Reflections

‘There is a time for all things…’ (Ecc. 3:1)

Overnight our clocks moved forward one hour and we are now into British Summer Time, which means that our evenings will now become longer – and hopefully warmer. Time can seems strange at times. On how many occasions, for example, have we said something like, ‘…this week has flown by…’ yet maybe a few weeks later, ‘…this past week has dragged by…’ Both weeks are the same period of time and yet they pass by so differently and as I sit to write this, I wonder how the past seven days have passed for us all!

Lutheran Theologian Paul Tillich said of time, ‘Time is our destiny. Time is our hope. Time is our despair. And time is the mirror in which we see eternity…’ words which, in one sense, seem to echo the sentiment of the author of Ecclesiastes. We all have different times in our lives allocated to various tasks and duties, different times set aside for work, leisure and sleep, different times set aside to celebrate special occasions.

Today we would of course normally be gathering for a time of worship and fellowship in the peace and stillness of our sanctuaries. Gathering with our brothers and sisters in Christ to come before our Lord and there is no doubt we all miss this time together. Yet we can still come together in Spirit, in a way looking through the mirror of eternity that Tillich speaks of, and be at one with God to spend time in communion with Him.

And of course no matter what time or day or night it is, no matter what else we may be doing in that period of time, still we are able to spend time with our Lord. Sharing with Him in whatever we are doing, talking and listening to Him, offering Him our thanks and petitions, acknowledging His ever present presence in our lives. All time is in God’s hands – and all He wants us to do is to share some of our time with Him each and every day.

Lord, help us in the busyness of everyday life to take time to be with You. Help us to live Your will for us and Your destiny for us, for only then will we be living our lives as You would have us, to the glory and honour of Your name. Amen

My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations…’ (Isaiah 56:7)

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior once preached a sermon entitled Rediscovering Lost Values during which he commented on how through the advancement of science and technology we have effectively made the world like one neighbourhood. And when you think of the further advancements made in the last 60 years, particularly with satellite communications and trans-continental travel, that neighbourhood seems to have become even smaller. This was further illustrated somewhat painfully this past week when I saw a map showing how the coronavirus had spread across the globe – all nations seemed to merge into one.

Of course we are all God’s children – every man, woman and child on this planet. Irrespective of nationality, race or gender, we are all children of God, part of His worldwide family and He cares for each and every one of us. Yet at times like this some may of course question such an idea and ask where then is God, if He does care for us in this way. My answer to that is that He is present in all those groups and individuals who are demonstrating His love in their selfless acts for others. Wherever there is love, compassion and comfort being shown, God is at the heart of all that. Wherever people are living out the Gospel message selflessly thinking of the needs of other, by His Spirit God is there and of course wherever people are praying, God is there too.

Lord help us to come to You in prayer at this time and to know that in the midst of these painful and uncertain days, You are still there – and always will be. Amen.

‘Encourage one another daily…’ (Hebrews 3:13)

Yesterday evening, at 8.00pm, millions of people throughout the land paused for a few minutes to come to their doors, windows and balconies to applaud the many thousands in our NHS and Care Service, who over the past weeks have tirelessly devoted themselves to helping and taking care of others who have become ill or are most at risk with this pandemic – and I know that many here in our own community took part in this.

In every walk of life encouraging others is important, especially so when we know they are going through difficult and testing times, as those we applauded last night undoubtedly are. From a Christian perspective the ultimate source of encouragement we can offer others comes of course from Jesus. When through our words and actions we seek to encourage others we should be looking to inspire them in mind, body and soul, to uplift and support them by what we say and do, and to remind them that they are not alone in their endeavours – that they are in our hearts, thoughts and prayers. For that we need to lean on God ourselves, to allow His Holy Spirit to inspire us, that refreshed and empowered we can them share this blessing with others.

Lord, in Your power and strength, help me, where I can, encourage others by my words and actions, to the glory and honour of Your name. Amen

‘Sovereign Lord, I put my hope in You…’ (Psalm 71:5)

How many of us, no matter what age we are, don’t stop and point or look up at the sky when we see a rainbow. There is just something about them that brings a smile to all of our faces and instantly brightens up our day.

Over the last week, particularly since our schools closed, pictures of rainbows have been appearing on front windows throughout our towns and cities, including our own community here. Drawn by children they are intended to convey a message of hope and joy in these troubled days. Indeed many have messages of hope attached to them like Keep safe; Keep smiling; and my favourite, The bigger the storm, the brighter the rainbow.

Ultimately, of course, we must place our hope in the Lord. But a time when we are feeling so restricted in what we can do and uncertain of how things are unfolding, and when we are perhaps concerned about loved ones we can’t visit, how wonderful it is to know that our children are doing this to help keep this hope alive and at the same time help uplift us all and bring a smile to our faces – and maybe it is working.

Over the past week in the many conversations I have had with people, despite the restrictions now in place, most people are still in good spirits. Not only that, but they are keeping in touch with one another and, within the limitations imposed upon us, also offering to help their neighbour in whatever small way they can with shopping etc.  Effectively sharing this message of hope and joy by living out the Gospel message as Jesus would have us – looking to the needs of others.

Lord, thank you for our young people, who in the midst of all that we are facing within our society today, have taken to offer messages of hope and joy in the way that they have. We pray that You would look upon all Your children at this time and enable us to know Your presence among us in all that we face. And we ask all this in Jesus name. Amen.

‘The Lord is the strength of His people…’ (Psalm 28:8)

Whenever we think of the word, hero, we might think of the characters we see in Marvel comic books and films, or a mighty and powerful individual in history who performed great deeds, or someone today who is famous and talented in some way. However, looking through my daily devotions for today I came across a quote from an unknown author which looks at the idea of a hero from a different perspective, ‘Heroes are not the ones that never fail, but the ones who never give up…’ and maybe there is a lot of truth in this.

From a Biblical perspective a hero is someone who lives in such a way as to help make life better for another and the Biblical call for us to live a heroic life is to do so in a manner that emulates Jesus Christ. Over this past week I have heard many of our leaders and politicians refer to those in our NHS as heroes – and quite rightly too given the work they are doing in these present circumstances. But there are also many other heroes out there just now. Volunteers, friends and neighbours doing their small bit for others in their communities, helping to make their lives a little better  – effectively living out the Gospel message in a practical way.

Lord we thank You for the many ways in which You are working out through others at this time and for the practical way that so many are sharing the love of Christ by their actions. Watch over them, we pray, and hold them safe in Your love and protection. In Jesus name. Amen

‘His divine power has given us everything needed for life and Godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness…’ (2 Peter 1:3)

Francis Bacon once said, ‘Knowledge is power…’, and certainly when we scroll through the pages of our history books we can see many clear examples of individuals who thought in this way. However, from a Biblical perspective, knowledge is more about understanding the truth of God. It is not simply about knowing who God is, but rather knowing God in the light is His truth, and for us as Christians that means looking to Jesus Christ.

However, as Christians we are also called to bear witness to this truth and to share it with others in our everyday lives. And that means not just looking to Jesus, but as best we can, looking to following His teaching and His example, by demonstrating his love, care and compassion for others in whatever way we can – and perhaps especially so, at this trying time.

Lord thank you for coming to us in Your Son, that we might come to know You through Him. By our words and actions, may we bear witness to You to others, that they too may come to know You for themselves. Amen

‘As many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes…’  (2 Cor. 1:20)

Look in any dictionary and it will tell you that one definition of a promise is, a declaration of intended action… However, when we think of a promise in Biblical terms, we think perhaps of God’s verbal agreement to humankind, repeated all through the Old Testament, of how He would never forsake or abandon us but always be with us.

Move forward to the coming of Jesus and God not only fulfils that promise once and for all in His Son, Jesus was the very embodiment of that promise. Through Jesus, God has reconciled Himself to us and by His Spirit is with us every single day.

American Theologian Dr. David Nicholas once said, ‘God’s promises are like the stars, the darker the night the brighter they shine… ‘ and in these dark days we find ourselves in we see this light in the kindness, generosity and selfless acts of so many looking to help their neighbours in whatever small way we can.

Lord, thank You for reconciling Yourself to us through Your Son and Your continued presence with us every day. Help us to shine the light of Your Son into the lives of all around us today, that together we all may know His presence in our lives. Amen.

‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.’  (1 John 3:1)

Today is the first day when we have not been able to come together in worship and fellowship and I for one am struggling to come to terms with this, as I’m sure that you are too. However, this is something we all have to accept for the time being.  Today is also Mother’s Day, a day that all families treasure as we would all normally, where possible, spend time with our Mums or remember the treasured memories of the past. It is a day for flowers and gifts too and a day to give thanks again for the safety of our Mums, but today this will only be possible at a distance, because we love them and want to protect them. One consolation is that today is such a beautiful day and whilst we may not be able to see Mums we can be sure that as they look out they will  be able to see the beauty of God’s creation in our own gardens and that will bring a smile to their faces – knowing that they are not only loved by us but God too.

Over this past week, as I have glanced out of the manse window I have seen one of our Elder’s and her husband working hard in their beautiful garden – and that has helped uplift me during this somewhat surreal week. Of course during this hard work there has been the odd occasion when they stopped for a cuppa – and possibly a biscuit or cake – and that got me thinking of those who are working so tirelessly to provide us with the food that we need. Today, as well as our Mums I would ask you to pray for our local farmers, finding it difficult to get workers; those who deliver the food to our shops and supermarkets; those who restock the shelves and then sell the food on to us – it is a stressful time for them all.

We should also remember those of us who have family and friends in hospital, for a host of reasons, who are now unable to receive any visitors, and also for their families who I know are struggling with this – please keep them in your prayers.

There are so many needs in our world today and over the coming days we should all remember to pray. When I first came here to preach to the Nominating Committee my sermon was on prayer and that is what I,  and all other ministers I know, base their ministry on. If we didn’t talk to God where would we be – and on that note I want to end with the words written on a plaque that I have in my study.

God is watching over you – I know because I asked Him too…

‘…God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,

who has been given to us.’ (Romans 5:5)

Leo Tolstoy once said, ‘where love is, there is God also…’  and how true this is. The idea of love is the greatest characteristic of our Christian faith and the greatness of God’s love for us was ultimately revealed in His giving us His one and only Son and as Paul says, this love is still poured upon us freely today through God’s Holy Spirit. But how do we understand this love?

All too often today we perhaps think of love as simply an emotion, a feeling we may experience within our hearts. Yet when we look at how love is revealed to us in the Bible it isn’t merely an emotion or feeling. The kind of love that God calls us to isn’t simply about feeling a certain way towards other people, rather it is about demonstrating that love through our actions. But more than this God tells us that His love should flow through our actions to others and as Christians we are called to do this through following the example of our Lord. Through acts of compassion and kindness, looking to the needs of others and where we can help in some small way, being a good neighbour.

Today, at such a difficult time for us all, we need to try to share God’s love in this way with those around us. Of course for health reasons there are limitations on what we are able to do and some things might not be possible, but even a simple phone call, text message, email or card just to say – thinking of you, hope you are well – can make all the difference. Try it – and see!

Lord, we thank You for the love You pour upon us so freely every day. Help us to share that love in all we do, that through this witness others too may come to know the fullness of the love of Christ in their life. And we ask all this in His Holy name. Amen.

‘But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you…’ (John 14:26)

This coming Sunday, and for the foreseeable future, we are not able to come together in fellowship to worship and like everyone of you I will miss that so much. Yet whilst we might not be able to meet as we usually do, as believers we are united in fellowship through God’s Spirit and we can still set aside time on Sunday to come before God as one. To pray for one another, our community, our nation, for all our doctors, nurses, paramedics and health workers and others who are working so tirelessly at this time, and indeed for all who are anxious or fearful over all that is going on. Particularly so on this Sunday as our Moderator has joined with other Church Leaders in calling for a National Day of Prayer.

Through the Holy Spirit God is there to comfort, encourage, uplift and support us every day and today more than ever we need to know these things in our life. So I would encourage you all to set aside some time on Sunday – between 10.00 am and 12.00 pm – to come before God, to ask for His Spirit’s presence and comfort in our lives and in the lives of all who need Him most at this time. Also, to join with others in prayer at 7.00pm, the time set aside for national prayer.

And don’t forget that we are here for you and will endeavour to help in any way we can.

Lord, in these difficult and uncertain days help us to allow Your Spirit to guide, comfort and uphold us. Help us also to hold on to Your love and to look to share it wherever and whenever we can, to the glory and honour of Your name. Amen