Light

An Unexpected Light

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How many times have we sung ‘This little light of mine?” forgetting that the verse comes at the end of the beatitudes? Contrary to general opinion Jesus wasn’t saying “Go out and smile all day” or ” Try being nice to your neighbor.” Jesus was taking a highlighter to the verses just before and dramatically days ” Put this into practice!”

Today as the first day of Lent consider putting into practice at least one verse each day. Be careful to ask God for help because not one of us can do these without Him. Why not begin today by treating others with the humility that comes from recognising that our only resource is from God? Then tomorrow allow the tears of others to become our own. On Friday work on being less quick to be a “know it all”. Saturday allow God’s passion for justice to guide your actions rather than what’s profitable and pleasing to you. If this Sunday others hurt us, may we remember how God has forgiven us for the evil we have done and be quick to pass His mercy along. Monday be watchful over your motives asking yourself if your words and actions reflect God’s heart or if they are manipulating people for our own advantage. Next Tuesday rather than stirring up debate be ready to be a bridge that connects people to God. By Wednesday of next week may we be willing and prepared with a joyful attitude to accept rejection, anger or even punishment so that others may see the light which Jesus Christ has lit in our hearts! If we put into practice these unexpected and even radical teachings of Christ who knows what blessings may follow in our paths?

All is Bright?

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5

Silent night Holy night / All is calm all is bright      Josef Mohr 1818

I am not sure of the exact inspiration for Josef Mohr when He wrote the words for Silent Night. What strange word are these? What Silent night? What holiness could be seen? From the braying donkey carrying Mary to Bethlehem to her cries piercing the night as she gave birth; there was no silence or holy place given her. ” All is calm all is bright.” Yet it would be hard to imagine Joseph being calm when there was no better place for Mary than a stable or cleaner spot to lay her child than a feeding trough for the cows! Yet the oddest of all these lines is “All is bright.”  All is bright? I have memories of milking our cow at 4:45 a.m. in a barn without electricity. My only light was a candle stub which I placed on a beam. There was nothing at all especially bright about those cold early mornings in the barn.

And yet by faith we sense the deeper reality of the silence of angels, stooping low to see the Savior. We recognize the holiness of the child conceived by God’s Holy Spirit. We feel the calm assurance of Mary and Joseph’s hearts as everything happen

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ed just as the angel had foretold. We see the brightness as the first flicker of God’s light in our dark and waiting world. From that first Christmas till now, the darkness has never put it out!

Into the Light

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2 Peter 2:9. But you are a chosen people,a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light!

We heard the scratching sounds coming from just outside the tent. We fearfully listened wondering what terrible beast could be there for a minute or so. Finally I opened the tent flap and shone the flashlight in the direction of the noise. There frozen for a moment was the cutest face of an adorable thieving raccoon. Realizing that the gig was up he scampered off to the safety of the dark woods. 

Just as our raccoon ran away so we sometimes run from instead of to the light because we forget what we are created for. God’s light isn’t just shining so he can catch us in our sin. God is calling us out of our dark selfish world into His. In our world we are nobody but in his we are a chosen people. In our minds we feel unclean like the lepers of  Bible days, but in him we are a holy nation. We are told daily that we have value only if we succeed, but God calls us a special possession. But all of these gifts are given not so we can hide them in the corner but that we can tell others about His wonderful light!