What is NEW about it?

In reflecting on this very well-known passage of scripture (John 13:33-35) I was greatly challenged around the idea of this 'new' commandment. Why did Jesus refer to it as a new commandment? If you want to get the full version of my thoughts on this, then please watch this video.

John 13:34-35 - “And so I am giving a new commandment to you now—love each other just as much as I love you. Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (Living Bible)

Tertullian reports the pagans of his day (a century after this Gospel was published) as saying of Christians, ‘See how they love one another!’” 

Living in Grace

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Dying to things

In his delightful work Sharing the Foundations, Paul Tillich writes that "the new is created out of the death of the old." Of course this can relate to many different aspects of life, work and even relationships. 

However, I wanted to ask what this could possibly mean for us in a Faith context? And especially in the season of Lent.

What would the 'old' refer to and how will the 'NEW' be created out of that?

Hebrews 9:15 - "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."

I am drawn to the image of Christ's body that is laid to rest in the tomb - the death of the old. And then the Resurrected body of Jesus appears from that same tomb (the new created out of this). I am not sure if that makes sense, but I will start from there for today.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

A prayer for Spring

As we enter into this new season of Spring, it is wonderful to be reminded of new beginnings, second chances and hope. I have put together a lovely little prayer with pictures for you to enjoy. Please click on this link for the Spring Prayer and you are welcome to share with anyone who may enjoy it.

Remember that God is in the business of re-creating and bringing us back from the wilderness.

God bless you.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

A new kind of Gathering

“Someday, O Israel, I will gather you;
    I will gather the remnant who are left.
I will bring you together again like sheep in a pen,
    like a flock in its pasture.
Yes, your land will again
    be filled with noisy crowds!" - Micah 2:12

I wonder what Micah had in mind when he pictured the people of Israel being gathered together again. Was it just an image of what he had already seen, or was it something that was totally new and almost unbelievable?

When we gather together this Christmas period, whether it is with family and friends, or even in our Church communities, take a moment to imagine what our Heavenly gathering will look like. I echo Paul's words (1 Corinthians 2:9), where he says:

“What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
    the things God has prepared for those who love him.

Living in Grace
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New song

^“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him." - Psalm 40:3

It is remarkable that with all the millions of songs already produced that artists find creative ways of expressing their thoughts and emotions in new songs. Itunes has over 40 million songs on its database - That is an incredible amount of songs don’t you think?

As we think about it, a new song doesn’t necessarily mean that the older songs are obsolete, but rather that, after going through a difficult experience, there is a fresh expression of God’s goodness and mercy. A deeper comprehension of Christ's faithfulness inspires new words to flow from our hearts.

Are you able to sing a new song at the moment?

Psalm 149:1 - "Praise the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people."

Living in Grace

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Letting go of the past

I keep writing 2017 instead of 2018. Are you doing the same thing as me? I hope so, as it will make me feel a little better about myself then :) I guess we had 365 days to get used to writing one thing, and now we have to let go of that and remind ourselves to write a new date.

This morning when I did this for the umpteenth time, the thought struck me - "What other things, from my past, am I holding onto? Are these things preventing me from moving forward with God?"

So, I am asking us all the same question today? Are you still living in the past, holding onto past regrets, past hurts, past disappointments, past pain? And if we are answering 'YES' to any of these, then we need to ask the hard question - WHY?!

Do we not trust in the grace of Jesus to cleanse us from our sins, mistakes and regrets? Can Christ not make all things new? Are God's promises to flimsy to sustain us into a new season? I don't think so.

Galatians 5:1 - "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free."

"One more step along the world I go,
One more step along the world I go;
From the old things to the new,
Keep me travelling along with you:
And it's from the old I travel to the new;
Keep me travelling along with you." - Sydney Carter

Living in Grace
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Mid-course Correction

I have just finished reading a wonderful book by Gordon MacDonald entitled "Mid-Course Correction." As some may assume, it is NOT a book about going through mid-life crisis, but rather a book that reflects on the reality that many people are frustrated in their lives - they feel a sense of having gone down a wrong road or are even asking the question: "Is this all that life has to offer?"

MacDonald quotes the poet Ed Sissman:

"People past forty
Get up nights
Look out at city lights
And wonder why life is so long
And where they made the wrong turn."

Of course, this can happen to any person, not just those in their forties. Young Adults fresh out of school or university ask this question and so do newly retired folk. And when we ask this question, we may have to get to a point of making a 'mid-course Correction.' In other ways, being brave enough to change the direction our spiritual lives are heading in, while we are still trying to survive on a daily basis. It is the mid-course correction that could save our lives!

Proverbs 12:1 - Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.

Proverbs 15:10 - Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path; the one who hates correction will die.

Living in Grace
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Only where graves are

Frederick Nietzsche once remarked: "Only where there are graves are there resurrections."

I found that I needed to read the quote again and again.
Only where graves are...
.... is there RESURRECTION.

Of course, it is so straight forward.
Simple really.
But deeply profound.
We can only experience a resurrection - a rebirth - a renewal, where there has been a death.

John 12:24 - "Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

In longing for the NEW thing, let us not forget that the OLD needs to die first.

Living in Grace
D3LM3