Joshua:
YHWH rescues
A faithful, young
obedient leader
took God’s children
by the hand
into the land of promise
to receive their
God given
inheritance.
Jesus:
YHWH rescues
Is God
whose hands were nailed
to a tree
so that we
could receive
our God bought
inheritance.
This is the first in an occasional series entitled, “People I Admire”.
Up to this point, their children, on the whole, are indifferent, though not antagonistic about faith despite the example their parents. In the midst of this my friends resolutely honour God with their lives. They take God’s commands seriously and live the gospel to their grandchildren, taking every opportunity bring to life the covenant injunction to teach our children and grandchildren. My hope, prayer and trust is that God will bless that faithfulness in time.
Somewhere on this beach in Cornwall my friends are engaged in their fetish of collecting rocks.
Over the years their extended family has grown through unusual circumstances. Step relatives have been added to the family tree in droves. Some of these people have incredible physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Yet that has become another opportunity to live for, and reflect, Christ. I am constantly humbled by their grace.
They have impacted our life, as a family, to the extent that our children see them as aunty and uncle. They have supported us deeply over many years with practical, emotional and spiritual support. I could go on about the many, many lives they touch in their daily walk – because they are legion, but I wont.
I admire these friends because Jesus shapes their lives. They are not perfect, they are still this side of heaven, but every time I see them I have a glimpse of what Jesus is like.
The true treasures of life are relationships: family and friends. These friends are true treasures who reveal what it means to live a life of Christian thankfulness!
The Mousehole Haven
Along the coast of Cornwall there are a myriad of little harbours worn out of the coastline by wind, wave and flood. They are little oases from the turbulent sea. Each cove has its own characteristics. Some are more protective than others and some are easier to access, but each is a haven.
What havens do you have? A good book or TV show, a hobby or craft – something in which you escape from the harsh or busy realities of the day? Or is it a relationship, your family, wife, husband? Some of us seek coves that turn out to be more dangerous than the seas: drink, drugs, sex, gambling – addictions that start as an escape but end up turning into raging internal battles.
In Matthew 11:28 we read: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Here we read of the haven that God sent us – Jesus. Our God knows what our lives are like – He himself lived one in Christ. God is aware of the human condition. It is not as though His divinity inures Him from it. Jesus is the God-Man, the divine and human and He knows our need for sanctuary, from the brokenness of the world, each other and ourselves.
Have you taken up this offer? Have you sought protection from the haven that Jesus offers – that Jesus is?
The other day a friend directed me to an article in Christianity Today:
It is a great message on how we can be connected to God through Christ and how that in turn reflects in the way we can live our Christian life. The Author, Sarah Lebhar Hall begins by reflecting on our fears and dashed hopes and then states:
“The good news from the Scriptures is this: No follower of Jesus is an isolated entity, living out a solitary, potentially tragic plot line. The life story of a disciple is inextricably linked with the life story of Jesus.”Another line that particularly jumped out at me:
“Because of our union with Jesus we can join the Trinity’s family embrace”What an amazing truth to reflect upon!
This article is both challenging and encouraging and well worth reading in its entirety.
Moses
plucked from slaves and rushes
and made a royal prince.
Became a prophet,
priest and leader “king”;
called to
set God’s people free.
A Saviour
who only saw
the Promised Land
from afar.
His rod would rule and save
to a point.
Moses, an imperfect shadow,
Of The Word
The Priest
And
The holy King
who would
set his people free
forever
in a Promised Land
to which he has risen,
to prepare.
Today, a short quote from that feisty nun, Teresa of Avila.
It is certain that the love of God does not consist in tears, nor in this sweetness and tenderness which we for the most part desire, and with which we console ourselves; but rather in serving Him in justice, fortitude, and humility. That seems to me to be a receiving rather than a giving of anything on our part.
Teresa of Avila . The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus . Kindle Edition.
From father to son,
and father to son,
the king rules.
Long live the King!
With Sceptre,
the staff of authority
the honour continues
from regal generation
to regal generation.
The kingdom rises
and falls.
God’s promise
persists.
But we wait,
and wait
for the ultimate king.
The king!
The Lion will rule with
the wand of real power
over all nations
for eternity.
At an unearthly hour this morning I was awoken from my precious slumber by screaming and caterwauling as a domestic dispute turned the air blue a few houses away. This was a very unusual experience in our quiet neighbourhood. What makes two people who must have had some attraction towards each other descend into such an undignified and vicious state?
But even “respectable” people have disputes, that may not be so public, but are just as deeply broken.
In Dutch church history there was an ongoing debate about “presumptive regeneration” that continued through church synods in World War 2 even as the Germans occupied Holland and people starved and died through the “hunger winter” of 1944. It caused the church to divide.
The human heart, created for relationships, struggles to maintain them. Pride, greed, envy ( add your own special weakness) weasel their way in to destroy marriages, friendships, churches, businesses and so on.
Yet the triune God is a being of relationship. Relationship is at the very heart of our creator. The understanding of the trinity is one of the key factors that differentiates the Christian understanding of God to that of Muslim and Jew. It is an important understanding because it is in our God’s very nature to restore and heal broken relationships – with Him and with each other.
Christ’s sacrifice, God’s amazing love, reveals to us just how important restored relationships are to Him.
Last year in my Christmas poems I tried, with a number of them, to look at Christmas from the point of view of some of the participants. I have never before had so much fun writing poetry. It was a treat trying to get into the heads of these characters. Some of the ideas came from the Bible and others from my imagination.My nomination is: John Lennon’s “Imagine”
“But it argues for peace and harmony,” you might protest. I’ll give you my reasons. It is not because it is boring and maudlin, although that might be reason enough. It is not because it is played ad-nauseum, for some reason, at Advent and Christmas time.
My main reason is because it destroys hope in the very first verse:
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today
It might seem easy to sweep away heaven and hell but in the process Lennon brushes aside a transcendent God who comes to earth to deal with the causes of war, conflict, brokenness and death. To create harmony we need to deal with the cause of our disharmony – our brokenness. Lennon’s approach is akin to putting a bandaid over an infection without dealing with the underlying problem.
Advent and Christmas are reminders that we have God whose desire is to heal our brokenness – to go to the cause of our human illness. He sacrificed His son for our brokenness. This goes beyond “living for today” and leads to an eternity of perfection, peace and joy.
OK, it may not be the worst song ever but it is certainly shallow and not at all fitting for a time when we celebrate the incarnation of God.
Travels from Ur 