Lent: A Corporate Affair

A Reflection for our Sheltered Housing Service but it really struck a chord with me as I wrote it.  Edited slightly for this space.  Reading was part of Jonah 3. 

I love the story of Jonah! I’m sure you have heard it many times at least the bit about the whale.  But today I don’t want to focus on the whale, ok, the big fish.  This is the season of Lent which is a corporate time of repentance.  It is a time when the church family or community is called to penitence and preparation.  For sure there is space within that for individual preparation and penitence.  After all, no matter how hard we try none of us are perfect.  Not even the minister! Therefore, logically if we are in the season of Lent as individuals it will affect us as individuals.  However, to have such a season as this in the calendar of the Church year, it strikes me that it is also corporate.  

Lent is something we experience together.  We are reminded that we are not the only sinner.  For example, I remember taking my children to toddler groups and being reassured that I am not the only parent with a temperamental child, or one who likes to eat play dough or whatever.  Sometimes we think we are the only ones that get it wrong, that lose our temper, that lose sight of God in our daily lives.  Lent reminds us that actually we are all sinners.  And the story of Jonah reminds us that we are in this together. 

Jonah takes a message of repentance to a nation - a nation that appeared to be beyond redemption.  And for Jonah it was the last place on earth he wanted to go.  But the God is determined and Jonah has to be the one to take the message.  And despite the fact that Jonah doesn’t cover himself in glory through this episode, he does indeed pass on the message and Jesus even mentions him when speaking about his death and resurrection.  So we dare not dismiss the many wonderful lessons within this tale of woe and reluctance, repentance and restitution. 

From the King of Nineveh, the people, and indeed animals, repent in full, in such an expressive way as to make clear to God that they are sorry and seek his forgiveness.  They want God to turn away from his wrath.  And he does, much to Jonah’s disappointment.  In fact we are never too sure if Jonah ever comes to terms with God’s decision not to destroy Nineveh. 

We can all have expectations of Lent.  We see people expressing Lent in so many different ways.  Give something up, take something up, put out one item from your house every day, do a random act of kindness every day, read more, pray more...some do it for health benefits, some focus on their bad habits and how they might turn them around.  Lent, like so many other seasons and festivals has become about the ‘one’ and not about the ‘community’.  What do we need to repent of as a community?

Are there things we need to repent of as a community?  Are we guilty of ostracising someone because they are different somehow?  Are we gathering together to constantly criticise rather than encouraging and building up?  Are we caring for our staff, our medical support, our families, our friends or have we become demanding and selfish? We can sometimes lose sight of our less than loving behaviour because it becomes our norm.  And just like the people of Nineveh needed to hear the message of God through Jonah, sometimes we need someone to call us out, not just as individuals but as a community. 

And it goes not just for our homes, but our church, our schools, our local council, our town, our government, our nation...indeed our world.  Whether the call to repentance is for how we treat our poor, our marginalised, our climate, our refugees or our family, it is a corporate call.  Lent is not just how I am behaving in my Christian life, it is about how we are behaving, and how that impacts on our relationship with God.  Lent resets us corporately that we might we reunited together in community, centred around and with God and in God.  Like Jonah found it might be far more challenging and life changing that you could possibly imagine. 

So yes, how will you live Lent this year? Will you take time to focus on God, through reading his word, through prayer, through silence, through meditation?  Perhaps by stepping back from seeking affirmation from social media, or escaping into television?  Can you turn from extravagance to fasting, giving up coffee or alcohol or takeaway or meat?   Can you introduce the wilderness into your life through ten minutes or more where you are disassociated from the wider world.  It is just for 40 days. Remember Sundays are festival days so you can relax on those days..

But even more so, how can we embrace Lent as a community not just as individuals?  Where is our corporate Lent?  I’m not sure I have the answer to that but I am wondering...maybe the Ninevites had it right?

God bless you

Love Sarah 

ABC of Discipleship: Commitment/Calling

Based around Acts 5: Ananias and Sapphira.  

The challenge we face in this world is commitment.  Previous generations perhaps understood commitment in a way that younger generations don’t.  Commitment in the old days meant hanging in there for good or ill.  It meant jobs for life and staying with the same employer from school leaving to death.  It meant staying with the same partner, which at times was surely miserable for all concerned because divorce just wasn’t done. 

Nowadays commitment is less focussed on social norms of right and wrong, but rather personal happiness.  If marriage doesn’t work out we can just get divorced was the theory my generation grew up with as quick divorces came in.  My husband constantly moans about fair weather football supporters - the ones who only support a team when they are doing well, not like him who has gone through all the ups and downs of his team.  We jump on and off bandwagons or get so fed up with it all we ignore it all.  We blend religions or philosophical thoughts as if covering all our bases.  

Discipleship can not be half-hearted.  Discipleship with Jesus has always been all or nothing.  That is not to say that we understand everything or get it right or have days when we feel more like a failure than a follower.  In the early days of the Christian Church people were known as followers of the Way.  It is a way of life that calls us to commit.  When you consider your commitment to discipleship, to following the way, would you say that your commitment is high?  Or are you easily distracted by the concerns of this life?  

57 As Jesus and his disciples were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Take the passage we read from Acts earlier - it is brutal isn’t it?  What are we supposed to take from that given it goes against all we believe about a compassionate and loving God. It would have certainly sent shock waves through the community, not just the early Church.  Fear and awe of the apostles was an outcome, and by extension of God. 

Now, we weren’t there and so we have to take the text as it is given. If we take our 5Rs for a moment...

Relationship - Ananias and Sapphira had a stronger relationship with money than with God.  Jesus said you can’t serve God and money.  The previous chapter speaks of the Christian Church pooling their resources so that nobody went without.  Ananias and Sapphira cook up a plan to be seen as giving everything and getting the kudos that comes with that, but making sure they didn’t go without.  They might have been like the Israelites in the desert collecting more manna than they needed and finding it rotted the next day.  It’s a human condition.  

When you look at your relationship with money, and its companions of status and comfort, where does your heart lie?  The couple could have been honest and kept money for themselves and given the rest.  But instead they lied to their community and to God.  There is a reason why one of the ten commandments is do not lie.  Another way of looking at your relationship with money is where does it go?  If you let the minister analyse your bank accounts what would they tell me about your relationship with money or with God?  

Another saying - put your money where your mouth is...

God knows when our relationship is not a committed relationship.  Could you do an Abraham and put Isaac on the altar?  Could you do a Jesus and sacrifice your life for another?  Could you do a Mary and accept the reputational damage for God? Could you sell all you have and give your money to the poor?  

And that leads into that next R for Readiness.  When we commit to the life of a disciple it means we are ready for anything.  For example, from a new start to losing it all, to calling out bad behaviour or standing up against unjust systems. Peter had to step up and call out their bad behaviour, because he knew it was of the devil.  If he can’t thwart from the outside he will plant deceit and unrest from within.  Jesus himself once said to Peter - Get behind me Satan. If there is one thing the church is particularly poor at is dealing with bad behaviour.  Allowing people to undermine and thwart the mission of God by planting unrest, conflict and upset.  If we are distracted trying to appease and mollycoddle, we can’t focus on actually building faith, healing the sick, restoring the broken and sharing faith, hope and love. We have to be ready to root out that which Satan plants in our midst - not all of the threats against the church come from outwith.  

Peter responds immediately to the prompting of the Spirit, and the Spirit responds promptly by taking the lives of Ananias and Sapphira.  There are no second chances here.  May I gently remind you that yes you can declare Jesus is Lord with your dying breath and you will be with him in heaven, like the criminal on the cross. But this wee story also reminds us that we might not know our last breath.  Respond, even if your faith is the size of a mustard seed.  The disciples didn’t know what they were getting into when they responded to Jesus inviting them to follow him.  

Responsibility - your level of commitment is your responsibility.  Ananias and Sapphira chose their level of commitment.  They chose to lie about it. They paid the price for that.  You are responsible for your level of commitment and your level of honesty.  But as my Gran used to say - be sure your sins will find you out which is actually a verse from the book of Numbers. James challenges us to commit fully that we won’t be blown about like waves with our doubts.  Commitment is not the same as perfection.  I am committed in my relationship with Stuart - that doesn’t make me a perfect wife or an easy companion, but through thick and thin I am committed.  Jesus calls us to abide in him, like branches in the vine.  God will still prune.  All we have to do is abide - commit - if we don’t we will be cut off and thrown into the fire. Just ask Ananias and Sapphira. 

The whole sad story reveals the power of God - something that is not to be taken lightly.  Often we make God less than God. He becomes constantly some kind of loving grandfather figure in a rocking chair, holding us on his knee, stroking our hair and telling us everything will be ok. Of course, at times that is true.  He is our refuge.  But he is also the almighty God - the terrifying visions in Revelation should terrify us.  We should be in fear of God in terms of great awe, aware that he can do anything at any time.  We trust in his innate goodness, his promise to be faithful to us, to forgive us through Christ his Son, to welcome us as prodigal children.  

Who is this man that even the wind and the waves obey him? 

Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade.  No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.

Your calling is to be a disciple.  Where that journey of discipleship might take you - God only knows.  But primarily whether you are called to preach or serve, to teach or heal, to pray or comfort - you are called firstly to be a disciple of the Way, a disciple of Christ. 

The calling is yours.  The decision to leave your nets and follow him is yours.  Jesus tells us that we have to carry our own cross. 

Remember God doesn’t want you to be extra-ordinary before you answer the call.  He wants your very ordinary self to answer the call, and let him add the ‘extra’. 

As we head into Lent and consider developing discipleship, how might you commit to God in this season.  How might your faith story be represented in the 5Rs...?  Try using them on your life and faith story and allow the reflection to guide you into Lent and Holy Week.  Trust God to honour your commitment even if you are uncertain about where it might take you.  

The ABC of Discipleship - Build and Believe

I recommend reading Acts 10 and 11 for the story of Peter and Cornelius. Our focus in our reflection this week.  In the service we also explore building up through marshmallows and cocktail sticks, and fischy music song Build Up.  We also touched on baptism and listened to Carrie Underwood’s song - There must have been something in the water.  A very full service! 

Do you remember the 5 Rs from last week?  (Those brave enough to share out loud gave us a score of 3/5.  Going for full marks this week!)

Relationship

Readiness

Responsive

Responsible 

Reveal

Well we are going to stick with them today again.  They were hard work to pull together but I think they are key to helping us grow in this series. And they are challenging me in my journey and I hope they challenge you. 

God has a way of undermining that which we hold dear and laying bare our flaws.  Not in such a way as to destroy you but in order to build you up.  Planting my feet firm in the mire of ministry is God.  Everything that I thought I knew is being challenged and like Peter I am, like Lord, where are you going with this? 

I deliberately put relationship at the top of the list of Rs and if I were to encourage you to work on any of the Rs I’d tell you to start here.  Your relationship with God is key to everything and in reality the other Rs are totally reliant on that first R of relationship.  

And I don’t mean a one sided relationship, but the two way relationship we should all have with God.  He is not a silent partner.  He took the time to help Peter understand that Jesus came for the whole world, not the Jewish people.  It had always been part of the plan and you see it in the story Abraham - father of many nations, in the psalms, the prophets and the gospels.  But Jews and Gentiles - the most effective way of understanding it is looking at the black/white divide of previous generations, where people with coloured skin were seen as sub-human in some way.  For many of us today we can’t really imagine that but it we know it was a reality and is still a reality in some places. 

Gentiles were ‘dogs’, sub human, and the Jewish people were the entitled, privileged race.  It was racism that had grown and hardened over generations, and therefore they couldn’t interact. Heaven help any Romeo and Juliet situations there! 

What God did through Peter and Cornelius shook the Christian Church to its core.  Similar to Rosa Parks sitting on that bus...shock waves went through the community.  Both Peter and Cornelius had a relationship with God that was two sided.  They were able to hear God and respond to God. Cornelius is not the focus of my thinking today but what I will say is that God is working through all types of people, and Cornelius was the first significant Gentile convert, yet the unlikeliest if you were to write this story. Be careful that your prejudices, especially the ones that you skirt around, don’t colour you ability to see God at work in the life of others.  The Church is bad for this when it comes to young people and very old people....

How many of us can honestly say that we listen for God? We pray, we read Scripture, we come to worship.  Our hearts are genuine. Our desire to be faithful is true.  But do we truly believe that God is directing our lives, challenging our perspective, opening up new possibilities? Do we even give him space to do that? Do we fear where he might take us?  

Reading the story of Peter it is no wonder we fear it.  Peter didn’t just bend the rules - he broke them. Would we break the rules?

Cornelius is baptised and the Holy Spirit comes upon him.  For Peter and ultimately the Jewish Council they can’t argue with that. Peter was ready for anything because God helped him to understand how deep and wide his love is for all people.  God is not limited by our prejudice or barriers.  What was true perhaps and had been corrupted by human interpretation, God resets.  It meant that Peter was ready to step into that Gentile home, and to face the Council. 

He responded to God’s call - he could have refused.  It would have been hard I’m sure, but you need to understand that Peter had to overcome his embedded culture, his way of life was wiped out in a vision.  Everything he thought was true, every practice he had faithfully kept was shown to be false.  Talk about being outside his comfort zone...he was so far outside it he faced losing everything. His status, the respect of the wider Jewish community, his reputation.  

He was responsible with the mission.  He took brothers in Christ with him, who witnessed all that happened.  And he revealed Christ to Cornelius not himself.  Cornelius tried to worship Peter and Peter refused it, making him stand and owning his humanity.  Peter preached Christ, and in the process had Christ revealed to himself.  Peter recognised that God doesn’t show favouritism. Peter is continuing to learn more and more about his God.  

As our relationship with God develops, we are more able to be ready for anything, responding to his call, his leadership, his vision.  We have to be responsible with it, accepting the consequences and dealing with them, rather than doing a runner.  And as we continue on this journey, as we reveal Christ to others, he is revealed to us.  

And that which we believed to be true, might be challenged and changed, even a full 180 turn, but we will be built stronger and more able to stand up to those who don’t get it.  Notice who struggled the most with what happened - the religious people.  The Jewish Council - who continued to be awkward over the years.

Our primary relationship is not with the Church, not even with the Church of Scotland.  Our primary relationship is with God and one day that might call us to challenge the Church.  Hopefully, should that day arise, it will be obvious that God was there.  And that we were faithful to God and didn’t run in the opposite direction. How is God moving in your life?  Or how might you connect with God in a real and deep way?  We will consider some ways during our Lent series. 

Next week we do the last set of ‘C’ - Commitment and Calling.

Blessings

Sarah 

ABC of Discipleship - Adventure and Acceptance

I suggest you read Acts 8 and the story of Philip and the Eunuch first. 

The bible is full of stories of ordinary people who never set out with the intention of becoming our biblical heroes.  They didn’t lie awake at night and wonder how they might change the world.  They just lived their lives the best way they knew how. Our biblical heroes, mostly, had their focus on God.  Their lives were shaped around worship and religious practices that made God real to them.  They lived humble lives or good lives, often in cultures that were difficult and anti-God.  

So many of our bible heroes are not overtly religious or good or smart, but they are faithful, and recognise that there is God! Noah was the last good man in the world, Abraham fought for the safety of towns based on the few good people left, Moses committed murder but received forgiveness and mission, Daniel was a prisoner but kept praying even when it was banned, Joseph was sold as a slave but listened for God, Mary was cleaning house and so on.  I could go on.

Last week we considered the fact that it is our ordinariness that God uses - we don’t have to be extra-ordinary.  The trouble is we often think we need to be extra-ordinary. The story of Philip shows us that the ordinary can be made extra-ordinary through God. All we need to do is step up to the adventure and accept God’s leadership.  We are not in charge - he is and the adventure is that often we don’t know where we are going to end up.  In fact often we try and dictate the path we end up in trouble, lost or out of our depth.  Or as Robbie Williams likes to sing:

Come and hold my hand

I wanna contact the living

Not sure I understand

This role I've been given

I sit and talk to God

And he just laughs at my plans

So what else can we learn from Philip?  Well you have heard of the 3 Rs - today we are going to have the 5Rs

• Relationship 

Primarily a relationship with God...

If we are to know what it is we are called to do then we need to have a relationship with God, or at least an openness to him.  Whether we meet God in a burning bush or a sky splitting moment, or in conversation or like Philip in the prompting of the spirit or a dream like Paul, God communicates with us.  Philip went on his way immediately.  How many of us are like young Samuel - hearing the voice of God on our lives but not knowing who it is?

• Readiness

How many of us are RFA - Ready for Anything?

Philip goes to Samaria and whilst there preaches the word of God, willing to baptise, to invite the other apostles to come and baptise with the Holy Spirit, a sign to Jew and Gentile that God was welcoming the Gentiles, and specifically the Samaritans. In the midst of a successful evangelical event, God calls Philip to go out into the desert...and he goes. 

How many of us, locally, regionally, nationally are so caught up in our own agendas, agendas that are potentially very worthwhile and awesome, that we resist or worse miss God’s call to go out into the wilderness for the sake of the one. 

How often are we so caught up in trying to convert or help the many we miss the value of the one?  

Are we ready to drop everything for God, to change direction, to slow down or speed up...how ready are we? 

• Responsive

If we are ready for anything are we responsive? Philip left immediately and followed further instruction.  He ran up to and alongside the chariot.  No mean feat in itself I’m sure. It was the desert.  It was a stranger in the chariot, who had come from Egypt - a place loaded with cultural significance for the Jews and the Eunuch was a high official.  He was open to God, even though he wasn’t sure who God was.  He was responsive but uncertain. 

I love how God honours the Egyptian here proving that background, creed or job is no barrier to God’s love and mercy. 

Philip could only respond to God, and he couldn’t make the Eunuch respond - only God could open the heart of the Eunuch to hear.  Sometimes we may share the Gospel with eloquence, with knowledge, with loving example and our loved one, our community, the passenger we sit next too doesn’t get it.  Even Jesus knew this - they have ears but they do no hear, eyes but they do not see...

We respond to God and allow God to carry the outcomes.  

That said, we are responsible

• Responsible

We are responsible for our own effort in knowing and strengthening our faith.  Constantly the young church is encouraged to pray together, to open the scripture, to share communion, to worship, and mature in their faith. 

The Eunuch is reading a prophecy text from Isaiah about the suffering servant, a Messanic text.   Through this text Philip is able to share the truth of the Gospel, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and how knowing Jesus in this way is life changing.  

The eunuch’s question is perhaps even more relevant to us today, in this world of mixed messages. 

‘How can I understand unless some explains it to me?’

 We are responsible for growing and maturing our faith, learning our scriptures, reading worthy material, asking the minister awkward questions and indeed putting our whole trust in Him.  In a world where we expect to get everything handed to us on a plate, where we throw away rather than mend, where we become armchair or keyboard warriors rather than get out there, where consumerism means we demand rather than give, we think someone else is responsible for growing our faith knowledge and experience.  

I’m here to tell you that sermons are just part of the feast and not even a critical part.  They are, at best the starters...warming your palate.  During the week you are responsible for the rest...which you may or may not get in community or in the privacy of your home.  Then when someone asks you to explain you won’t run in the opposite direction. 

The final R is 

• Reveal 

Philip reveals Christ -this is not about how awesome Philip is.  Our challenge especially as a church in decline is to make sure that our message is revealing Christ not the Church of Scotland or indeed Blantyre Old.  Often we speak of filling the Church or keeping the Church open.  Yet first and foremost we should be revealing Christ.  And we do that best when we share our faith without fear or shame, when we support the Foodbank and decry the need for them, when we give or work with agencies that support others to find their way in the world, when we challenge injustice or make sacrifices for the welfare of others.  

And that is where the adventure comes in.  When we are truly in a relationship with God, life is an adventure.  Whether we are in a wheelchair or a marathon runner, in the slums or the penthouse, young or old, fit or infirm - all are counted worthy in God’s sight. Remember, we are called to be ordinary - then God adds the extra to make us extra-ordinary in his service.  

Can you accept the challenge like Philip did and embrace the adventure even if it leads to strange lands or random individuals? 

God bless! 

The ABC of Discipleship - Challenge and Change

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are... (1 Corinthians 1)

Over the past couple of weeks we have been thinking about who we are on this journey of faith.  Are we willing, able, wanting to be known as his disciples?  We took time to assess where we are at, assured that we are loved no matter where we find ourselves.  Last week we considered behaviour and belonging, that we belong to Christ first and foremost...and that the first call on our life is to repentance.  What message does our behaviour send out?  A telling meme that I saw on social media this week was powerful - 

‘It’s hard to convince people that a God they can’t see loves them when a church they can see doesn’t seem to like them.’

This week we consider challenge and change...the challenge of faith is real, and it is the challenge of faith that we have lost.  Worn down and wearied perhaps by the world of busyness - as the world has got busier we have lost ourselves to the commitments.  Surely for the devil the best kind of Christian is the busy one - the one who is involved in everything...even good everything, for they have no time for God. We don’t have time to pray and read scripture, or even gather with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We don’t prioritise faith or church - we would say no to church before we say no to family or sport or work.  Subconsciously we value the world more than God because the culture has wormed its way in.  And if we don’t change we won’t be able to rise to the challenge of faith. 

Of course we have to live in the world but we are not to conform to it.  We cannot live apart from the world but we must focus our eyes on Jesus, the perfecter of our faith.  And if we don’t change our perspective, faith will remain a crutch and not something powerful enough to bring life, hope, love, and joy.  

Suddenly, we are terrified because who are we to share the power of God with others.  Often we barely know it ourselves.  And we can’t force it on other people.  My family and friends are not that interested, the world around us doesn’t care for it, and sometimes even I’m not sure what I believe.   Yup - I totally get that.  We live in a multi-cultural society, we preach tolerance, welcome and openness.  What right do we have to share our belief systems?  

Yet we do it all the time. I couldn’t say what everyone’s political background is but I know in the congregation we have SNP supporters and Labour life time members.  I know we have those who wholeheartedly believe in Brexit and those who don’t.  I know that there are those who continue to support Hamilton Accies or Ross Country.  I know there are those who struggle with anything in worship that could be overtly catholic.  I know there are gin experts, those who are tennis lovers, those who could help us understand environmental issues...

What I mean by this is that we are constantly sharing our viewpoints on who we are, what we believe, what we think.  Some are more vocal than others, others it is by watching their way of life.  

What I love about this passage in 1st Corinthians is that we are not expected to be world class theologians who know their Barth from their Calvin, or gifted speakers or influencers who have millions of followers on social media.  We are meant to be our very ordinary selves.  

Think about that for a moment.  God loves you for who are you, and yes wants to release your potential. But it is the potential you already own.  You are unique, gifted, wonderfully and fearfully made.  Paul isn’t trying to insult his readers - he wants them to understand that God can and will use you with the capabilities that you currently have.  The world constantly pushes us to excel - to look perfect all the time, to dress well, to conform to fashions or trends, to have the right education, to wear the right brands and so on.  If that is the world in which we live, then our challenge is to resist that and allow our weakness to undermine the strong. 

Think what Psalmist says - (Psalm 15)

Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?

    Who may live on your holy mountain?

2 

The one whose way of life is blameless,

    who does what is righteous,

    who speaks the truth from their heart;

3 

whose tongue utters no slander,

    who does no wrong to a neighbour,

    and casts no slur on others;

4 

who despises a vile person

    but honours those who fear the Lord;

who keeps an oath even when it hurts,

    and does not change their mind;

5 

who lends money to the poor without interest;

    who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things

    will never be shaken.

All of these are still so relevant today.  How we speak of each other - do we honour each other?  Do we keep our word? Do we help those in need without thought of gain?  Our very lives are our message to the world around us and we can preach without saying a word...

We can praise God and trust in his faithfulness when life is rubbish.  Rather than moan and weep with self-pity, we can still weep but in faith that God weeps with us, knowing that our hope is found in him. 

We can share our wealth, even when our wealth is peanuts.  And if you want to know what that is truly like, then watch someone with very little share with someone with even less.  Or remember those days when your parents went without so you could eat.  Nothing challenges those with plenty more than witnessing those with barely anything share even that.  

When others step out of a situation, stating that a community or a people or an individual are beyond saving, the Church can step in and share love, hope, mercy, faithfulness.  We might not solve the situation but we will be there when all hope is gone.  The greatest witness of Christians throughout history has been when they have stayed when everyone else has given up.  

But we don’t do this in our own strength.  Often our first reaction when help is sought is to bite down the selfish reaction.  Yet God’s love and compassion that flows through us gives us the strength to reach out in love, to offer help, to forgive the one who hurt us, to stay the course even in the midst of conflict, difficulty and change. And the blessings that flow are worth it.  Often what we give away in love, in sacrifice, in faith, we receive back in bucket loads.  Our blessings might come back in a different shape but we are blessed. 

However, if we are to truly rise to the challenge of our faith, turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, sharing the Gospel - we can only do that if we allow God to live and work in our lives, changing our fear to courage, our weakness to strength, our busyness to priorities.  Many moons ago I told you that if you don’t set your own priorities, others will do it for you.  Prioritise this journey of discipleship - meditate on God’s word, take Sabbath rest, pray and ponder, seeking God’s leadership in your life.  I promise the challenges will increase but you will be more alive, more connected to creation, to God, to each other and indeed to yourself.  The change will be as tangible as weight loss or getting fit. 

You will blossom like spring flowers in the sunshine, and even when the storms come and your head is bowed, your heart will sing for you in the presence of the Holy One.  The world will see the difference, and they will want what you have...quiet confidence, deep joy, calm and self-assurance.  It won’t be an overnight transformation, and there will be bumps along the way.  Jesus didn’t promise an easy life - blessed are you that mourn, that are persecuted, that are looked down upon - 

I wish, I so wish, we could embrace our faith, capturing the first joy of it again.  Then we wouldn’t hide behind our age, experience, busyness or fear.  I want to embrace my faith that way, walking in the way of my Lord, braver, stronger, and it has to start with me prioritising my relationship with Him. As I change my priorities from the busyness of ministry, allowing Him to set the pace, the direction, the purpose, I know the challenges will be hard but I am God’s child, loved and blessed.  What do you want to do today to help you meet the challenge of faith?  What steps can you make to prioritise your relationship with God?  For unless we change our perspective to focus on Him, the world will continue to overshadow and distract us from discipleship.  Bless those who are praying even now that the church will rise up in power and strength because this is the time, this is the moment when we are so close to being broken in this society, that God will be praised and the day of salvation is here.  We no longer rely on status or wealth or influence or pedestals.  We are weak, barely with wisdom or influence, and as the Church of Scotland crumbles,  we have two choices.  We give up and close the door, hang the for sale sign...  Or we let God do what God does best...

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

I give the final word to Joshua - the challenge given...

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Amen