Robert Falcon Scott and the Apostle Paul

On this day (12th November) 1912, the diary and body of Robert Falcon Scott were found in Antartica. He had been dead for 8 months already, but no one could retrieve his body because of the extreme weather conditions. 

One of the intriguing things about Scott is how he faced his last few days on earth with fortitude and bravery. There was a certain peace in his heart about the inevitability of death. These are some of his last words, as longed for his loved ones to be taken care of:

"We shall stick it out to the end, but we are getting weaker of course and the end cannot be far. It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more. For God's sake, look after our people."

His words remind me a little of the writings of St. Paul. Even when Paul was in prison, he wrote letters filled with hope and always thought of others. Take for example these words from the first chapter of Philippians.

"I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus."

Thought: Do you find it easy to pray for others even when you are going through tough times yourself?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

P.S. Just out of interest, you may like to know that my maternal grandfather's name is also Robert Scott. Perhaps that helps explain why I am interested in this bit of historical trivia today :) 

Witnessing the giant censer (Botafumeiro) in Santiago Cathedral

As we completed the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, we hoped we may be fortunate enough to witness the Botafumeiro in action. This historical ceremony has been taking place in the Cathedral since the 12th century and is truly epic. 

Botafumeiro literally means 'to expel smoke' and it is a giant censer that is swung from the roof of the cathedral. The current censer weighs about 80 kilograms, is around 1.60 meters tall and takes 8 men to operate. It is usually only in operation on special occasions and Christian holy-days, but we were so blessed to witness this event in person. 

If you would like to watch this incredible event, please follow this link and watch our video. 

If you are in the Fish Hoek area on the 16th of August and would like to come along to our presentation about our Camino experiences, please join us. We are meeting at 6pm in the Methodist Church.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

When did it all begin?

There is a lot of debate around the origins of Christmas. Many Christians point out that Jesus probably wasn't born in December, and they would be right. The trouble is, we don't have conclusive evidence to mark his actual birth date, otherwise we would surely be celebrating his birthday on that date. 

I found these interesting comments from Britannica.com, which I would like to add to the mix:

The actual observance of the day of Jesus’ birth was long in coming. In particular, during the first two centuries of Christianity there was strong opposition to recognizing birthdays of martyrs or, for that matter, of Jesus. Numerous Church Fathers offered sarcastic comments about the pagan custom of celebrating birthdays when, in fact, saints and martyrs should be honoured on the days of their martyrdom—their true “birthdays,” from the church’s perspective.

This is an interesting point and would mean that we could end up celebrating Jesus's birthday around the time of Easter. I do like the idea of our death as being the 'birth' of eternity, which would tie in with John's thoughts on being born again. However, Jesus didn't need a 2nd birth, as he was without sin, so this is also tricky. 

In the end, I feel that we waste a lot of time and energy debating something that we can't solve with satisfactory answers. However, this doesn't stop us from pausing to remember the impact of the birth of Jesus. Surely the message of the 'Word made flesh' and the fact that Jesus lived and died for our sakes, should make all the difference?

What do you think?

"The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighbourhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish." - John 1:14

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Remember the God of our Youth

                                                         

As we remember National Youth Day on the 16th June, let us be reminded of our call to invest in the lives of the younger generation and to offer them the guidance they need. The best gift we can give them is the knowledge of Jesus as their Saviour and Friend. Here are a few passages to spur us on:

Psalm 71:5 - For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth.

Psalm 103:5 - who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Ecclesiastes 4:13 - Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 - Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble.

What 'faith' lessons would you love to pass onto the younger generations?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Why bother?

"History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.  Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.  We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now." - Ecclesiastes 1:9-11

I feel there is a lot of truth in what these verses point out today, but there is also a very real danger for us. 

The truth is that History does often repeat itself. There are many lessons we could learn from those who have gone on before us, but we seldom do. This becomes our burden to bear and our personal choice to heed the warnings of history or not.

The danger in these verses lurks in the writers sentiment that 'no one will remember what we are doing now.' This is true on the one hand, but can also leave us feeling a little fatalistic on the other hand. If we develop a 'why bother' attitude then this could affect our relationships, work, friendships, dreams and life in general. 

As Christians we do have a purpose in Life and that is to glorify Jesus and to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

The Significance

The significance of major events in the history of the world is obvious. They make us stop and look back to see how far we have come OR maybe how we have refused to learn any lessons from the past. Today, the 28th June is a signifcant day for many reasons, but 2 of them tie up with the First World War.

It was on this day in 1914 that Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his consort, Sophie, were assassinated in Sarajevo, precipitating the outbreak of World War I. Fast forward five years (1919), and it was on this day that the Treaty of Versailles was signed confirming the end of the war.

What happened in the space of 5 years changed the trajectory of the world, especially in regards to politics, economics and human relations. Millions of people were killed and millions left broken and traumatised.

Although we don't officially know the dates of Jesus birth and death, it was these two events that changed the way humanity viewed God. For the first time many people realised that God was willing to go to the ends of the earth to bridge the relationship between man and God. Jesus' birth, life and death changed our lives forever.

What will this day mean for you? Will be significant?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

The World Changed today

The 24th June 1916 will always be remembered as the day that changed the world. It was on this day, exactly 100 years ago, that the Allied artillery began their week-long bombardment of the German lines, in what is known as the battle of the Somme.

Clearly, it was a day that changed the world in so many ways. We can't look back at the history of Europe and the world without reflecting on how this day change millions of lives. Of course, the 24th June 2016, may also be remembered as a day that shaped Europe (and the world), with Britain choosing to Exit the European Union. Time will tell what impact this has on our future.

More importantly, we need to ask how today has changed your life? Is today a gift to you from God, or is it just another day on your calendar? It is worth thinking about.

1 Corinthians 10:11-12 - These are all warning markers—danger!—in our history books, written down so that we don’t repeat their mistakes.

Matthew 27: 9-10 - "Then Jeremiah’s words became history: They took the thirty silver pieces, The price of the one priced by some sons of Israel, And they purchased the potter’s field. And so they unwittingly followed the divine instructions to the letter."

Living in grace
D3LM3

It may not be as it seems

Henry the 8th was crowned King of England on the 24th June 1509. According to some scholars

Henry's motto was "Coeur Loyal" ("true heart") and he had this embroidered on his clothes in the form of a heart symbol. Alongside the motto was the word "loyal".  

For me, there can be no greater irony, as Henry was far from loyal to his wives or his friends. It is one thing to brand your clothes or your body with a motto/symbol that speaks well, but it is a much harder thing to live out what you believe.

My reflection on this is that we should not believe something about someone just because it may be presented in a certain way. The true test comes in how the actions match the talk.

Romans 10 (The Message) - This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!”

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Mount Masada

Today we get to climb Mount Masada. I have been looking forward to this moment for years and can't actually believe that I will be getting to do this. Masada is steeped in history, but is most famous for the 967 Jews who committed mass suicide on the mountain in 73A.D. Under siege by the Roman army, the Jewish community on Masada chose to die, rather than be tortured by the Romans. If you would like to read more on Masada then click onto the link. 

We will also travel to Bethany today, to visit the tomb of Lazarus. If you remember his story in the Bible (John 11), Jesus prayed over his dead body and he rose from the dead. Lazarus was also the brother of Mary and Martha.

^"When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. ¹⁸ Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, ¹⁹ and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. ²⁰ When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. ²¹ Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”
²³ Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”
²⁴ “Yes,” Martha said, “he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.”
²⁵ Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.^[e] Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying." - John 11

Living in Grace
D3LM3

We are not as Invincible as we think

Today marks the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The 15th April 1912 will go down as the day 1500 passengers aboard the "unsinkable" Titanic died in the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean. If you would like to read some interesting facts about the Titanic go to this link and enjoy the article.

The reason I am reminding us of this fateful day in Nautical history is because the Titanic will always confirm that "people are not as invincible as we think we are!" This ship was lauded as being "practically unsinkable" and no one believed it would end in the way it did. As humans, we got arrogant and with this pride, we fell into the age-old trap of self-reliance. We thought we had it all covered, but there were a few things that the owners, engineers and builders had neglected to check out. The most obvious one being the number of life boats on board the Titanic - there were only enough boats for 1 out of 3 passengers!

Although I believe we can  'do all things through Christ who strengthens us' (Philippians 4:13), I do feel that we need to maintain proper perspective. As a human being, I am deeply loved by Jesus, but I am not Invincible. In fact, the sooner we realise that "we are not God" the better for us all. It will be the pride of humanity that we lead to our ultimate demise.

What do you think?

Proverbs 16:18 - "First pride, then the crash— the bigger the ego, the harder the fall" (Message)

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Act like you are in love

                                                                                  "Do not waste time bothering whether you LOVE

your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him." - C.S. Lewis 

Our generation is obsessed with 'feelings' - when we don't feel something, then we think that it is not real. However real Love can never be based on feelings. History reveals that millions of believers died for their faith under massive persecution - did they 'feel' in love with God in the moments before they died? Probably not! Yet, it was their genuine LOVE for God that irked the pagans and their persecutors.

Read C.S. Lewis' quote again and allow it to inspire us to LOVE with sincerity. We have an immense capacity to love - we may even surprise ourselves.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Where were you?

On Tuesday we will celebrate Freedom day and for many South Africans
it will remind us of our first Democratic elections? Do you remember
that? Where were you that day and what was happening in your life at
that time? I know that we realised we were living in historical times,
but has that event changed us in any way? The disciples perceived
(albeit later) that they were witnessing something amazing in Jesus
and He changed their lives!

May God renew our Freedom in His love,

Living in Grace,
D3LM3

Yahoo and Google

Those of us living in the new Media & Technological Age are used to seeing the words 'Yahoo' and 'Google' on a daily basis. Many people are under the impression that these are modern words, but recently I have discovered that they are not at all (if you knew this already, forgive my stupidity)!

In 'Gullivers Travels' Jonathan Swift uses the word "Yahoo" - This was written in 1726.

In 'The Faraway Tree Series' Enid Blyton uses the word "Google" - The first book of the series was written in 1939.

As Solomon wisely said: "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun!" (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

Be Full Grace and Mercy,
D3LM3