Help of the helpless

"O Lord, the help of the helpless,
the hope of the hopeless,
the Saviour of the storm-tossed,
the harbour of voyagers,
the physician of the sick;
we pray to you.
O Lord, you know each of us and our petitions;
You know each house and its needs." - Basil (Greek Bishop)

In the midst of troubling times, it is good to remember that Christ is with those who are helpless, hopeless, fearful, sick, storm-tossed and out of prayers. God hears our groans. 

Psalm 12:5 - "The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.”

Living in Grace

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Refiner's Fire and Launderer's Soap

"See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight - indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like washers' soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness." - Malachi 3:1-3

The two prominent images which spring from this passage are, of a refiner's fire and of launderer's soap. Both are used to clean impurities - one from precious metals and the other from clothing. This striking illustration reminds me that the arrival of the Messiah is not just to make us 'feel' good, but it is also to purify our hearts and to present us 'spotless' before the Father.

As Advent invites us to do some intentional soul-searching, what could these 2 images highlight in our lives? What needs to be cleansed in my soul and life at the moment?

Job 23:10 - "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." 

Living in grace

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Celebrating the King

As we celebrate Palm Sunday, let us read some words from Zephaniah who shares a remarkable prophecy of the coming of the Messiah. As you read his words cast your mind on the image of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey. Hosanna in the highest - praise the Lord of lords.

¹⁴ Sing, Daughter Zion;
    shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
    Daughter Jerusalem!
¹⁵ The Lord has taken away your punishment,
    he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
    never again will you fear any harm.
¹⁶ On that day
    they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
    do not let your hands hang limp.
¹⁷ The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,    but will rejoice over you with singing.” - Zephaniah 3:14-17

For all of the reasons mentioned by Zephaniah, Jesus comes into our lives this week and invites us to kneel before his throne. What will our response be?

Living in Grace
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What a question!

So, when Jesus asked his disciples 'Who do the people say I am?' (Mark 8) it was a real question, but not a truly personal one. It meant they had to give an answer to some of the rumours they had heard - sharing the 'word on the street' is a non-threatening response to Jesus' question. HOWEVER, in true Jesus style, he follows up with an even tougher question - this time it is one that is deeply personal.
Who do YOU say I am?
Oops. No ducking and diving this one. Now we have to give our own answer. Now we have to dig deep and come up with the goods.
So, what is your answer?

In a response to this passage Debbie Thomas writes some insightful words:

“Who do you say that I am?” he asks next, looking at each disciple in turn.  Meaning: forget about other people’s theologies and interpretations.  Put aside tradition and creed, valuable as they are, and consider the life we have lived together thus far.  
The bread we’ve broken, 
the miles we’ve walked, 
the burdens we’ve carried, 
the tears we’ve shed, 
the laughter we’ve shared. 
Who am I to you?" 

What a Question to spend today thinking about!

Living in Grace
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No longer the centre

"I was no longer the centre of my life and therefore I could see God in everything." - Bede

There are far too many of us who believe we are the centre of the Universe, when in actual fact, this is far from the truth. Only when we remove ourselves from the centre and place God in the CORE of our world, then will things come back into perspective. We can't see the workings of God in our world, is we believe the world revolves around us.

It is time to take ourselves off the throne and place Jesus back where he belongs.

Revelation 7:17 - "For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

Living in Grace
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Saviour - Advent word

^"And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” - Matthew 1:21

How our world needs a Saviour right now?! No human on this planet has the ability or influence to save our world from self-destruction, but we believe that Jesus can. It is when we place our hopes and hearts into the name of Jesus, that is when our salvation starts.

Instead of trying to be your own saviour, why not believe in THE Saviour?

“I will not wear a crown of gold where my Saviour wore one of thorns” - Godfrey of Bouillon

2 Samuel 22:2 - "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my saviour."

Living in Grace
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Greatness

Again and again the Bible reminds us that 'greatness' in God's eyes is measured with a different scale. When the rest of the community commented that Bethlehem was not the best candidate to host the birth of a King, God showed them otherwise. And it was in His birth, that the world got to meet her Saviour - Jesus. It is amazing that a tiny, crying, wrinkly baby grew into a great man...

... and his greatness has reached the ends of the earth!

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned
    until the time when she who is in labor bears a son,
and the rest of his brothers return
    to join the Israelites.

⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock
    in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will live securely, for then his greatness    will reach to the ends of the earth." - Micah 5:2-4

Have a Blessed Christmas.

Living in Grace

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