A gift that changes us from the inside

I am often amazed at the perception that Jesus wants to be a killjoy of sorts. It actually saddens me when I hear people speak of God in this way. Take this passage as an example - does this sound like someone who wants to squeeze all the joy out of our lives?

"I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." - John 15:11-13

Jesus loved his followers so much that he wanted to FILL us with joy. And not just a little bit of joy, but rather that our lives overflow with his Joy.

I believe it is this gift that truly changes us from the inside out. 

Living in Grace

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The Shadow of Joy

If we look with great care in the New Testament, we will see that JOY is littered all over the life of Jesus. If you start in Matthew’s version of the birth narratives, you will see how he writes about Jesus' birth:

Matthew 2:10 – “When they saw the star they were filled with joy!” (NLT)

And then, if you then move to Luke’s account...

Luke 1:44 – “As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, my baby leaped for Joy.” (Even John the Baptist danced for Joy when he realized that Jesus was close by).

Then we hear the message of the angels when they speak to the shepherds...

Luke 2:10 – “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

We can even take a giant leap to the end of Jesus’ life, to that scene at the Resurrection, where the women come to anoint his body with spices. They are frightened yet still filled with Joy.

“So, the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet also filled with great joy...” – Matthew 28:8

Thought: Do you see what I mean? Jesus’ life is covered in JOY. 

Wherever Jesus went JOY was there. It is as if Jesus’ shadow was JOY itself.

Living in Grace

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True joy in life

George Bernard Shaw wrote about what he describes as True Joy. 

“This is the true joy of life; .... being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, being a force of nature rather than a feverish selfish little cloud of ailments complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”

I find it interesting that he speaks of this, especially as we consider God's calling for us to serve him in our communities and in whatever way we can. Perhaps we know someone who seems to be a 'feverish selfish little cloud of ailments' and who is always complaining about something. They don't fill is with motivation or excitement, do they? However, we also know of people who seem to have found their purpose in life, and they are filled with joy. They radiate the love of Jesus. 

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” – 1 Corinthians 12: 7

“If I do it by myself, for myself, it’s death. If I do it with God for others, its life, because whatever I do with God for others outlives my life.” – John Ortberg

 Living in Grace

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Always?

"Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

As Paul ends off his letter to the church in Thessalonika, he urges them to hold JOY as their life-breath, PRAYER as their divine connection with God, and GRATITUDE as a daily practice. 

His words are equally inspiring for all of us, despite the challenge of trying to put these ideals into practice.

What do you think?

"Always be joyful.
Always keep on praying.
No matter what happens, always be thankful," - Living Bible

Living in Grace

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What shadow do you cast?

In reflecting on the presence of Jesus this Christmas, I have noted how wherever he went, Joy seemed to follow him. It was as if JOY was his shadow. 

John 15:11 - I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Somehow, we seem to believe that all shadows are sinister or dark, yet when I think of how the shadow of a tall building or tree gives respite to those of us baking in the sun, then shadows become a gift. Not only does Jesus give us the gift of himself, but his shadow brings along further gifts of Joy, Peace, Hope and Love.

Matthew 2:10 – “When they saw the star they were filled with joy!” (NLT)

“There is strong shadow where there is much light.”  - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

If your life cast a shadow, what kind of shadow would it be? 

Living in Grace

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The Joy of the Lord is your strength

"And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” - Nehemiah 8:10

At this time of the year, we long for joy and happiness, and we are willing to seek it in all sorts of places. In my experience, Joy is not something we can buy, earn or even claim. However, we can 'receive' it - as a Gift of the Spirit. 

This JOY sustains us through all kinds of turbulence, crisis and stress. As much we hope that Christmas will be a time without pain and suffering, we realise that we live a world where these exist in abundance. However, it is my prayer that we come to experience the gift of JOY this year, through God's gracious Spirit.

o  Luke 2:10 – “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

Living in Grace

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Beautiful gifts come in small packages

"In telling the Christmas story, the Gospel writers remind us that when things seem darkest, joy can come in unexpected places and small packages. Children remind us of the joy of playing, giving, learning, and loving. In the presence of such joy, our inner child can awaken our Christ nature and then the Messiah is truly born.

Christmas is not an event that happens only in December or 2,000 years ago in Palestine. Christmas happens as we open to the possibility of hope, when we live in the understanding of peace, and when we give love." - Rev. Kevin Daigle

Luke 2:12 - This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

May we not fall into the trap of believing that the 'biggest gifts' are the best. The smallest of children have changed the world. One child offered hope to millions of people - his name is Jesus. 

Living in Grace

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Looking for the star

"When they saw the star, they were overjoyed." - Matthew 2:10

"O come, thou radiant Morning Star,
Again, in human darkness shine!
Arise, resplendent from afar!
Assert thy royalty divine!
Thy sway o'ver all the earth maintain,
And now begin they glorious reign. Amen." - Charles Wesley

As we look out in the evening skies, let us take note of the brightest stars and remember that the birth of Jesus Christ brings great joy.

May you find your JOY this Advent season.

Living in Grace

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The Countdown

We have been watching our kids "tick-off" every completed exam and seen the end draw nearer, day by day. There is something satisfying in doing this - I guess it is the feeling of fulfilment and the desire to complete the goal, and then we all get to celebrate when it is done!

We do the same kind of thing when we are planning a holiday or longing for a special occasion. We countdown the days until the big moment arrives. Each day is 24 hours nearer to the anticipated joy. 

And so, as Christians we begin our own version of the 'Countdown' today. Advent is the season of expectation and preparing for Christ's coming. Of course, we do this with two main motives - to celebrate the birth of the Messiah on Christmas morning and also to remind ourselves that Christ will come again. 

Advent stems from the Latin word 'adventus', which means the 'coming' and from what we can tell was first celebrated in the 4th Century. According to the Gospel Coalition, The Council of Sargossa (in 380AD) meet to discuss various heresies in the church and there is mention of Advent in those meetings. The council was not committed to any specific dating of Advent, though, and only suggested people attend church daily between December 17 and 29. 

As we continue this journey through Advent, I will be sharing various thoughts, insights and reflections in relation to this season. It is my hope that this will make our experience of Christmas a meaningful one. 

Psalm 119:116 - Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.

Living in Grace

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Share Peace

The voice of the angels initially caused a lot of consternation in the hearts of Zechariah and Mary. However, as they listened more and more to the message of Gabriel, so they moved to a place of peace. They understood that God's plan was unfolding right in front of their eyes, and that God had invited them to be part of that plan. 

Being at peace with God's plan is a great place to be in, but one that often takes time. Here is a lovely prayer that I came across and it fits in with today's message. Enjoy. 

Be people of peace.
Let peace live in your heart and share the peace of Christ with all you meet.
Share peace by acting out of compassion and not fear.
Share peace by listening to all sides of the story.
Share peace by praying for our world.
In this Advent season, we need to see, feel, and share peace.
As you go out into the wonder of God’s creations, share peace and hope with those you meet. Amen.

(www.liturgylink.net)

May we all seek to be people who share peace.

Living in Grace

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Being happy

Happiness is an elusive thing. We search long and hard for it, but we seldom find it. Perhaps it is because happiness is just an overflow of a deeper emotion - Joy. 

And Joy is not an emotional we can create ourselves, it is a gift of the Holy Spirit. So, having said all this, maybe searching for happiness should really begin in the quiet moments with God. As we discover the Spirit of Joy, this will spill over into the happiness we seek. What do you think?

Psalm 21:6 - You have endowed him with eternal happiness. You have given him the unquenchable joy of your presence.

Living in Grace

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Bird song

This week there has been a lovely sound of birdsong outside our office windows. It is not the first time that we have heard them singing, but this week it seemed a lot more noticeable. Perhaps it was because we have just experienced Easter and the thought of "new life" was in the forefront of my mind, or maybe it was just that I been previously distracted. In the end, I was reminded of these words from the Psalmist:

"They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work." - Psalm 104:11-13

Living in Grace

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The meaning of the Cross

 

Today's Lent reflection is from Mike Shaw - thank you so much Mike:

"As a child I remember we learnt about good and evil at Sunday School. The 'rules' that God gave us for living were very important for us and I recall that the Cross became like my badge - the side I was on.

As an adolescent I continued to attend church, did confirmation, learnt about the Apostles Creed, began to increase my knowledge of the Scriptures and the meaning of the Law. As the way ahead widened and challenges increased, my resolve to remain faithful was still evident. The Cross continued to represent the side I was on.

As an adult, pressure began to build up from all sides. I felt it on my heart, from work in the Engineering profession and greater responsibilities. I experienced the good and bad, as well as the 'grey' in-between. Life was full of choices and big decisions to make. I sometimes wondered if it was an intellectual decision to remain in the Christian fold and to keep faithful through these tough situations. However, I realised it was God who made the seed grow in my life.

As the years passed and my knowledge of the Scriptures increased, the New Covenant opened up a new relationship with God for me. I knew I could pray directly to the Father and this was liberating. I followed this way and have seen the eventual outcome many times and have known what Joy is. The Cross reminds me of God's spiritual presence and His supernatural presence.

As an old man (in my 90's), I fully understand that God's way of communicating with us is through the Bible. The love of God is on display for all humankind to see - we don't need any language to communicate this. This is what the Cross of Christ means to me."

Living in grace

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The Contrast

"Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.

However many years anyone may live,
let them enjoy them all.
But let them remember the days of darkness,
for there will be many.
Everything to come is meaningless." - Ecclesiastes 11:7-8

In these 2 verses there is a great deal of contrast in the images that Solomon shares. Perhaps this is why it is so revealing and challenging at the same time. Do you notice how he speaks about 'sweet light' and then 'days of darkness?' He also contrasts joy and meaninglessness. 

Solomon's overriding message to the next generation was clear - Life is a gift and we have little control over how things turn out, so let us enjoy what gifts God gives to us. 

This is so relevant for what we are experiencing at the moment during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. There seems to be no certainty anymore - darkness contrasts with moments of light and our joy is often threatened by meaninglessness.

The opening words of verse 7 are key for me today - each sunrise is pleasing to the soul - it reminds us that God has given us one more day to enjoy.

I am grateful for the purpose and love of Christ. It is in Jesus that I live, breathe and have my being.

Living in Grace

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What a beautiful name

There are so many fantastic modern songs that speak into the birth of Jesus Christ and God’s decision to send him to be our Saviour. The words of What a Beautiful Name truly capture the essence of the Incarnation for us and they also point us forward to the mystery of the cross.

You were the Word at the beginning
One with God the Lord Most High
Your hidden glory in creation
Now revealed in You our Christ

What a beautiful name it is
What a beautiful name it is
The name of Jesus Christ my King
What a beautiful name it is
Nothing compares to this
What a beautiful name it is
The name of Jesus

You didn't want heaven without us
So Jesus, You brought heaven down
My sin was great, Your love was greater
What could separate us now

The words of this song were written and composed by Ben Fielding and Brooke Ligertwood in December 2015, before it was performed by Hillsong Worship in 2016. It is too early to tell if this song will be a classic, like many of the older hymns and carols, but it certainly has a beautiful melody and is really easy to sing along with.

The lyrics have come in for some criticism from a few scholars, but the heart of the song is based around these passages from Hebrews 1:1–1:4 and Colossians 1.  Personally I was not looking to be critical when I first heard the song. I love the opening verse – it really reminds me of how God’s glory is revealed in the birth of Jesus Christ.

There is so much HOPE and CONSOLATION in the name of Jesus Christ. Indeed, what a beautiful name it is.

Thought: When you are facing a really tough time, all you need to do is breathe in and speak the name of Jesus. You will slowly start to feel more at peace. Try this a few more times and see what the precious name of Jesus does in your spirit.

Living in Grace

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You left your Throne (Thou didst leave thy throne)

Thanks for the feedback I received from a few of you regarding the songs/hymns you would like me to write about this advent season. One of the requests concerns this beautiful song:

“Thou didst leave thy throne
And thy kingly crown
When thou camest to earth for me
But in Bethlehem’s home
Was there found no room
For thy holy nativity:
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus!
There is room in my heart for thee.” – Emily Elizabeth Steele Elliott

When Emily wrote the words of this song she was trying to use music to teach young children the powerful story of Christ’s birth. It is thought that she wrote the song for the church her dad (Rev. Edward Elliott) was leading – St. Mark’s Anglican Church in Brighton, England. She based this song on the words from Luke’s gospel: Luke 2:7 “but there was no room for them in the inn.”

It seems as if writing and music was in the Elliott blood. Emily’s famous aunt was Charlotte Elliott, who wrote the well-known hymn ‘Just as I am.’ One of Emily’s works ‘Under the Pillow’ was a collection of her hymns, which was used especially to bring encouragement and hope to those who found themselves in hospitals and infirmaries.

For me there are 2 powerful statements that I am left contemplating today:

1. Jesus left his throne (and Kingdom) to come and live among us. Although the kingdom of God has no boundaries and is limitless, Jesus was initially given no room to sleep in, except for the dusty stable in Bethlehem.

 2.      Is there room in my heart for the Christ-child this year? Or have I allowed all the complications of this world to take up all the space in my spirit and therefore given God no room to bring me peace, joy, love and hope?

What do you think?

Living in Grace

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Once in Royal David's City

I have many childhood memories of Christmas and especially of the songs and carols we used to sing. I think that Once in Royal David’s City must take me back around 40 years or so.

Once in royal David’s city, stood a lowly cattle shed, where a mother laid her baby,
In a manger for His bed: Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ, her little Child.

There is something equally majestic and intriguing about this hymn and if I were to choose the ‘best’ verse from this song, I would suggest that the last verse is the most profound (for me).

And our eyes at last shall see Him, Through His own redeeming love; For that Child so dear and gentle, Is our Lord in heaven above: And He leads His children on, To the place where He is gone.

It is the thought that Christ leads us all to the place he has gone that fills me with hope and expectation. This resonates with the words of John 14, where Jesus reassures his disciples that he has gone ahead to prepare a place for them. I don’t know what that place will actually look like, but it is enough for me that Christ himself will be there.

Once in Royal David’s City first appeared in a collection, Hymns for Little Children in 1848. What makes this hymn unique is that it is one of only a few hymns to be written by a woman and to be recognised for its true merits. In an era when many women struggled to receive a public platform, Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895) succeeded.

“She was born in Dublin, Ireland, and began writing in verse from an early age. She became so adept that by the age of 22, several of her hymn texts made it into the hymnbook of the Church of Ireland. Alexander [née Humphreys] married William Alexander, both a clergyman and a poet in his own right who later became the bishop of the Church of Ireland in Derry and later archbishop. Aside from her prolific hymn writing, Cecil Alexander gave much of her life to charitable work and social causes, something rather rare for women of her day” (www.umcdiscipleship.org)

Living in Grace

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The First Noel

The word, Noel, often catches us by surprise in that it has a variety of different versions of the spelling – Nowell, being one of the popular alternatives. It is a French/Gaelic word that has Latin roots (natalis), which means “birthday.”

The following information about the "The First Noel" comes from a very interesting website www.galaxymusicnotes.com. This beloved Christmas carol is regarded to be of Cornish origin. It bloomed at a time when the Medieval civilization of Europe was experiencing "Proto-Renaissance," and could be as old as the 14th century. The story told in the song was inspired by the dramatizations of "Miracle Plays," and it tells the story of "Noel" or "Jesus", depicting the night of his birth in Bethlehem.

The structure of the First Noel bears stark resemblance with medieval French poems, which sadly were never recorded. Thankfully, “The First Noel" was first transcribed around 1823, and was later published in "Gilbert and Sandy’s Carols" in 1833.Williams Sandy’s arranged and edited the carol, while Davies Gilbert pitched in with additional lyrics. Gilbert is also credited for the revival of the song in modern times. 

It was only around 1929, that the English version made an appearance in the "The Cornish Songbook." In modern times, "The First Noel" is performed utilizing a 4 part hymn arrangement created by John Stainer.

For me, the part of the song that stands out during this Advent are these lines:

Then entered in those Wise Men three,

Full reverently upon their knee,
And offered there in his presence,
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense:

It begs the question – What am I bringing to the Lord this Christmas? What do I have to offer my King?

Living in Grace

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Joy to the World

Three hundred years old! That is how old the song Joy to the World is. That's incredible!

Written in 1719 by Isaac Watts, this beloved song/hymn still echoes through our churches, schools and carol services across the planet. What is even more interesting is that apparently Isaac Watts didn't even write the words as a song at all. He was busy working on a poetic reflection of the Psalms and was trying to create a modern paraphrase of each Psalm. These were compiled into a book called "The Psalms of David". 

When Isaac read Psalm 98 he was inspired to write the words we sing today (mostly) and when you look at the Psalm in the light of his song, we can see the deep connection. 

Joy to the world, the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare him room And heaven and nature sing!
And heaven and nature sing!
And heaven . . . and heaven . . . and nature sing.

One of the other interesting facts about Isaac Watts' work on the Psalms was that he was trying to read each Psalm in the light of Jesus Christ - the promised Messiah. This is why I love his words even more! As many of you know that was the title of one of my books (Jesus in the Psalms) - I am convinced that the words of the Old Testament become so much more meaningful when read in the light of Christ.

The Challenge for us this Advent is to 'prepare room in our hearts for the coming of Christ.' 

We can only truly sing that 'The Lord is come', if we have made a decision to treat Jesus as our Lord.

Thoughts?

Living in Grace
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Joy will accompany us

"So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.

When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the labor that is done on earth—people getting no sleep day or night— then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it." - Ecclesiastes 8:15-17

Today's reading teaches us that God desires 'joy to accompany us' in the toil of our lives. This is such a tremendous promise. Hold onto this today.

Thomas Merton - Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone - we find it with another.

Living in Grace

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