Sunday 24th March 2013 – Palm Sunday

The Word This Week:

Thoughts on the Word:

Luke 19:28-40

After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.  When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.” ’ So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,

‘Blessed is the king
who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
and glory in the highest heaven!’

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’

Today we begin Holy Week with our remembrance of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  As we recall this event when Jesus came into the city at the start of the week, it is important that we have this moment of triumph placed into some perspective.  On the first day of the week Jesus enters Jerusalem, welcomed as a King and saviour.  By the fourth day he is betrayed and arrested, on the 5th he is executed as a criminal, when the people choose to release Barabbas, a convicted criminal, rather than the man they had welcomed as King days before.  At the beginning of the next week though we see the King of Kings back in his place of glory as he rises from the dead – forever conquering death.

This story says much about how people respond to God’s call.  It is important that we are honest about our response to God and ask ourselves some serious questions.   Where are you in the story of Jesus final week? Are you one of the jubilant crowd who welcomes the King of Kings, and sings his praises – only to quickly join the crowd when things get tough and shout ‘crucify him!’

Are you a Judas? Do you proudly proclaim yourself a follower of Christ, only to betray him through your actions? Judas was one who kept up the appearance of a follower, if he was a modern day Christian, he would be a ‘Sunday morning Christian’.  One who went to church each week, but did nothing to implement the Gospel into their lives outside of turning up to Church on Sunday morning.  You are a betrayer of Christ if you claim him as your saviour but refuse to live the way he calls you to.

Are you a Peter? Who declares your unfailing faith and love for Christ, but runs away and hides, while denying him when your faith might cost you something? Are you open about your faith? Do you take strong faith and moral stances openly among your friends, family and colleagues? Or do you hide your faith by keeping silent? Would you be open about your faith if it meant ridicule? What if it meant losing friends? or losing your job? What if it meant losing your life…?

Finally are you one of the very rare few who are like Mary or John, who through it all followed Christ all the way, so that they were standing at the foot of the cross when he died.  Is yours a faith with this sort of strength?  A faith that perseveres, that holds on through all the temptations, persecutions, loss and dangers of life. 

There are very very few genuine Marys and Johns.  Most of us, I think fall into the category of being Peters.  We are adamant about our strength of faith, while we are among the faithful.  However we tend to go silent when in the world.  When our own lives may be affected by our faith – even if it means something as little as being laughed at – we go silent, we effectively deny Christ, just as Peter did.

As we move through Holy Week, I ask that you examine your own life and your own faith, and determine where you are in the crowd of people around Jesus as he entered Jerusalem.  Wherever you find yourself, seek to better emulate the faith demonstrated by Mary and John – and if you already think of yourself as a Mary or John, well done, but remember Peter also genuinely believed he was prepared to go anywhere and do anything for his faith – until it was truly tested.  Therefore, do not be complacent, but seek all the more fervently to follow Him.

I pray that God will bless you this week,
Daryl.





Sunday 24th February 2013 – Join in imitating me… 

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The Word This Week:

Thoughts on The Word:

Philippians 3:14 – 4:1

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you. Only let us hold fast to what we have attained.

Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

This week  I would like us to look to Paul’s letter to the Philippian Christians which is provided as our New Testament reading for us in the lectionary.  During this time of Lent, where we are called to focus on our relationship with God, and re-affirm our commitment to Christ through self examination and often the casting out (or ‘giving up’) of those things which are a hindrance to our spiritual relationship and growth as Christians. This portion of Philippians is especially important for us to read and focus on during this period of self examination. 

Paul provides us with a focus, he tells us to seek to emulate him even as he seeks to emulate Christ – This is not a way of telling us to give up on our goal to emulate Jesus, but is rather given to us as a stepping stone, where we move slowly closer to emulating our saviour through the emulation of Christians who are walking a path closer to the Gospel than we are. 

Many of us from various Christian traditions do hold particular saints of the church as models of faith and prayer which we try and emulate – however the danger for us in focussing only those Christians from long ago is that we tend to think of them as being very different to us, and it is true St Paul, and the others from Apostolic times lived in  a very different world.   Even more recent saints which the church often looks to such as Augustine of Hippo and Augustine of Canterbury, St Francis of Assisi, Luther, or Calvin, Cranmer or even C.S.Lewis are people we look to often for inspiration, but who all lived in very different worlds and circumstances to those which confront us as Christians today.   The danger is that we allow this separation, of time and circumstance to let us be complacent, and choose to make excuses for our own shortcomings in faith, and action.  It is easy to justify our shortcomings when comparing ourselves to the likes of giants of the faith such as St Paul or Augustine.  After all they are celebrated by the church precisely because they were such stand outs. 

I wonder though if it would be as easy for us to make such justification for our failings, if as well as looking to the great names of Christians past, we also looked to the not so great and famous names of Christians in our midst.  What if as well as looking to the extreme sacrifice of self, and solidarity with the poor embodied in St Francis, we also looked to that member of our congregation who regularly gives of their time and treasure to support the churches ministry to the elderly in nursing homes, to encourage us.  What if as well as looking to the transformation in the life of Paul, from persecutor to missionary of the Christian faith, we look to the transformation of that recovering drug addict or alcoholic whose life has been changed through the grace of God entering their life; or what about the lifelong atheist who has finally found faith?  You see their are Christians living around us everywhere who are inspirational and the message of St Paul in this epistle is that we should seek to emulate those around us that we know to be living lives which are Gospel based. 

Paul urges us to turn away from earthly desires and instead to focus on the Gospel of Christ and living as Christians who are not citizens of this world, but rather citizens in the Kingdom of Heaven. He refers to the god of the belly – a reference to placing earthly desires such as food, and comfort above our faith.  I wonder if he were writing to the church of the western world today if he would declare that many have a god  of  ‘me’?  Our focus is increasingly on ourselves and what we can get out of life, rather than what we can give.  This is completely against the Gospel message of giving ourselves completely over to the will of God. 

The church today more than ever needs to be looking to emulate Christ, and our first steps on that journey can be as simple as looking to those around us who we know to be living a Godly life and seeking to emulate them.   So this week I encourage you to consider your own faith journey – do you have false gods in your life such as the god of ‘the belly’ or perhaps the god of ‘me’, what about the god of consumerism?  Are there any around you that you which you have observed living a more Godly life? What is it that they do which you admire? Can you change your life in a similar way? Is there someone that you could talk to about strategies for getting your focus back on Christ and His kingdom? 

Of course no-one is perfect, and even those we admire for their Christian faith and life will have flaws – this is not about elevating people to super hero or demi god status.  Remember our goal is to emulate the life, love and compassion of our saviour, incrementally through seeking to emulate those who we know are living a life in closer union to the Gospel than we are.

God bless you this week,
Daryl.


Sunday 27th October 2013 – Faith like a child

The Word this Week:


Luke 18:15-30

Jesus Blesses Little Children

People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it. But Jesus called for them and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’

The Rich Ruler

A certain ruler asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honour your father and mother.” ’ He replied, ‘I have kept all these since my youth.’ When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’

 Those who heard it said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ He replied, ‘What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.’

 Then Peter said, ‘Look, we have left our homes and followed you.’ And he said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not get back very much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.’


The Gospel this week is one that is often split for the purposes of preaching.  Either you preach on having the faith of a child, or you preach on the rich ruler, and being prepared to place the kingdom of God first – even if it means selling all you have.    Today though I want to do things a little differently – I want to tell you that these two themes are not different at all, but both find there foundation in faith and trusting God – And that both carry a message for us to heed with regard to our relationship with God, and with the world.

In the first part of the Gospel story Jesus tells us that it is having the faith of a child that will get you into the kingdom – the second part of the story however, where the young man asks what he must do to gain eternal life sees Jesus respond by pointing to the commandments.  In the first part Jesus points to faith as our way to heaven, in the second to obeying the commandments – isn’t there a contradiction there?

I mean which is it? Is it faith or following the commandments which gets us to heaven?  The answer is that they are both the same thing.  You will note that when the man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life that Jesus recites back to him some commandments – he says  You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.’  Did you count them? There were five – five out of the ten, and the five he names are all those that deal with our relationships with other people, they are all commandments,  that are visible. 

This young man is clearly very religious – he keeps the commandments after all! At least the ones that are outwardly visible.  He isn’t a murderer, or a liar – he is respectful to his parents, and faithful to his wife – by all accounts this ruler is a ‘good person’.  And good people are all going to get eternal life right? NO!

‘There is still one thing lacking’ Jesus tells him.  What is it? What is it that is lacking, which is preventing this man from inheriting eternal life? Let’s examine what Jesus asks him to do –  Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

Why has Jesus asked this man to sell all that he has? He didn’t ask that of Peter, he didn’t ask that of any of the others – but for this man, he does.  He does so because the response of the man betrays where his heart is.  Instead of rejoicing that the Messiah, the promised saving King, has told him how he might enter into eternal bliss in the Kingdom of God – he is sad.   He is sad because he is very wealthy and in order to inherit the promised eternal life he is being asked to give it up… he is sad because his heart, his hope is in the material wealth that he has accumulated.

When Jesus says this man is lacking one thing – he is talking about faith!  If this man, this rich ruler had faith, if he had the faith of a child – he would have rejoiced! He had the answer, eternal life awaited him!  Jesus exposed him for what he was – a very pious, religious man, who lacked faith.  He was outwardly doing all the right things, he was a ‘good man’… he no doubt attended the synagogue regularly.  But he lacked that most fundamental of things – he hadn’t put his trust – his hope, his faith in God.

Brothers and sisters, we must not allow ourselves to become like the rich ruler, we must not focus on just being a good person, but lack the fundamental of faith.  Who here hasn’t thought  – or heard others say – oh they’re a good person, they’ll be ok, I’m sure they’ll go to heaven…  What our Gospel reinforces for us today is that it is not about being a ‘good’ person.  It is not about keeping up appearances – coming to church, ticking the boxes , and ensuring you do all the ‘right things’.  No matter what we do outwardly, what matters more than anything is where we have placed our faith – is it placed in God? Or in our own abilities? In God, or in material possessions?  

You will remember that Jesus pointed to the Commandments in his interactions with the ruler.  He listed those five that are about interacting with people – the ones that could be summed up as love thy neighbour.  He didn’t mention the commandments about our relationship with God, but he exposed that the man did not keep them…

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Thou shalt not make for yourself any idol…

The rich ruler had set up for himself a false idol, in material possessions, he had placed his hope in his own abilities and talents instead of in God – he had made himself a god.   The rich ruler had half the picture – he was loving his neighbour, but without faith he wasn’t loving God.

Faith is what counts.  And What kind of faith is it that Jesus calls us to have? 17 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

What kind of faith does a little child have?

Think of a small child laughing hysterically while they are thrown into the air by their father… even as a small child, they know that if they fall from up there its going to hurt… yet they aren’t fretting, they aren’t concerned about what could happen if they fall – instead they trust – unconditionally – that their dad will catch them.  They have so much trust, so much faith in their father that instead of focussing on what could go wrong, they are able to relax and enjoy flying through the air – they experience a great joy.

That joy, that sense of freedom, is available to all of us.  It doesn’t mean being naïve or blindly following, it means instead making a choice to trust, to place your hope and faith in God. To give ourselves over completely to our heavenly father, and relax in the knowledge that even when it seems like we are tumbling towards a devastating crash, that He will catch us – that His hands are safe and sure. 

Brothers and sisters, faith is not an intellectual exercise, of just saying I believe, it is not an exercise of ticking the right boxes and being a ‘good person’.  Faith is about handing over your very being to the creator and sustainer of the universe.  It is about placing all of your hope and all of your trust, and all of your love in God.

When we hand ourselves over in complete faith as a child would, then we will meet the commandments, we will Love the Lord our God with all of our heart, and with all of our mind and with all of our soul – and in experiencing his love we will also love our neighbour as ourselves… we will fulfil the commandments, but it is not their fulfilment that makes us an inheritor of eternal life – it is the faith in God that sets us free.

Sunday 10 August 2014 – Faith is what matters

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The Word This Week:

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
Psalm 105: 1-6, 16-22
Romans 10:5-15
 
Matthew 14:22-33



Let us pray:
In the name of God, Father Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Good Morning/Evening

I wonder did you notice a theme throughout our readings today? It is strongest in the New Testament readings but the reading from Genesis and our Psalm also point us to a key theme.

That theme brothers and sisters is faith. Our Genesis account begins he account of Joseph, who as we know goes on to become a symbol of faith. Joseph maintains his faith throughout his ordeals, from being sold into slavery by his own brothers, Joseph goes on to become a ruler in Egypt. 

The Psalm spells out for us what Joseph’s faith achieved – he was tested, he suffered, but he held firm to his trust in God and was eventually rewarded, enabling him to save his people from famine. 

Lets then look t what St Paul has to say to us.  Paul in our reading from Romans is establishing for us very clearly that it is not through our external obedience to the Law of the Old Testament that we will find salvation.  Moses he says taught that righteousness is achieved through obedience to the Law – but we are now set free from the Law, a Law which we could never hope to obey in every way at all times.  We are all weak, we all fall short and stumble in our relationship with God.  The Law was established to show us how to live, as a holy people in proper relationship with God – but because of our broken nature and our inability to meet the requirements of the Law, God gave us another way.

The basis for right living and right relationship (righteousness) is being at one with the word which dwells within – ‘The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart’. Paul points us to the answer Jesus Christ is the Word that is in our heart, and on our lips and if we confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

So often we hear people say things like ‘oh I’m a good person, I’ll be going to heaven’.  The point that Paul is making to us is that being a ‘good person’ is simply not enough, if we are striving to be ‘good’ enough to get into right relationship with the perfect, all powerful, all knowing creator and sustainer of all that is – seen and unseen – we will fall short.  If we have committed even one breach of the Law – if we have failed just once then we have broken our relationship with God, and we cannot ever repair it by ourselves.    You see God is eternal – therefore if we offend against God our offence is eternal.   

But God so loves us that he could not bear for us to be separated from Him for all eternity – so he gave us a way home.  God himself became incarnate as a human being, and lived a perfect life, so that as a human being he could offer himself as the one, perfect and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of humanity, and as God incarnate that sacrifice is eternal – ever lasting.  His offering of himself is available to everyone – as Paul says there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, which Paul’s audience would have understood to mean salvation is open to all.  That is the Gospel, the Good News – that God has opened the way for us to be in right relationship with Him, even though we fail, even though we mess up, no matter what we have done we an be reconciled with God – and the way to that reconciliation is – Faith.

All we are asked to do to receive this gift of salvation, this gift of life eternal is to place our faith and hope in Jesus.  Nothing we can do will earn it, being ‘good’ will leave us short.

Faith then, is the key – faith is what counts – not how well we meet the external requirements of the Law, not how good a person we are – because even the very best of people fall shot of the glory of God.  So why then do Christians do so many good works? We are called to lives of love, compassion, forgiveness and charity not because we can earn salvation through them – but because we have already been saved – when we are reconciled to God through Christ we are brought into union with Him, and through that union with God we seek to emulate Jesus love, compassion and faithfulness in our own lives.

The Gospel reading from Matthew also points us to faith – Peter sees Jesus walking on the water and says ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’  Jesus says to Him – ‘Come’.   Now as we well know peter was far from being the perfect disciple, it is Peter who denies Christ and abandons Him at his trial before the crucifixion, it is Peter who is rebuked by Jesus, for speaking word’s from Satan when He tries to stop Jesus talking about his coming death and resurrection.  It is Peter who is rebuked by St Paul at Antioch for hypocrisy about eating with gentiles.  Peter then was a flawed human being – just like me and you, and yet through the power of His faith in Christ he was able to step out of the boat and begin walking on the Sea of Galilee – now I was at the sea of Galilee a few weeks ago and I can tell you that the water there is just like the water here and if you try and walk on it you end up getting very wet very fast.

But Peter could do it – such was the power of his faith – that is of course until he allowed fear to cause him to doubt.  Now lots of preachers will tell you that the reason that Peter began to sink is that he took his eyes off of Jesus – but the text doesn’t say that – Jesus after rescuing Peter says  ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’  You see it was doubt that made Peter begin to sink, it was doubt that put up the barrier.  And where did the doubt come from? ‘But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened’.

You see Peter’s faith had allowed him to something incredible, something supernatural – but then he allowed fear to take hold, and he began to doubt  – he began to ask himself the questions we all ask when we are fearful – what if… what if the wind is to strong and the waves to big – I could drown… Do you ever have fears that make you push your faith aside? I know its something that has happened to me..

What if they think I’m some nut job for talking about Jesus? What if they ask questions I can’t answer? What if my friends don’t want to have anything to do with me? What if they think I’m some judgemental dinosaur if I take a stand on moral or justice issues? 

Fear is a tool of the enemy to turn us away from Christ.  Fear is his tool to make us stumble, to question and doubt.  Do not let fear rule your hearts, and when you feel fear creeping in and causing you to stumble – use Peter as your example and cry out to Jesus for help, and he will reach out and save you before you sink.

Of course the fears we encounter in our free democracy are insignificant compared to those elsewhere in the world.  The Christians in Iraq have been given a choice by the ISIS terrorists to either convert to Islam, pay an exorbitant ‘protection tax’ for not converting (which generally amounted to everything they owned – or if they refused to do either of those things then to be killed.   We need to be praying for those Christians, and for other minorities targeted by ISIS.  We need to pray that those Christians will be delivered from this terror, and that they will know the presence and peace of Christ with them, that they might hold firm in their faith. 

So then, brothers and sisters, as you go on with your loves this week, look to Christ and place your faith and hope in Him.  Know that it is through your faith you are reconciled to God, and not through any external works of human goodness.  Understand that Christians are called to lives of love, compassion, forgiveness and charity not because those things can earn us salvation, but because we have already been saved.

Finally do not let fear and doubt cause you to stumble and sink, but as St Paul calls us to:  confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved.

The Lord be with you.


Sunday 20th January 2013 – Mary teaches us how to pray

Listen:

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The Word This Week:

Thoughts on the Word:



John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Today as we continue in the Season of Epiphany where we recall the many ways in which Jesus manifests and displays his divinity, we will look for an epiphany of our own.  As we look to the narrative of Jesus’ first miracle, we will seek to see beyond the miraculous, and gather for ourselves a message of hope, and a way of prayer and faith, that will lead us to experience the divine will for ourselves.

 Weddings, they are a drama waiting to happen aren’t they?  I remember fondly my own wedding day when during the middle of the ceremony, when we were about to exchange rings,  we discovered that they weren’t in fact there! Thankfully as we were married on my in laws farm, they weren’t far  away and my mother in law hurriedly rushed off to retrieve them – leaving her shoes scattered over the lawn on her way.

 This wedding in Galilee, is seemingly going well, there doesn’t appear to have been any drama during the ceremony here – everyone is happily celebrating, but now it is this wedding’s turn for drama – the wine has given out!  Now in todays world we wouldn’t bat an eyelid at this sort of drama – we would likely just send someone out to get more – it’s not so simple in first century Israel though, and this drama will be seen as a great shame not only on the couple getting married, but also on their respective families and clans.

 Mary the mother of Jesus becomes aware of the situation and immediately steps in to help – scholars have suggested that this is an indication that she was a relative of the one of the married couple.  When she seeks help she doesn’t turn to the chief steward, or to the bridegroom – rather she turns immediately to Jesus, who though he has not performed any miracle in her sight, she knows can and if asked will help.

 Jesus response sounds harsh to our ears, but it was not disrespectful.  He uses the term that we have translated as ‘woman’.  It would perhaps be better translated as ‘dear woman’.  He asks why she brings it to his attention, as his hour – his time for glory and his death, has not yet come.

 Mary, as any good mother would do when she makes a request of her son, promptly ignores Jesus’ apparent protest, and turns to the servants – ‘do whatever he tells you’, she says. Mary, despite what appears to be reluctance on the part of Jesus, does not go seeking someone else to help out, rather she simply trusts Him. 

 Is there not a lesson in that for all of us? How often I wonder do we pray to God, seeking answers, or seeking help, and then immediately after the ‘amen’ promptly forget that we have sought God’s help and attempt to deal with the situation ourselves, or seek someone else out to deal with the issue for us.  How often also do we take the time to listen for his instructions, so that we can ‘do whatever he tells us’  as the servants do in our Gospel account.

 You see this opening part of todays Gospel gives us a model for prayer, and a model for faith.  When we pray for guidance, when we pray for hope, for help, for anything -we must hand it all over to Christ.  When we hand it over, we must then trust Him to do what is right.

 You will note that Mary doesn’t go to Jesus with a solution – she doesn’t come to Jesus and say, ‘son, there’s a bit of an issue with the wine, how about you miraculously change water into wine…’ No, Mary simply takes the problem to Jesus, hands it over to Him, and trusts that whatever solution he comes up with will be the best one.

 So we have from the first portion of our reading a model of prayer and faith.  What does the rest of this account offer us? So many people focus on the actual miracle of turning water into wine that they miss the bigger picture, we have seen in the opening account a model for faith and prayer, what we see in the miracle account is God’s intention for us and his response to us when we live according to this model.

 Let’s look at what happens after Mary having laid the problem before Jesus, simply trusts in Him to deal with it in whatever way he sees fit.  Jesus, doesn’t just rustle up a few wine skins, he doesn’t send the servants down to Dan Murphy’s or Liquorland.  He has them fill 6 stone jars which each hold 20 to 30 gallons, and they are filled to the brim.  Let’s put this in perspective, that equates to somewhere between 700 to 1100 bottles of wine. 

 Jesus’ response is abundance.  He provides the solution for the problem not with a few wine skins to see them through, but with an abundance of the very finest of wine.  His intention for the happy couple was an abundance of joy, an abundance of love and celebration. 

 The miracle isn’t about showing us that Jesus can do cool magic tricks, it is about giving us a glimpse of God’s intention for those who trust in Him – for those who follow the model of faith and prayer we discovered in the beginning of this narrative. 

 God’s will for us is abundant love, joy and happiness.  In this account we see a glimpse of the Kingdom of God – a place of plenty, of celebration and feasting.  However God is a fair and just God, and will not force us to receive the grace on offer, God will not force us into the Kingdom.  We must be willing to hand ourselves over completely, not just our problems, but our whole selves, our whole lives and being – we must trust Him completely just as Mary did – even in the face of what appeared to be a negative response – Mary trusted completely.

 Do you trust in God completely?  I am not talking about believing in God, or coming to church, I mean do you really trust Him? Have you completely handed over your life to him or do you still seek your own answers?

 I know it is something I struggle with daily, it is in my nature to find my own solution to everything.  I often wonder how much of God’s abundance I have missed in this life because of my stubbornness – How much of that abundant grace have I missed because I refused to hand over everything to him?  How much have you missed? 

 If you have wandered away from God, or if you have never really handed over yourself to Him, I invite you do that today. Commit to seeking God’s abundant love and experiencing his abundant joy through placing your trust, your hope, and your faith in Him, and Him alone.  Let us all commit ourselves to seek him in all things and as Mary says ‘do whatever he tells you’.



Sunday 30th December 2012 – The Family of God

Listen:

The Word This Week:

Thoughts on the Word:

Luke 2:41-52

Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.


For Christmas my beautiful wife gave me a copy of the movie, machine gun preacher.  It is the true story of a man name Sam Childers, an American preacher who has devoted his time and his treasure to saving orphaned and kidnapped children in Southern Sudan from the brutal Joseph Kony – you may have heard of him , he was the subject of the massive social media campaign Kony 2012… Now this all sounds lovely – a preacher devotes his life to saving children from being forced to operate as child soldiers – except Sam Childers is not your typical preacher – he is a former alcoholic drug addict, who has spent time in prison… a man who we see in the early scenes of the movie portraying his life repeatedly stabbing a man.  No Sam Childers is not your typical preacher – He was a degenerate, drain on society – he was a loser.

Then something amazing happened to this man, his wife Lynn who had found faith in Christ during Sam’s incarceration took hi to church.  Sam found that despite his failings, despite his past, he was in fact a loved member of the family of God.  He found that he was in fact an heir and inheritor to the Kingdom of God, and that all he had to do to claim his inheritance was receive the gift of forgiveness that was offered to him – and to all of us – through Jesus.  Sam grasped that gift in both hands and took it.  Sam was forgiven for all he had done, not just by God, but by his wife and family who could see the transformation in his life.  Sam went fro being a nobody, to being a member of a royal priesthood!

You see that is how the family of God operates.  We see it in today’s Gospel reading clearly – When Mary and Joseph left Jerusalem after the Passover, they didn’t anxiously seek out their son, they assumed that if he wasn’t with them, that he was with his extended family – those relatives and friends that had travelled with them to the festival.  You see there was a recognition that the family is more than our immediate blood relatives, family was much more communal, this despite the great emphasis placed on genealogy.  When he is found Jesus is with yet another version of extended family – those entrusted to teach the Law in his Father’s house, and as his life continues Jesus further expands the bounds of family when he offers salvation to all people, to Jew and Gentile, to slave and free, to man and woman – and the gift is open to all – no matter how great the crimes of your past, if you turn to him, he will forgive you.  I have heard people dear to me say repeatedly that it is to late for them – and I bet you have heard people say this or similar things – perhaps even you wonder if Jesus really can forgive you for the wrongs you have done, for the hurt you have caused.  I tell you he forgave Sam Childers, he has forgiven me, and he will forgive you, if only you seek him out. 

During this time of year, when we are often recovering from our time spent with family over Christmas – or for others dealing with the pain of not having family with us any more, it is important that we step back and take time to give thanks for what we do have.  When you grasp that gift of forgiveness that Jesus is holding out to you, you become a part of a bigger family, a family that is made up of people just like you – some are rich, some are poor.  Some were raised in Christian homes – others like me are adult converts, some have never had a run in with the law, and others are reformed thieves,  addicts and even murderers.  None of them perfect, some of them like your blood relatives will drive you mad, but the thing that unites us, the thing that makes us brothers and sisters, is not blood.  It is that we have all been remade, through the forgiveness and redemption given to us through accepting Jesus our old selves are buried and we rise remade as members of the body – the family – of Christ.

I would like to close by reading to you our set reading for today from the book of Colossians, remember that when you accept Jesus’ gift of salvation you are set apart, you become a part of the royal family and so in the word of St Paul:

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

May almighty God bless you and yours this week and in the new year.
Daryl.

If you want to learn more about the offer of forgiveness that is open to you through Jesus please contact me, either by commenting on the website or using the contact us page to email me.  You can also contact us through facebook and twitter.  Alternatively contact a priest or minister at a Christian Church close to you.

Sunday 30th September 2012 – Cut off that which causes you to stumble

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Our little girl after he baptism – she is excited to be on God’s team!

The Word This Week:

Thoughts On The Word:

This week our family got to celebrate something wonderful.  Today our 5 year old girl was baptised, at her own request into the Kingdom of God. 

You might wonder how this fits with today’s readings… Well the key message we should take from our Gospel reading for today is that we should allow nothing to stand in the way of us entering and staying in the Kingdom of God, and that we should let nothing we do cause others to stumble and lose there own opportunity for citizenship in the Kingdom. 

Many may wonder why, if we decided against infant baptism did we allow our daughter to be baptised as a 5 year old, when she would still have a relatively elemental understanding of what it means.  Well a big part of it  was because she expressed a desire to do it! She wanted to be baptised, and what right do my wife and I have to erect a barrier between her and the Kingdom? Her perception of what she did today is that she told God that she loves Him too, and that she wants to be a part of His family, and that the baptism was a way of being welcomed officially into that family.  What a wonderfully simple and yet profound understanding of the sacrament!

Given the big day and the preparation for it this week, I have very little else to offer this week.  I ask that you simply reflect on Jesus’ words in the Gospel and ask yourself, are you holding yourself or someone else back from the Kingdom? Why? … If you have an answer for why, there is a good chance you should ‘hang a millstone around it and cast it into the sea’… or maybe just make the conscious decision to put the kingdom first.

God bless.
Daryl.





Sunday 28th October 2012 – Jesus is calling us

The Word This Week:

Thoughts on the Word:

Firstly I apologise that this is late! Due to the technical difficulties we have encountered I post for you a sermon by a Lutheran pastor and scholar for this past Sunday.  The technical difficulties should be all sorted to enable me to annoy you with my own ramblings again this coming week.



Sermon on Mark 10:46-52 (RCL), by David ZersenMOVING ON FROM YOUR JERICHO

The Christian life is a journey to an exciting new frontier. As we travel, we follow a leader and we leave old worlds behind. The texts that we consider in our Sunday sermons are often travel narratives, giving clear indications about the road less traveled. As Jesus leads his disciples on, we too respond to his summons. Today we are leaving Jericho with him. We need to pay attention to the stops along the way. Little by little we will discover that an old world is collapsing behind us and a new one, filled with joy and possibility, is summoning us. Let’s join in the journey.

“Jericho, Jericho, Jericho”

Many of us are used to jiving rhythmically to the words “Jé..ri..cho” in the Negro Spiritual, “Joshua fit de battle of Jericho.” The story of the battle when the walls of Jericho fall as told in the Book of Joshua is meant to demonstrate the power of God to destroy human barriers. Although the New Testament has references to Jericho in the story of the Good Samaritan as well as that of Zacchaeus, it is the Old Testament drama that is called to mind when the city name is mentioned, and it is that drama that forms the basis for the story in today’s Gospel lesson.

An outcast with a name

Most cultures have outcasts, people who live on the margins of a society and seem to belong to no one. We know of the Dalits of India who are born into their caste and cannot leave it. Outcasts sometimes had diseases that were assumed to be infectious, requiring such people to live outside the city. In Jesus’ day, outcasts were those who didn’t measure up to the expectations of purity laws set by the religiously righteous. Extremes among the outcasts are well known to us from the Essene writings. They make it clear that people with imperfections held by the blind, deaf, mute, lame, disabled, and ill were not allowed in the community of the righteous. Normally, these people were excluded from families and society in general. They lived outside the city, begged for donations and generally had no names. The man in our story is unusual. We even know his father’s name, Timaeus. Bar-timaeus, the son of Timaeus was blind. Jesus and his disciples are heading out of town and Bartimaeus is sitting at the roadside. One wonders, as we try to imagine this situation, how often we encounter unfortunates whose names we know. Who are the Bartimaeuses in your world? Where to you typically see them?

Blind who need to see

This is an interesting story because along with another story about a blind man in Mark 8 it frames a section in which Jesus is teaching his disciples, but they don’t seem to get the point. They don’t seem to see what he is showing them. They don’t see what the Transfiguration is about; they don’t see why they couldn’t drive out evil spirits as Jesus did; they don’t see what he means about his betrayal and they’re afraid to ask about it; they don’t see why children should be brought to Jesus; they don’t see why a rich man can’t enter the Kingdom; James and John don’t see why they can’t be first in the Kingdom. There are all too many things that his disciples don’t see because they are spiritually blind. It seems to make good sense to the author of Mark to put the two stories of the healing of the blind men as bookmarks around the section on spiritual blindness. We should be willing to ask ourselves as well what those things are that seeing, we do not see. When do we fail to see what is truly important in our relationships and in our priorities? When do we fail to see someone when it is perfectly obvious that he or she has been there all along?

Seeking to be first along the way

It’s interesting that crowds were following Jesus, listening, but not hearing; watching, but not seeing, speaking but saying nothing. They pressed all around him as he left the city, leaving Bartimaeus in the weeds in a ditch by the side of the road. But he shouts, “Jesus, have mercy on me.” Those who want to, at first tell him to shut up. After all, they want to be first in line, ahead of this beggar. At dinner with our grandchildren this week, I asked, “Who would like the first dish of ice cream?” “I would,” shouted the four-year-old, because she is just a child. She hasn’t yet learned how to let others go ahead. Yet, those on the roadside with Jesus were not children. They were pushy, self-centered adults who made their way aggressively into the first spot.

Those of us who have discovered the joy in serving others understand what’s happening here. Once you know that it’s possible to be fulfilled by allowing others to be first in line know that those we seek to push to the front are not acting out of arrogance or self-righteousness. Bartimaeus was asking for mercy. Like all those heralded by Jesus for their humility, the publican, the prodigal and the widow at the mite box, Bartimaeus had nothing to present. When along with such we recognize that we have nothing to present either, then we hear and see that Jesus is calling us as well.

Jesus is calling us

Bartimaeus discovered that Jesus was summoning him. He was calling him to come through the crowd and share his need. I heard this week about a woman whose marriage and family life were collapsing and she didn’t know which way to turn. She felt that God had abandoned her. Not so. Jesus is calling her. He knows her by name, just as he knew Bartimaeus. In the presidential debates in the U.S., candidates love to say, “This week I met a man in New Jersey, Bill Simmons, who has been out of work for 12 months. I told him that I’m working on getting a job for him.” Audiences love to hear that candidates know people by name. Long before politicians called citizens by name, God had claimed us. In baptism, he called us by name and said “You are mine.” When we feel abandoned and alone, God knows our name. When we struggle to make ends meet for our family and try to reclaim a family from troubled dead-ends, we can know that our names are written in heaven. We belong to God for time and eternity. When is it most important for you to hear God calling your name? How would you like him to assure you that you are his own?

Throwing your cloak aside

When you really hear him calling, when the cross and the empty tomb shout that you are loved and that you belong to God, then you can do what Bartimaeus did. He threw his cloak aside and ran to Jesus. His cloak was his sole possession. It kept him warm. It was his blanket. It was his protection against the heat and cold. But when a new assurance, a greater protection approached, there was no longer a need for it. With what joy and confidence he ran when he knew that Jesus was calling! What is the cloak you would be willing to throw aside when you hear Jesus calling your name? What dependencies can you relinquish when you know that God has your best interests at heart, your future in the palm of his hand?

Letting a new world begin

As we leave Jericho with Jesus and his disciples, it’s powerful to reflect on what the author of Mark’s Gospel is telling us. Bartimaeus “shouts” as the entourage leaves the city. Do we remember when this last happened? When the shouting brought about the collapse of an old way of life at Jericho and a new beginning led to a land of promise? When the walls came tumbling down? And did not that old Joshua at Jericho pre-figure a new Yeshua, who would give sight to the blind and hope to the despondent? This was an important moment in salvation history, this stop at the ditch outside of Jericho. For Bartimaeus, his blindness ended, the walls of a restrictive and isolated world came to an end. More than that, however, he entered an emancipating and open-ended community led by the Son of David.

And you may as well. Jesus is calling you at this crossroads in life to move on from your Jericho— to throw your encumbering baggage aside and to let the walls of a world that restricts and confines you collapse behind you. He points you to the future he has secured for you by dying to dead-end living and rising to a life that finds itself fulfilled in service to others. Jesus is calling you by name. The road before you is open and he’s way up ahead.



The above sermon was sourced HERE

Sunday July 29th 2012 – Bread of life 1

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Mosaic of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. Photo © Dick Osseman.

The Word This Week:

Thoughts on the Word:

John 6:1-21

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.

The reading for this week takes us into the 6th chapter of the Gospel according to St. John.  The 6th chapter of John is an interesting read – and is better read as a whole chapter, however in following the lectionary we will do it in 5 parts over the coming weeks.

The multiplication of the loaves and fishes is a miracle that serves two purposes.  First it demonstrates to us the importance of sharing what we have with those in need – and how our own small offering can be multiplied manifold by God.  It is something we often hear said – I am but one person what can I do.  Well here in this story we see just one small boy with a basket of loaves and fishes to offer.  He gives them over to Jesus, and through a miracle that can only be the work of God incarnate, this small and almost insignificant offering is multiplied and feeds a hungry crowd of 5000 people.   Likewise when we give of ourselves, our time and treasures to serve the kingdom of God, they are multiplied manifold.  Never doubt the importance giving your time can have in the lives of people, ten minutes of listening to someone is only ten minutes to you – but it can mean a lot more to that person. Giving what you can in the plate at church each week, may be small in the scheme of things, but it contributes to saving the eternal lives of countless people through the work of the church.  God can use whatever we can give, no offering is to small to be used by God who is capable of doing the greatest good with the least of what we give.

The second purpose this story serves is to tell us something very important about Jesus.  When we read this portion in conjunction with the rest of John 6 we see that the whole discourse is geared to tell us something about Jesus.  It begins with today’s reading – Jesus asks Phillip where they could buy bread to feed the crowd – Phillip responds as you would expect most people would to such a question – he simply refers to the extravagant cost of such a suggestion.  It would cost 6 months wages to feed this many people! His implication is of course that it simply can’t be done. 

Jesus though wasn’t really concerned with how they would feed the crowd – he knew that he could provide for their physical nourishment.  What he was hoping to get from Phillip was an answer something akin to ‘you are all they need Jesus!’.  As we will see over the coming weeks Jesus was wanting people to understand something – that he was and would be the source of all nourishment for humanity. He wanted people to understand that he would provide himself as the life giving bread, the bread that gives eternal life. 

As we continue our journey over the coming weeks, I ask that you consider deeply the 6th chapter of John as a whole, as well as in the separate parts we read each week.  There is a very special message in this chapter – Jesus is truly the bread of life, he is the source of our hope, our future and our eternity, and he offers himself to us for our spiritual nourishment.

God Bless You!
Daryl.


Sunday April 29 2012 – The Good Shepherd

The Word This Week:

Acts 4:5-12
Psalm 23
1 John 3:16-24
John 10:11-18

Thoughts on The Word:
John 10:11-18 (NRSV)
11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

Today’s Gospel reading talks about Jesus as the Good Shepherd, who cares for his sheep. The reading contrasts this to a hired man who would run at the first sign of danger or trouble, after all he has no attachment to the sheep, he doesn’t care for them – it’s just a job and no job is worth dying for.

The overarching message and contrast is that the Shepherd doesn’t abandon his flock, he defends it, he protects it and he will lay down his own life in order to save even one sheep in that flock. This is at the heart of the Gospel message. Jesus as the good shepherd considers each of his sheep to be precious, He knows each sheep personally. He was there when it was conceived, and at the moment it was born. He knows its parents, and its genetic make-up. Each lamb is different with its own name and each recognises and responds to the voice of their shepherd.

We of course are the sheep that Jesus cares for. Jesus was there when we were conceived and when we were born, He was there through all our joys and also through all our sufferings. We are very fortunate sheep indeed, for we have not been left in the care of a hired man, who has no concern for us and will run when the wolves come. Jesus fights for his people.

In fact Jesus loves his people so much that he willingly gives his life in order to save them – our Gospel reading today makes that clear for us – Jesus gives his life willingly, no-one takes it from him. What a love is this! It is something that I as a flawed human struggle to comprehend! I believe that I would probably lay down my life for those who I love, and who love me – But would I die for someone who hates me? Is my love for my fellow man enough that I would willingly sacrifice myself for someone who rejected me, or refused to acknowledge my very existence? Jesus lay down his life for the whole world – for everyone – even those who despise him. He is willing to welcome anyone into his flock, it is an open gift for all, and all we need do is reach out and accept it!

So we know we can trust Jesus as our Shepherd to protect us and keep us safe, in this life and the next… Why then do we still suffer, why do we come under attack from the world and from the evil one. If Jesus protects us shouldn’t life be rosy now for the Christian? It is a good question and appears to contradict what Jesus has said in today’s reading when we see Christians facing persecution, suffering from physical, mental and spiritual attack. The thing is though that Jesus never promised us that life in the world as one of his followers would be easy – in fact he specifically warns us in the Gospel according to St Matthew from chapter 10:16-33 that we will suffer, that we will face persecution and betrayal – even from our siblings and children. He tells us that we will be sheep among wolves – so how does this marry up with Jesus being the Good Shepherd?

The key is that we can be fearless – our Shepherd has already won the fight with the alpha wolf – Satan. We are assured of our salvation if we maintain our faith in Jesus. He will protect us – while we may sustain some physical wounds during our journey among the wolves, and be hurt, betrayed and suffer much anguish – we can take comfort in knowing that it is a temporary state. Though we may even die – yet we will live!

In our reading Jesus also tells us he has other sheep – not of this fold, that he will bring also, and all his sheep will become one flock with one shepherd. This is a reference to the preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles – to us! Now because Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of God, we know he didn’t mean that he would personally go and preach the Gospel to the Gentiles – he uses his Church to gather the flock. Our journey among the wolves also has other benefits and blessings – you see when we are open about our faith, and fearless in living it and sharing it we have an affect on those around us. With God’s grace working through our fearless love, in the face of persecution and pain, even wolves can lose there fangs and claws and grow a coat of wool – yes through the Grace of God even wolves can become sheep!

Yes we as those living among wolves – but under the protection of the Good Shepherd must live our faith without fear, with the assurance of the love and protection of our loving shepherd. We can live our lives reflecting on the great love of Jesus who willingly gave up his life for us, and for all who are willing to accept his gift.

As you begin your week, remember that if you have accepted that gift of love and entered the flock of Christ through putting your faith and hope in Christ alone, then you are blessed, you are under the protection and guidance of the Good Shepherd – listen for his calls, and follow where he leads and you will enjoy his love and protection for eternity.

If you haven’t accepted the gift of eternal life from Christ but are interested in finding out how – please contact me, and I will be happy to help you discover more about the gift of salvation offered to you through Jesus.