To an Unknown God

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Paul was gifted with the wonderful talent of being able to meet people where they were. When he had walked round Athens, he’d noticed there were altars to many different gods. He used this as a starting point to reach out to the people and even complimented them, ‘I see that in many ways you are very religious.’ I imagine the townsfolk of Athens were flattered by this observation and willing to listen further.

There is no accusing attitude in what Paul had to say and in no way is he blaming them for having many gods. He talks about their altar to an unknown god and then says he is going to show this unknown god to them. If there was a master class in evangelizing, this surely would be it. At the end of the sermon we read that some of the listeners sneered but others said ‘We want to hear you again on this subject.’

I pray that when we start to speak to others about Christ, the Holy Spirit may reveal to us ‘a way in.’ Obviously there are as many different approaches as there are people. I’ve marveled at the various ways the Holy Spirit has worked in my conversations. It has been different approach but always a friendly conversation has been possible. It should not be surprising as God, and not us, knows exactly where our listener is standing spiritually.

‘You’ll Never Walk Alone.’

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‘Therefore, if I have found favour in Your sight, please now show me Your way.’ Exodus 33:13

God replies, ‘This very thing that you have spoken, I will do.’ Exodus 33:14

Moses was being asked by God to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt into the Promised Land. Considering the large number of people and families and all their belongings it was a tremendously difficult task. He knew he couldn’t do it alone. Moses asks God to go with him, which He graciously agrees to do.

In the New Testament after the resurrection two disciples were on the road to Emmaus, heart-broken and bewildered. Their dreams were broken, their hopes dashed. But they were not to walk alone, as a stranger joined them. They didn’t have to journey and struggle without help. Jesus Himself walked alongside them.

We too are on a journey, the journey of life. Along the way we will meet problems, trials and heartbreaks. We never know what a new day will bring; it may be trouble, it may be joy. If the day brings trouble we have no idea how to deal with it. But we don ‘t have to walk the journey of life in a solitary way. Throughout the Bible we find promises from God. ‘I will be with you,’ ‘Do not be afraid,’ ‘I am your God.’ God knows the way and guides and helps us . It is exceedingly true, ‘You’ll never walk alone.’

My Lane

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I’ve been thrilled to watch the Olympic Games as well as the Paralympics. My favourite events were the track races, probably because my father in his time, was a track racer at a much lower level and as a small child I had the privilege of being near him when he was an official for 1948 Olympic Games in London. I listened with awe of the account when, with my mother, they were both at the Games in Berlin in 1936. I had hoped to go to the Games when they were again in London in 2012 but was unable to go.

In the track events every runner has to keep in his or her own lane at the right times. As with the swimming races, to stray into another lane causes chaos and disqualification. Every lane is clearly marked.

In our own lives we also need to stay in our own ‘lanes’ and live the life God has planned for us and not hanker after another. I’ve always wanted to be able to sing and maybe perform but that is not a gift I’ve been granted. I console myself with the fact that I will be able to sing in heaven. Even my flute, piano and clarinet playing were of poor standard. Another talent I wished I had possessed was to be sporty. Like my father I would have enjoyed being athletic but it never happened.

God has given me other gifts, the gift of writing and being able to make friends easily. I need to keep to my own lane, that is where God will be able to use me best.

Doubt

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To those in prison around the world suffering for their faith, there must be times of anguish and doubt. Is there a God out there at all? As I have never suffered for my faith at that level I can’t deeply understand. But John the Baptist was one such person. He had been the forerunner of the Messiah and had been the person to baptize Jesus. Now he was languishing in prison and asking the question ‘Are You the One we have been expecting, or are we still waiting?’

Jesus gave him a list of His miracles. The blind had been made to see again. Those who were lame were now walking, cleansing had been given to those who had leprosy, the deaf were able to hear again. Jesus finished by stating that the dead had been raised to life. And finally there was the good news that salvation would be available through the blood and resurrection of Jesus Himself.

This wasn’t just encouragement for John, it is encouraging for every one today. Our God is a God of miracles and also salvation. He is not only a doer of good works, He is the bringer of life, fuller and more abundant. To John’s question the answer is ‘Yes, He is the One.’

Sharing Meals

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‘When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve,’ Matthew 26:20. At the Last Supper Jesus was enjoying a meal with His friends. He also know it would be the last time He would dine with them before His crucifixion. We often find Jesus eating with His friends while here on earth. This last supper was so important that it has been celebrated down the centuries, as Jesus requested it should be, in remembrance of Him.

One of the first things that Jesus did after His resurrection was to eat again with friends. This time it was on the seashore. After Jesus had cooked the breakfast (it must have been the best tasting breakfast ever) He reaffirmed His love and forgiveness to Peter, who had denied Him so badly. Previously we find Him eating at the home of Mary and Martha, though it proved to be a time of sibling rivalry, showing that even in the presence of Jesus there can be problems. At the disciples’ home in Emmaus the unrecognized Jesus dined with his two disciples until the fellowship was cut short by His disappearance. Another occasion was the wedding feast at Cana, though again not all went smoothly.

I am blessed that I can share my home with others as I offer anything from a glass of water to a full-blown meal. It can be a time of friendship, conversation and love. If Jesus can also be present that makes it special.

Come to my House

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He wasn’t dressed up in his best clothes, a good thing under the circumstances. His beard may not have been tidied up that day Undoubtedly, he was dusty and sweaty from the heat of the day and clambering up a tree. His home certainly wasn’t ready for visitors. There was no time to clean up and tidy up when Jesus said to Zacchaeus ‘I must stay at your house today.’

On arrival would Jesus have seen the table cluttered with the implements of his trade, weighing scales, calculations, the odd coin. Jesus was going to see him just as he was, untidy, unkempt, unprepared and utterly amazed. When we invite Jesus into our hearts we don’t have to clean up first. There is no point in waiting until we have our sin under control before asking Him into our lives. We can’t delay until we are older and wiser. Jesus says, ‘I must come into your heart, today.’

When I was a child I received a delightful little book by Joan Gale Thomas entitled ‘If Jesus came to my House.’ Written in rhyme I was asked to consider what it would be like if the boy Jesus did come to my house.

‘I’d run downstairs to meet Him, the door I’d open wide

and I would sat to Jesus, won ‘t You’ come inside.’

After sharing my toys, secret places and fears, I would then realise that Jesus couldn’t physically come to my house but I could go to His (his church) and I could do for others what I couldn’t actually do for Jesus.

‘I still can share with Jesus the nicest of my toys

by lending them or giving them to other girls and boys.’

Hidden in a Tree

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People who encounter Jesus go from poor in spirit to rich in spirit. Zacchaeus went from financial wealth to poverty. At the beginning of the narrative, being a chief tax collector, he was known for cheating the Jews and being rich. After his encounter with Jesus he repaid everyone he had cheated fourfold. He also gave away half his possessions. He must have ended up nearly bankrupt!

Consider our wealth today. We don’t read of the wealthiest people being the happiest. Lottery winners often regret winning millions of pounds as it ruins their lives. More cars and houses don’t buy more happiness. They become suspicious of their friends, in case they are only friends because of their money? Money and possessions become a stranglehold.

Of course, we all need enough to live on and we know many people do not have that. Those of us who have enough can share, we can give to others and charities. If we don’t desire to give nationally, we can give to local food banks and money for equipment for local schools, We can give to the homeless we see on our streets. We should not give money to them as it can be used for drugs or drink, give food or drinks, or as I once did in a rainstorm, an umbrella. The devil will always supply us with excuses not to give.

The Heart of the Matter

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‘Are you greater than our father, Jacob?’ asks the Samaritan woman of Jesus at the well. The answer is a million time ‘Yes.’ The woman was good at avoiding answering the really important questions and asking distracting ones. The arguments she used are still used in the modern day by non-believers. She brings us the male versus female issue – a Samaritan woman and a Jewish man. We often bring up differences between men and women, forgetting that God wants us to complement each other not aim for superiority. It is so sad to hear unkind remarks about our opposite sex; we should be partnerships, each helping each other. This woman also exploits the differences in forms of worship. Today, some people like noisy worship, others worship in quietness. Some have ornate churches and cathedrals, while others have no ornaments save a single cross. How easily we forget that we worship the same God, whatever our style of praise and worship.

With the woman at the well, Jesus pulls her back to basics. He tells her ‘The time is coming and has now come, when the true worshipper will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipper the Father seeks,’ John 4:23. May we be that kind of worshipper.

Twenty-four Seven

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‘When I am awake I am still with you.’ Psalm 139:18

In this text, I notice one word in particular ‘still,’ This implies that during the night I have been with my God, or more importantly, He has been with me. He doesn’t return as I awake, He hes never left me. Little children are often afraid of the dark and the night. I had a sibling who had night terrors and I would often be disturbed by the sound of my parents soothing him back to sleep. There was a difficult period of my life when as I became conscious after sleep, my heart would plummet with fear of the difficult day ahead, but God never left me..

Maybe you and I experience similar feelings today. We need to remember, having been with us during the night, God is still with us.The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 121:6.’The sun shall not smite you by day or the moon by night.’ Elsewhere we read ‘Even the darkness is not dark to You. ‘ Psalm 139:12. Just because we are asleep or even trying to sleep, God hasn’t gone off duty.

Every promise that we read in the Bible for the daytime, applies equally to the night. God doesn’t have a ‘clock off time.’ Nor is it just during our living years that we have this assurance. Psalm 139 comforts us with the words’, Lead me in the way everlasting.’

Lasting Crowns

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For people who dislike sport, choosing to watch television must be hard at the moment. Football, cricket, swimming, the Olympics and many, many more sports are being shown on many television channels much of the day. There are cups and medals always being competed for and won or lost .Sport is a healthy thing for mind and body. I follow my local football team but to corrupt the words of Alfred, Lord Tennyson in his Charge of the Light Brigade, ‘half a league, half a league, half a league onward’, the story of my team is, ‘up a league and down a league, do better next year.’

It is sad to read of former sportspeople having to sell their medals to buy essentials because they have fallen on hard times. Their trophies are not in their lives for ever.. We strive hard for achievement, but their permanence is short. Athletes grow old and can no longer compete and the life of athletes achieving medals is a short one.

Paul has something to say about this ‘They do it for a crown which will not last……’. 1 Corinthians 9:25. But he goes on to say ‘But we do it for a crown that will last for ever.’ Jesus put the same thoughts into parables. We think of the parable of the hidden talent in the field, where a man sells everything he has to buy that field. We know that our earthy achievements and possessions will not last. I realise that on my death, as I have no descendants, all my belongings will be put into a skip. I hold them lightly because they are not of substance. I want to hold on to that which will last through eternity.