EmmDev 2023-03-31 [Lent Reflections] Authentic Christianity

Authentic Christianity

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James2:14-17)

There are two deadly enemies to true, living vibrant faith. Interestingly enough, these dangers are opposites.

The first danger is Legalistic Faith, where faith is reduced to a rule book of "do's and don'ts." This is very safe faith, it is simple and straight-forward: Just stick to the rules and all will be fine! What is lost is the vibrant flexibility of real faith in real life. It requires no personal relationship with Jesus.

The second danger is Philosophical Faith, where faith is an academic exercise. It is a matter of thinking "positive thoughts" It really doesn't matter what we do or how we do it as long as we can justify it in our minds.

This is the danger facing the scattered Christians that James is addressing here. He spends the rest of the chapter working through this critical issue. Mind-over-matter and positive thinking will not feed the widow who is without food! Intellectualised faith will not clothe the naked. Faith without action is dead.

Real faith leads to changed actions. Real faith will affect the way we interact with the reality of our day to day lives. The gratitude I feel for my new life in Christ must affect the way I treat others. If I am aware of the mercy God has shown me, surely I will treat others with mercy?

James is radical. Faith that does not lead to action is no faith at all. It is empty, ugly, meaningless philosophy and it indicates that we have no real experience of the love and life of Christ.

Changed lives are the sure indicator of a real encounter with the living Christ. Unchanged lives are evidence that we have not really come to grips with the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.

Here's some applicable bumper-sticker-wisdom:
Christ invested His life in you. Have you shown any interest?

In the season of Lent the key words are "Pray", "Fast" and "Give."
What practical expressions of faith have you offered in this time?

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EmmDev 2023-03-30 [Lent Reflections] Clear Thinking

Clear Thinking

There was a chain of convenience stores that were called 7-11 because they were open from 7 in the morning until 11 at night and they carried a broad range of household goods that people often needed outside of usual working hours.

Today's passage is my 7-11 store because it gives me the things I need when my circumstances are outside of normality...

1 Peter 4 describes what I call a contraction. Jesus likened the "End Times" (which began at His ascension and will finish with His return) to a woman in labour. There will be contractions and relief, contractions and then relief, until the birth of the New Heaven and Earth at His coming.

Peter is writing to the church in Asia Minor. They're experiencing the start of a "contraction" and are feeling the reality of being the church in the "end times."

The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift they have received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1Peter4:7-11)

Peter is showing them how to live in difficult times and starts off by calling them to be "clear-minded". This clear (or sober) mind is the starting place for everything. When our thoughts are orderly and on a clear foundation, then we live well (self-controlled) and we function well spiritually (we can pray).

This clear-mindedness helps us to love graciously and hospitably and helps us use our spiritual gifts for the benefit of others and the glory of God.

But it starts with being clear-minded.
Think about when you've been the opposite of self-controlled.
Has it been when your mind has been cluttered, overloaded and stressed?
Has it been when you haven't been clear about God's love for you?
Or when you've majored on minors?

I found this very apt meme: "My mind is like my internet browser: 19 open tabs with three that are frozen and I have no clue where the music is coming from!" - If this is you - it's time to de-clutter.

Have you failed in the areas of love and service?
Has it been when your mind has been "possessed" by your possessions, your agenda, your to-do list and when you've convinced yourself that everything depends on you?

Being clear-minded means:

1. I'm secure in the love and forgiveness of God.
2. I'm thankful and not driven in my actions
3. I understand the world doesn't revolve around me but I can serve.
4. Things turn out best when I "Begin with the End in mind"
   and the "End" is "that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
   To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."

Lent is a period of simplifying and quietening.
Take a moment to reflect... How clear-minded are you?

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EmmDev 2023-03-29 [Lent Reflections] To know Him

To know Him

[This Dev is a repeat from a series I did a while ago which was entitled "Hungry Prayers"...]

When the congregation in Philippi was established by Paul, the first three members were Lydia (a wealthy businesswoman), a slave-girl who'd lost her (demonic) ability to foretell the future and a civil-servant jailer and his family. So there was already a vast disparity in the social status positions of the members.

In addition Philippi had become a place where retired military officers would settle. This strong military presence (although retired) strengthened this border town, but also permeated the community with all the aspects that go with the military: discipline, medals(achievements), rank, order and structure.

Then came along some Judaizers (Jewish Christians who insisted that you needed to be circumcised to be a real Christian.) They used their status as teachers of the law to "pull rank" on the Philippian believers and to bolster their arguments.

Paul deals with this kind of snobbery decisively. He puts out his own CV of academic and societal achievements and then, after comparing the very best of his achievements to the privilege of knowing Jesus, says: "I consider them rubbish!" (The word for rubbish means "dung" or "offal".)

If you could imagine Paul's life as a balance scale then one end of the scale is so heavy that the ground underneath it is dented and cracked, while the stuff on the other side (which is up in the air) is wobbling and bouncing around uselessly. There's just no comparison.

Then Paul prays an incredibly hungry prayer which you can read below. He is so enthralled by the love of Christ that he's not only longing for the future benefits of that relationship (resurrection) but he'll gladly walk the road of suffering and even death so long as he can know Christ in the now. (The phrase "somehow attain to the resurrection" isn't about effort, it's about the fact that he doesn't even understand how God raises the dead, but he's willing to walk through the door of death into the unknown.)

Do you long for Jesus, your Lord and Saviour as much as Paul does? Or are you a fair-weather Christian? Gospel singer Wayne Watson sang "I'd rather walk in the dark with Jesus than walk in the light on my own." (I think he and Paul will be good buddies.)

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians3:8-11)

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EmmDev 2023-03-28 [Lent Reflections] Living by Faith

Living by Faith

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. (Hebrews11:1-2)

Having faith becomes harder and harder as we grow older. Faith comes easily to children who trust easily and fully but it seems that as time goes by faith is eroded by disappointments, unmet expectations and modern day scepticism.

In a modern day world where expedience, "scientific fact", self-centeredness and convenience are the order of the day, faith is often questioned, criticised and maligned.

But right at the outset of his excursus on faith the writer of Hebrews indicates that we can look at others who have stayed faithful and learn from their example. In the rest of the chapter he will look at Abraham, Joseph, Moses and other faithful saints.

Today I simply want to pause at the idea that our faith has a firm foundation in its historicity. We can look back at the ancients: Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Augustine, Luther, Wesley, our grand-parents and parents.

In my own life I can look back to a grandfather who read the scriptures at the dining room table and faced crippling arthritis with courage and faith. I look to parents and a sibling who have lived out their faith with principle and with dedication. I have in-law parents and grandparents who have done the same. I've been blessed with friends who courageously remain faith-full.

In a world that is doubtful and sceptical and where modern day revisionism throws babies out with bathwater, I am grateful for the legacy of faith that I have been given.

In this Lent season take a moment to examine the legacy of faith in your own life. Give thanks to God for those in your life who have shown you the way.

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EmmDev 2023-03-24 [Lent Reflections] Jesus the Soul-Winner

Jesus the Soul-Winner

Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. ) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." (John4:4-10)

This beautiful chapter reveals Jesus as the soul-winner. We see His heart for the broken, His compassion and His sacrifice.

Let's highlight the key elements of the chapter:

1. He had to go through Samaria. We are not given the reason for this compulsion. We know that because of the tensions between Jews and Samaritans, Jews would often walk around Samaria rather than going through it. So what compelled Him to go through Samaria? Was it the Spirit's prompting for this 'Divine Appointment'? Or maybe just His reconciling nature - going through Samaria to undermine the whole "Jews do not associate with Samaritans thing...? Whichever it was, I think we get a glimpse of His heart. (For the record, I believe it was a Spirit-prompted Divine Appointment because Jesus talks to His disciples about doing "the will of the Father" at the end of the chapter.)

2. It was midday and Jesus was tired. I think we can recognise that He was a carpenter - used to physical labour. This is not an unfit Jesus wilting in the noonday sun. I think He is tired from the stress of public ministry and the self-giving He was doing. We get a hint of this when, later in the chapter, the disciples bring food, but Jesus says "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." In spite of this deep ministry tiredness, He is there for her.

3. The woman comes to the well at midday. Nobody does that. Midday is siesta time. She's there because no-one else should have been there. But Jesus is and He starts a conversation with her. It's a fascinating discussion. At best she's dismissive, but she could also be flirting with Him. Time doesn't permit me to unpack all of this here, but Jesus engages with her, hears her, and sees her. With invitational sensitivity, He conects with her and offers her hope. He is gentle with her brokenness yet honest. He is compassionate, yet He calls the best out of her. He takes her as she is, but He doesn't leave her that way.

In this chapter we see on a one-to-one basis what Jesus came to do for the world.

When I read the whole chapter I'm left with this mental image:
Jesus is sitting with His disciples who have brought lunch, but He's looking at the water-jar of shame lying abandoned at the well and a crowd of townspeople around the woman who is glowing with excitement and love and she's saying: "He told me everything I ever did and offered me Living Water!"
The look on Jesus face says it all: This, this, is why I came.

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EmmDev 2023-03-23 [Lent Reflections] Jesus offers unique invitations

Jesus offers unique invitations

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. " "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." (John3:3-8)

John paints Nicodemus as a seeker...
- Nicodemus has been to see Jesus at night in ch.3,
- he protests when the Pharisees want to condemn Jesus without a hearing in ch.7
- and then comes with an armload of spices (enough spices for a king) to bury Jesus in ch.19.

Jesus gets straight to the point with Nicodemus: "You must be born again!"

We've heard many sermons on being "born again"...
A couple of years ago Rich Mullins asked a very penetrating question: "Did Jesus, the apostles or Paul ever ask anyone else to be born again???"

The answer is no.

Jesus asked the rich young ruler to sell all he had.
He asked the woman at the well to tell the truth about herself.
He asked the man born blind to take a courageous walk across town.
He asked Zacchaeus to host a meal.
He asked Peter to throw out a net.

It would seem that Jesus approaches everyone uniquely.

Let's think about Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee and a member of the ruling council. His world was law, rules, regulations, stipulations, legalism, self-(earned)-righteousness. In his world there was no such thing as a free lunch. GRACE (God's Riches At Christ's Expense) didn't fit into his world. When Jesus tells him to be "born again" He is effectively saying: "There's a whole new world for you Nicodemus! A new way of seeing things and doing things. A whole new way of thinking and living. A world that is not self-(earned)-righteousness, but grace. You're going to have to be like a new-born baby - seeing new things and learning new ways..."

Very often the things that have the deepest roots in us are the things that can get in the way of knowing Jesus: The young ruler's money, the well-woman's painful past, the blind man's safety, Zacchaeus' fear of people, Peter's pride in his fishing-competence and Nicodemus' comfortable world of behaviour-and-reward.

Jesus wanted them to let go of these things that they could find Him.

What is He asking you to let go of this Lent?

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EmmDev 2023-03-22 [Lent Reflections] The Saviour is here.

The Saviour is here.

(We're reflecting on Saturday's Lent Reading - just to round off Advent and Christmas and then we'll continue with the Lent readings... I've appended the rest of the readings at the bottom... Counting from tomorrow it's 15 days until Good Friday...)
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This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (Luke2:12)

If there is a single image that captures the enormity of the Messiah's coming into our world, it's this one:
"A baby, wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

• A Baby: What a risk for God to take! To come into our world helpless.
  A child dependent on His mother for food and basic care
  A child who would learn, experience, love and be loved.
  A child who would go through puberty, learn a trade and watch His parents age
  A child who would experience the fullness of human existence and brokenness.
• Wrapped in cloths: While some consider this a symbol of poverty, all babies were rubbed with salt and swaddled in cloths. The idea behind swaddling is that it helps the baby transition from the womb (a very snug place) to the outside world. But it has also been suggested that the shepherds around Bethlehem were watching a special flock - the flock which produced the lambs for Passover. It has further been suggested that the little lambs would be swaddled by the shepherds to protect them from injury until their woolly coats had grown sufficiently to protect them. Salt was also used to purify both physiologically and spiritually. The swaddled baby implied holiness - and pointed to the fact that Jesus was the Lamb of God.
• In a manger: This is the symbol of Christ's poverty. He is not born in a palace, far from everyday people. He is born in poverty and need. He is the victim of bureaucracy (Caesar's census) and knows dislocation, discomfort and disadvantage.

There is a theory (although mostly discounted) that the swaddling clothes also look forward to the burial cloths that Jesus was wrapped in 33 years later. Whether there is a direct link between swaddling cloths and burial cloths or not, the truth remains. This child, born fragile and poor would later die as the sinless Lamb of God.

And we can only say "Hallelujah!"

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READINGS FOR THE REST OF LENT
Thu 23 Mar - 30. God's Invitation: John 3
Fri 24 Mar - 31. Reaching People: John 4
Sat 25 Mar - 32. How to live the Christian Life: John 15
Sun 26 Mar - 33. The Nature of the Holy Spirit: John 14
Mon 27 Mar - 34. Living by the Spirit: Romans 8
Tue 28 Mar - 35. Living by Faith: Hebrews 11
Wed 29 Mar - 36. What really matters: Philippians 3
Thu 30 Mar - 37. Living in tough times: 1Peter 4
Fri 31 Mar - 38. Authentic Christianity: James 2
Sat 1 Apr - 39. We have Work to do Part 1: Acts 1
Sun 2 Apr - 40. We have Work to do Part 2: 2Cor.5
Mon 3 Apr - 41. The Church: Ephesians 4
Tue 4 Apr - 42. The Nature of Love: 1John 4
Wed 5 Apr - 43. Jesus Dies: Luke 23
Thu 6 Apr - 44. Jesus dies -- Why? Romans 5
Fri 7 Apr - 45. Jesus Rises: Luke 24
Sat 8 Apr - 46. Jesus rises -- death dies! 1 Cor.15
Sun 9 Apr - 47. How it all Ends: Revelation 21

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EmmDev 2023-03-17 [Lent Reflections] The Saviour is Coming.

The Saviour is Coming.

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." (Luke1:32-33)

Today's Lent reading is the first chapter of Luke's Gospel.
Luke was not a disciple, he was a Greek convert to Christianity who set out to write an orderly account of the life of Christ.

The chapter, apart from the greeting and introduction, has the following key moments:

1. The Birth of John the Baptist is announced to Zechariah who doesn't believe at first and is struck dumb ("muted"). He goes home and Elizabeth falls pregnant.
2. The angel then visits Mary and announces that she is going to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit and will give birth to the Messiah. Mary responds with faith.
3. Mary goes to visit her aunt Elizabeth and baby John leaps in her womb. Mary sings the "Magnificat" and spends time with Elizabeth but returns home when Elizabeth's time draws near.
4. John is born, Zechariah regains his speech and sings the "Benedictus".
5. We're told that John grew up in the wilderness as a Nazarene. (He was probably a member of an ascetic monastic community called "the Qumran Community" who, incidentally, copied and collected scrolls of the Old Testament and were probably responsible for the famous Dead Sea Scrolls)

At the heart of this beautiful chapter is the angel's description of the Messiah.
-He will be great - without equal actually
-Son of the Most High - if we've seen Him we've seen the Father
-The throne of His Father David - the one we've hoped for
-Reign over the House of Jacob forever - He'll conquer death
-His Kingdom will never end - His victory is certain.

This is the hope of Christmas and it points us to the victory of Easter!

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EmmDev 2023-03-16 [Lent Reflections] The love of a Father and a Husband

The love of a Father and a Husband

"When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them. (Hosea11:1-4)

The Lent reading for today comes from Hosea 11. The book of Hosea is a confounding book...
In chapters 1-3 we are blindsided by the image of Hosea being a faithful husband even though his wife is chronic in her unfaithfulness. In this "lived out parable" we see how God's love goes above and beyond what we could expect. When we expect Hosea to give up on Gomer ("and rightly so" we would say), he does the unexpected to pursue her, woo her and restore her.

Chapter 11 is part of the last section of Hosea which deals with God's ongoing love for His people, and it is one of the most gripping Old Testament pictures of God's relentless and indomitable love.

Here God is portrayed, not as Husband, but as Father.
God is the Father and Israel is the son.

And what sad imagery it is:
From the very beginning the Father has loved Israel.
He has held them in His arms,
He has taught them to walk,
He has healed them,
rescued them
and fed them.

But there has been a sad cycle: He calls and they move further away!

This passage vibrates with emotion and sadness. If we imagined that God had physically written these words on a scroll, it would be easy to imagine the tear-stains on the ink.

Think about Jesus weeping over Jerusalem in the Triumphal Entry and the emotion in His voice as he told the parable of the Prodigal Son... I imagine that the Father in that story would read these words of Hosea and say "That's how I feel..."

It's easy to imagine God as a Righteous Judge being angry and indignant at our sin but Hosea's poetry catches us unaware. A Great God who grieves, heartbroken, over His children is not what we would expect...

But it's true.

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EmmDev 2023-03-15 [Lent Reflections] Where God is when it hurts.

Where God is when it hurts.

"Where is God when it hurts?"
This is the agonising cry of those who are gripped by suffering, heartbreak and injustice.
It's a real question and many feel that religion does not answer it.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are exiles. They've been ripped out of their home country, and their capital, Jerusalem has been sacked, and their beloved temple has been destroyed. They've been put into Babylon's brainwashing program and given new names that honour Babylonian deities. The king has installed a massive statue of himself and a provided a big band to pressurise people to bow down.

We might argue that they have had to deal with enough and that they shouldn't have to literally face the music, but these three young men take their stand and refuse to bow down even if they have to face the possibility that God may not rescue them: "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

What do they get for their trouble?
They are thrown into the furnace...
And this is where we discover God's location.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "Certainly, O king." He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."                          (Daniel3:24-25)

Nebuchadnezzar sees four in the fire.
Nebuchanezzar guesses that the fourth is a "son of the gods".
Some may argue that it is an angel -
But I have no problem believing that this is "THE angel of the Lord" - a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus.
We've seen Him appear to Joshua, Gideon and others.
He's in the fire with them...
And then some 400 years later He's in Bethlehem, being hunted by Herod.
And then He's on the cross - carrying the guilt and brokenness of our sin.
Bearing the brunt of our guilt, pain and shame.

Where is God when it hurts?
In the fire with three Hebrew Students, and on the cross - With you and me.

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EmmDev 2023-03-14 [Lent Reflections] The God who restores

The God who restores

Jeremiah 31 is one of the richest chapters in the OT. It contains the promise of the new covenant, discounts so-called "generational curses", predicts Herod's massacre of baby boys in Bethlehem, promises the transforming power of the Spirit and more. We'll reflect on just three verses at the start of the chapter, but do take time to read the whole chapter which I have pasted below...

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful. Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit. There will be a day when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim, 'Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God.' " (Jeremiah31:3-6)

Israel had failed, failed and failed again.
They had sinned, cheated and rebelled.
They rejected the prophets, broken the law and disregarded their God.

But God continues to love!
They won't initiate a return but He is willing to draw them back to Him.
And He will build them up again.

Why?
Because He is just a big softy and just takes our nonsense?
No!
But because He paid an incredible price to forgive and restore us.
Jesus' life, death and resurrection secured our forgiveness.
The Holy Spirit living in us secures our restoration.

The promises Jeremiah offers his people are based on God's plan.
His goodness and patience with His people stems from His plan for us.
What a good and gracious God!

No matter how we have failed and no matter what we have done, God wants to renew and restore us! His plan is to restore us:
- that we can take up tambourines and dance
- that we can plant and enjoy the fruit
- that we can experience the presence of God in our lives
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"At that time," declares the LORD, "I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they will be my people."
This is what the LORD says:
"The people who survive the sword
will find favour in the desert;
I will come to give rest to Israel."
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:

"I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.
I will build you up again
and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel.
Again you will take up your tambourines
and go out to dance with the joyful.
Again you will plant vineyards
on the hills of Samaria;
the farmers will plant them
and enjoy their fruit.
There will be a day when watchmen cry out
on the hills of Ephraim,
'Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the LORD our God.' "

This is what the LORD says:

"Sing with joy for Jacob;
shout for the foremost of the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say,
'O LORD, save your people,
the remnant of Israel.'
See, I will bring them from the land of the north
and gather them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind and the lame,
expectant mothers and women in labour;
a great throng will return.
They will come with weeping;
they will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead them beside streams of water
on a level path where they will not stumble,
because I am Israel's father,
and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

"Hear the word of the LORD, O nations;
proclaim it in distant coastlands:
'He who scattered Israel will gather them
and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.'
For the LORD will ransom Jacob
and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.
They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;
they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD--
the grain, the new wine and the oil,
the young of the flocks and herds.
They will be like a well-watered garden,
and they will sorrow no more.
Then maidens will dance and be glad,
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
I will satisfy the priests with abundance,
and my people will be filled with my bounty,"
declares the LORD.

This is what the LORD says:
"A voice is heard in Ramah,
mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because her children are no more."

This is what the LORD says:
"Restrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for your work will be rewarded,"
declares the LORD.
"They will return from the land of the enemy.
So there is hope for your future,"
declares the LORD.
"Your children will return to their own land.

"I have surely heard Ephraim's moaning:
'You disciplined me like an unruly calf,
and I have been disciplined.
Restore me, and I will return,
because you are the LORD my God.
After I strayed,
I repented;
after I came to understand,
I beat my breast.
I was ashamed and humiliated
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.'
Is not Ephraim my dear son,
the child in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
I still remember him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
I have great compassion for him,"
declares the LORD.

"Set up road signs;
put up guideposts.
Take note of the highway,
the road that you take.
Return, O Virgin Israel,
return to your towns.
How long will you wander,
O unfaithful daughter?
The LORD will create a new thing on earth--
a woman will surround a man."

This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "When I bring them back from captivity, the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: 'The LORD bless you, O righteous dwelling, O sacred mountain.' People will live together in Judah and all its towns--farmers and those who move about with their flocks. I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint."
At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.
"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will plant the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the offspring of men and of animals. Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant," declares the LORD.

"In those days people will no longer say,
'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and the children's teeth are set on edge.'
Instead, everyone will die for his own sin; whoever eats sour grapes--his own teeth will be set on edge.
"The time is coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them, "
declares the LORD.
"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time," declares the LORD.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will a man teach his neighbour,
or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,"
declares the LORD.
"For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more."

This is what the LORD says,

he who appoints the sun
to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
to shine by night,
who stirs up the sea
so that its waves roar--
the LORD Almighty is his name:
"Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,"
declares the LORD,
"will the descendants of Israel ever cease
to be a nation before me."

This is what the LORD says:

"Only if the heavens above can be measured
and the foundations of the earth below be searched out
will I reject all the descendants of Israel
because of all they have done,"
declares the LORD.

"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when this city will be rebuilt for me from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. The measuring line will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the LORD. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished."

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EmmDev 2023-03-10 [Lent Reflections] Equipping Leaders

Equipping Leaders

Then Haggai, the LORD's messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: "I am with you," declares the LORD. So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius. (Haggai1:13-15)

Today's reading is from Haggai chapter one. I looked at this passage a month ago in our Renovations series and focused on our priorities and then on how the nation pulled together to build the temple. Today I want to zoom in on the last part of the chapter where we see how God reassures the people and particularly empowers the king (Zerubbabel) and the high priest (Joshua).

We need to bear in mind that the return to Palestine after the exile had not been as glorious and victorious as the Israelites had hoped. Instead of being faithful to God, they had focused on material things, they'd neglected the vulnerable and the marginalised and had dishonoured the Sabbath.

The consequences of this were a disjointed and dispirited society where city walls and temple were slow to be rebuilt. But God used Nehemiah, Ezra and the prophets to address the nation.

Among these prophets are Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi who challenge the Israelites about their priorities, the importance of justice and even their use of money. But these prophets also talk about how God is concerned with the leaders.

Both Haggai and Zechariah single out Joshua and Zerubbabel. In Zechariah we find the beautiful visions of Joshua in dirty clothes who is cleansed and restored by the Angel of the Lord (Jesus) and the vision of the trees and the lamp and the message to Zerubbabel: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit."

When it comes to the restoration of society, leaders matter.
Use some of your Lent time to pray for our nation and the "kings" and "priests" around you.
Pray that God would stir up their spirits, renew them and empower them...

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EmmDev 2023-03-09 [Lent Reflections] Cemetary Hope

Cemetary Hope

So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' " So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast army. Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. (Ezekiel37:8-12)

This is one of the most evocative visions in Scripture:
A valley of dead bones - remnants of a bitter war - a picture of broken society and broken hearts.
What would we expect to feel on seeing this valley?
- Incredible sadness at the loss?
- Anger at the futility of it?
- Festering rage (unforgiveness) towards those who did this?
- Horror at human brutality?
- Profound depression at the inevitability of our brokenness?

I think that most of us would feel most of the above.
This is not heroes acre where we are grateful for those who gave their lives.
There are no plaques or statues or memorials - just rotting bones.
This is just tragic and heart-breaking.

Our headlines are often just one decaying skeleton after another.
A relentless parade of sadness, brokenness and heart-ache.
We are filled with the same emotions listed above...

But God offers hope.
He will reconstitute us.
He will breathe His Spirit into us.
He will stand us up on our feet and bring us together.

In Lent I recognise that my own soul can become a dried out corpse.
But we can listen to and hear the Word of the Lord.
He can breathe His Spirit into us.
We can stand and find community.

Why not ask for it now?

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EmmDev 2023-03-08 [Lent Reflections] Known

Known

Lord You have searched me and you know me You know when I sit and when I rise... Where can I go from Your Spirit, where can I flee from your presence? ... For You created my inmost being - you knit me together in my mother's womb I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made Your works are wonderful, I know that full well My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place when I was woven together in the depths of the earth Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before any one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts O God. How vast is the sum of them Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand... Search me o God and know my heart - test me and know my anxious thoughts See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalms139:1-24)

In this breathtaking psalm David celebrates the amazing truth that God is passionate about us. The psalm begins with an affirmation that God knows us - He sees us clearly - warts and all. It ends with an invitation for God to search even into our darkness so that we might be transformed and renewed.

While it is one thing to be excited about the fact that we were created good, the ultimate question relates to whether God still attaches value to us when He sees us as we really are - broken and wounded by sin.

While we want to run from God, He relentlessly pursues us, searching for us, longing for us, desiring to reach us.
In the midst of the darkness of our brokenness comes this incredible affirmation:
"I am created by You, I am hand-knitted by You
and You wove me together,
I am made with infinite care and love,
And you have have a plan for me
and you have a clear picture of the boundaries of my life.
You think about me so often that I can't actually count the number of thoughts you have about me."

"In the light of the incredible attention to detail in my creation,
why should I not let You in and let You love away my brokenness?"

This is what Lent is all about: Letting the light of our loving Creator transform us...

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EmmDev 2023-03-07 [Lent Reflections] When we feel exiled

When we feel exiled

This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them," declares the LORD. This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." (Jeremiah29:4-14)

(I wrote this in Feb 2022 as we were emerging from lockdown. It turns out that it is still relevant...)

Part of our passage today is often quoted and put onto devotional posters. The original context and circumstances of the passage make it even more meaningful...

The Israelites were in exile and they didn't like their new normal! You can read about it in Psalm 137 where they complain about being at the Rivers of Babylon; about how their captors taunted them and humilated them; about their longing for the temple and Jerusalem and about how they wished great harm on even the babies of the Babylonians.

So Jeremiah writes to them to tell them that God has a plan. But we are much too quick to jump to the "prosper and not to harm you part..." He starts out by telling them to settle down and make the most of their circumstances. They are to build houses, build families and businesses and pray for the city, being part of the solution and not part of the problem!

In other words, take the lemons and make lemonade, take the tricky circumstances and make the best of them. Take "new normal" and exercise courage, choice and influence to make a difference. We may have to do that for a while... (70 years for the Israelites in Babylon) And then, once we have faithfully served, persevered and made a difference, He will bless and restore.

And there are voices who will tell us that this "new normal" (Babylon) is bad and we need to withdraw, run and hide. Now to be sure, Babylon has temptations and the book of Daniel beautifully demonstrates how Daniel and his friends engaged their "new normal" without betraying their convictions. Today there are many false prophets who major on minors and distract and divide the church from the kingdom work of increasing instead of decreasing.

Finally, the promise of "plans to prosper and not harm" is dependent on us "seeking the Lord with all our hearts."

God wants to work in and through us in the "new normals" we face. We need to adapt and engage, prioritising family, prayer and transformation through the peace and prosperity of our "new normals".

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EmmDev 2023-03-03 [Lent Reflections] Burnout

Burnout

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat." He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you." So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. (1Kings19:3-8)

This is one of my favourite favourite passages.

Elijah is burnt out from a long ministry run. Having stood firm against an evil king, calling down fire from heaven and praying for the end of a long drought, he cracks when a sharp-tongued evil Jezebel threatens his life. He's alone, in the desert and at the end of himself.

Some of us have been there.

God is so incredibly, beautifully gentle with Elijah.

• Sleep, blessed sleep.
• Food, simple and uncomplicated, provided by an angel, possibly the angel (pre-incarnate Jesus).
• More sleep and more food and profound quiet and simplicity.
• And simple uncomplicated exercise - a rhythm of daily walking.
• And then, on Horeb:
  - a still small voice to penetrate the clamour of earthquake, wind and fire.
  - a renewal of purpose/mission/vision
  - an assurance that we are not alone

God is so incredibly, beautifully gentle with Elijah.

What about us?
Are we burnt out and at the end of our tether?
Overwhelmed by earthquake wind and fire?
Exhausted and Spent?

What do we need?
- Sleep, simple food, simple exercise
- A rhythm of simplicity
- An encounter with the still small voice of God, a renewal of vision, and fellowship

We can't all take forty days, but one can get a taste of this over a weekend.

• Sleep two hours extra each night(the best way is to go to bed earlier without our gadgets)
• Eat simply
• Exercise gently
• Go to Horeb (church) with an expectant heart.
  - You'll hear God
  - Your purpose will be clarified
  - You'll connect to community

Do this consciously and sincerely and you'll encounter the loving care of God!

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EmmDev 2023-03-02 [Lent Reflections] Facing Giants

Facing Giants

Today we look at a long reading which, in many ways, speaks for itself.

Here are some things to note as you read:

• Bullies shout, intimidate and wear us down over time.
• David was running an errand for his dad and brothers. Opportunities come when we serve.
• David was passionate for God's honour. We see it when he first sees Goliath and again when he's at the battle line.
• David drew on his past experiences with lion and bear to face a new challenge. He saw God's faithfulness clearly in spite of a loud noisy enemy.
• David was true to himself - He wasn't used to Saul's armour - so he didn't use it, even though it would have given him prestige. (It would also have given Saul undue credit in David's victory - "If I hadn't given him my armour...")
• David used a weapon he knew - his sling - his picking up of five smooth stones would have been a familiar action - he was invoking muscle memory. Also, some scholars suggest that Goliath had four brothers...
• Goliath realises that he is in trouble. A sling has greater range and accuracy than a javelin. Shepherds could hit a leaf on a tree from twenty meters. Goliath has to rattle David's confidence and get him so overwhelmed that he will miss. He resorts to insult and blasphemy to unfocus David.
• David doesn't lose focus - He is passionate for God's name and runs toward the battle line - closing the distance and spiking his adrenaline - He hurls that stone (pure muscle memory) and he doesn't miss. The victory is not so much that God made the stone fly straight, but that God helped David not to be intimidated or distracted.

What giants are you facing this Lent and who does this beautiful account help you?

A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him. Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified... For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand... Now Jesse said to his son David, "Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp... Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear... David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" ... What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth." But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you." Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armour on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands." As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. (1Samuel17:1-51)

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EmmDev 2023-03-01 [Lent Reflections] Responsiveness

Responsiveness

The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down. Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." (1Samuel3:1-5)

Samuel thought it was Eli calling him when in fact it was God.
God called three times and three times Samuel ran to Eli.
Then Eli told Samuel that it was the Lord calling him and that Samuel should answer: "Speak Lord for your servant is listening."

Little Samuel did this and it changed the course of his life and the life of the nation of Israel. It marked the beginning of a life of responsive listening for Samuel.

I believe that one of the reasons Samuel was so effective is that he learned to listen to God at a time when he was very young and very responsive. Children are like that - they are very responsive to the call of those around them.

Unfortunately they (and we) soon develop selective hearing which is a conscious and unconscious trait we carry into adulthood. Consciously we ignore those we do not agree with and those who ask us to move beyond our comfort zones. Unconsciously we screen out the cries of the needy and the plight of those less fortunate than us.

Jesus would have us be more responsive.
Lent is a time in which we ask God to open our ears and enliven our hearts.
May we be like Samuel, ready to run when we are called, and ready to respond when we are needed.

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