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I'm sharing this journal entry from one of our sheep / shepherds for your encouragement and invite you to share your stories to keep us connected David
Thursday April 2, 2020: A journal entry:
JESUS WEPT.
A Morning mist of low cloud wrapped soft around the hills.
I read John 6 and tried to ponder on Jesus the living bread. But the mist beckoned and drew me outside, quickly enfolding me in its clammy embrace.
There was no pausing to choose direction. I headed straight up the hill blanketed in the foggy stillness, only birdcall echoing the inner certainty – she’s coming to pray.
Pray up the hill. I haven’t prayed up there for a while. I’ve prayed. But not there on God’s hill, my place of retreat.
At the summit, as cloud drifted and lifted, it was my heart that rained out its anguished plea, the cry for help with COVID19: LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER. Help us Jesus.
That was it. No wordy waffle. I perched on the rim of the damp bench, poised in grief and need; heart, mind and spirit turned to God, “Yet still do I praise you Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Living God.”
A lull then settled over me, like a mute button had been pressed to hush the turmoil of my distressed thoughts and wretched emotions concerning the plight of the world’s people. Wait. Be quiet!
Jesus wept. The words from last Sunday’s reading came to mind loud and clear.
33 When Jesus saw her crying, and the Judaeans who had come with her crying, he was deeply stirred in his spirit, and very troubled. 34 ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked. ‘Master,’ they said, ‘come and see.’ 35 Jesus burst into tears. (John 11:33-35 NTE)
I too burst into tears, and as I wept, there at the top of the hill, I knew he was weeping with me. Weeping with all the world. Weeping for us all.
Turn to me. And I, turning, vision all awash, could see clearly, he was there. Feed my sheep. To this I shook my head, and thought, I’m no pastor. You are a minister of my word. Therefore, speak my word to others. Speak my word to one another. And suddenly understanding dawned. “You aren’t just saying this to me, are you? It’s your call to all of us: Feed your sheep. The responsibility is ours collectively.” And I pictured the scattered sheep, isolated from one another but belonging together and needing creative new ways of being church and speaking grace and hope to one another and others.
I plunged, then, down the hill, not following the worn paths but winding down the steeper slope, weaving through knee high weeds, around rocky mounds and patches of slippery flattened grass, to emerge at the wider base track.
Now is the time to forge new paths. Jesus is still the Way, the “base track” of my faith remains the same. It’s the network of familiar paths that represent how we have lived out our faith, that have fallen away, not God’s word or his kingdom, or his love.
I am thankful for this love that comes to us where we are: scattered sheep weeping in the mist of uncertainty. I’m thankful that Jesus wept and that his way isn’t set in stone. That he comes and calls us to discover a new and living way, today and tomorrow and the next day. Hallelujah! This is a new day! And the Jesus who weeps with us in our distress will renew us and lead us on beyond COVID19.
JESUS WEPT.
The autumn sun filtered a pale ray through the drifting grey. A reminder that the God who weeps, also sheds light as well as tears.
Our Hope is Assured 5th Sunday during Lent Read: Philippians 1:3-11 “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
“Jesus is coming back someday. Could be tomorrow, could be today! Jesus is coming back I know for the Holy Spirit told me so” This was a song I learned while on a Lutheran Youth Encounter Team in the USA. It was a fun song where the leader would choose someone to tell a story (fact or f iction) and then just at the crunch line, the song would start. I remember thinking, wow, Jesus really could come back while I am brushing my teeth or writing a devotion or spending time with family. We just don’t know, and in the Bible, it tells us that not even Jesus knows, only our Heavenly Father.
That means we need to be ready! When Jesus comes back, is He really going to take me with Him, or is He going to change His mind at the last minute? That can be a really scary thought, but Paul in the Bible verse tells us that we have this hope of eternal life given to us by the Holy Spirit and so we can be confident that God will be with us always. Thinking about the day of Christ’s return should be a joyous thought. But for many it can be scary.
Have they done enough? Have they told enough people about Jesus? “What about my family – they won’t listen to me!” Paul assures us that our hope with Jesus is assured, “all of you share in God’s grace with me.” (verse 7b) God sent His son Jesus to be a substitute for us and take all our sins and wrongdoings on Himself. He took all our burdens, uncertainties and failures to the cross with Him and washed them away with His precious blood. With Jesus doing that for us, we can have the hope of a future life in the presence of a loving Father. God wants this for you and me. Trust and believe in God and that He has your life in His arms. Be assured, God will take you to be with Him on the day of Christ Jesus!
Prayer: My dear Jesus, you have saved me through your death and rising from the dead. I know and believe in you and trust that you also have my eternal life in your hands. Amen.
You Have Been Called 28th Day in Lent (Saturday) Read: Ephesians 4:1-6 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:4-6 (NIV)
Have you ever felt that God has called you to something? Was it a feeling of foreboding, or was it a feeling of excitement? The church uses the ‘calling’ process for congregations to ask a Pastor to come and be their pastor. When I was in LTC (Lutheran Teachers College) back in the 1980’s, the church also used this ‘calling’ process for teachers. I know that when people were sent to Papua New Guinea as missionaries – they were also ‘called’. Is it only ‘super-Christians’ that can be ‘called’ to serve God? No, I don’t believe that is the case. Each one of us is ‘called’ by God to work in His kingdom.
Four years ago, I felt an urging by the Spirit to start a young children’s ministry. Mainly Music started in our church, just through having a feeling that God wanted me to do something for families and children. God is calling each of us, all the time to do something special for Him. Maybe to talk to that group at work who sit off by themselves.
Maybe it is to begin a new initiative within the church. Maybe it is to put your hand up to usher, play an instrument, lead a small group, participate in a small group. Jesus called the disciples to be His followers; He is also calling you to be His follower. What is God calling you to do? In the Bible reading from Ephesians 4:1-6, Paul talks about us all to live a life worthy of being called by God. What does that look like?
We are to be humble, patient, forgiving, loving and bring peace. Sometimes this can seem like a big ask when life is just turning us all upside down with demands pulling us everywhere. But I have always found it interesting that when God wants us to do something He always makes a way for it to happen. Each of us are called to serve God where we are and He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us. It is so good to know where our hope and help come from. You have been called by God – what does this look like?
Prayer: Loving Saviour, thank you for calling me into your service. I don’t yet know how you want me to serve but open my eyes and ears to hear and see what you have in store for me. Amen
Being Enlightened 27th Day in Lent (Friday) Read: Ephesians 1:15-23 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Ephesians 1:18-19a (NIV)
The Pixar movie ‘Inside Out’ was released in 2015. My children were teenagers, and I could really relate to the plot and the workings of a teenage mind. Pete Docter conceived this movie after observing changes in his own daughter’s personality as she grew older. The storyline is as follows and for those who haven’t seen it and have teenagers, it can be an eye-opener. ‘Inside Out follows the personified emotions – Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust – inside the mind of 11-year-old Riley, who is forced to move from Minnesota to San Francisco. When a struggle between Joy and Sadness leads to core memories being lost and personality islands crumbling, Joy and Sadness embark on a dangerous journey to return to Headquarters, ultimately realising that all emotions especially Sadness, are vital for Riley’s well-being and growth.’
[Wikipedia] Read through the Bible reading for today again (Ephesians 1:15–23). All that God has done in sending Jesus to pay the debt of my sin brings so many emotions within me. I am grateful, thankful, filled with joy, but also with sadness as I know the pain that it cost both Jesus and God. In the above passage, Paul prays that God may open the eyes of the people of Ephesus to the extreme love God has for them and the workings of the Holy Spirit as he brings wisdom and knowledge to their lives about how much God has done and will do in each of their lives. Paul is telling us that too! God loves you so much love that He sent His only Son to the cross as a willing sinless Saviour. God then raised Jesus from the dead after a gruesome death and is seated with God and now rules for eternity.
God has given Jesus all power and authority. But, even with this incredible reign and dominion, you and I were chosen to live with Him. Celebrate with joy and thanksgiving! You have been chosen to enter Heaven – live like that matters!
Prayer: Help me Lord Jesus to understand all that you are saying to me through your Word, the Bible. So often I take things for granted and don’t try to get it. You are always patient with me, thank you. Amen.