Ephesians 1:15-23 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Saturday 9th September - Following breakfast and morning prayer, we moved to the office of the Mayor in Poznan for a Civic reception. Lt Colonel Bramwell Booth and I where invited to the Mayor’s office whilst the band formed up outside to play. We brought greetings from the Mayor of Exeter and exchanged emblems of the respective cities. During our conversation with the Mayor though our translator Tomaz, a student minister, we discovered that the Mayor was heavily involved with the music scene of the city. He in fact was the leader of three separate Choirs and choral groups. The Mayor then added that, “you won’t see much joy in my people’s faces, but look into their eyes!”
As the conversation unfolded, the Mayor mentioned that the Civic Building was an old monastery and within the refractory they had Chopin’s Piano. The Lt Colonel then floored me by saying, Paul is an accomplished pianist, to which the Mayor invited me to play the piano. Imagine my state of mind as I walked across the long narrow room towards the piano, with all memory of Chopin’s music escaping my thoughts. “Lord, help me!” where the words on my heart as I sat at the keyboard. But then the words of the mayor crossed my mind, ‘look into my people’s eyes!” My hands struck the keys and out of an impromptu extemporised rendering came the melody of
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace.
As we left, I will never forget the Lt Colonel’s words as he shook the hand of this communist mayor, “Mr Mayor, I want to tell you what Paul has played,” as he repeated the words, “turn your eyes upon Jesus…..”
I will never know the impact of that moment, but these 33 years later, that moment is one of the most poignant of my 50 years of ministry.
What this moment has taught me is that it is the Spirit of God speaks through our weakness as it says in Acts - “…… they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak …. as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Questions
- What opportunities do I have to witness to my faith?
- How, open are my eyes, mind and heart to the faith needs of others?
- How ready am I to look for God’s surprising opportunities?
Prayer
Whispering God,
the noise of the world is loud.
Open our ears to your still, small, voice.
God of revelation,
the darkness of the world threatens.
Open our eyes to the light of your presence.
God of abundance,
we cling tightly to so many things.
Open our hands in generosity and joy.
God of all people,
we feel the fear of those who are “other.”
Open our arms to the stranger and the enemy.
God of mystery,
we want so desperately to understand you.
Open our minds to the depths of your truth.
Creating God,
we long to know your presence.
Open our hearts to receive your love.
written by Joanna Harader and posted on Spacious Faith. https://spaciousfaith.com/
Tomorrow we continue with the next stage of Saturday’s diary.
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