In Acts 9:36-43 Peter offers prayer for a disciple named Tabitha who has died. A miracle takes place and her life is restored. The miracle is a prelude to an even greater miracle… the church recasting her mission to include Gentiles as well as Jewish believers. A sermon including such musings (as well as some reflections on the prayer life of John Knox… as it was preached on Tartan Sunday) can be found here.
Some further reflections on prayer.
1. Prayer restores life. In the case of Tabitha that seems to have a literal application! But beyond that exceptional setting it remains true that active involvement in the discipline of prayer animates our spiritual life. Through prayer we tune our lives towards God’s will. The more in tune with God we become, the greater our ability to do the things to which God calls us.
2. The outcome of prayer can never be predicted. It is not my impression that Peter entered into the situation with the awareness that a life was going to be restored and the mission to the Gentiles was about to be launched. He just enters into the situation and places it into God’s hands. Prayer is never about getting God to do what we think we would do if we were gods. Rather it is allowing God to be God!
3. Prayer brings joy where there was previously only grief. The outward circumstances may often stay the same. That illness may continue. That death may still happen. But prayer changes the focus from being upon the situation towards the One who walks with us through the differing scenes of our life journey. Prayer brings confidence where there has previously been fear and hope where hopelessness has been the dominant theme.
Prayer: Lord, we ask as Your disciples of old asked… ‘Teach us to pray’. Encourage us to share our hearts deepest fears that they may be conquered by Your love. Instruct us in the ways of listening and understanding. Speak to us in our imagining, dreaming and serving that our whole selves may be energized by Your purposes. Amen.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
His Way
Acts 9:1-6 gives us the account of the conversion of Saul. He is changed from being a man intent on destroying the church into one of Christianity’s greatest advocates. A Sermon on this passage can be found here.
What can we learn about the process of change from this account?
Firstly… Changing from doing things our way to doing them God’s way takes time. Whilst the flashing light and voice from the sky were things that happened in a moment, the time leading up to the decision was one that took many twists and turns. It was the influence of many of those he persecuted that helped change Saul. Scripture mentions the martyrdom of Steven as being one of the events that Saul witnessed.
A similar story holds true for many if us. We can’t all point to dramatic moments of decision but many of us are aware that the call of God had been consistently pursuing us over the years… as much through our mistakes as through our triumphs.
Secondly… Notice how personal the call is. Jesus calls his name. “Saul, Saul!” In a similar way the call of God is one that demands our personal response. Belonging to a church, attending services of worship, going through the religious motions… all these are important aspects of belonging to a religious community. But we can do all those things without realizing that there is also an intensely personal dimension to being a disciple. We are called to a personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. One of the marks of that relationship will be the realization that God knows who we are… and calls us by name.
Thirdly… To follow God’s way means turning from doing everything our own way! This may be stating the obvious. But we cannot go on doing the things the way we’ve always done them and claim that we are following the new way of Christ. If change is to come to our world, it has to begin with us! The spiritual journey is one of putting away the old and embracing the new.
Prayer: Lord, help me to pursue the new life of Your Spirit. Teach me this week to find Your way amidst the many ways that will seek my attention!
What can we learn about the process of change from this account?
Firstly… Changing from doing things our way to doing them God’s way takes time. Whilst the flashing light and voice from the sky were things that happened in a moment, the time leading up to the decision was one that took many twists and turns. It was the influence of many of those he persecuted that helped change Saul. Scripture mentions the martyrdom of Steven as being one of the events that Saul witnessed.
A similar story holds true for many if us. We can’t all point to dramatic moments of decision but many of us are aware that the call of God had been consistently pursuing us over the years… as much through our mistakes as through our triumphs.
Secondly… Notice how personal the call is. Jesus calls his name. “Saul, Saul!” In a similar way the call of God is one that demands our personal response. Belonging to a church, attending services of worship, going through the religious motions… all these are important aspects of belonging to a religious community. But we can do all those things without realizing that there is also an intensely personal dimension to being a disciple. We are called to a personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. One of the marks of that relationship will be the realization that God knows who we are… and calls us by name.
Thirdly… To follow God’s way means turning from doing everything our own way! This may be stating the obvious. But we cannot go on doing the things the way we’ve always done them and claim that we are following the new way of Christ. If change is to come to our world, it has to begin with us! The spiritual journey is one of putting away the old and embracing the new.
Prayer: Lord, help me to pursue the new life of Your Spirit. Teach me this week to find Your way amidst the many ways that will seek my attention!
Monday, April 12, 2010
OBEDIENCE
Obedience is not a word we always use in relation to spirituality. It comes into play when we have to make a choice, between what we perceive is God’s way and what we suspect is against God. That was the kind of choice that Peter had to make when the Sanhedrin forbade him to carry on ministering in Jesus name. A sermon based on that passage from Acts 5:27-32 can be found here.
Some additional thoughts on OBEDIENCE.
1. People are quick to notice when they perceive disobedience in the life of Christian leaders. Abuse scandals, money scandals and dramatic falls from grace easily attract the headlines. The kind of thing that never gets reported is the everyday faithful lives of so many Christian folk. Ask them why they pursue certain standards and they may not be able to put it into words. It’s part of who they are. It’s just being obedient to God.
2. Obedience to God is not so much a duty as it is a joy. The desire to do things God’s way grows out of our love for God. Our love for God grows out of the notion that it is a love we are returning, not a love we are earning. In that sense obedience is neither tedious or burdensome but a faithful act of devotion.
3. Obedience is not easy… because we are all rebels at heart. If we encounter something that looks O.K. to us… but somebody says “Stay Away”… we question their advice. As we read scripture we may discover insights that we question. It is at those times that obedience becomes a challenge.
Prayer: “Teach me Lord to do Your will. When my desire is lacking, send Your Holy Spirit to inspire. Help me to live in a way that brings glory to my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen”
Some additional thoughts on OBEDIENCE.
1. People are quick to notice when they perceive disobedience in the life of Christian leaders. Abuse scandals, money scandals and dramatic falls from grace easily attract the headlines. The kind of thing that never gets reported is the everyday faithful lives of so many Christian folk. Ask them why they pursue certain standards and they may not be able to put it into words. It’s part of who they are. It’s just being obedient to God.
2. Obedience to God is not so much a duty as it is a joy. The desire to do things God’s way grows out of our love for God. Our love for God grows out of the notion that it is a love we are returning, not a love we are earning. In that sense obedience is neither tedious or burdensome but a faithful act of devotion.
3. Obedience is not easy… because we are all rebels at heart. If we encounter something that looks O.K. to us… but somebody says “Stay Away”… we question their advice. As we read scripture we may discover insights that we question. It is at those times that obedience becomes a challenge.
Prayer: “Teach me Lord to do Your will. When my desire is lacking, send Your Holy Spirit to inspire. Help me to live in a way that brings glory to my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen”
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