Daily Devotions

In Sacred Scripture, the number “40” signifies new life, new growth, transformation, a change from one great task to another great task, etc. For example we read of the days of the flood, the years Israel spent in the wilderness, the days Jesus spent doing the temptations in the wilderness and the 40 days before he ascended.

The use of this biblical 40 brings to mind such qualities as 

repentance, 

newness, 

preparation (particularly for an important work or task), 

self-examination, 

transformation, 

task fulfilment, 

escape from bondage or slavery, 

nourishment and spiritual growth 

and, finally, personal fulfilment, 

such as with redemption and salvation, and ultimately, new generation and new life.

Let's take just one example found in Luke 4:1-2 Jesus returned from the Jordan full of the Holy Spirit and he was led by the Spirit to spend forty days in the desert, where he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during that time and afterwards he felt very hungry.

Jesus, like Moses before him, retreats into the wilderness where he fasts for forty days. Each temptation involves a seizure of power: power over the elements of creation by turning stones into bread, political and military power by gaining power over the kingdoms of the world, and the power to force God's protection in an inappropriate manner. That Jesus was tested throughout his ministry was widely held in early Christianity. The Letter to the Hebrews tells us, "For do we not have a high priest (Jesus) who is unable to sympathise with out weakness, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin."

The fact that Jesus did not shy away from our human condition is important and our wilderness experiences have a significance for us too. As Presbyterian minister and author Frederick Buechner explains, “After being baptised, Jesus went off alone into the wilderness where he spent 40 days asking himself the question what it meant to be Jesus.” Perhaps we should ask ourselves the same question.

Lord, you told of these temptations to your disciples - how else would they have known? Help me to overcome my own temptations, the weaknesses or wickedness that draw me? Give me eyes to see my temptations as you did, against the backdrop of the vocation to which you call me. Teach me to recognise that you say to me ; “be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 40:10)

Biblical Numbers

We now move on into some other significant numbers found in the Bible. Today we consider the number 30.  There are two contrasting texts that I want to unpack today. The first is found in Luke 3:23 where we read, “Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.”

When I read this text, my mind begins to wander and wonder, what  was Jesus doing during those 18 years since we last read of his encounter in the Temple at the age of 12? The hidden years of Jesus Christ's life remain an intriguing mystery, with various theories and speculations about what may have happened during this period. While official Christian theology does not offer specific details, some theories argue that Jesus may have traveled to other regions and studied other religious traditions.

John Oxenham in his novel, 'The Hidden Years' portrays the youth of Christ, from the time he was twelve to the final catastrophe, told by one of his intimate companions. Jesus is depicted from a human point of view. The novel takes a reverent approach in its descriptions of the situations, many of them unusual, in which Jesus figures. 

But can we learn anything of those years from chapter 4 of Lukes Gospel? First, we discover Jesus was raised in Nazareth. Second, that the Spirit of God was within Him. Third, that everyone in the synagogue who heard Him expounding the prophecy of Isaiah were amazed at His wisdom and knowledge—because they knew Him to be a simple carpenter, not a learned individual who had studied abroad. They knew Him as the son of a humble carpenter; this is why they asked, "Isn't he the son of Joseph?" In essence quite an ordinary yet an extraordinary life with an inner dimension that many found hard to fathom.

One such individual who featured at the end of Christ's earthly ministry of whom it could be said couldn’t fathom out this Nazareth Teacher was Judas. This is where we come across another appearance of the number 30.   In Matthew we read 'one of the Twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the cabal of high priests  and said, "What will you give me if I hand him over to you?" They settled on thirty silver pieces.  He began looking for just the right moment to hand him over.

Poor Judas, for ever remembered as the betrayer. Unlike Peter, his greatest mistake was not that he betrayed Jesus, but that he had no confidence in the Lord's mercy and in his own power to recover from that betrayal. 30 years, 30 pieces of silver still speak to our age and seek from us a response.  

Lord, we are so sorry that we do not always remember your value and what you are really worth to us. Lord, help    we lift our lives up to you, we honour you. You are worthy of everything and we give you our whole selves freely. Amen

Biblical Number

There are obvious biblical  associations with the figure 12. Two examples being the 12 tribes of Israel found in the Old Testament and the parallel  with the 12 disciples of the New Testament. The number 12 is one of the foundations of Scripture as it symbolises God's power and authority, as well as serving as a perfect basis for government. It can also symbolise  completeness or the nation of Israel as a whole.

Elsewhere, the number 12 symbolises completeness and cosmic order, often associated with new beginnings, spiritual growth, and the integration of harmony and balance in various aspects of life.

One particular mention of the number 12 that we can so easily overlook is when Jesus performs the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, the disciples gather 12 baskets full of leftovers. I wonder why the gospel writers include this seeming insignificant fact, particularly in that there was one basket for each apostle?

I really don't think Jesus' only concern was avoiding waste or not leaving a mess. No, I believe he really wanted to leave an indelible memory on his closest friends. Once Jesus returned to the Father, these men would be faced with impossible challenges. They would find themselves in situations they couldn't begin to handle on their own. 

This one memory would remind them again and again that the power was from Jesus, not from their strength or resources. They had picked up the scraps with their own hands. They had carried the baskets. They had seen the boy's picnic lunch that had fed the huge crowd. Those leftovers were the tangible grace of Jesus that was left for them to touch. Nothing could be a more powerful reminder that their meagre resources, touched with prayer, could meet the needs of others and much, much more.

Prayer

Father, let me experience the leftovers of your mighty work after having stepped out in faith. I believe you can move mountains, heal diseases, and perform works that I can neither comprehend nor imagine. But, dear Father, I am always happy to pick up the leftovers from such events! Show me the leftovers. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Biblical Numbers

The meaning of the number eleven in Jewish thought is important as it can symbolise disorder, chaos and judgment. Coming after 10 (which symbolises law and responsibility), eleven (11) represents the opposite, and is indicative of irresponsibility, of breaking the Law, leading to disorder and judgment.

In Genesis 11, we find humankind rebelling against God and building the tower of Babel. The result we find is a confusion of languages, resulting in chaos. So, most often, eleven has negative connotations. Stories with this number often revolve around rebellion, disorder, judgment, betrayal, idolatry, bribery, lack of trust in God. This results in a sense of being incomplete, or a sense of false authority r government.

The Old English form of eleven has close Norse association derived from early German, sometimes connected with leik or leip meanin that which is left or remaining, with the implicit meaning that "one is left" after counting to ten.

In Matthew 5:17-18 we find Jesus saying, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.”

Jesus lived in such a way that the words of the scriptures came to life. Let us  think of how the scriptures come to life in me by what I do and what I say and that there is no need for me to add or subtract anything from God's living word.

Dear Lord, I thank you for your promise that you did not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfil them. I claim this promise today and ask that you help me to understand and follow your teachings. May your word be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Help me to live a life that is pleasing to you and in accordance with your will. Thank you for your faithfulness and for the gift of salvation through your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Biblical Numbers

When exploring the number 10 in the context of the bible, an obvious passage would be that of the 10 commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai. But today I want to look at the significance of a tenth and particularly the notion of tithing. Tithing in the Bible refers to giving 10% of one’s annual earnings, productions, or possessions to the Lord.

Through the years this has come to mean that the tithe is given to the church. But I wish to argue, giving to the Lord may not be necessarily be solely to the church and I would even question, is a tenth enough?

The guideline for tithing and offering today is vastly different, from that aptly explained by Paul. “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)

Yet, let me change the paradigm by using the words of Frances Ridley Havergal where she begins to contemplate her ownership of the many aspects in her life.  She writes Take my life, my moments and my days, my hands, my feet, my voice, my lips, my silver and my gold, my intellect, my will, my heart, my love, myself and in the end gives it all to God.

So, far from a tenth, is the right faith offering 100% of all that God has given us. This change of ownership aligns with much of Jesus teaching and the notion of stewardship, our responsibility for that which he is placed in our hands. John Wesley puts it starkly when he says, “. Do you not know that God entrusted you with that money (all  above what buys necessities for your families) to feed the hungry, to  clothe the naked, to help the stranger, the widow, the fatherless; and,  indeed, as far as it will go, to relieve the wants of all mankind? How  can you, how dare you, defraud the Lord, by applying it to any other  purpose?“

May we well pray in the words of Brindley Boon

Time, health and talents presenting,
All that I have shall be thine;
Heart mind and will consecrating,
No longer shall they be mine.

O for a heart of compassion,
Moved at the impulse of love,
Lost ones to bring to thy footstool,
Thy gracious riches to prove!

Take thou my life, Lord,
In deep submission I pray,
My all to thee dedicating,
Accept my offering today. Amen

 

Daily Devotions

With today’s exploration of 9 I home into Luke 17 where we find Jesus, in the early part of 30 A.D., traveling south through Samaria when he runs into ten leprous men. After the men cry out to be healed, they are sent to show themselves to the priests. On their journey they are miraculously healed of their wasting disease! Yet of the ten men only one of them returned to thank the Lord.

“Then one of them, seeing that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. . . Jesus said, "Were not ten cleansed? But where are the other nine? Are not any found returning to give glory to God except this stranger?" (Luke 17:15, 17 - 18).

Just imagine this scene? Ten miserable individuals have to call on Jesus from a distance for fear of contaminating him. Think about what is going on in them? Then consider what happens?

Someone contemplating this scene wrote this 

“I have done it myself, Lord. I go looking for something, advertising my need, seeking sympathy. And when somebody helps me, part of me is muttering He was only doing his job, or what you'd expect of a neighbour. I take kindness for granted, and do not bother to say Thank you. It was the stranger, the Samaritan, who took the trouble to go back to Jesus and became an icon of gratitude. The other nine went for a drink, feeling - Sure that's only what the priests/doctors/healers are there for.”

Yet in my minds eye I also see the one who returned to Jesus praising him. Do we too praise God for al that he has done for us. Our daily prayer at its best includes praise of God – for who God is and for what God does for us. Jesus often praised God himself, and asked others to do the same. He highlights here that a foreigner was the one to return in praise. Praising God is not limited to any one people or religion. We all share our faith in the God who creates us and the world day by day. We share faith too in the God who helps us in life, regardless of creed or colour. 

Ever-present God 

you meet us in the borderlands,

in places neither here nor there, 

at times when we are well out of our comfort zone; 

even if we don't know where we're going,

when we feel most lost, 

you are there: 

Thank you, God. 

You meet each of us where we are,

and many of us in our need, 

people marginalised by illness,

not wanting to be a burden, 

those who see their poverty or problems as unacceptable – 

feeling rejected – with faltering self-worth. 

It was in the borderlands that Jesus met a band of lepers, 

whose livelihood was begging,

whose status was untouchable, 

and touched their lives with hope. 

And it was the Samaritan,

the one most of all an outsider, 

who turned back to give thanks. 

We thank you for all we can learn 

from our sisters and brothers who live on the edge, 

in poverty, in the borderlands: 

about gratitude, grace and healing hope. 

Thank you, God. Amen.

Daily Devotions

In contemplating the many reference to the figure 8 in scripture, today I want to centre our thinking on the 8 Beatitudes of “the poor in spirit”, “those who mourn”, “those who are meek”, “those hungering and twisting after righteousness”, “those who are merciful”, “the pure in heart”,”the peacemakers”, and “those persecuted”.

It is so easy to become so familiar with this crucial teaching of Jesus, that raw truths no longer really feature in our day to day discipleship. C. S. Lewis describes Christian faith as admitting the bankruptcy of all our efforts to live properly. Faith kicks in when we have tried and failed to live for God on our own. Augustine presents the eight Beatitudes as a ladder by which we can climb step-by-step to God. Unsurprisingly, he sees the first Beatitude as showing the need for humility. 

Someone has suggested one way to have a renewed is to pray the beatitudes. Another suggests that we should become the beatitudes. In this way we avoid selective reading and living the beatitudes. As Charles R. Swindoll states, “The eight character traits listed in The Beatitudes are not a multiple-choice list where we pick our favourites.”

There are perhaps 3 significant ways of interpreting the 8 beatitudes.

1. First, these are eight character traits that identify true servanthood. 
2. Second, these traits open the door to inner happiness. 
3. Thirdly attached to each character trait is a corresponding promise.

There is perhaps a fourth benefit from praying and being the beatitudes for we read in the gospels, “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”

Never before had His audience heard such marvellous truths presented in such an interesting and meaningful manner. I wonder, did they long to have those promises incarnate in their lives? Perhaps just as importantly do we desire to have those porticoes evident inner lives?

Lord Jesus, you said,

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Keep us from being preoccupied with money and worldly goods,

and with trying to increase them at the expense of justice.

Lord Jesus, you said,

"Blessed are the gentle,

for they shall inherit the earth."

Help us not to be ruthless with one another,

and to eliminate the discord and violence

that exists in the world around us.

Lord Jesus, you said,

"Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted."

Let us not be impatient under our own burdens

and unconcerned about the burdens of others.

Lord Jesus, you said,

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice,

for they shall be filled."

Make us thirst for you, the fountain of all holiness,

and actively spread your influence in our private lives and in society.

Lord Jesus, you said,

"Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall receive mercy."

Grant that we may be quick to forgive

and slow to condemn.

Lord Jesus, you said,

"Blessed are the clean of heart,

for they shall see God."

Free us from our senses and our evil desires,

and fix our eyes on you.

Lord Jesus, you said,

"Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called children of God."

Aid us to make peace in our families, in our country,

and in the world.

Lord Jesus, you said,

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice,

for the kingdom of heaven in theirs."

Make us willing to suffer for the sake of right

rather than to practice injustice;

and do not let us discriminate against our neighbours

and oppress and persecute them. Amen