Prayers across the centuries

Over the next two weeks we will explore prayers of the church across the ages. We start with Origen of Alexandria[ (185 - 253) an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theologian. He was a prolific writer who wrote roughly 2,000 treatises in multiple branches of theology. He was one of the most influential and controversial figures in early Christian theology, and described as "the greatest genius the early church ever produced".

His deep spirituality is seen this prayer for cleansing much like Paul advocated in his letter to the Corinthians

2 Corinthians 7:1 With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let’s make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let’s make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God.

O Jesus my feet are dirty. Come even as a slave to me,_ pour water into your bowl, come and wash my feet. In asking such a thing I know I am overbold but I dread what was threatened when you said to me, ‘If do not wash your feet I have no fellowship with you.’ Wash my feet then, because I long for your companionship. And yet, what am I asking? It was well for Peter to ask you to wash his feet, for him that was all that was needed for him to be clean in every part. With me it is different, though you wash me now I shall still stand in need of that other washing, the cleansing you promised when you said, ‘there is a baptism I must needs be baptised with’.

A favourite hymn writer, Albert Orsborn speaks of this yearning in these terms.

1 When shall I come unto the healing waters?

Lifting my heart, I cry to thee my prayer.

Spirit of peace, my Comforter and healer,

In whom my springs are found, let my soul meet thee there.

Refrain:

From a hill I know,

Healing waters flow;

O rise, Immanuel’s tide,

And my soul overflow!

2 Wash from my hands the dust of earthly striving;

Take from my mind the stress of secret fear;

Cleanse thou the wounds from all but thee far hidden,

And when the waters flow let my healing appear.

3 Light, life and love are in that healing fountain,

All I require to cleanse me and restore;

Flow through my soul, redeem its desert places,

And make a garden there for the Lord I adore.

Amen

All Things New!

Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

These comforting words can apply to all of us as we seek to live a good life and overcome our own unique challenges.

What does it mean to be strong?

Part of being strong and of a good courage means trusting in the Lord as our true source of strength. In Joshua’s case, he didn’t have all the answers for the challenges before him. But he was counselled to go forward anyway, acting in faith. Like Joshua, we seldom have all the answers to our personal challenges. But God promises that when we turn to Him for guidance, we will succeed. God is all-powerful and all-knowing. He has the answers and the strength we need to face any challenge before us. He was with Joshua, and He will be with us.

At the time it was completed in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world. During the first phase of the project, 23 men fell to their death. There were very few safety devices, and things seemed to be going from bad to worse.

So when it was halfway completed they decided to take another look and to make some changes. Here is what they did. They reorganised and they built the largest net ever made and attached it under the area where the men were working. Was it worth the cost and the time it took to do that? Well just ask the 10 men who fell into the net! Not only did it save the lives of those 10 men, the work was actually done sooner than planned because they no longer lived in fear of falling.

Elsewhere in scripture we read, “The God of ancient time is a hiding place, and underneath are the arms of eternity.” Deuteronomy 33:27

Loving Father, the greatness of Your eternal majesty is only equalled by Your gracious love and support to Your children. Thank You that You are my refuge and strength amidst all the storms of life. Uphold me with Your righteous right hand, and may I find rest for my soul in Your everlasting arms. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

All Things New!

This is the message from Isaiah: “Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in” (Isaiah 58:12).

Recently, as I view the devastation news scenes from Ukraine, I have wondered how on earth will the people of that land rebuild their towns villages and cities. I wonder how much those of faith, having read Isaiah’s prophecy, can possibly believe that the structures of their society could ever be rebuilt.

I recently read of a conversation between two church men. Jim Corley met his friend, Alex, at the car dealership where Alex worked and the conversation went like this.

“Jim, I feel like a hypocrite every time I go to church because I fail to live for Christ so often.”

“Alex, what do you call this part of the dealership?” Jim asked, nodding to the area outside his cubicle.

“You mean the showroom?”

“Yes. And what’s behind the showroom, past the parts counter?

“The service department,” Alex said confidently.

“What if I told you I didn’t want to bring my car to the service department because it was running rough,” Jim asked.

“That would be crazy! That’s the whole point of service departments—to fix cars that aren’t running right.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Jim replied. “Now, let’s get back to our initial conversation. Instead of thinking of church as a showroom where image is everything, start thinking of it as God’s service department. Helping people get back in running order with God is what the church is all about.”

I wonder whether Isaiah is talking about ruined buildings or ruined lives?

O Breath of life, come sweeping through us,

revive your church with life and pow'r;

O Breath of Life, come, cleanse, renew us,

and fit your church to meet this hour.

O Wind of God, come bend us, break us,

till humbly we confess our need;

then in your tenderness remake us,

revive, restore, for this we plead.

O Breath of love, come breathe within us,

renewing thought and will and heart;

come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us,

revive your church in ev'ry part.

O Heart of Christ, once broken for us,

'tis there we find our strength and rest;

our broken, contrite hearts now solace,

and let your waiting church be blest.

Revive us, Lord! Is zeal abating 

while harvest fields are vast and white?

Revive us, Lord, the world is waiting,

equip your church to spread the light.

Bessie Porter Head 

All Things New!

Isaiah 42:10 Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them.

Have you ever wondered why Christians gather all over the globe weekly to sing together?

Or why does corporate singing feature in almost all of our regular services?

Corporate singing is as old as the church itself. Paul encourages the Colossians to  “admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” If you rewind back to the Old Testament in 2 Chronicles: 20, Jehoshaphat sent a group of singers out ahead of the battle to give them the upper hand against the enemy. And it worked…

There is also a science behind the benefits of singing. Researchers have discovered that singing together is good for our lung health, boosts our immune system and reduces our risk of heart disease. There’s also a wealth psychosocial benefit such as improved self-esteem and confidence.

So in many senses, is the benefit of Singing to the Lord actually the blessing of being renewed?

 O Living God of past and future,

 we praise you

 for this present moment.

 Fill us with your joy and empower us with your Holy Spirit,

 that our strength may be renewed

 to sing a new song of your glory

 in a world which longs for your justice and peace.

 All this we ask in the name of Jesus,

 in whom we become

 your new creation. Amen

All Things New!

Isaiah 40:31contains a great promise of strength for the weary: “they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” This promises a supernaturally renewed strength—a strength that would compare to mounting up as an eagle or running without fatigue. But what does this mean and how do we receive it? The context of this verse helps us.

Henry David Thoreau, in his classic book, Walden, told of a powerful custom of the Mucclasse Indians. Once each year, they had a village clean up called a "busk." First they would make new clothes for themselves as well as furniture and cooking utensils. They would keep all of these new things in a building outside of the village. When everything was ready, they would begin their annual spring cleaning.

Every corner of every house was scrubbed. Every stick of furniture was thrown out. Every child's toy went to the garbage heap. The dirt paths were swept, and the weeds were plucked up. Even the food left over from winter was thrown out. All of the refuse in the village was gathered together into a pile in the centre of the village. Then the chief set it on fire. As they watched it burn, they took off their clothes and tossed them into the fire as well. They tended the fire carefully and made sure that every last piece of garbage was burned.

On the fourth morning, they washed and bathed, and dressed in their new clothes. They then gathered again at the heart of the village. The chief started a new fire and from the flames each family took burning sticks home to start their own fires. The old was gone, life was beginning again!

We have a place of renewal -- in Christ. It is here that we let go of the old and embrace the new. Indeed, we can rise to walk in newness of life.

Creating God,

it has been told to us since the very beginning

that you are truly the Lord of all that is and ever shall be. 

You are the God of both the prince and pauper,

of feast and famine,

of the mighty and the weak —

and yet, you do not favour the strong over the powerless. 

Remind us of your love as we read the scriptures,

O God of True Justice. 

Open our eyes – open our hearts –

that we may be strengthened and renewed by your Word. Amen

All Things New!

Ezekiel 36:26  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

The heart is used in Scripture as the most comprehensive term for the authentic person. It is the part of our being where we desire, deliberate, and decide. It has been described as “the place of conscious and decisive spiritual activity,” “the comprehensive term for a person as a whole; his feelings, desires, passions, thought, understanding and will,” and “the centre of a person. The place to which God turns.”

What a wonderful new year gift we find in Ezekiel’s prophecy. Perhaps today we should think today not of what we want to do for God but of what God wants to do for us. To see that God cares for us in all of our being - body, heart and souls - wanting to refresh us, invigorate us and call us back to life. Maybe we should pray and let God be God and think of what it means for us to be children of God.

Still today, in everyday conversation, if someone is merciless, we may say they are “stony-hearted” or “hard-hearted.” So we know what God was saying when he promised his people, through the prophet Ezekiel.

Charles Wesley puts this heart text in a beautiful hymn that says,

O for a heart to praise my God,
a heart from sin set free,
a heart that always feels thy blood
so freely shed for me.

A heart resigned, submissive, meek,
my great Redeemer's throne,
where only Christ is heard to speak,
where Jesus reigns alone.

A humble, lowly, contrite heart,
believing, true, and clean,
which neither life nor death can part
from Christ who dwells within.

A heart in every thought renewed
and full of love divine,
perfect and right and pure and good,
a copy, Lord, of thine.

Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart;
come quickly from above;
write thy new name upon my heart,
thy new, best name of Love. Amen

All Things New!

Happy New Year, this week we will consider text from the Old Testament that speak to us of renewing and renewal.

We start with Isaiah 43:18-19

 

“Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.”

In the Prophecies of Isaiah, we can find wisdom that has lasted the passing of time and is more than relevant for the present age. As we move into 2023 with all that the world has passed through in recent years. But what is this new thing that Isaiah promises. I wonder what this new year would say if it could speak, perhaps it would be something like this.

I am the New Year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.

I am your next chance at the art of living. I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.

All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.

All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.

All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have—these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.

I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, “Behold, I make all things new.” 

On this edge of years

the crossroads between past and future

we come as who we have been

and offer you who we might yet be

Take this offering of ourselves

a new promise to be your people here

holding a renewed vision of your reign here

Take this

take us

that we might be light

and follow you anew

as we journey across borders of time

and find new years 

new places

to be your renewed people. Amen.