John 12:1-11 Understanding True Christian Worship

What is worship?

When someone mentions the word worship, what springs to mind? I suspect that most of us would tend to think of worship as something that we do when we go to church, or even more specifically worship is something we do as part of our service together. For example we tend to think worship is that part of the service when we sing songs or chorus’. We talk about having a time of worship, before we have our scripture readings, as though they are not part of the worship.

When we think about worship songs, we tend to distinguish those from more traditional hymns. For example an old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church.

He came home and his wife asked him how it was."Well," said the farmer, "it was good. They did something different, however. They sang worship songs instead of hymns.""Worship songs?" said his wife, "What are those?""Oh they’re okay. They’re sort of like hymns, only different," said the farmer."Well, what’s the difference?" asked the wife.The farmer said, "Well it’s like this - If I were to say to you: ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a hymn. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you: ‘Martha, Martha, Martha, Oh, Martha, Martha, MARTHA MARTHA, the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows, the white cows, the black and white cows, the COWS, COWS, COWS are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, the CORN, CORN, CORN’!!! ‘Oh, Oh, Ooooooooh, yes, it’s true, the whole herd is in the awesome corn, yes, it’s true, the whole herd is in the awesome corn, --- weeell, it’s true, the whole herd is in the awesome corn!!! Alleluia! - That would be a worship song."

But just to give you the other side, a young Christian decided to attend a small town church, a different one to normal. He came home and his wife asked him how it was."Well," said the young man, "It was good. They did something different however. They sang hymns instead of regular worship songs.""Hymns," said his wife, "what are those?""Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like worship songs, only different," said the young man."Well, what’s the difference? Asked his wife.The young man said, "Well it’s like this: If I were to say to you, ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a regular song. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you: ‘Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry. Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth. Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by, To the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth. For the way of the animals who can explain? There in their heads is no shadow of sense, Harkenest they in God’s sun or his rain Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced. Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebelious delight, Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed. Then goaded by minions of darkness and night They all my mild sweet corn have chewed. So look to that bright shining day by and by, Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn. Where no vicious animal makes my soul cry, and I no longer see those foul cows in the corn. AMEN!"Then, if I were to do only verses one, two, and four and do a key change on the last verse, well that would be a hymn."...

So what is worship. Well it is true that worship is one of the things we do when we come to church, but worship is so much more than this.

To worship something, is to that thing worth, it literally means worth-ship. So when we worship God, we give him the recognition that he deserves. If we look in Scripture we see that the central understanding of worship is to homage and submission to God, it is about service to God, it is therefore all encompassing, it is about our whole life, and it is about reverence for God. This is why Paul in Romans 12:1 writes, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” Our worship to God must be expressed in the way we live. It should be our number one priority in life.
One of the descriptions I like most of worship is contained in Matt Redman’s song ‘The Heart of Worship’, in it he writes, “I’m coming back to the heart of worship and it’s all about you, all about you Jesus.” This is what worship is about.

Why do we worship?

This leads me onto the question, why do we worship, and it is at this point that I would like to turn to our reading from John’s Gospel.

Our reading takes place at the home of Lazarus, in the village of Bethany, just two miles from Jerusalem. It was six days before the Passover, and the day before Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. As Jesus was reclining at the table with his disciples, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, comes into the room, and breaks the seal on an expensive jar of perfume, and anoints Jesus’ feet. And we are told that the fragrance of this perfume filled the whole house.

Mary’s act was act of loving extravagance and spontaneous generosity. Hers is a love that is full-to-overflowing with spontaneous, unmeasured giving towards Jesus in response to all that he had done for her and her family. And this is the essence of worship. Our worship is a grateful response for all that God has done for us.

C S Lewis, wrote. “ We delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment… To praise God fully we must suppose ourselves to be in perfect love with God, drowned in, dissolved by that delight which, far from remaining pent up within ourselves as incommunicable bliss, flows out from us incessantly again in effortless and perfect expression.”

To give an illustration, when you love someone, you don’t just keep your feelings locked up inside yourself, you need to express it through words and actions, because that expresses and makes real the love. And so it is with God.

Our worship, flows from an understanding of who God is, and what he has done for us. When we consider:
our God is a soverign God,
no means of measure can define his limitless love
he’s enduringly strong
he’s entirely sincere
he’s enternally steadfast
he’s immortally graceful
he’s impartial merciful
That is our God!
he supplies strength for the week
he’s available for the tempted and tried
he sympathises and saves
he strengthens and sustains
he guards and he guides
he heals the sick
he cleansed the lepers
he forgives sinners
he discharges debtors
he delivers the captive
he defends the weak
he blesses the young
he serves the unfortunate
he regards the aged
he rewards the diligent
and he beautifies the meager
That is our God!
He is the key to knowledge
He’s the wellspring of wisdom
He’s the doorway of deliverance
He’s the pathway of peace
He’s the roadway of righteousness
He’s the highway of holiness
He’s the gateway of glory.
That is our God!
His life is matchless
His goodness is limitless
His mercy is everlasting
His love never changes
His grace is sufficient
His yoke is easy
And his burden is light
That is our God!

When we know and understand this in our hearts as well as our minds, the only response we can give, is to worship God.

This is beautifully described in the hymn ‘How great thou art’. O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works thy hand has made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy power thoughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee, how great thou art. Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee, how great thou art, how great thou art. And when I think that God, his Son not sparing, sent him to die, I scarce can take it in, that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, he bled and died, to take away my sin. Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee, how great thou art. Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee, how great thou art, how great thou art.

Who or what is the object of our worship?

Who or what is the object of our devotion, of our worship. For Mary it was clearly Jesus, but it was not true of everyone gathered there that evening.

Mary was rebuked by Judas, for what he considered to be an extravagant waste. He objected to the use of expensive oil saying, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?” I have to confess that for a long time, I sympathised with what Judas was saying. Doesn’t he have a valid point? A years wages is a lot of money, and it could have helped many people. However, this was not Judas’ real motive, John tells us that Judas, used to steal the money, and so his concern was not with the poor or needy, but his own greed. It is clear that Judas’ real object of worship was money or greed, after all, a few days later he betrayed Jesus for 30 silver coins.
Ralph Emerson, an American poet and philosopher in the 19th century wrote, A person will worship something. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behoves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.

It is possible to worship many things in our lives. For example, we can worship our children, our jobs, money, hobbies, possessions, even ourselves. Sometimes it is easier to worship created things, than it is to worship the Creator of all things. Jesus said, “Where your heart is, that is also where your treasure is.” So the question we all need to consider is God the main object of my worship, or is it something, or somebody else? And if it is not God, are you going to allow him to be at the centre of your life where he truly belongs.

In The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen retells a tale from ancient India: Four royal brothers decided each to master a special ability. Time went by, and the brothers met to reveal what they had learned.“I have mastered a science,” said the first, “by which I can take but a bone of some creature and create the flesh that goes with it.” “I,” said the second, “know how to grow that creature’s skin and hair if there is flesh on its bones.” The third said, “I am able to create its limbs if I have flesh, the skin, and the hair.” “And I,” concluded the fourth, “know how to give life to that creature if its form is complete.” Thereupon the brothers went into the jungle to find a bone so they could demonstrate their specialties. As fate would have it, the bone they found was a lion’s. One added flesh to the bone, the second grew hide and hair, the third completed it with matching limbs, and the fourth gave the lion life. Shaking its mane, the ferocious beast arose and jumped on his creators. He killed them all and vanished contentedly into the jungle.

If we worship something other than God, it has the power to turn against us. We have the capacity to create what can devour us. Goals and dreams can consume us. Possessions and property can turn and destroy us.

How do we worship?

So what lessons do we learn from Mary’s anointing of Jesus. First of all, in worship we are meant to give our best.

When Mary anointed Jesus, she didn’t use any old perfume, she used the best she could find. She used Nard, Nard is an oil like perfume extracted from the root and spike of the nard plant, which is grown in India. And we are told that it cost the equivalent of a years wages, around 300 denari.
Worship is an offering, it is something we give to God. And when we worship God for all he has done for us, it is to give him our all, to give him our best. I am not only thinking here about what we do when we church on a Sunday, but I am thinking about giving God the best in every area of our lives.

Our whole lives can be an act of worship to God. For example, when we are at work, we can offer what we are doing to God as an act of worship. Thanking him for all his blessings, and by giving him the glory by doing our best, honouring God by the way we handle ourselves, and by the way we treat others. It doesn’t matter where you work, you do it to the glory of God. I came across a quote which said, An authentic life is the most personal form of worship. Everyday life has become my prayer. But if we only give God a drop of praise, it is an unsuitable acknowledgement for an ocean of mercy.

What is the impact of a life lived in worship?

When Mary anointed Jesus, we are told that the house was filled with the fragrance of perfume. If we live lives of worship, if we are seeking to put God at the centre of everything we say and do, then it will have a profound effect on those around us. If we are living lives of worship, then we will touch and bless countless other lives. If we are living lives of worship, not only will we be transformed, but so will our families, our relationships, our places of work, our society, and our world.

Conclusion:

Worship is not simply about what we do when we come to church. Worship is about the way we live our whole lives, it is about the place of God in our lives. Mary shows gives us an example of what it is like to worship God. The love, care and devotion that she showed to Jesus, and not being concerned by what others thought of said, and we see what an effect that this has. As we journey through this season of Lent, and prepare to celebrate Easter, now is a good time for us to take a fresh look at our lives, and see how we can live lives of worship. Because, as the German theologian Karl Barth wrote, “Christian worship is the most urgent, and the most glorious action that takes place in human life.”

Psalm 51:1-17 David's Confession of Sin (sermon for the start of Lent)

Ashes have been used down through the ages as a synbol of, grief, sorrow and suffering. They have been employed to mark occasions of personal loss; to acknowledge national catastrophes, and the loss of life and prosperity these brought with them. Ashes have been used as an outward sign of the inner devastation an individual or a community felt.

Today, Ash Wednesday, we employ the use of ashes as an emblem of grief and mourning to signal our awareness of our sinfulness, as we begin the season of Lent. Our reading this evening from Psalm 51, is in keeping with this theme of penitenance that runs throughout Lent, it is a confession of sin. But it is also a looks forward beyond the power of sin to the power of God’s grace. And that too is the message of Ash Wednesday and the journey of Lent.

Psalm 51 is David’s confession to God. David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, a faithful warrior in David’s army. When Bathsheba discovered she was pregnant, David tried to conceal his sin, eventually plotting to have Uriah killed in battle. David then took Bathsheba to be his own wife. But no matter how crafty David was, he could not hide his sin from God. God sent the prophet Nathan – who exposed David’s sin and confronted him with God’s judgment. This psalm is said to be David’s heart wrenching confession after this encounter.

When we read the psalm we notice, however, that there is nothing in it that explicitly refers to these events. There is no mention of Bathsheba, or Uriah, Nathan or David. This is why this psalm has become so popular, David speaks for us all, because we have all experienced the pain of guilt, and we have all cried out for forgiveness and healing. Psalm 51 is for us a model of confession; a template, if you will.

The first thing we notice is David’s brutal honesty. He doesn’t hold anything back, he’s letting it all go. There is no argument on David’s lips, no indictment of God, no hint that there is anyone to blame but himself. He writes, “I know my transgressions – my sin is ever before me.” He doesn’t try to blame anyone else, or find excuses for his actions, he owns his sin. Until we own our sin we cannot begin to truly confess it before God.

This leads us to the next point – sin is confessed before God. When we think of sin, we tend to think in terms of the wrong we do to other people, but sin is first and foremost against God. Do we hurt others when we sin? Of course we do, but other people are not the standard of right and wrong, God is. Whenever we commit a sin, or hurt someone, we are first and foremost insulting God. That is why David says, “Against you – you alone have I sinned – and done what is evil in Thy sight.”

In relationship to God we have to own our sin as our own – without any excuses – and we have to stand squarely before God as the one whom we have offended and the one to whom we can say without qualification “you are justified when you speak and blameless when you judge.”

That would seem like a scary prospect if all we knew about our relationship with God was how different God is from us. Every Sunday we confess our sins together. When we do that we are not dwelling morbidly on our sins – as if there was no remedy or as if God simply wants us remind ourselves of how bad we are. Instead we pray as David prays here, with the assurance that God has a great plan for us beyond the clutches of sin. “You desire truth in the innermost part of me,” David acknowledges, “deep down you want me to know wisdom.”

Someone once said, “The ability to make good choices come from wisdom. Wisdom comes from experience. Most experience is the result of bad choices.” We grow in wisdom by acknowledging our faults. When we do this before God, God gives us the desire and the ability to avoid falling into the same traps of sin over and over again.

David pleads “Create in me a clean heart, O God, renew a steadfast spirit within me, do not cast me away, restore to me the joy of salvation…” As Christians, we should not get stuck in the rut of sin, but look beyond the emptiness and brokenness of the moment to the new possibilities God offers. In verse 13 we see that God is already beginning to plant ideas in David’s head of what a restored life will look like: I will teach so others also we believe in you; v. 14 I will joyfully sing; v.15 I will declare your praise. This psalm is insistent that to be forgiven is not to return to some status quo we had before – it is to be changed, it is to throw off the old and put on the new.

In verse 17 we read. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” This psalm shows us that we cannot ask for lips to praise until we have engaged in a profound yielding and emptying of ourselves before God.

The message of this psalm is that there is nothing that God cannot forgive, there is nothing that He does not know. The only question is will we be brutally honest with ourselves and place ourselves before God, will we cry out as David did – with total abandon, and yet with total faith – that the broken pieces of our lives will not be scattered, but will be taken up by the Master potter and fashioned into something new and beautiful, and worthy of worship.

God loves each of us just as we are; but because he loves us, he will not leave us as we are. In the prophet Ezekiel we hear this promise, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe my voice.”

As we start this season of Lent, we acknolwedge that apart from the grace of God we are absolutely incapable of dealing with sin in our lives, but through God’s grace we are given the promise of new life.

Tonight we look forward and toward Jesus. Jesus, who knew no sin, but was made sin on our behalf. The great mercy of God that David anticipated, and the great sense of God’s utter justice that he respected, we see focused in Jesus Christ. God’s right judgment upon sin was poured, not on us, – but onto Him. Through Jesus’ submission to God on the cross, we can share in the God’s mercy and forgivness. Even from the cross upon which he suffered, Jesus pleaded for us “forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Tonight we turn to Jesus; we behold the cross and look also beyond it, so that we may “consider ourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-20 How to make the most of Lent

I wonder how you feel about Lent. Personally I really value Lent, because it gives me an opportunity to look again at my relationship with God. It is the equivalent of a spiritual MOT.

However, I often feel I struggle to make the most of Lent, and so this evening I want to spend a few minutes looking at how we can make the most of the next five weeks.
In our reading from Matthew’s Gospel Jesus gives instructions about the three main acts of religious devotion which are: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Jesus warns his hearers against the ostentatious devotion sometime found in the religion of his day, and which can still be found today. Jesus says that what ever you do, do it quietly, without fuss, because you are doing it for the praise and glory of God, and not to earn the acclaim of others.
Very often when we think about Lent, we think about it in the context of giving something up, usually something we do a lot of and that we find pleasure in. For instance we may give up sweets, alcohol, or tea and coffee. Of course when we think about giving up things for Lent, it need not be material things. We could for example give up unhelpful attitudes, or ways of behaving. There are several reasons why have this tradition of giving up things: First of all it is a
· a discipline for learning self-control, to free our minds from the chase after material things,
· as a reminder of Christ's sufferings and what our true pleasures are as followers of Christ,
· as an act of sorrow over our sin.

There is sometimes a danger that in Lent we try to out do one another in our piety, bettering one another. So you’re giving up chocolate this year? That’s nothing, I’m giving up food altogether.

Jesus warned his disciples against this sort of attitude. “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen, and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Lent can also be an opportunity for us to take up new things as a spiritual discipline. So for example:
- you may wish to make time in the middle of the day to read some verses from the Bible and pray, even if it is only for 10 minutes.
-Alternatively you may think of ways in which you can show acts of kindness to people you meet, and thereby give them a taste of God’s love.
- Or think of something ordinary that you do every day, and think about God while doing it, in a way that ties into what you're doing. Or think of a place you come to regularly, and each time think where Christ might be in this place, what Christ might do there, or what you might be led to do for Christ.

There are many ways in which we can use this season of Lent, to examine ourselves and prepare ourselves for Easter. But whatever we choose to do, we need the attitude that this is something that we are doing for the praise and glory of God, and not to gain the praise of others.

We should heed the words of Paul who wrote, Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Amen.

Isaiah 6:1-6 Honest in Prayer

A lawyer, named Thomas Strange, was shopping for a tombstone. After he had made his selection, the stonecutter asked him what inscription he would like on it.
"Here lies Thomas Strange, an honest man and a lawyer," responded the lawyer.
"Sorry, but I can't do that," replied the stonecutter. "In this state, it's against the law to bury two people in the same grave, and the authorities would be confused. However, I could put 'Here lies an honest lawyer.'"
"But that won't let people know who it is" protested the lawyer.
"Sure they will," replied the stonecutter. "Everyone who reads it will think, 'That's Strange!'"

Over the course of the last few weeks, we have been thinking about prayer. We have considered prayer as relationship, the role of listening in prayer, how God responds to our prayers, and in this sermon I want to talk about honesty in prayer.

Prayer is all about our relationship with God, rather than a spiritual technique. And because it is about our relationship, good communication is essential, just as it is in any relationship. No relationship can exist without emotional honesty, not least our relationship with God. Yet, in human relationships, as well as in relating to God in prayer, many people find it difficult to be totally honest about what they really think or feel.

The same is true when it comes to prayer, many people struggle to be honest in prayer with their feelings and emotions. I think this tends to becomes more of a problem the older we get. For example, children are often more open and honest about what they think, and they are not afraid to speak it out.

For example, I came across these children’s prayers.

Dear God, did you mean for the giraffe to look like that, or was it a mistake.
Dear God, thank you for my baby brother, but what I prayed for was a
puppy.
Dear God, I bet it is really hard to love all the
people in the world. There are only 4 people in our family, and I can
never do it.
Dear God, if we come back as something, please don’t let me be
Jennifer Horton because I hate her.

So why is it that sometimes we find honesty in prayer difficult to achieve? It is the same reasons why we sometimes find being totally honest with other people difficult.
1. Some people find it difficult sharing their emotions and feelings with another person.
2. We are afraid of opening up, and making ourselves vulnerable.
3. We are fearful of rejection.
4. We feel it would be inappropriate to be totally honest – I am not saying we lie, but we maybe keep back some of the truth, a subtle difference!
5. There are some things we would prefer to keep hidden, and for others not to know.
6. Sometimes we live in denial, about ourselves, and the sort of people we are. We hide the truth from ourselves, and therefore find it almost impossible to share it with others.

But as I look through scripture, what strikes me is that we can find so many incidences of people being brutally honest with God. We see this particularly in the Psalms. The Psalmist is often starkly honest about his feelings, his wishes, his despair, and sometimes even his disappointment with God, and he is not afraid to express this.

But this is not easy, Henri Nouwen, wrote “Prayer is no easy matter. It demands a relationship in which you allow the other to enter into the very centre of your person, to speak there, to touch the sensitive core of your being, and allow the other to see so much that you would rather leave in darkness.”

The reality is that for it is very easy for us to come to pray out of routine or habit, but we are not always totally honest with God. We can wear masks, we pray for the things we think we’re supposed to pray for, but we may not say what’s really on our hearts.

In Psalm 51, verse 6 David writes, “You [God] desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” In other words, God wants us to be honest and open with him. This is what he desires from us. Just look for yourself again at the Psalms, see how the Psalmist is not afraid to tell God just how he feels.

But how do we do this? How do we enter into that intimate relationship with him?

We can't just determine to try hard to do these things. We have to ask God to show us our heart, and allow Him, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to renew and transform us into His likeness.
This is where our Old Testament reading from Isaiah comes in. Because this is exactly what Isaiah did.

The death of King Uzziah was a very traumatic event for the young prophet Isaiah, and the whole nation. Uzziah was one of the great kings of Israel, who had reigned for 50 years, but was then struck down with leprosy. Not only was this a deadly disease, worst of all, leprosy was seen as the judgement of God. One was an outcast from society and God. All the hope that had been invested in this reign had turned to dust. It is no wonder therefore that Isaiah turned to God at a time like this.

Whilst Isaiah was praying in the Temple, he had this most dramatic, incredible vision of God, revealed in all his glory.

And when Isaiah saw the glory of God, he suddenly became very aware of who he is before God. God showed Isaiah what was truly on his heart, everything was laid bare, Isaiah had no mask to hide behind. Isaiah cries out, “Woe is me! I am lost, For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!” Notice that it is not God that tells Isaiah that he is a man of unclean lips, Isaiah discovers this for himself when he sees his life in the light of God. We discover the same when we meet a really good, loving, honest or generous person – it throws light on our character and choices.

One of the things this passage reveals is the importance of needing to be honest with ourselves, as well as with God. Isaiah, is honest with God, about who he is, about his struggles, about his failings, it is his confession. God deals swiftly with Isaiah’s sin. A live burning coal from the altar touches his lips, and God declares ”Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” We see here that God’s goal is not to make us feel guilty, but rather to give us strength to play our part in his purposes for the world around us. Therefore, that fear that if we are honest with God, he may reject us, is totally unfounded. That is not how God acts, God loves us, and wants us, like Isaiah, to share in his loving purposes.

Stephen Cottrell, writing on prayer, says that “When we pray we become ourselves as God always intended us to be. We let go of the illusion our self image so often creates and enter into a relationship of love where our true self comes to light, knowing it is cherished and valued. That is the goal of prayer, not so we can change God’s mind, or get the things we ask for, but that we may be changed into his glory.

So, how do we come before God in honesty? Francois Fenelon, a 17th century monk wrote the following in a letter:

"Talk with God about the thoughts of which your heart is full. If you enjoy the
presence of God, if you feel drawn to love Him, tell Him so. Such sensible
passion will make the time of prayer fly without exhausting you, for all
you'll have to do is say what you feel. But if you are in a time of dryness,
or inner resistance to God, or feel that he has abandoned you. Do the same
thing. Say equally what is in your heart! Tell God that you no longer feel any love for Him, that everything is a terrible blank to you. Tell Him that things concerning Him exhausts you, that His presence doesn't move you emotionally, that you long to leave Him for whatever comes your way, and that you won't feel happy until you've left Him and can turn your time into thinking about yourself. Tell Him all the evil you know about yourself. But don’t just leave it there, say to God take my heart and change it, and have mercy on me in spite of myself! Tell God without hesitation everything that comes into your heard, with simplicity and familiarity, as a little child sitting on its mothers knee."

If we don’t learn to be honest with God, if we bury our feelings, it only leads to frustration and resentment. Learning to be honest with God, takes time. God is teaching me how to be honest with Him. And in my honesty, He meets me. Layer by layer, He shows me the hardness surrounding my heart —my pride, my anger, and my resentment

Then, as I walk with Him, He shows me what's behind those emotions, and He peels that hard shell off my heart one thin layer at a time.

The end of Psalm 139 reads, "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 into life everlasting."
Spend time with God in complete honesty. Ask Him to reveal His character to you. And, give Him your uncompromising obedience.

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it as we traveled?
What if we used it in case of an emergency?

This is something to make you go hmm... where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't ever have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill!

Mark 4:35-41 Fear or Faith: Facing the Storms of Life

Lord, please speak through my words, and touch our hearts and minds to transform us into the people you wish us to be. Amen

As a child growing up in Cumbria, I used to do a lot of sailing, particularly on Derwentwater. Most of the time, sailing was wonderful hobby, but if you got caught in a strong wind it could be utterly terrifying. So I identify with what the disciples must have felt when they got caught in a storm on the sea of Galilee.

I want to think about how we respond to the storms in our own lives, the times when we feel we are drifting in the sea, and being battered by the waves that live throws at us. How do we respond to such situations in our own personal lives?

The sea of Galilee lies 680 feet below sea level, and is surrounded on all sides by mountains. Because of its situation the sea of Galilee is subject to sudden and severe storms. Whilst Jesus and the disciples are crossing the lake, a sudden and very violent storm develops. A number of the disciples were experienced fishermen and sailors, so they knew of the dangers that the sea of Galilee could pose. Yet even they were caught by surprise by the suddenness of the storm and were terrified. The waves started swamping the boat, and they go over to Jesus who was sleeping in the stern, the most sheltered part of the boat, and they shake him so he will wake him up. And they cry out, "Master, master, we’re going to drown! " Then Jesus, gets up, rebukes the wind, and commands the waves to be still, and suddenly the storm stops. The wind and the waves obey Jesus. Then Jesus turns to the disciples and rebukes them saying, "Where is your faith?".

In the story we have just heard there were two responses to the crisis that faced Jesus and his disciples. The first was fear, the second was faith.
The disciples responded with Fear. When the storm hit them they panicked, and in Mark’s version of this story, the disciples rebuke Jesus for sleeping. Teacher, are we to drown for all you care? (v.38) It is easy for us to respond to a crisis with fear, to feel that we are being overwhelmed by circumstances. The disciples panicked because Jesus seemed to be unaware and unconcerned about the storm, and sometimes when we are going through similar times of turmoil it can feel that God is distant, and not aware of what is taking place in our lives. There is a healthy fear that keeps us alive and well - that moves us into action and that sends us in prayer to God. That is a fear that goes hand-in-hand with faith. But often fear keeps us from trusting in God, just as it kept the disciples from trusting in Jesus.

Compare now how Jesus responded to the storm. Whereas the disciples responded in fear, Jesus responded through faith, and challenged the disciples to do likewise. The very fact that Jesus was able to sleep in the midst of the storm, showed that Jesus not only placed his trust in the abilities of his disciples but he also placed his trust in God the Father. Jesus rebuked the disciples lack of faith in him (v.24), and challenged the disciples to place their trust in him. He challenged them to put their trust in the true sovereign Lord, who has power over all things. The disciples are left asking the question "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

The one who created the sea, is the one who controls it. We see this in the Old Testament where all creation must submit to the will of God. The God who parted the Red Sea, is the one who commanded the sea and the wind to be still in Matthew 8:22-25. Jesus challenged the disciples to turn from their fear, and place their faith in him. Stanley Jones writes that 'Faith is not merely you holding onto God, it is God holding on to you. He will not let you go.' Jesus did not abandon the disciples to the storm, he remained with them in the boat, and he endured the storm with them. Likewise when we go through the storms of life, God remains with us, we are never abandoned. However sometimes it is hard to let go of our fear, and to place our trust in God, this is why it takes a step of faith. So often we are like the man who fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down. And as he hung there he shouted out: "Is anyone up there?" "I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?" "Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can't hang on much longer." "That's all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch." A moment of pause, then: "Is anyone else up there?"
We need to let go of the fear which keeps us from faith, and to trust that God will care for us.

What can we learn from the stilling of the storm. First of all we must recognise that in our Christian lives there we will have to face storms. Yet for the Christian to be with the Lord, whether life's seas are running smoothly or not, should be enough. Being Christians does not guard us against problems in life, in fact Jesus said that by following him we would suffer more. There will be times when we will be battered by the storms of life, but what is important is that Christ goes with us on our journey. We are not alone. Jesus said "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

8 years ago, I worked for the Mission to Seafarers as a chaplain’s assistant, and one of my jobs was to visit the ships that came into port. On the ships I would often see a picture of a sailor clinging to the ships wheel in the middle of the storm, and behind the sailor would stand Jesus, holding the wheel, and guiding the ship through the storm to a safe port. Jesus does care for us, and guides us through the storms of life. We must not judge his care for us, or the state of our discipleship by the roughness of the seas over which we sail. When Jesus replied 'Do you still have no faith' to the fear of the disciples, what he wanted them to do was to trust him, to have faith in him. His very presence amongst them was all that was needed for them to survive. And the storm was eventually calmed, and as Christians we have that promise that one day the storms of life will be over for us, and we will find ourselves safe in the arms of Jesus. So when we feel like you are being swamped by worries, and fears, we have two choices, either to surrender to God and place our faith in him, or to surrender to fear.

To conclude, I want to read you the following words, which I have personally found encouraging.

Trust Him when dark doubts assail you,
Trust Him when your strength is small,
Trust Him when to simply trust Him
Seems the hardest thing of all.
Trust Him, He is ever faithful,
Trust Him, for his will is best,
Trust Him, for the heart of Jesus
Is the only place of rest.
Amen.

Let us pray: Lord God, when we face lives storms, and when you seem distant, may we know your presence with us, guiding, sustaining and supporting, and help us to put our faith in you. Our loving, and faithful God.
Amen

Dream Necklace

With Valentines day on Wednesday, this story ammused me!

A woman was taking a nap on Valentine's day afternoon. After she awoke, She told her husband, "I just dreamed that you gave me a gorgeous necklacefor Valentines Day! What do you think it means?"

"You'll know tonight." he said.That evening, her husband came home with a small package for her. Thrilled, she opened it and found a book titled "The Meaning of Dreams."

How to prepare for global Warming

It's been a strange week for weather. Last Saturday I cut the lawn for the first time because the grass was growing so fast and getting so long, a consequence of the incredibly mild winter we've been having. I would normally start cutting the lawn a month later. There has often been only 10 degrees difference between the temperatures we've been having here in Britain during winter, to what they've been having in NZ during their summer. It really felt like spring had come early.

Is it spring?

But then a few days later, we have two days of heavy snow and sub zero temperatures (heavy by our standards anyway!) I have to confess I always get a bit embarrassed with the way Britain grinds to a hault with what, although quite a heavy snow fall, was nothing special by European standards. For example, when I visit Poland during winter, it is not uncommon to find the pavement covered in 4 inches of ice, but people still manage to get to school and work.

or winter?

You don't need to be a scientist to know that significant climate change is taking place, you can see it all around. Since we've had spring and winter in one week, I'm getting ready for the start of summer, which I recon will be with us by Tuesday, by bring the BBQ set out from storage, and digging out the shorts and sandals. I'll then be getting out the big jumpers for the onset of autumn (which will probably be here by next weekend).

Christian One Liners

Christian one-liners (some make you smile, some make you think)

Don't let your worries get the best of you; remember, Moses started out as a basket case.

Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited until you try to sit in their pews.

Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisors.

It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.

The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose but mosquitoes come close.

People are funny; they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church.

Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.

Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong.

God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you?

Some minds are like concrete; thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

Peace starts with a smile.

I don't know why some people change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from?

A lot of church members who are singing "Standing on the Promises" are just sitting on the premises.

We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.

Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

Don't put a question mark where God put a full stop.

Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.

Forbidden fruits create many jams.

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

God loves everyone, but probably prefers "fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts!"