I’m sure that most, if not all, of us would stand in the very same place as Martha and Mary. We might well believe great things of God in the abstract, that is, in theory, but not necessarily in practical things, in the here and now--things like the war in Ukraine or between Israel and Hamas, or the state of the church, or, more personal things like health or finances or relationships. Can we ever dare hope for divine intervention in such matters? Maybe we need to pray as the distraught father once prayed (see Mark 9:24): “Lord, I do have faith. Help me to have even more.”

Today’s meditation raises a very somber and searching question, namely, what do we do when God does not measure up to or live up to our expectations? Do we give up on Him, or, do we hang in there with Him and trust Him no matter what? In many ways, the latter choice makes total sense because His knowledge of what is best for us and the world, without any doubt at all, will always be far beyond and superior to ours, which means that He will always see a bigger and better picture than we do.

I found today’s passage and meditation to be rather challenging, for I must admit that I don’t treat all people equally. When someone comes to the church and is loud, demanding and abusive, I have trouble seeing past that behaviour to the hurting person inside. I’m sorry, but that’s the way that it is. I suspect that others are like that as well. Anyway, that’s one of my struggles.

Today’s passage from John’s Gospel includes part of Jesus’ discourse on Himself as the Good Shepherd. It immediately raises two questions. The first is the identity of the not-so-good, or bad, shepherds. While we can suggest that they could include the other people that try to lead us or run our lives, they could in actuality, be anything or anyone that seeks to rule us or give us a pattern or direction for life. Surely, all of them pale in comparison with the direction or rule that Jesus can give us. The second question follows from that, namely whether we are willing to be His sheep and submit to His ever loving rule, care and direction. Surely, if Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the best shepherd, we would not want anything or anyone else--but do we? Sadly, we sometimes say ‘no’ to Him and give other things and people the rule of our lives instead, which are quite poor. Here’ hoping that we can all let Him have the rule instead.

Today’s meditation has two very important ’take aways’.  The first is that Jesus is truly ‘Emmanuel’, God with us.  No matter what we experience or go through, He is there for us, there with us, and still able to help us.  The second is that God is still at work, regardless of how it may presently seem to us.  Our present circumstances, and certainly our world scene, may seem absolutely bewildering and awful, but God is still there, still has a plan, and is still working it out for the good of our world--and us!  So, let us not lose hope.  Let us still, like Job, stick to our trust in God.

People at the time of Jesus got somewhat riled at Him when He insisted on trying to imitate God, His Heavenly Father, and do the things that He saw God doing.  Interestingly, the same thing can happen in today’s world.  A number of years ago--this was when I was just a young fledgling Christian--a novel came out entitled, “In His Steps”.  In it, a group of people were challenged to pause before doing anything and ask God, ‘what would Jesus do?’  Some people took this idea very seriously and acted upon this notion, and were criticized soundly for it.  And more recently, the same idea or principle was brought forward once again, albeit with the same reactions.   Yes, I have to agree with the nay-sayers that Jesus’ situation was different etc. etc. and so what He did isn’t always appropriate.  We probably shouldn’t try to walk on water or give over our bodies to be crucified.  However, I think that the idea of thinking before we act and pondering Jesus’ words and actions in light of our decisions probably isn’t that bad an idea.  We may not always strike gold, but I think that our lives, and the lives of those around us, might be dramatically different--and better.   It’s worth a try.

In my childhood, it was the best kept secret of all time.  I went to church regularly, gave, and participated widely, and yet I felt something missing.  I felt that there was something more, something that was being alluded to in our worship and practice, but never openly stated.  As a result, to me the Christian faith was a matter of do’s and don’t, of trying to measure up and be good enough.  There was never a mention of knowing Jesus Christ personally, much less how one might go about getting it.  It was, as JC Ryle puts it, a ‘charitable assumption’, the assumption that as Bible believing, reformed Christians, we just naturally knew God in Christ Jesus.  But, for me, it wasn’t an assumption that worked at all, because I didn’t have that relationship.  In fact, it sort of grated on me when others--evangelicals--suggested that I wasn’t really a Christian!  I’m guessing that this is how the crowds felt when Jesus accused them of not knowing God.  Anyway, no what way you put it, it is essential.

Sadly, and unfortunately, we often underrate the power and efficacy of concerted corporate prayer, and so today’s passage is an eloquent reminder of just how powerful it is.  Peter’s fate seemed absolutely fixed.  Herod had already executed one of the church’s leaders, James, and was well on his way to doing the same with Peter.  But then the church stepped into the gap--and prayed without ceasing.  And what was seemingly impossible happened!  Peter was set free.  Such was the power of God--and the power of prayer.  May we, you and I, learn from this and follow their example.

Probably there has never been a time when it was more difficult to know what is true and what is not. There was a time when one could rely on trusted sources, like parents or clergy or educators or coaches or doctors, for accurate information, but now pretty well every source of information has come under attack. And it used to be that with sources like politicians or the media, you knew what their bias was, and with that, presumably where they were getting their information and where they are going, but even that is hard to fathom these days. And even with the Bible, which should be our most trusted source of truth, there are so many interpretations that it is likewise hard to tell. And so, in terms of these terribly nagging questions, I have made a couple of suggestions in today’s meditation. I hope you find it helpful.

It is incredible, and not always quite so wonderful, how rapidly societal values can change, and the language used to express them, so very rapidly. And this isn’t always good. While, in an earlier generation a woman would be said to be ‘in the family way’ or ‘great with child’ (now she is quite candidly and openly said to be pregnant), the words used to express physical love or intimacy have become quite crude and vulgar, and all too casual and frequent. This is rather regrettable as human love, including its physical aspects, was (and is) a gift of God and something to be relished and celebrated rather than demeaned. And so the Song of Songs is a wonderful gift from God, intended as a way of reminding us of this, and celebrating it.

In a discussion once about how Anglicans ‘hate’ change, the other person replied to me, “Oh, Anglicans love change: change from a twenty, change from a five...”  But kidding aside, change is indeed something that we have trouble with.  While admitting that some change is necessary at times, and even healthy at times, others would allege that we make far too many changes, sometimes ones that are momentous and sometimes even seemingly not required, and that often these changes are made without sufficient warrant from Scriptures or from God Himself.  All of this is to say that the example of the early church in adopting change, but doing so carefully and with plenty of grounds, would be something good for us to follow today.

The folks listening to Jesus were always faced with a couple of questions. Firstly, there was the question, ‘who is He?’, and then, secondly, there was the question, ‘what do we do with Him?’

As Christians, as His friends and followers, we presumably know the answer to the first question: He is our Lord and Saviour. But then the second question remains, ‘what do we do with Him?’ It is a question that, while probably answered decisively at a certain juncture of life, still needs to be answered every day, and presumably, every minute. We need to answer that question in terms of how we live out our lives as His friends and followers, and it is a question that requires our constant attention and consideration.

Isn’t it ironic? Humility would be something that we’d love to be proud about, but then, it wouldn’t be humility any more. It is noteworthy that today’s psalmist was simultaneously glowing about what a ‘good fellow’ he was and lauding the importance of humility. It just goes to show how easily we can be deceived in our own thinking and behaviour. And, then, which is even worse, to fool ourselves into thinking that ‘just because’ we are on ‘the right side’, the good guys, that God will automatically bless us and give us victory over those other guys, those not so nice folks. This, sadly, has been the justification for all sorts of abuse in both the secular/ political/ social realms and the spiritual realms as well. Anyway, it is best to be forewarned, and careful.

One of the things that I most admire about Job is that he never gives up on God. Regardless of what he is enduring--loss of family and income to start with, and then, a loss of his health, he never gives up expecting something better from God. And never gives up on holding God to task, holding Him accountable. He is not afraid to voice his displeasure and anger to God and actually expects God to answer Him. This illustrates an intimacy and a familiarity with God that is most refreshing, something that it would be well for each of us to desire and cultivate. And, even if this was absent, he still feels that he can go to God in prayer. A good example for all of us.

I believe that life is a series of choices, some bad, some good, and some of them somewhere in between. Judas Iscariot made some fateful and decidedly disastrous choices, but I do not believe that they came all at once. I believe that his eventual decision to betray Jesus arose bit by bit, incremental you might say, through a series of choices, bad ones, though they may not have seemed that way at the moment. I think that our lives are similar, that our eventual fate is decided by those little choices that we make day by day, moment by moment. And so, it is good, very good, to look at those choices, re-appraise them, and consider whether to change them.

I think that it’s fair to say that taking risks isn’t exactly our strongest suit for most of us, and yet, to be honest, most of the world’s progress, including that of the church, and even of our own lives, would not have taken place without it. Almost everything in life involves taking some sort of risk, from little ones like making a small purchase, to larger ones like careers, education and relationships. There is a risk of some sort entailed in all of them. And, certainly the risk that Barnabas and the early church took with the likes of Saul (later known as Paul) was one of the bigger ones. But, as it turned out--but only in retrospect--it was worth it. I pray that God will help us with our potential risks, to help us see clearly to evaluate their pros and cons, and then to decide, and do so wisely. I pray that it will be worth it for ourselves, whether that be for ourselves, our families, our communities, or our churches.

What’s important in life? Today’s psalm talks about intentionally placing oneself in the presence of God and thus enjoying His help and His guidance. In many contexts, past and present, this entailed going to a certain place, such as a church or a shrine or sanctuary of some sort, and this is still quite valid, and still a very good idea. It is one of the prevailing motivations for making a pilgrimage. But whether we make an actual journey or pilgrimage or not, it is still good to make sure that we have time with God. Even those who go nowhere, people who are at home, can do this--namely in the privacy and comfort of their own homes. That’s what the idea of a daily Quiet Time is all about: carving out a time and a space where we can be alone with God. It is something that we can all do--and, something that we all need.