Fasting

Jesus was sent by the Holy Spirit into the desert for forty days.

Jesus is right at the beginning of his public ministry. He had just had one of the most awesome spiritual experiences that anybody could ever have: he had been baptised, the Holy Spirit had descended into him to empower and equip him for the work ahead, and his Father had reaffirmed, in front of everybody, how much he was loved. Surely it's time to crack on, to get out there, he's on a high, time to start flying.

No. Jesus was sent by the Holy Spirit into the desert for forty days.

There were a few things that happened in the desert. We know that Jesus was tempted, that he experienced attacks by Satan that aimed to stop him starting his ministry. Now I'm not planning to talk about these temptations particularly this morning, but I want to ask where Jesus got his strength from whilst he was going through this difficult time? Now, it's a bit of a puzzle because we're not told by Mark directly, and neither are we told by the other writers of the accounts of Jesus' life.

Well, it might help if we think about the places where we might look for strength. We might look to friends or family. But Jesus was in a desert, so he didn't get his strength from there. We might look for strength in favourite books or pieces of music – like the castaways on Desert Island discs. But Jesus didn't have those things either, so he didn't get his strength from there. On a physical level we might think that the best way to keep our strength up is by eating healthy food. But Jesus didn't eat, he fasted. So he didn't get his strength from food.

In fact, we could go on like this all morning, but we would run out of ideas before we hit the truth if we stick to looking for physical answers. In one of the toughest times of his life, Jesus strength came direct from God by the Holy Spirit. And it seems to me that it is no coincidence that Jesus was sent by the Holy Spirit into the desert for these forty days. It seems to me that it is when we are in the place where the worldly things we sometimes look to for strength aren't there, that we can experience the strengthening power of the Holy Spirit most.

Continued here...

What's the choice?

I don't have any choice. You don't have a choice. He doesn't have a choice. These are some of the hardest words that can be spoken or heard in today's culture. In our country it's all about choice. Having the right to choose. The right to choose where our kids go to school, the ability to choose where we live, were we work, who we are friends with, who are doctor is, which hospital to go to. The power of people choosing to buy some things and not others is what drives free market economies around the world.

So, how do we feel when we are told that we can't choose. That we have to continue to live in that house because we can't sell it. That our kids can't go to that school because it is full. It seems to me that more and more people are coming to believe that they have a right to choose in every aspect of their lives, and that if they can't choose then something is badly wrong.

And they'd be right. There is something badly wrong. Actually I think that there are three things that restrict our choice: Illusions, Barriers, and Compulsions.

Continued here...

What's Missing?

Marmalade. This is the marmalade that I made from some of the left over Christingle oranges. I know that I was warned that they were the wrong type of oranges, but I thought I'd give it a go anyway. As you can see, this marmalade is a bit on the runny side. There is something missing, in this case, it's probably not got enough pectin in it.

I wonder if you've ever had the experience of thinking that there is something missing. Sometimes things just don't add up, and sometimes it's difficult to tell what it is that's missing. If you didn't know anything about making marmalade then you might not have been able to tell what was missing from this jar. Just that something wasn't quite right.

Paul had got a strong feeling that there is something missing. He'd been travelling around what is now Turkey and Greece, telling anybody who would listen about Jesus. He has now ended up in Ephesus. Whilst he was there he met up with a group of disciples. Now, in today's reading we only have a snapshot of their conversation, but I think that there must have been more to it than this. It doesn't really sound like the first line in a conversation, does it?, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

Continued here...

Glory to the New Born King

Hark the Herald Angels sing.

While mortals sleep the angels keep their watch of wondering love.

The Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell.

The angel of the Lord came down and glory shone around.

A shining throng of angels praising God.

A few weeks ago I spent a Friday night in Hanley at Nightchurch. At about 1'o clock on the Saturday morning I was sat chatting with a couple of clubbers who had come in to get out of the cold, have a cup of tea and a chat. They started talking about angels. One of them had been advising the others about asking their angels to help them out when they were going through tough times. These girls were absolutely convinced that they have guardian angels watching over them, who answer their prayers and who leave white feathers as signs of encouragement and hope.

Continued here ...

Joy to the world?

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Now, in common with a lot of people, Paul was in the habit of putting the things that he thought were most important at the beginning of his lists. In this case, the emphasis is on the instruction to “Rejoice always”. One of the reasons that I think that this is the case, is that joy seems to have been a particularly important idea to Paul, and one that he valued very highly in the church at Thessalonica. In the very first paragraph of the letter, he wrote, “... you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers... ”1:6-7.

Now, I have to say that this is an instruction that I struggle with. How can I rejoice always when the world is in such a mess? How can I rejoice always when people that I love are ill or in pain? How can I rejoice always when people are losing their jobs and are afraid that they will lose their homes? Isn't it just insensitive and unrealistic?

Continued here...

Weary at Christmas?

I wonder if you are feeling weary today? I know that I am, a little.

I think it might be worth naming some of those things that might be making us feel weary.

They might be health problems, either our own or those of people we are close to. Worry about finances, and how we're going to pay the bills this winter. Concern for children or grandchildren who don't know Jesus. The many ongoing tasks of keeping home and family fed, clothed, clean. The expectation of the Christmas season: presents to be bought, people to be entertained, church services to go to. Grief that won't leave us alone.

It seems to me that the things that make us weary are things that go on for a long time. They wear us out, wear us down, wear through us.

It is with these things in mind that we come to the promises of God we have heard read today.

Continued here...

Where is God?

On the third of August, 2007, a seventeen month old child was taken to a London hospital, where the child was pronounced dead. The child had very severe injuries. Now three people await sentencing for, “causing or allowing the death of a child”. During the course of the last week there has been extensive news coverage of the case, and angry exchanges in parliament. We don't even know the child's name, just “Child P”.

Over the last two months, around 250,000 people have fled from their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. That's the about the same number people who live in the whole of Stoke on Trent. They are homeless and starving, their children are being stolen to fight in child armies. All this is mainly because of the great mineral riches that exist under the ground that they live on, and the fighting over the control of those riches.

Continued here...