Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 17/Jan/2021]

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” [Isaiah 43 v 18,19]

In the middle of this pandemic God’s light will shine, He has given us hope. Romans 8 v28 says that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord. 2 Corinthians 4 v6 says, “God commanded light to shine out of darkness”, it’s still happening in the circumstances around us.

Don’t you think it’s amazing that when some things disappear that new things come to replace them. I very recently lost a very close friend who had cancer. I will miss her lots, she really loved Jesus with all her heart but through her death I have come to know her brother, he is not a Christian. He has started to pray and is very open to talk about her relationship with the Lord. In our loss His whole family are becoming more open to a new way of living.

Through all the pandemic we have noticed folk are really open to chat and talk about what is happening in their own circumstances. It almost seems that God has taken away the veneer of triviality from people’s lives, which makes it so much easier to get down to the nitty-gritty of what makes people tick.

Every day there seems to be a new challenge and we have an option to turn to Jesus In it all or lean on our own understanding and struggle through.

“In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct our paths.” [Proverbs 3 v 5, 6]

I’m finding the way Jesus has for us is very exciting and am continually looking at what He’s doing in all this, making a highway of holiness and opening new faith adventures.Blessings to you all in a new year of hope and thankfulness.

.

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during February 2021]

It’s easy to look at the world and to wonder where God is in it all. You only have to watch the news in the evening to realise the tragedy that goes on day after day. Where is God in the war and the conflict? Where is God in the Ebola crisis? Where is God in the food poverty experienced by so many in our country? Why is there so much suffering?

It was with those words that Katy Prior began her Sunday meditation, some six years ago^[1]. It seems to me that only one word needs to be changed to bring the question up to date. Substitute ‘covid’ for ‘ebola’ and the situation she described becomes very familiar.

So, where is He?
It’s a question that baffled the intelligentsia of the day when some travellers arrived in Jerusalem approximately 2,000 years ago, asking the same question. The ruling authorities and spiritual leaders of the day did not have an answer – does that too sound familiar?

Where is He?
It’s a question that Elijah must have asked. Living during one of the most God-less periods of Old Testament history, in a nation that was supposed to be God’s chosen people, he felt very much alone in his devotion to the Lord. As he hid in a cave in Mount Horeb he was in fear for his life. Then he was treated to a pyrotechnics display which surpassed even that of Sydney on a New Year’s Eve. In quick succession he experienced a tornado, an earthquake and a firestorm, but none of these represented the true presence of God.

Elijah received his answer in the form of a quiet word. In due course, those travellers who enquired at the palace found their answer in a humbler location. Maybe that’s where we should look too. Behind the noise and drama of the news broadcasts there are quieter things going on. Not earth-shattering events but life-changing nonetheless. A simple gesture of friendship, an unexpected meal, a small donation to a food bank, even a softly-spoken word of encouragement.

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” [Matthew 25 v40 NIVUK]

[1] Katy Prior, 14/Dec/2014, HBC Yours

.

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 10/Jan/2021]

Philippians 2 v14–16 says “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.”

Many years ago I watched Testament of Youth on television, based on Vera Brittain’s experiences of nursing on the front line in World War 1. After witnessing unspeakable horrors in France, she returned home to find her mother complaining about the minor hardships she was facing as a result of the war, like the lack of parties, shortage of various non-essential items and problems in getting servants.

At the time I judged the mother quite harshly, but during the past year I have all too often acted in the same way, focussing on my own small hardships, mainly the separation from family and friends (mitigated by Skype and Zoom), while others have been on the front line, fighting for their lives or risking their own lives in the fight to save others. As well as medical and care staff, there have been teachers, shop workers, transport workers, police and many others who have been working under very difficult and dangerous conditions, whilst others have seen their jobs disappear and been plunged into poverty.

Even with the vaccine, life is likely to continue to be very challenging for many and the future can look dark, but perhaps God is allowing these dark times so that our lights can shine more brightly in the world, pointing people to the Light of the world. Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” [John 8 v12]

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during January 2021]

He was a refugee. Like so many who flee their homeland, he had left behind all that he had possessed. In his case he had been raised amongst the upper echelons of society, with wealth and great prospects, but all that was gone now. What had happened? One day he attempted to right an injustice and incurred the wrath of the established authorities. He had to flee for his life, and start again elsewhere.

Shortly afterwards, wandering through a strange country, he came across another injustice. A group of sisters were being bullied by some men so he intervened once more. The outcome was more successful, he was invited home for dinner. In due course he married one of the sisters, settled down and joined his new father-in-law’s business. Things were starting to look up again.

And then he saw the burning bush.
Curiosity got the better of him and he went for a closer look. Exodus 3 tells us what happened next:

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’
And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’
‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ [Exodus 3 v4-5 NIVUK]

Another life changing experience. The rest of the book of Exodus tells us how Moses was sent back to Pharaoh, the arguments and disappointments that followed, and how he ultimately led the Israelites to the border of the Promised Land, an achievement with its own share of arguments and disappointments.

Did his upbringing in the royal court prepare Moses for facing Pharaoh? Did his experience with sheep prove helpful when leading the people? Who else would have been so uniquely prepared for the task?

Do you feel that so much of your life has been of limited value? Why was so much time spent in seemingly mundane tasks when you could have been doing something useful for the kingdom of God?

Surely it is not within our remit to decide what is ‘mundane’ in God’s greater plan. Perhaps your calling is to support someone else in their calling, as Aaron did for Moses. The janitor at NASA headquarters was an essential member of the team that put a man on the moon, and God’s plan eclipses that!

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.