Reach Out and Touch Faith

•February 13, 2013 • Leave a Comment

In 1989, Depeche Mode released a song called Personal Jesus, written by Martin Gore, the first verse of which goes:

Reach out and touch faith
Your own Personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares
Your own Personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who’s there

It’s about being a Jesus for somebody else, but it echoes the need to be able to reach out and touch Jesus, to know he is near.

You want to hear it?  Oh go on then:

The desire to be able to reach out and touch faith is a common human one.

Romans 10:8-13

8 All who are acceptable because of their faith simply say, “The message is as near as your mouth or your heart.” And this is the same message we preach about faith. 9 So you will be saved, if you honestly say, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. 10 God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others.

11 The Scriptures say that no one who has faith will be disappointed, 12 no matter if that person is a Jew or a Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help. 13 All who call out to the Lord will be saved.

This is one of those passages that are difficult to work out what the message is.

The version from The Message makes this passage clearer:

The word that saves is right here,
as near as the tongue in your mouth,
as close as the heart in your chest.

It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!”

11-13 Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”

God is right here – as near as a part of your own body.  We have to do nothing other than reach out to God and trusting him. Our statement of faith in him, welcomes God to come into our lives and get to work there.  He does the rest.

God is always near to us.  Reaching out to us.  Do we welcome him? Reach out to him?  All we need to do is reach out to him and trust him – that is the basis of faith, nothing more complicated. God’s generosity reaches out to us – will we reach out to him?

Lord,

you are so near to me,

all I have to do

is reach out,

call out,

trust you,

allow you to go to work in me.

Lord ,

I want to be nearer to you,

and so I call out to you,

and ask for your help

Posted in bible, faith, God, Lectionary, lent, response, theology
Tags: , ,

Finding Refuge

•February 12, 2013 • Leave a Comment

When you need a refuge, a safe place, where would you go?

Refuge du Maupas

We all need somewhere safe, somewhere we can go and be secure when all is raging around us, when we are lost or far from home.  A place of security to rest.

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

The Lord Is My Fortress

91 Live under the protection
of God Most High
and stay in the shadow
of God All-Powerful.
2 Then you will say to the Lord,
“You are my fortress,
my place of safety;
you are my God,
and I trust you.”

9 The Lord Most High
is your fortress.
Run to him for safety,
10     and no terrible disasters
will strike you
or your home.

11 God will command his angels
to protect you
wherever you go.
12 They will carry you
in their arms,
and you won’t hurt your feet
on the stones.
13 You will overpower
the strongest lions
and the most deadly snakes.

14 The Lord says,
“If you love me
and truly know who I am,
I will rescue you
and keep you safe.
15 When you are in trouble,
call out to me.
I will answer and be there
to protect and honor you.
16     You will live a long life
and see my saving power.”

God is a safe place.  A haven from the storm.  He will hold us in his arms and keep us safe.

Lord

I come to you,

for safety,

for security,

to be held tight by you,

to be saved by you.

Thank you for your arms of love,

comfort,

hope

and security

Posted in bible, faith, God, Lectionary, lent, Religion, theology
Tags: , , , , ,

Thank You

•February 11, 2013 • Leave a Comment

What do you have in your life to be thankful for?

A warm bed, food to eat, friends?

How often do we actually take the time and trouble to say

Thank You?

The Story of a Thanksgiving Day

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Give the Lord the First Part of Your Harvest

Moses said to Israel:

26 The Lord is giving you the land, and soon you will conquer it, settle down, 2 and plant crops. And when you begin harvesting each of your crops, the very first things you pick must be put in a basket. Take them to the place where the Lord your God chooses to be worshiped, 3 and tell the priest, “Long ago the Lord our God promised our ancestors that he would give us this land. And today, I thank him for keeping his promise and giving me a share of the land.”

4 The priest will take the basket and set it in front of the Lord’s altar. 5 Then, standing there in front of the place of worship, you must pray:

My ancestor was homeless,
an Aramean who went to live
in Egypt.
There were only a few
in his family then,
but they became great
and powerful,
a nation of many people.

6 The Egyptians were cruel
and had no pity on us.
They mistreated our people
and forced us into slavery.
7 We called out for help
to you,
the Lord God
of our ancestors.
You heard our cries;
you knew we were in trouble
and abused.
8 Then you terrified the Egyptians
with your mighty miracles
and rescued us from Egypt.
9 You brought us here
and gave us this land
rich with milk and honey.
10 Now, Lord, I bring to you
the best of the crops
that you have given me.

After you say these things, place the basket in front of the Lord’s altar and bow down to worship him.

11 Then you and your family must celebrate by eating a meal at the place of worship to thank the Lord your God for giving you such a good harvest. And remember to invite the Levites and the foreigners who live in your town.

The people are on their way out of The Wilderness.  Moses looks forward to the time they will be a settled people and, knowing he won’t be with them (Numbers 20:8-12), he starts to give them advice for their life there.

They will plant crops, and when those crops grow and are harvested the first of it is to be given to God.

today, I thank him for keeping his promise and giving me a share of the land

They are to give to God, out of what he has first given to them, to thank him.  To acknowledge what he has given, to remember and say thank you.

How often do we stop and take stock of what we have?  To thank God for all he has given us?  Not just food, but all the other things too.

What do we offer to him in acknowledgement of our thanks?

As we enter the season of Lent, can we be intentionally thankful – both to God and to those around us who give so much to us?  Can we live our lives in thanksgiving?

Lord

I come,

and I thank you

for all you have done for me,

all you give to me.

May I live my life in thanksgiving

Posted in bible, faith, God, Lectionary, lent, Religion, Thanksgiving
Tags: , ,

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »