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Thursday 21st November – Acts 14:1-7 ‘The dividing line’
‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law – a man’s enemies will be members of his own household.”’
This teaching of Jesus is one of his most difficult, and also one of the most misinterpreted. Tragically, the first part has been taken out of context to justify violence perpetrated by so-called Christians – something which Jesus himself abhorred. What it means, though, is not much easier to swallow: Jesus is candidly advising his followers that following him will act as a dividing line across people and relationships, even within families. People will be for or against him, and that will cause the ’sword’ he refers to.
Why should it be like this, we might wonder? I think we can point to three reasons: first, these are important issues, matters of life and death; inevitably the stakes are high. Second, the exclusive claims of Jesus can offend peoples’ sensibilities. Third, it’s a spiritual battle – there is something in human beings that instinctively resists God and rebels. Reflecting on this, the theologian R.A. Lambourne described Jesus’ miracles as moments of krisis (judgement) – when faced with proof of Jesus’ authority, people had to decide: are they for him or against him? Jesus calls us to life and peace – but that very call becomes a dividing line across families, groups, communities, peoples.
We see this principle, expressed so vividly by Jesus, at work in today’s passage. God is on the move, and, as Paul and Barnabas begin to share the good news in a new city – Iconium – they see many people choose to be for Jesus (v1). Immediately, though, the backlash comes. Faced with this dramatic change, another group decides to be firmly against Jesus (v2). The result was a divided city – not peace, but a sword.
It’s a sobering text, and the outcome is unsurprising – Paul and Barnabas are threatened and have to move on again. But not before they demonstrated the message with some krisis moments of their own: (v3) ‘the Lord… confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.’
Our good news is not just true – it’s real. And the knowledge that it is real gives us faith, hope and courage to stand firm, especially in the places where we experience division over what we believe. May the Lord grant us all grace to face such division in his mighty strength, and with the love that covers over a multitude of sins. His grace is always sufficient, and will continue his good work in us: today and to its completion. Amen.
Wednesday 20th November – Acts 13:44-52 ‘A light for the Gentiles’
Today’s passage is really a ‘part 2’ to yesterday – or you could say, the flip side of the coin. As one group of hearers rejected Paul’s message, so another embraced it. A group who may have felt excluded in the past, but who now could respond and receive the good news on equal terms.
Thirty years ago this year, 17 million black South Africans were able to vote for the first time. Millions queued in lines over a four-day voting period. I still remember the news reports, seeing the long lines of those ready to wait for hours if need be, just be able to do something they had waited all their lives for, something that others had been entitled to do for much longer. The joy, the anticipation – it’s hard to capture in words what it must have meant.
It does, however, give a flavour of what it must have been like in the streets and public forum (central square) of Pisidian Antioch, as people listened to Paul’s message. The grace of God was now fully available to all – in one sense it always had been, but now the door was open in a new way. Those who now had to share this ‘space’ were less enamoured, as we saw yesterday. Today, though, we can see the response from everyone else.
First, they were glad (v48). It’s sometimes easy to forget that our good news is really that: good news! It was certainly good news for the non-Jews (Gentiles) who heard it.
Next, they ‘honoured the word of the Lord.’ They took the message at face value. They didn’t water it down, or find reasons why what they’d just heard might not mean what it sounded like it meant. Sound familiar?! And our author Luke is quite right to note in passing that this honours God’s word.
As a result, they believed. The message found a home in Pisidian Antioch – and, quite quickly, far beyond it: (v49) ‘The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.’ Good news travels fast.
Sadly, for Paul and Barnabas it also brough fierce opposition, and they were quickly hounded out. (Let’s note in passing that in shaking the dust off their feet, they were consciously doing what Jesus told his first disciples to do (Mark 6:11) – a clear indicator that ‘second generation believers’ like Paul and Barnabas had direct knowledge of Jesus’ teaching, presumably from the apostles themselves. They didn’t invent a different version of the Jesus movement, as it has become popular to suggest.)
Ultimately, our passage ends with joy and spiritual fervour. May that be our response, too. We have the same good news, and, for all the challenges, we can rejoice in the continuing spread of this good news around the world. May we, likewise, be filled with the same spirit of Jesus, honouring the word and living it joyfully today.
Tuesday 19th November – Acts 13:38-46 ‘The club mentality’
‘I don’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members.’ Those famous words of Groucho Marx on resigning his membership of the Friar’s Club make me chuckle – but there might be more truth in them than we like to think.
There’s a natural tendency in human beings to want to belong. It’s one of those God-given impulses – but it can have negative side-effects, even in faith communities. ‘People like to be with people like them,’ was a very popular catchphrase in the world of mission and evangelism in the second half of the twentieth century. The motives were noble – to reach as many people as possible with the good news of Jesus – but the outworking was questionable. If people like to be with people like them (which they naturally do) then the best way to reach people with Jesus’ message, so the theory went, is to create church communities full of people like them.
At one level, it worked a treat. Lots of churches grew, reaching particular segments of the community. People like to be with people like them, after all. The problem is: the very idea isn’t really part of Jesus’ message. We built and invested in churches apparently to maximise the spread of “Jesus’ message”, which missed out a huge part of Jesus’ actual message: the bit which was about the gospel being for everyone – and not just ‘everyone… as long as they’re somewhere I don’t actually have to spend time with them,’ but ‘everyone in a big, real family, all together.’
Jesus didn’t come just to save individuals, but to create a new community, a new humanity which reflected the redemptive work of God. We are all part of the body of Christ, and this body embraces everyone.
And it’s this idea which got Paul and Barnabas into trouble. It had all started so well in Pisidian Antioch: (v42) ‘the people [of the synagogue] invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. But then the next Sabbath came; and, amazingly, ‘almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.’ (v44)
Cause for rejoicing, surely? Not a bit of it: (v45) ‘When the Jews [i.e. those in the synagogue the previous week] saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.’ It’s all very well talking about this grace of God stuff… as long as God only wants to offer this to us. God can’t surely mean this is available to everyone??
Grace is the best and most wonderful – and in many ways also the hardest – part of what we believe. The scandalous idea that we don’t have to earn God’s favour, and that God lavishes this grace on everyone who seeks him for it, even the people we don’t like very much, or who we think don’t deserve it… Deep down there’s a bit of all of us that rather likes the club mentality: but it’s a cancer that undermines the very message we live by.
Today, let’s all give thanks that our amazing Lord sees fit to lavish his grace on whomever he sees fit – including us! Hallelujah! And let’s also pray – and keep praying – that we never fall into the trap of deciding who’s in and who’s out. After all, who’d want to belong to a club which would have me as a member?
Monday 18th November – Acts 13:38-39 ‘Set free from every sin’
Is there a sin which God doesn’t forgive?
According to Jesus: only one – to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. Which is basically calling the true work of God the work of the devil. It is the absolute refusal to receive what God offers humanity in and through Christ, a complete rejection of God himself. Pretty heavy-duty stuff.
Everything else is forgivable. But do we believe it? That is more the question. Many of us carry things around which we struggle to believe that God forgives. They might be big mistakes in the past, or a small habit we can’t break. Either way, however often we say sorry, we somehow feel ‘uncleansed’. We are not free.
All the more reason to take today’s message to heart. This is one of those passages where truth trumps feelings. Our forgiveness, according to Paul, is a fact. ‘Everyone who believes is set free from every sin.’ Not just some sins, or most sins – but every sin. Listen to it again if you didn’t believe it first time! ‘Everyone who believes is set free from every sin.’
The reason is that it’s not about us. Not really. Yes, we need to say sorry – and it’s useful to have the sort of confession prayers used in many historic churches, comprehensive confessions like this one: ‘in thought, word, and deed; through negligence through weakness, through our own deliberate fault.’ That covers all the bases, I think!
But the point is, it’s not all the ‘clauses’ that set us free – it’s the fact of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It was to win our forgiveness for everything. God doesn’t listen to our confession and think: ‘well, I’ll apply my Son’s redemptive death for this and this, but I don’t think it covers that…. or that.’ That’s not who God is; nor how Jesus’ death and resurrection works.
You are free from every sin. Every single one. Forgiven, and free.
As we begin our week, choose to believe this wonderful truth, this amazing fact! Believing it will enable to live with greater freedom this week – more joy, more peace, more love. May the Lord grant us all grace to believe, to receive – and to live. We are the free, and God’s is the glory. Amen.
Saturday 16th November – Matthew 5:1-10 ‘Who is really blessed?’
Let’s conclude our week where we began on Sunday (for those who came to our churches): with the world as Jesus sees it. Below is a personal take on the heart of each of these extraordinary statements – and if, as you read, you can particularly relate to one (or more) of these, give thanks: Jesus calls you blessed.
Blessed are the poor in Spirit, the ones who haven’t got it all together and who know they need God to fill the God shaped hole, who aren’t afraid to be seen as weak…
… for yours is the kingdom of heaven, and all that you seek of God, He will give to you.
Blessed are the mourners, who see life through tear-stained faces, who haven’t got compassion fatigue yet, the ones that others wish would lighten up a bit…
… for you will be comforted, and God himself will wipe every tear from your eyes.
Blessed are the meek, the ones who always let someone else go first, who don’t push into queues, who don’t need to be first, to shout loudest or get in people’s faces…
… for you will inherit the earth, when the first are last and the last are first.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the odd-bods who’ll do anything, go anywhere if only they would experience more of God’s love, God’s truth, God’s kingdom at work…
… for you will be filled, just as you desire.
Blessed are the merciful, the soft-hearted, the ones who don’t exact their pound of flesh, who choose release over resentment, who love to see people go free even if others don’t…
… for you will be shown mercy from the God who is mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, the ones who always try and see the best in people, the ones with tender consciences, who feel sick at gossip and exhaust themselves in the search for integrity…
… for you will see God, and dwell in the light and the warmth of His glory.
Blessed are the peacemakers, the middle-way people, the people of consensus, the pacifists and tree huggers, the ones who suffer themselves when they see violence inflicted on others…
… for you will be called children of God, the Prince of Peace.
Blessed are the persecuted, the ones who stand up for what they believe, the lone voices, the cross-carryers and self-deniers…
… for yours is the kingdom of heaven, the crazy, upside down kingdom of Jesus.
Or, you might say: blessed are the losers in this world…
…for they are the winners in the kingdom of God. Amen.
Friday 15th November – Acts 13:32-37 ‘Raising up Jesus’
All things tend to decay.
If that sounds morbid, it’s only a rewording of the second law of thermodynamics, known as ‘the law of entropy’, which states that ‘as one goes forward in time, the net entropy (degree of disorder) of any isolated or closed system will always increase (or at least stay the same)’.
Or, to put it in more concrete terms: it’s why your cup of tea cools down, your house needs redecorating every few years, your body picks up aches and grumbles as you get older – and even the stars in the sky burn out and die. The latter takes billions of years, but it’s still the law of entropy at work. Everything in this world decays. (In fact, did you know that honey is the only foodstuff that doesn’t go off, if stored properly? Weird, but true – though it still crystallises!)
But one body did not – and does not. It was a body prophesied by King David 3,000 years ago, and quoted in v35 of our passage today: ‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’ And St Paul makes it clear that this could not have been David himself, since, as he says, (v36) ‘he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.’ Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
So, it must have been someone else… and that someone is Jesus. The proof is in the resurrection: (vv34) ‘God raised him from the dead, so that he will never be subject to decay.’
Jesus reverses the fundamental curse of our fallen world: that all things tend to decay. He is not only the author of life, he possesses unquenchable life within himself. It follows that those who come to him, and are therefore now ‘in’ Christ, will one day enjoy the same eternal undoing of the curse – we too will receive the gift of eternal, unquenchable, irrepressible, abundant life.
Our bodies may creak and groan today – but not forever. The second law of thermodynamics will one day be broken, for all God’s children, for all time. When God raised up Jesus, he did more than save us from our sins, he began a revolution: he created a new humanity. Let’s give thanks today that this is our ultimate reality. And when we pray ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,’ let’s grasp with renewed hope that this is a prayer which counteracts the law of entropy – truly the Lord is making, and will make, all things new. Amen!
Thursday 14th November – Acts 13:26-31 ‘Unintended consequences’
One of the controversial pieces of legislation in early 20th century America was Prohibition. Enacted in 1920, it was later described by President Herbert Hoover as ‘a great social and economic experiment, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose’. The outcome, however, was the opposite of what was intended: there were more speakeasies in 1925 than there had been legal bars before Prohibition! People were in fact drinking more when drinking was banned – and crime surged as well. The historian Michael Lerner concludes in a recent essay on the subject: ‘The solution the United States had devised to address the problem of alcohol abuse had instead made the problem even worse.’
Sometimes an action achieves the purpose of what is intended. This can be just as true of less noble enterprises. In Genesis, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, but ended up as a great ruler who enabled millions to survive a period of drought. He is able to affirm to his brothers at the end of the story: ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’ (Genesis 5-0:20)
In today’s reading we see a similar ‘divine design’: Paul is continuing his sermon in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch and he makes the exact same point about those who decided that Jesus should be crucified: (v27) ‘The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognise Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.’
You can almost hear Joseph’s words echoing round the room more than a thousand years after his encounter with his brothers: (I paraphrase a little) ‘this was intended for harm, but God intended it for good – saving many lives in the process.’
The world may appear a chaotic place, but God’s plans are not thwarted by human machinations. Indeed, sometimes the plans people make to try and stop God’s work only seem to help it. Witness the spread of the gospel in chapter 8 when the persecution began. Or, even today, the rapid growth of the Christian faith in certain countries which try to ban it. As the ancient proverb understood 3,000 years ago: ‘No plan can succeed against the Lord.’ (Provers 21:30)
God is bigger than our circumstances. If you’re facing great challenges, may this beautiful truth give you courage and faith. And if not, then take a moment to pray for those who are, trusting that the Lord is working his purpose out, and is able to work all things for good for those who love him.
Wednesday 13th November – Acts 13:13-25 ‘The God of his people’
Today we get the chance to hear St Paul (and he’s now called Paul from this point, not Saul) deliver a sermon. We’ve seen his extraordinary journey from persecutor of Christians at the start of chapter 8, through his conversion in chapter 9 to his growing role in the leadership of the church. And from chapter 13, he becomes the central character in the story, rather than Peter, who was the key figure up to chapter 12.
What’s interesting about this first sermon that Luke records (there will have been many before it, but this is the first one that gets a chapter in the bible!) is that Paul preaches it to a Jewish audience. This is the great apostle to non-Jews – but here he is speaking to his own people. And if you compare this sermon with the one in chapter 17, which he preaches to a Greek audience, you’ll see how different it is, and therefore what a remarkable communicator Paul was. He is able to adapt his message to suit the culture he is speaking to.
For this Jewish audience, Paul reminds them of their covenant relationship with God. In this first segment of the sermon we learn, firstly, that God chose his people (vv17-19). As part of this choice, he not only rescued them from Egypt, but ‘endured’ their moaning and faithlessness in the desert and enabled them to settle in Canaan.
Next, God gave his people leaders – first judges, then kings (vv20-22). Paul reminds his listeners that having kings wasn’t God’s idea – it was the people’s, and even after King Saul’s failure, God found them David, ‘a man after my own heart’.
Finally, God brought them a Saviour (vv23-25). This was the one promised by the prophets and declared as the saviour by John the Baptist. The prophets and John were both revered by his audience, so Paul makes sure to emphasise their role in this wonderful salvation story.
Tomorrow we’ll look at what Paul says about Jesus in more detail. But today, this brief ‘history lesson’ reminds us that God is at work in human affairs, and is gently orchestrating events for the blessing of his people. God chooses, God gives, God rescues. That is our reality, too! Give thanks that God has chosen you, that he provides what you need, and that he continues to rescue flawed and fallen people like us. And may this God be your guide, your light and your strength today.
Tuesday 12th November – Acts 13:13-16 ‘The God of second chances’
Our God is the God of second chances. And third, fourth, fifth and tenth chances, for that matter. Perhaps you have direct experience of this – most of us do, or, at the very least, are conscious of God’s endless patience with our foibles! Today’s passage, though, gives us a great and somewhat unexpected example of this – albeit not directly in the passage itself.
You may recall a few readings ago that we first met John, also called Mark – it was his mum’s house in Jerusalem to which Peter headed after his miraculous escape from prison (12:12). So, we learn from this that Mark was part of a well-known Christian family, who were prominent in the early church.
Fast-forward a short while and we learn that Mark accompanies Saul and Barnabas from Jerusalem on their journey back to Antioch. Perhaps he was inspired by what he saw with Peter’s escape, perhaps he is just keen to grow in his faith – either way, he is young and sufficiently well thought of to get a special assignment, shadowing two of the most capable and celebrated leaders in the young Jesus movement.
From Antioch Mark journeys with them to Cyprus on the first leg of their mission journey. However, at this point – and at the start of today’s passage – we learn that, sadly, he returns to Jerusalem as soon as they set foot on the mainland again (v13). We don’t know what happened: he may have been homesick; he may have realised that his gifts were not ideally suited to the sort of full-on evangelism required for this journey; it may have been illness; or there may have been a clash of characters – certainly Saul was not keen to have Mark back – something we’ll see later in the story.
Our author, Luke, is not about to let us know why – quite rightly, he simply mentions it in passing. But the good news is that this is not the end of the story. For this John, also called Mark, is the author of the second gospel. It turns out that God did have a big role for Mark in the story of the Jesus movement after all.
The bible is full of people who got second chances, including some of the greatest characters of all: Moses, Peter… and here, Mark. No mishap or failure puts us beyond God’s love – in the kingdom of Jesus, every setback can be made whole. God is well able to use flawed people like us!
Give thanks that God did this with Mark. And this God is the same yesterday, today and forever – he doesn’t change. God is the God of second chances for all of us. Give thanks for your ‘second chances’ today. And if you’re conscious of having let God down in some way, seize faith and hope – this message is for you. God can work all things for good, and redeem every situation. Amen.
A week of Remembering
To mark this season of Remembrance, some seasonal reflections…
Monday 11th November – Psalm 22:22-31 ‘All will remember’
Today is Armistice Day. At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the armistice was signed and peace was declared to mark the end of the Great War. Around the world today, as with Remembrance Sunday yesterday, people mark this moment in different ways, and take an opportunity to remember.
The Great War was the first truly global conflict, and its toll of human suffering was immense. Sadly, it proved to be just the first of a number of pan-global conflicts through the 20th century (although we officially count only two). Now, once more, after an almost unparalleled period of peace in our region of the world, the shadow of war looms far closer – which makes it all the more important to treasure peace, now that we have daily images on our screens and news feeds which remind us what war is really like. ‘Lest we forget,’ is a common phrase used at this time of year, and rightly so.
As we conclude our short series on remembering, today’s Psalm also points us towards a global act of remembering. This act is also birthed in costly sacrifice, as God’s chosen one is ‘poured out like water’ (v14) and pierced in hands and feet (v16). Though the psalm never reveals the reason for this, Psalm 22 has come to represent a hugely significant prophecy of the Messiah, one that Jesus himself cries out a thousand years later, on the very cross which pierced his own hands and feet.
Yet through this sacrifice comes victory. Not in a physical battle but a spiritual one. The one who is sacrificed is then exalted (v29), people will serve this Saviour (v30) and generations to come will praise him, rejoicing in his victory (v31).
This act will be so significant that ‘all will remember…’ (v27). All will remember… what? The Lord. There will be a global turning to God, as people seek the Lord (v26), and recognise his power in the affairs of the world (v28). The sacrifice of the Son achieves something permanent and glorious – and still today, the church declares to anyone ready to listen: ‘He has done it!’ (v31).
So, today, let us remember. Let us remember the sacrifices of so many. Let us remember those who continue to pay the price of war and violence. Let us remember the value of peace, and what it costs to maintain it.
And let us also remember the greater peace won by our Lord. Let us remember what God has done, and that we are now part of a great global movement for the restoration of all things. Let us recommit ourselves to the path of divine peace, won at such a cost.
‘Those who seek the Lord will praise him… Posterity will serve him…. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn: He has done it!’ Amen.
Saturday 9th November – Isaiah 53:4-6 ‘Healed by his wounds’
‘Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.’
John the Baptist’s iconic words addressed to Jesus in the first chapter of John’s gospel are rooted in today’s famous passage. Ever since the time of Exodus, the image of the sacrificial lamb had come to symbolise God’s rescue of his people. Every year, at Passover, all Jewish families would re-enact God’s salvation by the Red Sea, and a dish of lamb would be at the heart of the meal.
But something new was coming. The servant songs of Isaiah, which are studded through the later chapters of the book, promise a new rescue and a new rescuer. This anointed one (Messiah) would carry great authority and integrity, would stand for justice, and would bring salvation, not just to Israel, but to the world. This servant would be ‘raised and lifted up and highly exalted’ (52:13), and earthly kings would ‘shut their mouths because of him’ (52:15).
There’s a sting in the tail, however. Because it’s not the whole story. This same servant would not just be the Lion of Judah – he would also be the Lamb, sacrificed for all. Indeed he would be ‘led like a lamb to the slaughter’ (v7). Why? Verses 4-6 make it clear. ‘He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities.’ All our human selfishness, all our rebellion against God, placed upon his shoulders – so that we might have peace. (v5)
‘No peace without justice’ – so has sung many a liberation movement in recent decades. In today’s passage, we are addressing the ultimate yardstick of justice – our standing before Almighty God. And it is the Lamb who symbolises God’s perfect justice and mercy. God takes the punishment himself, that we might be healed, that we might have peace.
Tomorrow, we’ll remember and honour the sacrifice of so many in war, and give thanks for the peace that we now share. But today, let’s remember an even greater sacrifice which won an even deeper peace. And may the good news that, through Jesus’ sacrifice, we have peace with God cause us to give thanks; may it lift our hearts today and fill us with his abiding presence.
Look! The Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world… Lord, we are not worthy to come into your presence – and but only say the word, and we shall be healed. Amen.
Friday 8th November – Isaiah 52:7-10 ‘Beautiful feet’
Recently I watched the Sound of Music for the first time in many years. I’ll always remember my first viewing of the film – after Charles and Di’s wedding in July 1981. We watched the ‘wedding of the century’ then all sat and watched The Sound of Music as a family. Perfect.
And it’s hard to beat the scene at the end of the film, watching the family walking across the mountain-top to freedom. How lovely on the mountains are the feet of those bringing good news. Especially if they can sing close harmony as well.
In the case of the Von Trapp family, the good news was primarily personal – but here in today’s passage, the good news is altogether more universal. It’s likely that the latter chapters of Isaiah were written in the late 6th century, after Jerusalem had been conquered and destroyed by the Babylonian army – hence the reference to ‘ruins of Jerusalem’ in v9. Good news was in short supply. Where was hope?
Hope was coming. The watchmen would see it and find joy (v8). The ruins themselves would sing (v9). And over the mountains would come feet bringing good news (v7).
600 years later, those feet would announce the good news that the kingdom of God was near. Those feet would travel up the hillside to deliver the Beatitudes, to hear Peter’s confession of the Christ and to meet Moses and Elijah. But a short while later, those same feet would also climb Mount Moriah, carrying a cross lashed across their owner’s back.
God’s good news is sure, and true. But it’s more than ‘the hills are alive’, lovely as that is. It came at a great cost. As we’ll see tomorrow, its beauty lay in sacrifice. Peace was won the hard way.
Nevertheless, it remains good news – more than that, it’s still the best news I ever heard! And although it came after great waiting and at great cost, nothing is more true than the final words of the passage: all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
We are part of God’s big salvation story. Give thanks for those beautiful feet that brought good news to you.
Thursday 7th November – Isaiah 9:2-7 ‘The Prince of Shalom’
I suspect many of us at present find it hard to watch the news – you may, indeed, have given up on it altogether. There seems to be so much violence, so much instability, so many reminders that peace in this world is fragile and hard to maintain, however sophisticated we consider ourselves to be.
How we need today’s passage, which picks up where yesterday’s left off. Isaiah has another great vision of the peace that God will ultimately bring to this fractured world. Admittedly the context is set more in terms of a victory for God’s people: nevertheless it is equally clear that, in this vision of a healed world, there will be no more need for armies or violence – blood-soaked boots and clothes will be burned and done away with forever (v5).
But this vision in ch9 goes a step further than ch2 – there will be a focal point for this new era of peace. A child will be born who carries divine authority, who will usher in and oversee this restoration of all things. And this child will have wonderful names, including perhaps the loveliest of all, certainly the most appropriate for this week: the Prince of Peace. Or, to use the original word, the Prince of Shalom.
Shalom is now translated peace, but its meaning is much broader than our traditional definition. It means completeness or wholeness, the sense of everything being put right, perfected. This kind of shalom is much more than merely the absence of conflict, it is an active state of complete wellbeing.
This is the destiny which God intends for his world. And he will achieve it through the son which he gives (v6). Jesus is the Prince of Shalom. No wonder the angels cry out at his birth: ‘on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests!’ (Luke 2:14)
May today’s passage give us renewed faith – even a little mustard seed of it – to pray for our world. Let’s also give thanks that, above and beyond our human leaders, there reigns a greater, divine leader, one whose vision for the world is ultimately to establish complete wellbeing for all people, and whose vision will one day come to pass: Jesus, the Prince of Shalom. And may that divine shalom be ours today – the shalom that transcends all understanding.
Wednesday 6th November – Isaiah 2:1-5 ‘Swords into ploughshares’
A few years ago, at the All-Age service for Remembrance at All Saints, I showed the congregation a paper clip, and asked them to come up with as many creative alternative uses for this simple object as possible. We had about 75 young people there, representing the uniformed organisations, and they weren’t short of ideas! Alongside the more obvious ones – replacement zip, for example – we had other more left-field options: fingernail cleaner , cheap nose-ring (don’t try either of those at home), and even strawberry huller i.e. removing the green stalk out of the fruit!
It was a fun exercise and reminded me that I grew up with the joys of ‘The A-team’ on TV, where the stars would be locked in a garage every episode, and somehow fashion a complex mechanical device out of a few bits of wood and a plastic sheet. Those were the days, eh?
But there’s a more serious side to these games as well. Between now and 11th November, we’ll be leading up to Remembrance by looking at some famous passages in the book of Isaiah, all themed around the idea of peace; and in today’s passage we see the most famous biblical ‘alternative use’ of them all. To a small and fragile nation surrounded by hostile forces, and tired of violence, God promises that one day, things will be different. God will restore this fragmented world (v2), and people will seek God in unprecedented ways and in countless numbers (v3).
And the acid test of this new era will be that, across the world, swords will be turned into ploughs (v4). Implements that were used for fighting would now be used to grow food: a sign of healing and prosperity.
Sadly, our world has not reached this era yet, despite the noble intentions of pan-global organisations like the United Nations, where, significantly, a statue of this very image stands outside its headquarters. But this passage promises that such a day is coming. Our God is a God who transforms, who restores, who brings peace for all. Peace with Himself, but also with ourselves, those around us, and ultimately all creation.
And this work of transformation goes on in our lives, too. God calls us to turn our own swords of division into ploughs of peace. If that strikes a chord, take a moment today to pray God’s peace into a particular situation or relationship.
The world is an anxious, even violent, place at present. It has always been thus. But it is not the whole story. And as we seize this great truth by faith, may we too live the final verse today: Come, people of God, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Tuesday 5th November – Psalm 105:1-9 ‘Remember, remember’
‘Remember, remember, the 5th of November.’ So begins the famous rhyme which commemorates the successful foiling of the Gunpowder Plot. Nowadays it’s an excuse to let off some fireworks and light a big bonfire – but the original story is one of high drama, and also a certain amount of farce: for example, the plotters dug the tunnel (intended to go under parliament) into an undercroft which they then had to lease; they also planned the act so far in advance that the original gunpowder actually went off (as in, went bad rather than exploded) and they had to buy some more!
Ultimately, the plot failed – but one of interesting things about the whole gunpowder plot is the speed at which remembering was institutionalised. Just two months later, an Act of Parliament passed, inaugurating annual celebrations on 5th November, commissioned by King James himself, always provided that ‘this testemonye of joy be carefull done without any danger or disorder’. A statement of which any modern Health & Safety officer should be proud.
But what exactly we are choosing to remember on Bonfire Night?? Is it an act of divine deliverance from terrorism? An orchestrated ritual validating the Powers That Be? Maybe even thinly veiled intolerance of a minority group?
Probably, for most people, none of these now. But it reminds us that the act of remembering is important. And that point is made much more forcefully by what we’ll be remembering this weekend – a much more recent, much graver moment. The minute’s silence and other forms of memory – Last Post, Binyon’s famous poem – connect us with deep things. Grief, gratitude, honour and sacrifice: all the things that make us human in the best senses of the word. Remembering is important.
Remembering is also powerful. It is not just about connecting to our past, but to our future. Remembering acts of deliverance, or the courage of those who gave their lives, might make us more grateful for little things today. Ultimately, though, days like today remind us that remembering is necessary. Previous generations lacked the luxuries of easy access to permanent forms of memory, like books or photos or 1TB hard drives. What they had was their memories. So, what they chose to remember mattered. Their memory was their identity. It is ours, too.
But as we think this week about the value of remembering, today’s Psalm reminds us that it is not only about us: God remembers, too. In fact, the word ‘remember’ is used more often about God than about us in the bible. In Psalm 105, we see both: the Lord remembers his covenant with his people for ever (v8); in return, we remember the wonders the Lord has done (v5).
Divine deliverance is a theme which goes far beyond 5th November 1605. It is the underlying theme of the whole bible, of God’s relations with humanity. Today, as we remember our democratic freedoms with gratitude, may we also give thanks that the Lord never forgets us, but remembers his promises for ever. And may we, too, choose to remember God’s amazing works: then, now, and in the time to come. Amen.
The Book of Acts
Our current series is in the Book of Acts, as we see how God’s Spirit changes the lives of Jesus’ followers and begins to change the world, too. May we too be inspired afresh in our generation!
Monday 4th November – Acts 13:4-12 ‘Faith demonstrated’
What causes someone to believe in Jesus? It’s a more complex question than it appears. The simplest answer is that we hear the message and respond. And at one level that is often true: I can remember the date I did so for the first time in a meaningful way: 25th July 1982. My dad was preaching on the famous meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus in John chapter 3, and I understood what it meant for the first time.
But, if that was the ‘tipping point’, a whole lot of other things worked towards that point. I was blessed to be born to Christian parents, who taught me about Jesus from a young age. No doubt there were people praying for me. I had friends at church – even if the main way I wanted to relate to them as a child was to play football with them in the church hall afterwards! As the years went on, I also saw answers to prayer, even the occasional miracle; I met other inspiring Christians, and I saw God at work in my life: it all contributed to what we call ‘faith’ – or perhaps trust would be a better word, since that is faith in action.
Today’s passage is a great example of how God uses not just words, but actions and circumstances to lead someone to faith. The kingdom is both taught and demonstrated. Faith is backed up by a miracle which proves the truth of what Saul and Barnabas are teaching.
It’s a great start to the mission journey which begins in this passage. Saul and Barnabas leave Antioch and head for the nearest port, which takes them to Cyprus – a good place to begin, as it’s Barnabas’ home island, so it is familiar territory. (This also suggests that the gospel has already started to be preached there.) As becomes their usual practice, they start by preaching the message to Jews, with opportunities to do so in the local synagogues (v5).
Word spreads, and they get to meet the island’s governor, who is a Gentile, but is obviously spiritually engaged, and actively seeks to hear the message (v7). At this point, Barnabas and Saul meet their first real opposition (there’s lots more to come!), in the shape of a sorcerer, whose privileged access to the governor is threatened by the Christians’ message. In reply, Saul demonstrates the power of the name of Jesus by declaring a judgement on the sorcerer (vv10-11).
If this makes us a little uncomfortable, we need to remember that the stakes are high. This is the first test of the message, and the spiritual battle is real. Most cultures are far more attuned to this than we are in the West. And the judgment was only temporary – but its effect was awesome: the governor came to faith (v12). But let’s note why he believed: ‘he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.’ Word and deed went hand in hand. Saul’s authority is not a spiritual circus act – rather it proves the truth of what he is saying. Sergius Paulus both heard and saw, at a moment when he was open spiritually.
God is at work in all of us, in multiple ways – through words, through actions, through the witness of friends, through answered prayer, through the circumstances of our life. God weaves it all together. We hear the message taught and see it demonstrated. As we begin this week, give thanks that God is at work in you – and pray in faith to learn, and see, more this week. Amen.
Saturday 2nd November – Revelation 7:13-17 ‘…who from their labours rest’
‘For all the saints, who from their labours rest, who thee by faith before the world confessed, thy name, O Jesus, be forever blessed: Alleluia! Alleluia!’ So begins the famous hymn for All Saints Day, which many of us will sing in worship tomorrow.
But what does that ‘rest’ look like? The second part of this glorious chapter in Revelation gives us the answer. Bear in mind that this vision was given to St John, to encourage believers who were being persecuted heavily for their faith – their lives were being referred to as ‘the great tribulation’ (v14). What did they have to look forward to? Would it all be worth it?
The answer is emphatically: YES! Not only will we be cleansed and made whole (v14), we will shelter in the very presence of God (v15). This God will provide for us as our great Good Shepherd (v17) – and note the extraordinary symbolism of the Lamb becoming the Shepherd! Most remarkably of all, the Lord himself ‘will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’
Grief is something that nearly all of us have to face at some time in our lives. It is said that the price of real love is grief – and, even if that’s a price we pay willingly, it is no less real for that. But grief does not last forever: in heaven, in that place of eternal rest, our tears will be wiped away.
What good news this is for all who worship now with tear-stained faces! We will one day shelter in the presence of God, and ‘there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ (Rev 21:4)
As we close our week, may this word lift our hearts. And let’s pray, as verse 3 of that famous old hymn puts it: ‘O may thy servants, faithful true and bold, strive for thy kingdom as the saints of old, and win with them the glorious crown of gold: Alleluia! Alleluia!’ Amen.
Friday 1st November (ALL SAINTS DAY) – Revelation 7:9-12 ‘For all the saints…’
I wonder if you’ve ever been part of a really large crowd? I’ve always enjoyed that experience – at least I did before covid. In particular my memories of great sporting occasions live long in the memory: there’s something awe-inspiring about a big crowd, isn’t there? Certainly, the roar of the Olympic Stadium as we cheered on Mo Farah in 2012 was a volume of sound I’ve never experienced – and that was just for his heat, not the final itself. There’s something profoundly moving about the sense of a shared experience, of an occasion which draws together huge numbers of people from all kinds of backgrounds into one committed community.
You see it every Saturday afternoon in the cathedrals of sport all across our country. Men and women – mostly men admittedly, many of whom would never dream of setting foot in a church on Sunday – gather to worship, singing their hearts out with arms outstretched in love and adoration, crying out pleading prayers when their teams are losing, studying the scriptures of the matchday programme to read the word of the boss and memorise the team sheet, and sharing a mediocre-quality drink of fellowship afterwards. Hang on, I’m sure that all reminds me of something…..
And that’s the point, isn’t it? These large gatherings at some level go to the heart of what it means to be human. We were made to gather in worship, and if we don’t gather to worship God, we’ll gather to worship something or someone else. Or both, quite possibly.
Today is All Saints Day, a day when the church celebrates… the Church! We give thanks for the faithful generations who have gone before us, and pray for grace to continue to be faithful in this generation. For many of us now, we’re used to practising that in quite small groups and communities. We don’t usually get that sense of walking into a vast crowd, all here to worship God. Which is one of the reasons why it’s quite healthy occasionally to go to one of those big events, like Greenbelt or Spring Harvest or New Wine or Prom Praise or the Big Church Day Out.
And one day, we will all get to meet God, and each other. That’s quite a mind-blowing thought, and possibly quite unsettling for some of us. I think there’s plenty of room in heaven, even the introverts will love it! But today’s reading gives us a flavour of what our worship will be like. A countless multitude of believers, from all across the world, worshipping God with great joy. This is our future. And in fact even today when we worship in our homes, or in small face-to-face gatherings, we are joining in with this vast multitude in heaven – millions of hearts all united in one global, universal act of worship.
One last reflection for today: let’s remind ourselves that the purpose of the church is not the church! We exist to worship God, especially God in the person of Jesus. It is to God alone that we give praise and glory, wisdom and thanks, honour and power and strength. Ultimately All Saints Day points us back to God, the one who countless believers in dozens of generations have worshipped. May praise and glory be to our God, for ever and ever, Amen.
Previous series
Head over to our Archive page to find previous series in the Psalms, the gospels of Mark, Luke and John, the Holy Spirit, Acts, 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, Hebrews, Isaiah, Daniel, Esther, Joshua, Deuteronomy, seasonal series for Advent, Easter, Remembrance, and more besides!