Going Home

Our Lent reflection today is share by Ken Gerhardt - thanks for your contribution Ken.

Romans 8:11 (HCSB) "And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring (quicken) your mortal bodies to life...”

I remain blown away that the very same Holy Spirit lives in me at this moment, this hour –today and yes, 2,021 years later remains ever-present to all who believe! How can I not be overwhelmed? He, our Lord God that raised Jesus from the dead, has promised to quicken my body back to life (Romans 8:23 NIV)!

Yes, of course, I wait eagerly and groan deep within for Christ Jesus to come back and to take me home at long last... [Romans 8:18-30 is the cream & cherry on top of Holy Scripture.]

My Prayer: “In just a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.” Hebrews 10:37 (NIV)

Living in Grace

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Question to ponder: How does it make you feel that the same Spirit that lived in Moses, Elijah and Jesus is living in us? 

Making preparations

We prepare for all the big events and functions in our lives without even giving it much thought. 

We prepare for the big Christmas dinners;
We prepare for the family weddings;
We prepare the children to write their school exams;
We prepare for sporting events.

The list goes on...

In a real way, preparation is part of our lives, so it leaves me wondering why we struggle to make room in our lives for Spiritual preparation? 

This is one of the reasons why I love LENT - it keeps pulling me back to the question: "Does the Cross and Resurrection make a difference in my life? And if the answer is 'YES', then what will assist me in preparing my heart for this incredible gift?"

Even Jesus made preparations ...

Luke 22: 8 - Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”

"He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.” - Luke 22:12


As Benjamin Franklin once said: "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail!"

Living in Grace
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Forgiveness

 "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." - Luke 23:24

An advertisement for a paint product on TV claimed that forgiveness is easy. Many would disagree - it is not easy to forgive someone who has wronged you or wronged a loved one. Hurt is very real and forgiveness is extremely difficult.

Jesus' words and example have however made a significant difference in many of the lives of his followers. Dr Clarence Macarty tells of the young Armenian girl who saw her brother killed by a Turkish soldier. Years later, when the girl had become a nurse, she was given the task of nursing this same soldier, now wounded. She cared tenderly for him, and at last he asked her how she could do it, knowing he had killed her brother. She replied: "I have a religion that teaches me to forgive."

As we journey through this Lenten period we should search our hearts to find if we harbour any bitterness or resentment against any person. If so, we need to ask Jesus Christ to help us replace these with the spirit of forgiveness.

Prayer Thought: Father I pray that you will help me to forgive others as you have forgiven me.

We are grateful to Mrs Lynn Allison for her contribution today.

Living in Grace

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Taking Stock

Many of the devotions you will be reading over the next few weeks have been written by members of our Church community in Fish Hoek. As we are celebrating our Church Centenary in 2021, I asked people to share part of their own faith experience by reflecting on this Season in our Christian calendar. I am sure you will be as blessed as I have been, in reading these devotions. 

Matthew 4:1-2. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

 

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent, a word that does not appear in the Bible. The Afrikaans word for Spring is “Lente” which is connected to an Old English word “Lencten” meaning the season of Spring. The Old English word really meant “Lengthen” because in the Northern Hemisphere at this time it was Spring and the days started to get longer. 

Lent as we know it in the church, came into being about the 4^th century as a time of preparation for Easter. It originally consisted of 36 days of prayer and fasting but by the 7^th century it was lengthened to 40 days to correspond to Jesus’ fasting and temptation in the wilderness. 

In every commercial undertaking there comes time for the annual stock take. It really is a time of reassessment. Lent is the time when we ought to be taking stock of our lives. Perhaps the most important question we should ask; 

“Where am I in my walk with God?” 

It was William Sangster who suggested we ask these questions of ourselves;

“Am I really a converted person? 

Am I known as a Christian in the circles where I move? 

Who is Jesus to me?” 

These questions are very personal and only you can answer them.

 

Most Gracious Lord, at the beginning of this season of Lent, help me as I examine my relation with You and forgive me for my shortcomings. Despite my failures I do love you with all my heart. I pray this in Jesus Name. Amen

(Thanks to Rev. Ralph Thornley for his lovely devotion today.)

Living in Grace

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A reason for Lent

As we come to the start of another Lenten journey I wanted to share some reasons why I like to use this time to reflect on my relationship with Jesus. I need to make it clear (again) that Lent is not something we 'have to do', but it is a very helpful practice that keeps me focused on the cross of Christ. Let me start with this quote from Catherine Doherty first:

"Lent is a time of going very deeply into ourselves... What is it that stands between us and God? Between us and our brothers and sisters? Between us and life, the life of the Spirit? Whatever it is, let us relentlessly tear it out, without a moment's hesitation."

So, Lent calls me to the following:

1. To Remember I am mortal and that I am called to honour God with my every breath.

2. To remember that Jesus died for my sake and that by choosing to follow him I am aligning myself with his call, values and life.

3. To remember that life is busy and it easily distracts me from the things of eternal value. By pausing for a moment, each day, I am drawn back into the world of Jesus and am choosing to ask myself 'kingdom' questions.

4. To prepare for the experience of Good Friday and Easter Sunday is essential for me. This weekend marks the cornerstone of our faith and to stumble into the weekend seems sacreligious for me. Just as I spend months training and preparing to run the Comrades Marathon, so I feel I need to do something significant in my walk with Jesus. Lent offers me a space to do this.

5. Lent reminds me that I am part of a global Christian community and God is interested in us as a "Church". My personal response to Jesus is shaped by those around me and this also impacts upon my call to serve God in the world.

I hope this makes sense. Let me know the reason why you choose to mark Lent (or even why you choose not to)

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Mountains of the Lord

I read a lovely book called "Mountains of the Lord" (Rob Taylor) and have posted a review on Scripture Union magazine about this book. If you have a moment please follow this link and read the review to discover more about this fantastic book. 

In essence, Rob takes a look at the significant Mountain top moments in the Bible and reflects on what each encounter means for the people of God. These include Moses on mount Sinai, Elijah on Mount Carmel, the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration and obviously, Jesus on Calvary. 

Psalm 43: 3 - "Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell."

Living in Grace

D3LM3

P.S. For our Lenten journey which starts on Ash Wednesday (17th February) I will be sharing a variety of devotions written by people from our Church community - this will be a lovely way of hearing a different voice on a familiar topic. Watch this space :) 

Love is a tough decision to make

This time of the year brings a lot of reflection on love, romance and relationships. I was reminded again today that LOVE is a definite choice that we make. Sure, it can also be prompted by initial feelings or something along those lines, but we still need to choose to Love on a daily basis. This goes for all our relationships! 

Seth Adam Smith wrote: "Our society places a lot of emphasis on feelings. We are taught that we should always follow our feelings and do whatever makes us happy. But feelings are very fickle and fleeting. Real love, on the other hand, is like the north star in the storms of life; it is constant, sure, and true. Whenever we're lost and confused we can find strength in the love that we have chosen."

Almost every act of genuine love in the Scriptures involves someone making a sacrificial decision and then following through with committed dedication:

I think of Ruth choosing to go back with Naomi. 

Joseph's love for his family, even after they left him for dead. 

Jesus as he begins his lonely journey towards the cross.

"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." - John 15:13

Who do we need to love today?

Living in Grace

D3LM3