Everything in it’s Place

•April 1, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Have you ever watched anyone dry-stone walling?  Each gap in the wall is assessed, each stone turned over to find the one that is the perfect fit.  Some used now, some apparently discarded, waiting for the right space for them.

Psalm 118

The LORD Is Always Merciful

1Tell the LORD

how thankful you are,

because he is kind

and always merciful.

2Let Israel shout,

“God is always merciful!”

19Open the gates of justice!

I will enter and tell the LORD

how thankful I am.

20Here is the gate of the LORD!

Everyone who does right

may enter this gate.

21I praise the LORD

for answering my prayers

and saving me.

22The stone that the builders

tossed aside

has now become

the most important stone.

23The LORD has done this,

and it is amazing to us.

24This day belongs to the LORD!

Let’s celebrate

and be glad today.

25We’ll ask the LORD to save us!

We’ll sincerely ask the LORD

to let us win.

26God bless the one who comes

in the name of the LORD!

We praise you from here

in the house of the LORD.

27The LORD is our God,

and he has given us light!

Start the celebration!

March with palm branches

all the way to the altar. 28The LORD is my God!

I will praise him and tell him

how thankful I am.

29Tell the LORD

how thankful you are,

because he is kind

and always merciful.

Another Psalm of giving thanks – thanks for all that God has done.

God has a time and a place for everything.  A time for his new thing to happen.  People had tried to force his hand, to try to make people fit into the mould of Messiah when they weren’t it.  And the one who was it, they had apparently rejected.  To pick up on Tom Wright’s point about missing out verses 5-18 of this Psalm (p 147), they expected the stone to be shaped like victory and celebration – not suffering and pain. They had misunderstood and miscalculated – but now is the time.

Now God is building, and he is doing it with his judgement, with the one he knows to be the right stone, the right fit, the right answer.  God’s love has held on – and this is the one who will be the support of everything.  This is the cornerstone, the reference point for all other building.  Others might have overlooked it, or tuned it aside – but it is the right one.  He has set that stone and we can rejoice.

And so we rejoice, because God is good, and his steadfast love endures forever.

Thank God, that he, not us is in charge of knowing and choosing what goes where.  May we make Jesus the foundation and reference point of our lives.

Thank you Lord

that you are the Master Builder,

you know where each stone fits best,

and that every stone has its place.

Help us to make Jesus the cornerstone of our lives,

that all we do is built on him

This year, I am again following the BigRead using Tom Wright’s Lent for Everyone – Mark.  I’ll reflect here – if you’re following it too, or even if you’re not, please share with me.

Posted in Jesus, lent
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This is What it’s Going To Be Like

•March 31, 2012 • Leave a Comment

Sometimes it is hard to believe or understand the reality of something until you are there in it.  People can explain carefully what will happen, but only in the experience does reality hit home.  People warn you what having children will be like, you only begin understand when you bring them home from hospital and are alone and responsible for them.  Before my recent operation, I was told to expect afterwards, but only when I was there did that reality sink in.

We are coming to the climax of Jesus life, things are about to get serious.  It is no longer a good philosophy or a nice idea.  God’s new thing is about to cost – dearly.  Are we up for the journey?

Today’s reading can be found here:

Mark 14:1-15:47

It is a long reading, but an opportunity to get an over view of what is about to come.  In it we see:

  • a valuable offering – that became preparation for Jesus burial – how much must that have meant to Jesus at that time?
  • preparations for a meal with Jesus
  • Jesus knowing that someone would betray him to his enemies, turning their backs on the new thing God was doing to be popular with those who wanted him gone.  Is it me Lord?
  • Jesus taking bread and wine and turning them into something totally different – at the same time prophecy of what was going to happen, and an eternal reminder to them of himself and his message
  • Peter being so sure he would never desert Jesus
  • Jesus asking the disciples to pray with him in his struggle – and them falling asleep
  • Judas arriving with those who wanted Jesus gone.  Betraying Jesus with the mark of love, tuned to a sign of rejection
  • Jesus being taken to the High Priest, the hunt for a charge – and their inability to find one – there was no reason to kill Jesus.  The best they could come up with was a charge of “Blasphemy” – and yet…
  • Peter deciding after all that he could not acknowledge that he was with Jesus – and realising what he’d done
  • the Chief Priests handing Jesus over to Pilate, who tried to get Jesus released, but was shouted down by the crowds
  • Jesus handed over to be crucified
  • God’s new thing – gone

And all for love of you and me

Perhaps today, on a Saturday, you have some time to read the Narrative of Jesus last few days through.  Take your time, put yourself there, and let God speak to you through it.  Hear his voice, hear him calling to you, challenging you, offering you food for life, and his new way of living as you journey with him.

Tom’s prayer for today (p 145):

Give us,

almighty God,

the faith and courage

to stand this week

at the foot of the cross

and learn to see your glory there

This year, I am again following the BigRead using Tom Wright’s Lent for Everyone – Mark.  I’ll reflect here – if you’re following it too, or even if you’re not, please share with me.

Posted in Jesus, lent
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God’s Monitor

•March 30, 2012 • Leave a Comment

When I was at infant school, I loved being a monitor – being trusted with an important task by the teacher, something to make their job easier and the class run smoother.  It made me feel trusted and useful.

Mark 11:1-11

Jesus Enters Jerusalem1Jesus and his disciples reached Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. When they were getting close to Jerusalem, Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2He told them, “Go into the next village. As soon as you enter it, you will find a young donkey that has never been ridden. Untie the donkey and bring it here. 3If anyone asks why you are doing that, say, `The Lord needs it and will soon bring it back.’ ”

4The disciples left and found the donkey tied near a door that faced the street. While they were untying it, 5some of the people standing there asked, “Why are you untying the donkey?” 6They told them what Jesus had said, and the people let them take it.

7The disciples led the donkey to Jesus. They put some of their clothes on its back, and Jesus got on. 8Many people spread clothes on the road, while others went to cut branches from the fields.

9In front of Jesus and behind him, people went along shouting,

“Hooray!

God bless the one

who comes

in the name of the Lord!

10God bless the coming kingdom

of our ancestor David.

Hooray for God

in heaven above!”

11After Jesus had gone to Jerusalem, he went into the temple and looked around at everything. But since it was already late in the day, he went back to Bethany with the twelve disciples.

In this story of Jesus arriving in Jerusalem riding on a donkey, we often rush on to the main part of the story, and miss that sentence at the beginning.  In Tom Wright’s words (p 131):

Jesus sent two of his disciples on ahead with a specific task

Yes the fact that Jesus is coming into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, and all the echoes and connotations that brings is important, but we should not rush on too fast.

As we have spent time this Lent pausing and reflecting, taking time with God and listening to his voice, is there perhaps a specific task God is calling you to?  Is there something he is asking you to do for him?  Something that only you can do?  Something important?

At this point in the Lenten journey, as Holy Week and it’s challenges approaches, perhaps this is a good point to stop and ask ourselves, or more importantly God, this question – we may be surprised by the answer!

Thank you Lord,

that there is something that you are asking me to do for you,

something specific to me,

my role in your story.

May I faithfully fulfil your request.

 

,

This year, I am again following the BigRead using Tom Wright’s Lent for Everyone – Mark.  I’ll reflect here – if you’re following it too, or even if you’re not, please share with me.

Posted in Jesus, lent
Tags: , , ,

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