Living in England for the first time as a Scot I am constantly surprised at the different views we have of history. A typical example is Mary Queen of Scots, for us as children she was portrayed a such a heroine, but clearly that is not quite the case here. my point is that it all depends on your viewpoint.

 

Jesus was very clear about his mission in his three short years of ministry, but those around him had such different points of view, Judas assumed he was the leader who would overthrow the Romans,and  the Pharisees saw him as a rebel rouser, a threat to the establishment.

 

Many today believe him to be a great teacher but no more than that. Jesus asked his disciples"

But what about you, who do you say that I am? Luke 9 vs 20

It is worth taking time over Lent to ask ourselves that question, who do we think Jesus is ?

Whilst browsing the bookstore this weekend I could not help but notice the large displays for Mother's Day, but I was amazed and perplexed by the wisdom which seemed to suggest whole piles of cookery books for Mum. The one which sent shivers down my spine was "Cooking for the family" and trust me if that were to make any sort of appearance next Sunday in my house I might not be answerable to my actions.

 

Maybe I am alone in this, but surely Mother's day is about saying thank you, not piling on another set of tasks.

 

I wonder if we make the same mistake sometimes in our prayers, we turn to God, but seldom say thank you just give the next list of problems and worries to be sorted out. I believe we should take all our concerns to God , but we should make thanks an important part of our prayers.

 

Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! ... I Chronicle

 16 vs 8

And in case they are reading this, a nice novel , set in some sun drenched island would be just lovely........

Last week on one of the first sunny days, I went for a lovely walk with the dog on the fields near our house. The sun was out, the birds were singing and there were some rabbits on the hill. Therein lay the problem, I let the dog off the lead and 45 mins later I was still trying to call her back.The lure of Spring was too much to resist and I was left  worrying that she would stray onto the road or meet all sorts of dangers.  So this week I have been starting at the beginning again with the command "Come" to try and train my daft mutt to be like all these other obedient dogs who return the instant their owner calls them.

 

Jesus also asks us to come. He doesn't command or force us , but he asks us to come, and how quickly do we respond? The fishermen drop everything and follow him, but for many of us ,well we run off in every direction chasing all sorts of things. Even though he can see the danger we put ourselves in and the unhappiness we cause ourselves he still leaves it up to us, because unlike our pets, he wants us to follow of our own free will , not because we have been indoctrinated.

 

Some of us will stray and return, and how much rejoicing there is in heaven when we do, some of us however will never return, and over  those people, I am sure, Jesus weeps.

"In the same way I tell you, the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents." Luke 15 vs 10

I have been taking time over a series of Lenten readings by Tom Wright and today came across a wonderful line that I wanted to share.

"If you believe in a living God, use a little Holy Boldness"

It reminded me of the last few weeks in the UK before we left to live in America, as we said more and more goodbyes, the whole process became harder with lots of good friends wishing us luck, but also expressing concern about our new start. On one particular evening as I was becoming more and more worried, I described the process as stepping onto the flume at the swimming pool, the process was happening and we were being swept along by it. At the same time however,  I did feel  that all my fine words on trust and faith were being tested and  if I truly believed in this living God, then I had to believe that he  would be at the end of the flume to catch us, that he would not let us sink.

 

All it took was a little "Holy Boldness"

I wonder how much we truly believe and trust how bold we are prepared to be in our prayers, our actions and stepping out in our faith.

"Do not be afraid-I am with you!

I am your God-let nothing terrify you!"

Isaiah 41 vs 10