are virtually impossible to predict.

As such, lining up to run the Comrades means stepping into a great adventure that can unfold in many different ways that can be truly exhilarating, or heartbreaking, or just plain painful, or deeply moving, or a combination of all of these. Standing before this great mystery requires great humility. There is something completely uncompromising about 87kms of road that lies there unchanging, inviting those who dare to venture across it, unapologetic about the demands that it makes and the questions it asks. Any hint of arrogance on the part of those running it will quickly be exposed.

At the risk of sounding quite sentimental and predictably clichéd, this reminds me of the great adventure of life which stretches out before us all. For in a similar way to the long, winding route of 87kms for those running the Comrades, our life’s path lies before us all – with many twists and turns, uphills and downhills. The invitation to follow this road is an invitation to step into the unknown, for who among us really know what awaits us in this great adventure that is life?

For some, the sense of life’s unknowns is intimidating and frightening, which they deal with by trying to exert as much control as they can over every facet of their lives. For others, they gladly step into the unknown with a posture of reverence and awe, eager to be surprised and curious about what all will be encountered along the way. I guess that there’s a bit of both of these responses in all of us. But I have a hunch that the capacity to embrace the unknown as a gift can open us to a deeper awe and reverence before the great mystery of life.

There are many other parallels between the Comrades Marathon and life in general – and the Christian life in particular. If you’ll forgive the indulgence, I’ll be reflecting on this broad theme in this week’s devotions as part of my preparation for race day next Sunday. But also in the hope that all of us, whether we’re involved in the Comrades Marathon in any way or not, will become a little more mindful of the ways in which we give ourselves to the race which is ours.

PRAY-AS-YOU-GO

Almighty God, life is truly a gift from you, and we thank you for it. There is so much about this gift that is unpredictable, uncertain and which cannot be controlled. But what is certain is that underneath it all is the sure reality of your presence and steadfast love. Thank you that our lives, with all their varied twists and turns, are held securely in the hollow of your hand. Help us to see that as we open ourselves in gratitude to all that life brings our way, we are also opening ourselves to you. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING

2 Timothy 4:7

“I have fought the good fight. I have run the race. I have kept the faith. What awaits me now is the crown of righteousness which the Lord will give me on that day.”

Keeping the Sabbath - Part 5

As we bring this week’s devotions on the Sabbath to a close, we are going to do something a little different today. Rather than adding more words, thoughts and ideas to this theme, I’d like to make a little space in this devotional time for us to hear God’s word in a fuller way than what is usually possible.

And so included below is the entire chapter of Isaiah 58. It’s a magnificent passage of scripture that challenges us to discover the true heart of our religious practices, and speaks profoundly into the themes of fasting, prayer and the Sabbath.

Isaiah 58:1-14

1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.

2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.

3 'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Keeping the Sabbath - Part 4

DAILY BYTE

There is a natural rhythm between work and rest, which we ignore at our peril. This is a law that is part of the design of creation. Indeed, in the creation story in Genesis 1 – 2 we read how God rested from His work of creation on the seventh day. This was not because God was exhausted from the task of creating the heavens and the earth, but because God Himself understood that without rest and reflection, the work we do is in fact diminished and impoverished.

This natural rhythm between work and rest is a bit like the rhythm of breathing in and breathing out. Ignore it and you’ll soon collapse. Honour the rhythm, and you’ll be able to function as you ought, maximising your effectiveness.

The Sabbath establishes this rhythm clearly and decisively.

The story is told from the days of the American frontier settlers of a wagon train on its way from St Louis to Oregon. Its members were devout Christians, so the whole group observed the habit of stopping for the Sabbath day.

However, winter was approaching quickly and some among the group began to panic that they wouldn’t reach their destination before the heavy snows. They proposed to the rest of the group that they should quit their practice of stopping for the Sabbath and continue driving onward seven days a week.

This triggered a lot of contention in the community, so finally it was suggested that the wagon train should split into two groups - those who wanted to observe the Sabbath and those who wanted to travel on that day. This proposal was accepted, and both groups set out and travelled together until the next Sabbath, when one group continued while the other remained at rest.

Guess which group got to their destination first? That’s right. The ones who kept the Sabbath. Not only did their Sabbath observance renew both the people and the horses so they could travel more effectively the other six days of the week, but more importantly it enabled them to remain connected with the source of their strength and sustenance, and reminded them of the broader purpose of their lives in the first place.

Some questions for reflection:

How often do you find yourself ‘pushing on’ when the demands of life are piling up on you? What does this say about how you value the importance of rest?

Do you stop only when you’re forced to – when you collapse in a heap of exhaustion or when you get sick?

If your body could speak to you right now about how you’re living your life, what would it say to you?

Parkinson’s Law states that “work expands to fill the time available for it.” How does this challenge your attitude to your work?

PRAY AS YOU GO

Gracious God, you give all of us work to do, and our work is truly worship when we do it to your glory. But we acknowledge that our work can easily become a form of idolatry. And so we thank you for your example that reminds us of the natural rhythm between working and resting. Remind us that our faithfulness in resting enables our work to be seen in its rightful perspective – as a means to an end, and not an end in itself. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Genesis 2:2-3

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating he had done.

Keeping the Sabbath - Part 3

DAILY BYTE

What exactly does ‘keeping the Sabbath’ involve?
What is OK and what is not OK on the Sabbath?
Can I play sport or watch a movie on the Sabbath?
What if I’ve got an urgent deadline at work and I have to go in to the office on Sunday – is this a sin?

These are some of the sorts of questions that people commonly ask when they start thinking about the actual practice of ‘keeping the Sabbath’.

It is essential to stress at the outset that it is easy to slip into a kind of rigid legalism when it comes to Sabbath observance, which will end up robbing the Sabbath of its power. This is the error that the Pharisees fell into, which we need to guard against. For them, ‘keeping the Sabbath’ became all about following a whole lot of external requirements, and they ended up missing the whole point of what it is about.

The gift and power of the Sabbath lies in the way in which it can remind us of who and what is most important, and can help to re-align our lives to those things that make for abundant living. So long as our Sabbath practices function in this way, they will be life-giving to us and others, and will be honouring of the Lord of life.

A few days ago I was relaxing at home on my Sabbath. My young daughter was wanting to play a game of snakes-and-ladders, but I was pretty absorbed watching some T20 cricket on TV. She then asked me, with all the innocence and truthfulness of childhood, “Daddy, what’s more important, sport or children?” Ouch! (And then she proceeded to whip my butt at snakes-and-ladders.)

That question, ‘What’s more important?’ is a great one to guide us in our Sabbath observance. It calls us to cease certain things, and actively embrace others. Here are some examples:

We cease our usual work and embrace time for physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual rest.

We cease our obsession with productivity & accomplishment, and embrace the opportunity to “waste” time in the “unproductive” activities of corporate worship and fellowship.

We cease our anxiety & worry, and embrace an attitude of radical trust in God.

We cease our self-centredness & possessiveness, and embrace the opportunities to give of ourselves to family & friends and our money to the work of God’s kingdom.

We cease our enculturation, and embrace the alternative values of God’s kingdom – such as generosity, hospitality, compassion, patience, forgiveness.

We cease the meaninglessness of living without purpose, and embrace God’s call for us to become partners with God in God’s healing, transforming and liberating work in the world.
What does this mean for you? How can the planning and shaping of your Sabbath be a creative exercise in allowing you to connect with what is most important?

PRAY AS YOU GO

Lord God, I sense that keeping the Sabbath need not be a dull, onerous, religious chore, but can be an exciting, thrilling, and soulful discipline that can become the highlight and focal point of my week. Help me to move towards that place where my Sabbath observance becomes a joyous and life-giving celebration of who you are and who I can be in you. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Mark 3:1-5

Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone."

Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.

He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.

Keeping the Sabbath - Part 2

DAILY BYTE

This week we’re looking at the biblical concept of the Sabbath. In the introductory comments yesterday I suggested that the Sabbath is like a compass that can point us to the true north principles of God, especially when we’ve lost our way and find ourselves deep in the rough of the difficulties and demands of life.

For the Sabbath is really about whom we worship, upon whom we depend, and in whom we place our trust. The word ‘Sabbath’ appears for the first time in scripture in Exodus 16:23. God had just led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. They found themselves wandering in the desert, deep in the rough as it were, without food, without any means of provision, utterly vulnerable, and utterly dependent upon God.

For the Israelites the wilderness is a place in which they need to learn to live according to a completely different set of rules, particularly the lessons of dependency and trust. This point is driven home with startling power in Ex 15 - 17. The Israelites are thirsty and hungry - in desperate need of the most basic of life's necessities. They had been led by God's hand out of bondage. The question is raised, 'Can this same hand give them food and water?' In quite dramatic ways that question is answered with an emphatic 'Yes!' They had been led, now they are fed by the hand of God.

It is in this context that the concept of Sabbath is introduced – one day in which they would cease their normal activity of gathering manna, the bread from heaven that fell on the ground every morning. By resting from their labours, the Israelites were reminded that it was not because of their own efforts that they were being fed, but purely because of the goodness and graciousness of God.

By establishing this practice, years later, when they had settled in the promised land, they would be reminded that their ongoing sustenance came not primarily from their own efforts, but from the hand of God.

And so the Sabbath became for them a powerful compass, a weekly re-orientation of their lives according to the true north principles of their faith. It reminded them who God was, and how it was that their lives were sustained, and it enabled them to see everything they did within the broader perspective of God’s purposes in their lives.

With this biblical background in mind, think about your own life and attitude towards God. Is being dependent upon the goodness of God something you actively embrace, or is it something you resist? Do you readily trust God for the basic necessities of your life, or do you see that as some kind of weakness? The discipline of keeping the Sabbath addresses these essential dimensions of our spiritual lives. Over the next few days we will be looking at some practical ways in which ‘keeping the Sabbath’ functions in our lives.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Lord God, this world places great store in qualities like independence and self-sufficiency. And so sometimes it’s hard to acknowledge that I am utterly dependent upon your goodness and generosity, and that without your gracious provision I couldn’t exist. But this is the truth, and the more I live out of this truth, the richer and freer my life will be. Help me to keep the Sabbath as one way of allowing this truth to sink deep into my being. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Ex 16:21-26

Morning by morning they gathered [the manna], as much as each needed; but when the sun grew hot, it melted. On the sixth day they gathered twice as much…. Moses said to them, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy sabbath to the LORD; bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.' " So they put it aside until morning, as Moses commanded them; and it did not become foul, and there were no worms in it. Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is a sabbath, there will be none."

Keeping the Sabbath - Part 1

DAILY BYTE

A golfer was hacking his way through deep rough. In frustration he glared at his caddy and asked him why he kept on looking at his watch. The caddy replied, “Boss, this isn’t a watch, this is a compass.”

It’s a little story which speaks quite profoundly into our lives. For most of us, I guess, spend much of our lives hacking through the rough, as it were. For that’s what life is like - much of the time it’s pretty rough going.

It’s rough going in the workplace, where there are demands and deadlines and all sorts of stresses.

It’s rough going at school and at varsity, with the hugely stressful pressures of assignments and exams.

It’s rough going in our marriages at times, two people trying to stay connected in a noisy, busy world full of distractions and competing pressures.

It can be rough going in our homes, whether it be the demands of a crying baby, or the emotional upheavals of a sensitive preschooler, or the sullen silence of a confused and angry teenager.

It can be rough going in early adulthood, with the lurking fear of never finding someone to love and spending one’s life alone.

It can be rough going in the twilight years, with the struggles of ailing health or family living far away.

Much of the time life can be pretty rough going. And most of us know what it’s like to be hacking our way through it. That’s the way it is. Which is not necessarily a bad thing.

An old green keeper, who loved to walk through the remote sections of the woods of his golf course, once said, “If you always hit straight and true you miss a lot of the territory.” I rather like that. It’s encouraging for those of us who discover that a lot of life is lived in the rough. Which is what makes it the great adventure that it is. And sometimes, yes, we simply have to do the best we can as we hack our way along.

But in the little story with which I began, the caddy, you’ll recall, had a compass. Because he knew that it’s one thing hacking your way through the rough, sometimes that’s just the way it is. But if you do so without any sense of the direction in which you should be heading, well that’s just an exercise in futility. And nobody wants to live a futile life. Everybody wants their efforts to mean something. Everybody wants to be heading somewhere worthwhile. Having a compass makes a lot of sense, especially for those of us who spend a lot of time out in the rough.

In these devotions this week we’ll be looking at a particular compass that comes to us as a powerful and precious gift from our faith tradition. It’s the compass of the SABBATH. Many people today think that this is an old-fashioned concept that has little to say to the realities of our modern-day lifestyles. But nothing could be further from the truth.

And for people who have lost their way and find themselves deep in the rough, unsure of what they’re doing or where they’re going, the Sabbath can be the means whereby their lives are re-aligned and re-orientated again.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Gracious God, sometimes as I live my life it feels like I’m hacking my way through deep rough with little sense of where I’m heading. I know that you are my true-north, and that life is at its very best when it is aligned upon you. Thank you that the Sabbath is a powerful way whereby this re-alignment can happen. As this theme is explored this week, challenge and inspire me Lord to re-assess my commitment to keeping the Sabbath. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Isaiah 56:2 (The Message)

‘How blessed are you who enter into these things,
you men and women who embrace them,
Who keep Sabbath and don’t defile it.’

Local Government Elections

DAILY BYTE

Over the course of our devotions this week we have explored that beautiful verse from Micah 6:8, which says that what God requires of us is to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God. Yesterday, we reflected on the capacity of words and teachings to bring life or death.

As we bring these devotions to a close for this week, I’d like us to reflect on these thoughts in the light of the forthcoming local government elections in South Africa next week. (For those who are reading these devotions overseas, my apologies. But these ideas have relevance in any country or context.)

The responsibility in a democratic society to go to the polls to have a say in electing those who will hold public office, is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. I’ve heard a lot of cynical comments about these local government elections that voting won’t make any difference, so why bother? Such comments point to a deep disillusionment in many people that the organs of government have failed them or have become a seedbed of corruption.

Sadly, there is truth in these sentiments. Which is precisely why ordinary citizens need to exercise the responsibility that is theirs to vote – it is one of the ways in which we can give expression to the requirement of God that we “do justice”.

But beyond the casting of our votes next week, we need to hold our leaders accountable to the ways in which they will be doers of justice, lovers of kindness, and people who walk humbly with God.

Corruption. Nepotism. Greed. Discrimination. Favouritism. Putting the interests of profitability before people. Disregarding the needs of the poor. Failure to deliver essential services. The arrogance of power. All these well-known ills that are sadly all-too-common in those who hold public office stand in sharp contrast to the requirements that Micah 6:8 articulates so clearly and simply. When we add to this the way in which words can be used to offer empty promises, cover up wrongdoing, stir-up hatred & animosity, and vilify political opponents – it is clear that those who enter the political arena are especially susceptible to falling short of the mark that God has set for us all.

Which means that in addition to our votes; and our ongoing responsibility to hold our leaders accountable, by speaking out and naming the ways in which they are falling short; what our leaders also need are our prayers. Which may sound trite, but if we really think about it, who can possibly fulfil the high requirements of leadership without the help and grace of God?

So, let us pray for a resolute determination in our leaders to seek to do everything they can to put right the things that are wrong in our society; to be true servant leaders who take the needs of ordinary people seriously, and who respond to those needs with gentleness and kindness; to recognise their ongoing need for God, and the help and guidance that God offers, and to be open to following the path that God directs; and through it all to allow their voice to be one which creates rather than destroys, that speaks words of reconciliation, peace and life.

May God give to us leaders who are being shaped and formed in these sorts of ways.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Gracious God, we pray for the elections next week. We pray that the elections will be peaceful, free and fair. We pray that ordinary citizens will exercise their democratic responsibility and vote with careful thought and consideration. We pray too for every leader who will assume public office as a result of these elections. May the weight of their responsibility press them to their knees O God, that they might seek your face in the ways in which they lead and serve. Bless this nation O God. And pour out your blessing upon all her sons and daughters, but especially the least, the last and the lost. In Jesus’ name. Amen

SCRIPTURE READING

1 Timothy 2:1-2

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

Words of life or death

DAILY BYTE

The terrible, tragic story of Osama bin Laden highlights how dangerous it is when religious teaching is twisted, and words are used death-dealing ways. Make no mistake, his murderous ideology was a gross distortion of the teachings of Islam. But equally, the sickening jubilation of many who have hailed his death as a victory for the gospel is a gross distortion of the teachings of Christianity.

Last week one of the leaders of the religious right in America said that “God took out Osama bin Laden” and that God delights in the death of the wicked.

In contrast to this kind of twisted teaching are these helpful words that have been attributed to Martin Luther King, Jnr:

“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

Having just celebrated Mothers’ Day this past weekend, we do well to remember that with Osama bin Laden’s death there is a mother who grieves the death of a son. She has a name, it’s Hamida al-Attas. And let’s also not forget the many mothers who grieve the deaths of sons and daughters killed in the horrific attacks of 9/11, and in so many other theatres of war all around the world, simply because religious teaching has been twisted, and words have been used in deadly ways.

It matters, the teachings we hold to. The words on which we stake our lives. It really matters. It is quite literally a matter of life or death.

Certainly, from the very first page of the Bible we discover that the words that come from the mouth of God are words that are truly words of life. Words that are charged with the most incredible life-giving power!

God speaks, and life ensues.
God speaks, and darkness gives way to light.
God speaks, and the universe bursts into existence.

Where before there was nothing – suddenly there’s heaven and earth.

And with it suns and stars, mountains and seas, potatoes and pomegranates, buffalos and butterflies, and people of every shape and size and colour and complexion. All part of this magnificent mystery called Life, which was ignited so gloriously through the words that came from the mouth of God!

If that’s what the word of God can do to the physical world, just think what it can do within you and me, within our communities, and within our world? Imagine the liberation we would experience if we really placed ourselves under the authority of God’s word, and allowed it to fill us.

Surely the dead and dying places within us would burst into vibrant new life.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Holy God, thank you that your words always bring life. Thank you that the clearest and surest way to test whether your teaching has been twisted is to ask whether it diminishes life or enriches it. Help me to immerse myself in your word more and more, so that its truth may direct my life. And may my living enable and encourage others to live more freely, more abundantly, more joyfully. In the name of Christ Jesus, the Living Word, I pray. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING

John 5:25

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. The time is coming, and has now come, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”

Walking humbly with God

DAILY BYTE

This week we’ve been looking at how we can live the enlarged lives that the resurrection of Christ makes possible, thereby fulfilling God’s dream for us. Over the last few days we’ve allowed Micah 6:8 to illuminate what that dream of God looks like. It’s a verse that speaks very directly about what God requires of us:
What does the LORD require of you?

To do justice, to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God.

The progression in the verse is very telling. A life without acts of justice (that is, seeking to make right what is wrong) is an empty life, fundamentally diminished from what God both intends and requires of us. But a life of doing justice, without loving kindness, can become a harsh and strident life, lacking compassion and the human touch.

But doing justice and loving kindness is not enough – and certainly is not sustainable in the long term – without an intimate relationship with God. “Walk humbly with your God,” is how the prophet Micah puts it.

Walking humbly with God. What a simple, yet deeply profound insight for enabling our acts of justice and kindness to be rooted in that which will be able to nurture and sustain us over a lifetime.

Walking humbly with God suggests an attitude of openness to being led wherever God chooses to go. It cuts right through our arrogant delusions that we’ve got God all figured out. It invites us into holy mysteries and reminds us that at the heart of it all is a gracious and generously invitation to become traveling companions with God.

Doing justice, loving kindness, walking humbly with God. This is what the LORD requires of us, and is what makes for abundant and significant living.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Lord, I hear the invitation that you graciously extend. I want to say ‘Yes’ to you. Please take my hand as I seek to take yours, and lead me in the paths that you would have me go, so that my life would make a beautiful difference to this world and would be a delight to you. This is my dream, and I trust is your dream too. Thank you Lord. Amen

Love kindness

DAILY BYTE

This week we’re exploring how God’s dream for our lives can enable us to live more abundantly. Yesterday, we started looking through one window in scripture that provides a stunning view of God’s dream for us – that beautiful verse in Micah 6:8:

What does the LORD require of you?
To do justice, to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God.

It was suggested that if acts of justice (seeking to make right what is wrong) were embraced as our first priority, our lives would immediately become beautiful instruments of transformation in the world. However, if ‘doing justice’ were our only priority, we would quickly grow weary, disillusioned and burnt out. This is often seen in social activist circles – how people start out with great enthusiasm and the best intentions in the world to make a difference. But the enormity of the challenge and their human frailties mean that they are unable to sustain their efforts, or if they do it’s often at the expense of joy and wellbeing, as they grow weary, bitter and cynical.

If ‘doing justice’ is to be a sustainable, life-long project, we need to be resourced in long-term ways. This is where Micah 6:8 is so hugely helpful. Again, we would normally expect that our resourcing for acts of justice would be found in a nurturing relationship with God, which of course is correct. But notice that this verse doesn’t rush to that conclusion too quickly. It first suggests that ‘loving kindness’ is something that God requires of us.

I find this a beautiful, and hopeful thought. That kindness is at the very heart of God’s dream for our lives, and is one of the important ways in which we can be resourced for the work of ‘doing justice’ in the world. How sad that so often those who are striving to do good forget the importance of being kind. Yes, they’re seeking to make a difference, but at the expense of relational integrity. As one little boy once prayed, “Dear God, please make all the bad people good, and the good people nice!”

Kindness, towards others and also towards ourselves, is an essential part of God’s dream for our lives. It reminds us to tread gently when we’re journeying into the landscape of other people’s stories. Best of all, kindness isn’t a difficult or complex concept to understand. Being kind is something that all of us can do, and when we do, we discover that it is what God requires of us, for kindness is an essential part of God’s dream for us, that will enable us to live more abundant lives.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Dear God. Today, help me to be kind. Amen

SCRIPTURE READING

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God.

Doing Justice

DAILY BYTE

We find ourselves in the season of Easter, in which we are called to reflect upon the resurrection of Christ. One of the most beautiful things about the resurrection is that it draws us into an enlarged life. A life in which God’s dream for us can begin to become a reality, as we are beckoned into a bigger, broader, more purpose-filled existence.

So what is God’s dream for our lives?

It’s a question that can be answered in many different ways. There are so many different references in Scripture as to what God wants for us and requires of us. It all points to the same over-arching purpose of God that we live more abundant lives. But rather than trying to collapse it all into ‘one thing’, I prefer to allow the different answers to that question to open me to the diverse possibilities for my life. Thank God for the many different windows that can be found in the Bible that offer us differing perspectives on the dream of God.

Today I’d like us to reflect briefly on that well-known verse from Micah 6:8, which reads:

What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

In recent months I’ve been pondering this verse deeply. There is much that can be said about it, but today let me offer this brief observation. The three key phrases in the verse – doing justice, loving kindness & walking humbly with God – occur in an unusual sequence.

Normally, in church circles, the initial focus of the faith journey is upon one’s personal relationship with God (“walking humbly with God”), then on one’s relationships with others (“loving kindness”), and finally, maybe, one’s relationship with the wider world (“doing justice”).

But in this verse that usual order is reversed. What if we were to take this order seriously, that in response to the question, ‘What does the LORD require of you?” the FIRST response would be – do justice! In other words, seek to make right what is wrong. Seek to put the world to rights again. How might our lives be radically and forever changed if we understood our primary task in the world to be that of ‘doing justice’? What would happen if we looked around to see what we might notice that is unfair, unjust, broken, messed up or just plain wrong, and then to try to do something about it?

I have a hunch that immediately we would begin to live more transformed & transforming lives that would be much closer to God’s dream of abundance for us and for our world.

However, the verse doesn’t end there. And if ‘doing justice’ is the only thing that we seek to do, pretty soon we are going to grow despondent, disillusioned, frustrated and burnt out.

Which brings us to the next part of the verse. But we’ll save those reflections for tomorrow.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Lord God, as we look around at our world there is much that we recognize is unjust. There is such need in our world for that which is wrong to be made right. And more often than not we can feel totally overwhelmed by the enormity of the need, and so we end up doing nothing. Help us, we pray, to recognize that works of justice lie at the heart of your dream for our lives, and that when we embrace that responsibility we discover an abundance and fruitfulness that we never dreamed possible. Give us courage and strength we pray to do what you require of us. Amen

SCRIPTURE READING

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God.