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.

In many of our hymn books there is a lovely modern hymn by Michael Joncas that is listed in the hymn books according to its first line, “You Who Dwell in the Shelter of the Lord”, but is better known as “On Eagles’ Wings.” It is a paraphrase of Psalm 91 and wonderfully expresses God’s protective care over us, His loved ones. As soon as I started reading Psalm 91 this morning the words and melody of this hymn came to mind. It is a great way to remember this psalm and its message.

I have long had a struggle with the realities of pain, suffering, sin, temptation and evil, and no more are these things put into the spotlight than the book of Job in the Hebrew Bible. Once again, today, I had to struggle with these and my meditation, inadequate as it will undoubtedly be in dealing with these issues, is the fruit of that struggle. And then, to assist you in your thoughts about this, I have also included a meditation on the same passage from several years ago. I hope that both of them will be of help.

I have long had a struggle with the realities of pain, suffering, sin, temptation and evil, and no more are these things put into the spotlight than the book of Job in the Hebrew Bible. Once again, today, I had to struggle with these and my meditation, inadequate as it will undoubtedly be in dealing with these issues, is the fruit of that struggle. And then, to assist you in your thoughts about this, I have also included a meditation on the same passage from several years ago. I hope that both of them will be of help.

Unfortunately, we are often so accustomed to praying the Lord’s Prayer that it sometimes becomes just a habit, something said by rote without much thought. And so it is good to revisit it from time to time, and especially to reconsider several phrases contained within it--the phrases, ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ What we are thereby committing ourselves to is the establishment of God’s kingdom, Christ’s kingdom, here on earth, and, presumably, the idea is that it will start with us. The idea is that we will enthrone Him as king and follow and obey Him right now, and thus provide a minuscule element, a minuscule expression, of that kingdom right now. The crowds there by the Sea of Galilee wanted Jesus to be their king, albeit in a very limited way, but we, you and I, want Him to be far more than that. Let that be so. Amen.

Trusting in the Lord, depending upon Him for His guidance and assistance, should be something that goes without saying. Yet, if you are at all like me, you may well go about your day without thinking to ask Him what He wants, and certainly not asking Him for His help. Yes, we are often quite inclined to be like Frank Sinatra in saying, 'I did it my way.’ Today’s psalm reminds us that things will go better if we do it His way, God’s way, and rely on His help and direction.

One of our persistent downfalls as humans is that we latch onto certain ideas or beliefs, sometimes quite unreasonably and irrationally, and refuse to examine them, much less let them go. We have seen this writ all too large when it came to our national and political lives. People were almost willing to die for their beliefs about medicine or vaccinations or public safeguards or government action or inaction. And, mixed in with all this were vague rumours about conspiracies and sinister threats to our freedom, health and well-being. Sad to say that on neither side of the debate--actually there were more than just two sides--no one was willing to listen, to carefully examine the facts and sort fact from fiction.

And, this doesn’t just happen in the larger ‘public’ realm: it can also happen with couples, families, churches and other organizations. In these areas as well, we can accept certain things as ‘given’, as unnegotiable, without truly examining to see whether are really of God or not. So, in all this, we need God’s help and guidance.

One of the suggested Scripture readings for today is 1 Kings 2: 10-12; 3: 3-14, where King Solomon is asked by God in a dream what he’d most like in life. The king asks for wisdom, which God acclaims as a very wise choice. In today's reading from Proverbs we find wisdom showing up again, this time personified as a person, a woman. There she is described as building a house erected upon seven pillars, seven pillars of wisdom. Various people over the centuries have applied themselves to this idea and tried to name what seven things these might be. (I say more about this in today’s meditation). But here, let me leave you with a thought, namely of those various things mentioned in my various lists, which ones do you feel are the most important? And which ones would you like to cultivate? Something to think about.

I began today’s meditation with the title, ‘the proof of the pudding’, and applied it to the evidence that the Bible provides us with regarding Jesus’ life and ministry. However, we can apply that same idea to our own prayer lives. The proof of ‘the pudding’ as it were, in terms of our prayers, is in the ‘results’ or outcomes of our fervent and earnest prayers. And, of course, if we don’t pray, and expect results, then we probably won’t see any. And there will be no proof of the pudding. So, just a reminder always to pray and not to give up.

Today’s meditation and Scripture passage remind us that we should go to God in prayer, and persevere in it, even when we are not happy with God or feel somehow that God is to blame for the mess we are in either as individuals or as a society. God has long been blamed for things, so don’t worry about that. He can take it. Nevertheless, this shouldn’t stop us from praying.

I will never forget my parents’ frequent refrain during our teenage years. My brother and I would lament and plead with our parents, ‘But all the other kids have it...or are doing it’. To which our parents would reply, "But we’re not ‘other’ people. We are Stonhouses, and we don’t do that." Indeed, constantly hanging over our heads--and in our thoughts--was the idea, spoken or unspoken, “We are Stonhouses and that’s that. We don’t necessarily do what other people do.”

Indeed, something along the same lines should likewise be our refrain--and our compelling thought and motivations--as Christians. “We are Christians and that’s that. We don’t necessarily do what other people do.” Indeed, we are to people with a difference, an attractive and winsome difference that, just because of what it is, will cause others to sit up and take notice--and be part of it. And, part of that should be our love towards one another. As a wag in the ancient world said, upon observing the behaviour of Christians, “See how they love one another.” Yes, there should be an observable difference in us and how we behave. Thanks be to God.

Today’s psalm and meditation remind us that ‘good intentions’ are just that--intentions versus action, and here we learn that King David’s good intentions, as well meaning and intended as they were, were not spelled out consistently in his actions. And, seemingly, they came to naught through simple, ordinary decisions that had crucially bad and unintentional consequences. And so can it be with us: it is the small and seemingly ordinary decisions that can have serious impacts in the long run. And so, we need to careful, and more importantly, guided by God and His word.

Today’s Scripture passage and meditation certainly raise some profound and searching questions for us. Firstly, about our giving and our motives for giving. And secondly--and probably more importantly, about our promises, the promises we make to ourselves, others and God, for promises made but not kept are a kind of lie, or, they are if we just gloss over them as unimportant. Anyway, something to think about.

At first glance, Mary’s approach to the situation at this wedding feast was rather measured and ill-defined. She simply explained the situation to Jesus and then leaves the results to Him. At first glance, the situation seems hardly worth bothering about, and hardly worth bothering Jesus about. And yet, Jesus ‘wants’ to be ‘bothered’ with our needs and concerns. And actually, perhaps this situation here in Cana was ‘more’ than we think. We are told that families skimmed and saved for years--even to the point of going into debt--to make a ‘big splash’ on a wedding day. It was a point of pride for the family to give as splendid and extravagant feast as possible, and everlasting point of shame if they didn’t. In fact, it the food or drink ran out before the allotted number of days, it was seen as an inauspicious omen for the newly married couple. And so, maybe it did matter and Jesus and His mother knew it.

So, as to us: we matter to God, to Jesus Christ, and likewise it matters whatever it is that worries or concerns us. And so, we too need to go to Him just as quickly and readily as Mary did, and be willing to say in response to Him, “Whatever He says, do it.”