Bearly Upright- Look, See, Pray

This is me, after preaching this morning. Fuzzy, a bit cross-eyed, with a blank long-distance stare- a fine upstanding figure of a bear with little brain. I dozed off after lunch so the roast beef will now be dinner tomorrow… the substitute fishcakes were quite tasty though, and MUCH quicker to cook.

Now I’m retired, I don’t preach as often: and it takes more out of me than it used to. But it is still a special calling, and a remarkable privilege and honour to explore Scripture and apply truth to life. Today we looked at Psalm 51 and the rather shabby story of David’s greatest calamity as king.

Summing up 2 Samuel 11 as “When you’re in a hole, stop digging” we looked at the shameful and tragic mixture of lust, deception, adultery and murder. Even the best of human beings is capable of dreadful sin and failure.

“You’re Nicked” is the title for 2 Samuel 12. Nathan, a true prophet, confronts David- read the two chapters for the full account- and helps bring David back to his senses and to God.

So, on to Psalm 51. Written out of guilt and heartbreak, David takes responsibility and pleads for forgiveness. Any believer who has ever sinned against God (that’s all of us!) will benefit from reading this as a prayer and a penance. Our faults may not be same as those of King David- but as a model for honest and sincere repentance, it is deeply helpful.

Sin always has consequences- but forgiveness is the gift of our Merciful Father. A clean slate and a new beginning is ours when we truly desire to change direction and become obedient.

Grace and mercy await. This Psalm has many familiar verses- read it and see how many you recognise.

Reflect on this short extract from Psalm 51: “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin… and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again. You have broken me- now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt.” (From Psalm 51 v1-2, & v7-9)

So, a serious, even heavy, message to deliver. Like every preacher, I speak to myself as well as a congregation. Preaching should never be a stick to beat on others. Rather, it is a message centred in the truth of God’s self-revelation that the preacher must “live in” even as the Word is shared.

“Lord, have mercy on me; and have mercy on those who had to listen. May the seed of Your Word grow in us all- and may Your mercy grant us joy in our salvation. May we have a holy life and a message of hope to share this week, and always. AMEN.”

Storm Drains- Look, See, Pray

Not the most attractive photo I’ve ever taken on the beach. But an important subject.

Storms and floods have been a problem round here for most of November. Some roads are still closed. Slowly, pumps and storm drains are working to improve things. (At least until Storm Fred turns up. Wonder what “G” name will be given to the storm after that? Storm Gertie?)

Looking at the water gushing out of the pipe, it seems clean- but don’t drink it. The amount of dirt and sundry chemicals would probably be quite toxic.

We need storm drains. They deal with the dirt and disasters.

It made me think: what about MY storm drains? How do I deal with the “dirt and disasters” of everyday living? I’ve been a follower of Jesus for roughly 56 years- and the 12 years before that were in a Christian family. So I’m very privileged to have known about God all my life- and known Him in a chosen relationship for over half a century. Oh boy, that makes me feel old.

Despite that privilege, I am not yet perfect. Therefore I have had to deal with the mucky end of the stick many times. There are stains and baggage from the pilgrimage.

The easiest part of dealing with that is forgiveness: God is always willing to forgive (read the parable of the Prodigal, Luke 15 v11-32) although being able to accept that forgiveness can be harder. God will forgive me- will I forgive myself? Or those who have hurt me?

Apart from being forgiven, there are ways of draining off the waste product: and also dealing with the omission of things we should have done- but haven’t done.

Repentance is a word often used, not always understood. Repentance literally means to “turn round.” It’s a change of mind, of direction, and priorities. Repentance allows us to “agree with God” about our true state; it implies the intention NOT to repeat the offense, plus attempting to make restitution to others where appropriate. Repentance helps us receive the reconciliation that God offers and wants.
Praying honest, realistic prayers; reading the heartrendingly honest psalms and scriptures that show we desire to live in integrity (try Psalm 51 for one example!).
Discovering ways of meditating, practicing holy mindfulness, using written liturgies that have helped generations of believers.

These all act as “storm drains” – but such channels be blocked up or ignored. Periodically, we should unblock our drains- perhaps a serious fast, or a period of dedicated prayer, or maybe seeking pastoral counsel from other wiser Christians. Don’t keep looking at or obsessing over the discharge from your drain! Let it go. After all, the point is to release the toxic waste, not experiment on it.

If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.
1 John 1:9-10 The Message Translation

And we WILL be transformed- to become like Jesus. That’s worth clearing the drains for!

A Wasted Day?

Probably a reaction to being busy yesterday- but today has been a bit of a flop. I don’t like that. I have no objection to “wasting time” on purpose if that means being deliberately un-busy to relax. Quite happy to spend time on reading, watching the birds in the garden, or to make a choice of doing unimportant stuff. A day wasted: not so good.

I’ve had to get used to my mind and body going on strike. Fibromyalgia does that sometimes, and accepting that as a fact is important. Otherwise frustration and anger boil up and makes things worse. Some days are bad days. I suppose what irks me today is that I had planned to do some interesting things, and ended up in a blind alley instead. Could I have managed my day better? Yes, I think so. That’s the other reason I’m disgruntled, and unhappy with myself. I am responsible for my bad choices.

So I’m consoling myself with these photographs. The bee was hunting nectar in my rosemary plant last summer, and being very bee-like and buzz-nesslike.

The thought of successful activity, gaining a sweet reward, is rather inspiring. Persistence pays off!

My woodpecker picture was taken last week when the snow and extreme cold (well, extreme for Sussex!) meant the birds from all round the fields and trees came looking for food to survive. Purposeful activity, even in the face of difficulties.

That sounds good too.

So tomorrow is a new day. A new beginning.

I don’t know how it will go. But I’d better make a better start than today. I’m sorry for a day wasted, and my part in wasting precious time. So I’m glad of some inspiration!

The Bible often uses word-pictures to convey truth and inspiration: for example, Jeremiah was given a message that is a play on words regarding the use of “almond” and God’s “watchfulness” and faithfulness. (It’s a kind of Hebrew pun.) Out of all the trees in Israel, the almond tree blossoms the earliest, prompted by the changing of the seasons to be the first to bloom. Likewise, God will soon bringing extraordinary events to pass, and He wants His people to follow the anticipation of the almond tree and be alert, watching carefully for what God is about to do. Jeremiah is sent to remind Israel that God is at work. Life is never just random. Time is our way of measuring God’s purpose.

Jeremiah 1:9-12 (NLT)
Then the LORD reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth! Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.” Then the LORD said to me, “Look, Jeremiah! What do you see?” And I replied, “I see a branch from an almond tree.” And the LORD said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all my plans.”

Please, God, help me not to waste tomorrow: and keep my eyes open to see Your clues and signs in nature and in scripture. I don’t want to mess it up tomorrow.