Starting on Wednesday 17th of February, we will be posting 40 short Lent reflections, preparing us for Easter. These will include prayerful reflection, some suggestions for personal application and ideas to serve and encourage others.
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Any feedback can be shared via the 'comments' feature under each reflection ... so join us for 40 days of inspiration & challenge!
Christmas is often seen as the most important day of the year where everything has to be perfect: presents, food, hospitality, family relationships etc; the trouble is that Boxing Day can be an exhausting anticlimax with seemingly little else to look forward to, especially in the dull greyness of January.
During the last 40 days we have been on a journey of identifing with Jesus in his suffering and death. Well he is now dead, has been taken from the cross and laid and sealed in the tomb. It can be very easy to live in a place of hopelessness, dispaire, loss or anticlimax in a way that is encapsulated in Easter Saturday.
Yes, the hopelessness of Good Friday can be the reality of our lives, yet the promise of tomorrow's new dawn is also the hope of the resurrection for our lives.
What hope does God want to give you today as you look to your tomorrow?
When we are waiting for something we want the time seems to drag on forever; yet when we wait for something we are not looking forward to it arrives quicker than the passing of the night.
I wonder how Jesus found the waiting; I wonder how much he knew of what was going to happen; I wonder how instead of being overwhelmed by fear and dread he was on the streets demonstrating the love of God to the very people who were about to scream for his crucifiction. What about me, what would I do? I wonder...
When I was doing a degree in music technology, I was told about the ‘signal to noise ratio’. Wikipedia defines this as “a measure ... to quantify how much a signal has been corrupted by noise”. The signal is the desired sound and the noise is what can potentially obscure it.
For instance, if you’ve ever recorded your voice onto a dictaphone, played it back and wondered why there’s so much hiss and hum on the tape, it’s because they’ve often got a terrible signal to noise ratio!
We live in such a busy world, it’s easy for noise to clutter up our lives and drown out God’s communication with us, both literal noise (tvs, traffic, machinery etc.) and metaphorical (different aspects of our working/social/home lives coming before spending time with God).
What’s your signal to noise ratio with God been like lately?
Do you wish you could spend more time listening for God?
In the UK is it budget day, the last one before our General Election. Come the 6th May (the most likely date for the election) the media will be in overdrive with political analysis and public opinion. Christian circles will also be alive with the question ‘how would Jesus vote?’
What a stupid question suggesting there is only one way to vote implying that if we get it wrong we are not voting as Jesus would but rather as the ‘other side’ would. I don’t want to become a clone of Jesus trying to spend my life second guessing how Jesus would live and what decisions he would make; I am uniquely made and want to become more like Jesus in my uniqueness. When we go to vote may be we should be asking “Jesus, how would you like me to vote?’
Andrew White is the vicar of the St George's which has a congregation of over 3,700 Iraqi Christians and is the only Anglican church in Bagdad: This is an excerpt from his latest email.
Joanna Flynn, is a 9 year old girl who goes to the River Church in Cherry Hill, New Jersey; a great church led by Kyle Horner where I spoke just two weeks ago...[when] I got back from the USA I was told about our terrible financial situation [in St George's Church]...Kyle Horner then contacted me to say that little Joanna had given her life savings for the children of St. George's Church. She was saving to buy a dog and she had collected $80 she gave it all...I told her story to several people and they started to give money. I do not know exactly how much was given in response to the story about Joanna. It has been thousands of dollars and we now have enough to feed our people this coming month. In addition to this I have been given $500 for her to buy a puppy.
To find out more about the work of Andrew White or to follow Joanna's amazing example and give to St George's church visit www.frrme.org (If you want to give in response after reading this, please specify that it relates to Joanna's story)
As a sailor it is essential to know what the wind and tide are doing. As you look at the Mersey it might be blowing a gale, but if the water is moving in the same direction as the wind then the water is calm; however if the water is flowing in the opposite direction to the wind then the waves can be quite dangerous leading to a very unpleasant and potentially dangerous environment.
If the water represents my or your life and the wind the Spirit of God, where we are going with the flow of God and where we are going against Him; how can you tell the difference between the two in your life?
It can seem like faster is better; just a few minutes watching adverts on TV can leave viewers feeling as slow and ancient as the dinosaurs. Yet I when I read the bible I don't see Jesus running around from pillar to post doing things as fast as possible so even more can be done.
In a time where doing more as quick as possible whilst the days seem to be getting shorter is seen as success, it is assuring to know that God cannot be rushed or hurried yet remains God.
A Christian training centre in Germany regularly goes for long periods, at times 30 days without buying food. Instead they give the money they save to help people in third world slums. They only eat food that is offered or given to them.
How might you apply such dependence on God in your life this week?
If you leave a rotten apple next to other apples the badness starts to make the other fruit rotten. This might be a warning to choose our friends carefully and be aware of their influence.
Yet Jesus picks out the need to love our neighbours as ourselves.
"A relationship with eternal truth and love [God] simply doesn't happen unless we mend our relations with Tom, Dick and Harriet. The actual substance [what it is made of, how it effects our life and how we live it out] of our relationship with eternal truth and love is bound up with how we manage the proximity of these human neighbours"
“Lent is supposed to be a time when we review our spiritual life, think again about what it means to be a follower of Christ, reset the compass of our discipleship and prepare ourselves to celebrate the Easter festival. But often we just give up biscuits”
Clear lots of ground for your tents! Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big! Use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep. You're going to need lots of elbow room for your growing family” Isaiah 54 v2
What are the pegs in your life; what gives you security?
How deep are they and how do they stand up to the storms of life?
Psalm 61
Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.
From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.
I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings
Clear lots of ground for your tents! Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big! Use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep. You're going to need lots of elbow room for your growing family” Isaiah 54 v2
Where do you see your life going, where are you growing, where are you thinking big; how would you like to see your life grow?
One of the hardest people for me to complement is myself, in fact I used to pride myself in loving others more than I loved myself. Recently I have been learning to give myself 'a pat on the back' a lot more.
Now we are at the half way mark in Lent, look back over the last couple of weeks and remember those things you have done well, how well you have managed normally stressful situations or people, a job well done or an achievement you can be proud of.
I'd swim across lake Michigan I'd sell my shoes I'd give my body to be back again In the rest of the room
To be alone with you
You gave your body to the lonely They took your clothes You gave up a wife and a family You gave your ghost
To be alone with me You went up on a tree
I've never known a man who loves me
In his song 'To Be Alone With You', singer Sufjan Stevens describes what he'd give just to spend some time with Jesus. What would you be willing to do to get to know God intimately? What do you feel you can do today to bring yourself closer to Him?
During Lent, our thoughts often turn to suffering; the suffering of Jesus, ourselves and others. The question of why God allows suffering has lingered long down the centuries, and although we can understand that God - as Jesus - has experienced the very extremes of physical and emotional human pain, it can still knock us for six when bad things happen to good people.
Unjust suffering frequently pops up in the Bible. I was reading in The Message the other day about the prophet Jeremiah who, simply for saying what he thought was right, was attacked by his contemporaries, thrown deep down into a cistern filled with mud, and left to sink (click here to read the story).
Have you ever felt trapped like Jeremiah? Far from the surface and sinking? Imagine yourself in his place. If you were Jeremiah, what would you pray?
On Feb 12 President Préval of Haiti cancelled the Mardi Gras and called his nation to 3 days of fasting and prayer. Over 1 million Haitians attended this epic event! The video is deeply moving example of desperate brokenness leading people not away from God but to God.
Tax-dodging multinationals cheat the developing world out of at least US$160bn each year, nine times the amount needed to educate all children globally. Is this fair or right? If you think not you can visit www.christianaid.org.uk to demand tax justice.
[Jesus said] “are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Christianity’s exclusive truth claim is the most inclusive worldview available—and it compels the greatest love, humility and acceptance. In fact, at its very core, is an invitation to all (“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened…”). But it also challenges us to love others humbly, generously and unconditionally, because God loves us in that way. The central illustration of this love is Christ’s death on the cross; his death offers freedom from the authority of sin, but also requires us to surrender ourselves in a similar fashion.
In 10,000 schools across India, after-school clubs have been set up which aim to tackle both the causes and symptoms of climate change, teaching children about energy conservation and how to respond to increasing floods, cyclones and drought.
Is it fair that, although the results of climate change more directly impact those in poorer nations, in the majority carbon emissions from rich, western nations are to blame? Is there anything we can do about it?
Catching the news can leave me feeling overwhelmed and helpless especially listening to humanitarian disasters. After hearing such a story turn the news off and pause for a moment, invite God to show you how he would like you to respond; he might speak through a feeling, thought or impression. Write it down and make sure you do it
Toilet-flushing accounts for about a third of household water usage. You probably flush away as much water in a day as you drink in a whole month. Think about some ways that you can save a bit of water in your day to day life.
The UN estimates that there are around 50 million people in the world who have been made refugees as a result of environmental deterioration, such as climate change for example which is believed to be responsible for increasing floods / landslides / increasing malaria and increasing crop failure.
In the bible (Genesis 1) God calls humans to “take charge” and "be responsible" for the earth but also to steward it. Do you think Christians have taken one part of this teaching to heart and dismissed the other? Do you think it matters to God?
Whilst sitting in a pub with a glass on the table, the glass can be seen as half full or half empty. Doing something sacrificial can be seen in a similar way; it can be seen as something costly, possibly with negative connotations or it can be seen as generosity, which could be considered as positive.
When making a sacrifice do you see it from a negative or positive point of view? How could you demonstrate generosity today?
Those in management will know that when doing an evaluation with an employee anything which could be seen as criticism needs to be surrounded by praise. Someone concluded that any hint of criticism needs to be balanced with seven positive comments. For some reason we are more ready to hear negative comments than positive ones.
What can you do today to become more receptive to complements and praise so they have a greater impact on you?
During a sermon the preacher gave everyone a match as a visual illustration of how powerful the tongue is; something so small can be used for immense good or immense bad. Whilst leaving church the analogy went further than ever intended as a nearby derelict building had just been set on fire by one of the matches.
How are you going to use your tongue today? It is surprising how an encouragement or word of praise can transform someone's day.
An amazing amount of water floods the River Mersey as the tide comes in. It brings to mind the phrase "Tide and time waits for no man"; nothing we can do will stop the power of the tide. It can be a healthy reminder of how vulnerable we are in the face of the power of nature.
A story is told in the bible of Jesus going onto a huge lake in a fishing boat ; whilst in the middle of the lake a storm kicked up, so ferocious that even the experienced sailors were scared. Jesus spoke three words and stopped the storm dead ... (read the story)
Contrast the power of Jesus' words with the powerless fear that gripped his friends. How does that speak into your life?
Lent is 40 days long, but there are more than 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, this is because Sundays are not counted in the 40 days; it is seen as a day of celebration rather than a to reflect on Christ's death and suffering.
Sunday provides a great opportunity to have a look over the weeks reflections considering the bits that stand out and have been coming back to mind; have a look at the post and comments choosing one thing to take with you into the following week.
Giving something up, or giving something away can be hard, especially when it is something cherished, special or enjoyable. Spend a few minutes thinking about what you could sacrifice today, jump in and do it. It might be something simple like giving up your Starbucks coffee and giving the money to charity, taking the time to help someone or something more costly. A friend of mine felt that God wanted them to give someone their MP3 player, they didn't know the recipient had lost theirs that very morning.
What sacrifice are you going to make today; don't forget the nature of a sacrifice is that there is an element of cost, material, financial, emotional etc. You might be surprised where it leads ...
"Mr Griffiths, 27, has told friends how his [parachute] instructor, Michael Costello, repeatedly shouted "Hey man, I'm sorry" to him as the pair hurtled towards the ground at speeds of 120 mph [their chute had failed]. Mr Costello, who saved the Briton's life by deliberately cushioning his fall, died on impact." (Independent Newspaper website, 1997)
How would you feel or respond if someone did that for you; guilt, thankful, frightened...?
Suffering can come in many forms: death, physical illness, depression, life circumstances, ... Is it always a bad thing or is it a necessary part of life that can lead to good? Jesus' suffering and death (click to read Matthew 27: v11-56) was essential for a better good to happen.
Does Jesus' choice to suffer affect our views and experiences of suffering?
Lent is a time for reflecting on Jesus; traditionally focusing on his suffering and death. Some choose to give up something i.e. chocolate, caffeine, TV, etc to help them identify with Jesus in his suffering.
As we start this journey together, think about what will help you take a few minutes each day to focus on Jesus?
Starting on Wednesday 17th of February, we will be posting 40 short Lent reflections, preparing us for Easter. These will include prayerful reflection, some suggestions for personal application and ideas to serve and encourage others.