Wellbeing

Romans 5:5 “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” 

In a Peanut’s cartoon Lucy and Linus were sitting in front of the television set when Lucy said to Linus, “Go get me a glass of water.” Linus looked surprised, “Why should I do anything for you? You never do anything for me.” “On your 75th birthday,” Lucy promised, “I’ll bake you a cake.” Linus got up, headed to the kitchen and said, “Life is more pleasant when you have something to look forward to.”

Eugene Peterson, in his book, “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society”, suggests…

“Hoping does not mean doing nothing. It is not fatalistic resignation. It means going about our assigned tasks, confident that God will provide the meaning and the conclusions. It is not compelled to work away at keeping up appearances with a bogus spirituality. It is the opposite of desperate and panicky manipulations, of scurrying and worrying.

And hoping is not dreaming. It is not spinning an illusion or fantasy to protect us from our boredom or our pain. It means a confident, alert expectation that God will do what he said he will do. It is imagination put in the harness of faith. It is a willingness to let God do it his way and in his time. It is the opposite of making plans that we demand that God put into effect, telling him both how and when to do it. That is not hoping in God but bullying God. I pray to GOD-my life a prayer-and wait for what he’ll say and do. My life’s on the line before God, my Lord, waiting and watching till morning, waiting and watching till morning.” 

Lord, your word says, you are the hope for hopeless so I'm running to you with both hands stretched out and grabbing on to you. Fill me up with hope and give me a tangible reminder today that hope is an unbreakable spiritual lifeline. Amen

Wellbeing

Psalm 16:11You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

When it comes to wellbeing in our day and age, folk often speak of the need for a trainer or coach; someone who sets a pathway to fitness and better health. In terms of our inner life as a disciple of Jesus, many christians refer to a spiritual director. A spiritual director is an individual, ordained or lay, who has discerned for themselves, or has been encouraged by godly friends to agree, that they have a ministry of holy listening and empathy. The joy and purpose of a spiritual director is to enable another person to discern God at work in their lives, and to hear His call and direction. The spiritual director does not lead or decide for another, but accompanies that person prayerfully.

This is very much how the psalmist speaks of God; the one who enables him to experience the joys of life and the exquisite pleasures of God’s own eternal presence.

Two boys were playing in the snow one day, when one said to the other, "Let us see who can make the straightest path in the snow." His companion readily accepted the proposition, and they started.

One boy fixed his eyes on a tree, and walked along without taking his eyes off the object selected. The other boy set his eyes on the tree also, and, when he had gone a short distance, he turned, and looked back to see how true his course was. He went a little distance farther, and again turned to look over his steps. When they arrived at their stopping place, each halted and looked back. One path was true as an arrow, while the other ran in a zigzag course. "How did you get your path so true?" asked the boy who had made the crooked steps.

"Why," said the other boy, "I just set my eyes on the tree, and kept them there until I got to the end, 

Dear Lord, I'm so grateful You show me where the path is and travel with me on my journey. Help me pay attention and walk with You daily as You teach, protect and guide. Thank You that You are always with me on the path of life today and forever. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Wellbeing

Romans 5:1-2 So now, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith in his promises, we can have real peace with him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. For because of our faith, he has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be.

Some time ago an artist wanted to find a man that would represent the prodigal. One day, walking up the streets, he met a poor beggar, and the thought occurred to him: “That man would represent the prodigal.” He told him what he wanted, and found the beggar was ready to come to his place of business and sit for his painting, if he would pay him for his time. The man appeared on the day appointed, but the artist did not recognise him. He said: “You made an appointment with me.” “No,” says the artist; “I never saw you before.”

“You are mistaken; you did see me and made an appointment with me.” “No; it must be some other artist. I have an appointment to meet a beggar here at this hour.” “Well,” says the beggar, “I am the man.” “You the man!” “Yes.” “What have you been doing?”

“Well, I thought I would get a new suit of clothes before I got painted.” “Well,” said the artist, “I don’t want you!”

Wesley spoke about the act of coming to the rail to partake in holy communion  as a converting ordinance. In other words giving credence to the notion of , “come as you are!” Didn’t Jesus speak in similar terms when he said, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 (The message)

In times of weakness and hour of need,

yours is the strength by which we carry on,

the shoulder we rest our head upon.

When our load is heavy and too much to bear,

yours are the arms stretched out to help us

the grace that we depend on.

In times of weakness and hour of need,

your voice is heard,

‘Come… find rest.’

This is grace divine,

the path we tread to wholeness

of body and spirit,

the path that leads to you,

and for which we offer our offering of praise. Amen

Wellbeing

Matthew 8:25–27 “And they went and woke him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing.’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?’ Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marvelled, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?’” 

We, just like the disciples in the boat, may at times begin to think, “Does Jesus not care? Is God indifferent? Perhaps we can recognise ourselves in the disciples’ questions. When we experience pain, suffering or distress, it seems strange that God allows it to continue. It is difficult at such times to receive Jesus’ wish for peace when we are so preoccupied by what confronts us. Jesus always takes a longer view and asks the same of us. He puts the present moment in God’s hands, trusting that God will work in all things for our good.

In a storm, whether of the sea or of our own emotions, the urgent often pushes out the important; overwhelmed by feelings of panic, We can say and do things that destroy relationships or make our plight worse. It need not be like that. Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, suffered worse crises than any we have suffered; we marvel at the calm with which they could respond. Jesus’ greeting is one of peace. Teach me that, Lord.

The disciples found out bit by bit ‘what kind of man this is'. In different situations they would get to know Jesus; by hearing him and watching him with people, they would understand and appreciate and love him more. Reflection, prayer, conversation and reading can all enhance and increase our knowledge of him. Mostly our knowledge will grow with our love of him, as both grow together. Our prayer leads us from love to knowledge, the knowledge of the heart that is at the heart of prayer.

This scene is often pictured and is a favourite for times of stress and of darkness - in the storms of life. We may feel Jesus is asleep, not near us. He woke at the moment he was really needed, and calmed the waters. In prayer he calms us too, maybe not immediately but when we really need him he is there, a hand outstretched to save us from anxiety, darkness and despair. The Lord of wind and sea, the one in whom all was created is the one who creates calm and confidence in everything of life. 

Heavenly Father, You are our hiding place from the storm and the rain. You are our shelter and our covering. We ask You for preservation from this raging tempest. Please keep all those in the path of this storm safe and defend their homes from damage. Bring peace and protection and provision, we ask. Thank You for Your great compassion and mercy for Your children. Amen.

Welbeing

Psalm 91:4–5 “He will shield you with his wings! They will shelter you. His faithful promises are your armour. Now you don’t need to be afraid of the dark anymore, nor fear the dangers of the day;

I am sure that we’ve all heard the saying, “I’ve got this covered.” It’s a phrase we often come across in the insurance industry. Of course there are two kinds of agencies that deal with life cover, namely insurance companies and assurance societies. What’s the difference?

If you like, insurance is a ‘just in case it happens’ whilst assurance is ‘a guarantee that will come through when required.”

No wonder Fanny Crosby wrote blessed assurance rather than blessed insurance.

A story is told of a cowboy who goes to buy some life insurance. The broker asked him if he had any accidents in the past year, to which the cowboy replied “No. But I was kicked by a horse, chased by a raging bull and bitten by a snake - that laid me up for a while.” The agent said, “Weren’t they accidents?” To which the stockman replied, “No, they did it on purpose.”

Another story tells of a retired couple who were alarmed by the threat of nuclear war so they undertook a serious study of all the inhabited places on the globe. Their goal was to determine where in the world would be the place to be least likely affected by a nuclear war. A place of ultimate security. They studied and traveled, traveled and studied. Finally they found the place and as Christmas approached they sent their pastor a card from their new home--in the Falkland Islands. However, their "paradise" was soon turned into a war zone by Great Britain and Argentina. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

The question is do we rest in the assurance God affords us?

When we fall into the traps

of groundless fears,

you deliver us.

When an epidemic of worry

threatens to overcome us,

you protect us.

When harmful words

are flung at us,

you answer our cries for help.

Gracious God,

we worship you.

When our lives crumble,

you urge us to buy hope's fields.

When we are tempted by wealth,

you point us to those

who have nothing but share all.

When we are eager

to grasp senseless lies,

you wrap our hands

around God's promises.

Servant of the poor,

we follow you.

When the world silences our hope,

you give us the words to make

the good confession of faith.

When we have lost our way

and can no longer endure

the emptiness of our lives,

you satisfy us from the abundance

of God's grace and joy.

Sheltering Spirit,

we seek your peace. Amen 

Epiphany & God’s Mission

Matthew 2:12 Then, since they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by a different route.

Have you ever noticed that once the wisemen had seen and worshipped the infant Jesus, they changed their route, their itinerary was completely revised. Sometimes, the circumstances in our lives seem to be leading us in a different direction than we originally planned. As seekers for Jesus, we need to be open to these changes and try to look at them through God’s eyes. For the wisemen the clarity of direction only came once they had been in the presence of Jesus.

A group of young children were sitting together at the cinema when one decided to go off and get some popcorn. When he came back into the theatre he couldn’t find his group. Anxiously he walked up and down the aisles growing more and more concerned and confused with each step. Finally, he went down to the front, climbed up on the platform and then stood in front of the screen and shouted, “Please, does anyone know who I am, and where I should be? – That’s a question many people continually ask: Who am I, where should I be, where am I going?

We could almost add another blessed to the beatitudes - “blessed is the one who finds out which way God is moving and then gets going in the same direction.”

Having brought our best gift to the Christ-child, namely ourselves which direction do we choose to follow?

“How hard it was for me 

to find you the perfect gift. 

I had looked everywhere 

and considered every idea 

until I had an epiphany 

and felt as wise as the magi. 

For my gift would be simple. 

For my gift would be honest. 

How hard it was for me 

to wrap myself neatly 

and feign sobriety. 

Yet, 

how easy it was for you 

to pull the ribbon and uncover me. 

Exposing my fears. 

Exposing my desires. 

How hard it was for me 

to gift myself to you. 

Yet, 

how easy it was for you 

to make me undone.” 

― Kamand Kojouri

May the path that Christ walks to bring justice upon the earth, to bring light to those who sit in darkness, to bring out those who live in bondage, to bring new things to all creation: may this path run through our life. May we be the road Christ takes. Amen

Wellbeing

Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Sigmund Freud tells the story of a three-year-old boy crying in a dark room of a home he was visiting one evening. “Auntie,” the boy cried, “talk to me! I’m frightened because it is so dark.” His aunt answered him from another room: “What good would that do? You can’t see me.” “That doesn’t matter,” replied the child. “When you talk, it gets light.”

This child was not afraid of the dark but of the absence of someone he loved. What he needed to feel secure was presence. We all need the same; knowing presence is the ground of this basic sense of safety for all of us.

From a different perspective, C S Lewis recalls how, he was standing  in the dark toolshed. The sun was shining outside and through the crack at the top of the door there came a sunbeam. From where he stood that beam of light, with the specks of dust floating in it, was the most striking thing in the place.

He recalls, “Everything else was almost pitch-black. I was seeing the beam, not seeing things by it.

“Then I moved, so that the beam fell on my eyes. Instantly the whole previous picture vanished. I saw no toolshed, and (above all) no beam. Instead I saw, framed in the irregular cranny at the top of the door, green leaves moving on the branches of a tree outside and beyond that, 90 odd million miles away, the sun. Looking along the beam, and looking at the beam are very different experiences.”

Well might we sing Bernadette Farrell‘s words.

Longing for light, we wait in darkness.

Longing for truth, we turn to you.

Make us your own, your holy people,

light for the world to see.

Christ be our light! Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness.

Christ, be our light! Shine in your church gathered today. Amen