Matthew 10:16 [Jesus said:] “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.” When I lived in India, I got used to snakes being a constant threat. Every few months we would hear about deaths caused by snakes in our area, and they understandably generated a good deal of fear. When you live in the presence of snakes, you quickly come to respect their cleverness and shrewdness. Here Jesus invited his disciples to try to be like them. As they headed out on their mission they were going to face fierce opposition. Their opponents were going to do everything possible to stop their work so they would need to find ways to outwit them. They would need to be creative and determined, constantly ready to adapt to new situations. If Jesus had simply told his disciples to model their lives on the shrewdness of snakes they might have got the wrong impression. Snakes have never had a wonderful reputation! They are disliked for their slyness and cunning. Jesus balanced his observations by adding that, at the same time, his disciples needed to be as harmless as doves. Doves immediately give us an image of peace and unity. The disciples needed to be transparently honest in their dealings with people. They needed to have unmixed motives and be known for being utterly straightforward. Jesus was saying that the disciples needed to be like him. Jesus was incredibly wise in the way in which he handled his critics. Time and again they tried to trip him up but with a quiet word, a thoughtful story or a further question, Jesus managed to respond to them with wisdom and grace. However fierce his critics were, he was always the man of peace and, tough as it might be for us when we are challenged, we need to seek to walk on that same path. Question In what ways do you need to be shrewder and more harmless? Prayer Lord God, help me to be humble enough to learn from Jesus’ example. Amen

Matthew 10:8 [Jesus said:] “Give as freely as you have received!” Everything we have ever received has been a gift. Look at your family, home, car, job, friends, education, talents, opportunities – and your very breath – they are all a gift. We like to point to our hard work and effort and suggest that we deserve many of the things that we have, but the truth is that even our ability to work hard is a gift from God. Everything is a gift from his hands. Jesus reminded his newly recruited disciples that they had received freely and so should be willing to give freely to others. He was sending them on an incredibly tough mission. He told them that he was sending them out as sheep among wolves. Wolves are famous for their ability to tear sheep apart. The mission was clearly going to be brutally challenging, but Jesus told his disciples that they should be ready to embark on it because they had received so much. This was now their opportunity to give to others as freely as they had received themselves. When the people generously gave their gifts for the building of the first Temple, King David prayed to God: “But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!” (1 Chronicles 29:14). Giving is the natural response for anyone who recognises the generosity of God. I thank God for the people I have known who have lived this out so powerfully. They have always been willing to serve, however difficult the circumstances. Some have worked in creches, others have worked in youth groups, served lunches for the elderly, visited the sick, done gardening work, cleaned their church building and done a thousand other tasks. And they have done these things cheerfully and effectively knowing that this was their response to a God who has always given freely and generously to them. That’s a great way to live a life! What is more, that’s exactly what Jesus invites us to do. Question Are you willing to give as freely as you have received? Prayer Lord God, thank you for your incredible generosity to me. Help me to respond in a way that will glorify you. Amen

Matthew 8:8 The officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.” The officer in question was a Roman Centurion. He was a powerful person in the army that was occupying Israel at the time and was, therefore, much hated by the population who longed to be set free. However, it’s difficult not to warm towards this particular soldier. He approached Jesus because of his concern for his servant. This, in itself, was remarkable because servants were viewed as property and had no legal rights of their own. The fact that the Centurion was concerned about his servant and was going out of his way to seek his healing is impressive. But, more than that, we note his huge respect for Jesus. He didn’t believe that he was worthy to have Jesus visit his home and, in any case, he had such great faith in Jesus’ healing ability he didn’t consider that such a visit would even be necessary. He was sure that all that was needed was for Jesus to pronounce healing for his servant and it would be done. Jesus was amazed by the Roman officer and commented that his faith was beyond anything that he had seen in Israel. The Jews were looking forward to a great banquet at the end of time and Jesus affirmed that there would be plenty of Gentiles who would be sitting down at this great feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And, sadly, there would be many Jews who assumed that their tickets were booked for the banquet, but who would be thrown into outer darkness, where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus was clear that the doors of the kingdom had been flung open to the world. God welcomes faith wherever he finds it, and we need to do the same. We need to keep our minds and hearts open to celebrate people’s faith and to encourage it to grow. This story tells us that we need to be ready to find it in the most unlikely places. Question In what unlikely places have you found people of faith? Prayer Lord God, I praise you for the gift of faith. Increase my faith and help me to be ready to recognise and encourage it whenever I meet other men and women of faith. Amen

Acts 15:28 “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements.” It would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of the Council of Jerusalem that we read about in Acts 15. The early Church had hit upon a massive problem and needed to find a way to resolve it. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost, it came upon a huge gathering of Jews and so the first Christians brought with them the richness of their Jewish traditions. However, very quickly, the gospel spread to people from a non-Jewish background. This set up enormous tensions because there were many Christians from a Jewish tradition who believed that non-Jews were welcome to Christian faith on the condition that the men were circumcised and that they all abided by Jewish law. The Council had to work out what to do, and it came to the peaceful and clear conclusion that those from a non-Jewish background did not need to accept all the law. They were simply urged to accept a few limited rules out of sensitivity to those from a Jewish background. In the beautiful words of today’s verse the settlement that they arrived at “seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us”. The Holy Spirit was driving the mission of the early Church so everything that happened needed to be in step with what the Spirit was saying. Merely coming up with a good political compromise was not enough. They needed to know that the Spirit’s breath was inspiring and directing their journey together. That’s a great description of what we need to seek in the Church today. We face huge challenges as we live for God in a society that has long since turned its back on him. As we make decisions together, we need to share in good debate just as they did in the Council of Jerusalem. We need to listen carefully to one another and weigh up the different opinions that are shared. Our continual prayer must be that, at the end of the day, we too will be able to say: “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us”. Question In what current issues do we particularly need to be seeking the Spirit’s guidance? Prayer Lord God, we praise you for the gift of your Holy Spirit and we pray that he will lead us into all truth. Amen

Romans 12.1 NLT

'And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.'

We use the word worship in a wide variety of ways. Sometimes we use it to refer to a church service and at other times we use it for a part of the service which is called “a time of worship” which normally consists of prayers and singing. Here Paul is using the word in a much bigger way. He is talking about us giving our whole lives to God as an act of worship, and he suggests that this is the only fitting response to a God who has done everything for us. Paul has absolutely no thought that we could worship God for a while and then get on with our own life, as if we could divide up life into different compartments. Our whole life needs to be focused on worshipping God.

Paul invited the Christians in Rome to offer their worship to God as a living and holy sacrifice. With Jesus’ death on the cross the ultimate sacrifice had been made, and so there would be no need for the old sacrificial system. However, Jesus made it clear that those who followed him would need to sacrifice their lives. It is clear and unambiguous language. Jesus said to his disciples, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” (Matthew 16.25)

Jesus calls us to give up the whole of our lives to him because he wants to transform and bless every part of them. That means that our time working, playing sport, travelling, relaxing with the family and shopping are acts of worship just as much as our times praising God with our Christian brothers and sisters. God wants every aspect of our lives to be touched by his presence.

Question: In what ways is worship important to you?

Prayer: Lord God, I thank you for your amazing generosity to me. Help me to place the whole of this day into your hands so that you can bless everything that I say and do. Amen

Romans 11.33-36 NLT

'Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.'

Paul has spent three chapters agonising over the issue of his people, the Jews. He is desperately keen that they should follow Christ and receive the gift of salvation. But Paul acknowledges with pain that they have, to a large extent, rejected the offer of new life in Jesus. I love the way in which he ends this part of the letter. He does so in worship by celebrating the greatness of God’s riches, wisdom and knowledge. In the previous chapters he has given the best of his mind to setting out the dilemma and his thinking about the situation. But, at the end of the day, he knows how real are the limits of his understanding, and he rests in the fact that God’s ways are infinitely beyond our ways. He uses verses from Isaiah 40 to acknowledge that there will never come a time when we are called upon to give God advice, and no one will ever be able to outgive God.

We all live with many mysteries in this life. However hard we think things through, there will come a time when we have to face up to the fact that we haven’t got the answers. Whether you are wanting to explain the wonders of a sunset, the beauty of a flower, or the miracle of life, you will never arrive at a complete explanation. You will need to come to God in worship because in his greatness he is worthy of all our praise. And the same is true if you reflect on the suffering of innocent people in the world, or the injustices that so many endure or the cruelty that blights so many people’s lives. It is important for us to apply the best of our minds and efforts to these situations, but our thinking must finally lead us to worship a God whose love, mercy and grace are infinitely beyond anything that we could ever achieve.

As you reflect on the wonders, mysteries and challenges of life today be sure to come before God in worship and praise.

Question: For what specific reason are you worshipping God today?

Prayer: Almighty God, I worship you. Amen

Romans 9.2-3 NLT

'My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.'

These are amazing words. The apostle Paul was proud of his Jewish heritage, and was absolutely passionate that his Jewish brothers and sisters should share in the wonder of knowing Christ as their personal Saviour. But look at the language he used. He was willing to be cursed forever if it meant that the Jewish people could find salvation. This is incredibly strong language and shows very clearly that it meant everything to him. He knew that the Jewish people were in an incredibly privileged position. They had been chosen to be God’s adopted children. God had revealed his glory to them, made covenants with them and given them the law. They had Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as their ancestors and Christ himself was a Jew. They had every advantage and Paul couldn’t cope with the pain of seeing them reject Jesus.

I want to turn Paul’s words into a question to you and me. How desperate are we that our friends and family should find new life in Christ? It looks to me, much of the time, as if we have come to accept things the way they are. Of course, we would be delighted if other people came to believe in Jesus. We would be happy to encourage them to do so. But I rarely meet Paul’s level of passion that other people should become Christians. For Paul, the salvation of his Jewish brothers and sisters meant everything.

I believe that we need to pray that our churches should become far more passionate about sharing the good news of Jesus. Christians are a small minority in our society and that will never change unless we acquire some of Paul’s passionate longing for other people to follow Christ.

Question: What do you learn from Paul’s burning desire to see his Jewish brothers and sisters follow Christ?

Prayer: Loving Father, thank you that you have given me new life in Christ. May the wonder of knowing you give me a constantly deepening desire to see other people become Christians as well. Amen

Romans 8.38-39 NLT

'And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.'

When I lived in India I got to know an elderly missionary who had lived in the area for a very long time. She had asthma and found that the tropical climate was very helpful for her condition so when she retired she stayed in India and continued to have a powerful ministry. Whenever I said goodbye to her, she would come out onto her veranda and wave and she always used the same words. She would say “No separation.” It was an unusual greeting but what she was celebrating was that when we become Christians nothing can separate us from God’s love. Even if we travel away from our Christian brothers and sisters we are always united in his love. Isn’t that wonderful?

Paul has gone to great lengths to spell out how destructive sin is, and one of the terrible things that sin always does is to cause separation. Anger, bitterness, jealousy, resentment, pride and any other sin you care to think of always lead to brokenness and separation. It tears relationships apart. Think about any soap opera and the agony of brokenness is a major theme. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Jesus came in order to offer us a love that is unbreakable. When he died on the cross for us he made it possible for us to have a restored relationship with God which will last for ever, however fierce the opposition.

The future is full of questions and challenges but the person who has committed their life to Christ has nothing to fear. With Paul we can be absolutely convinced that whatever happens in this life, or the one to come, nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ.

Question: How will the knowledge of your security in Christ affect you today?

Prayer: Lord God, I thank you that I can never be separated from you. Amen

Romans 7.24-25 NLT

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

It’s a great privilege when someone shares their inner struggles. It isn’t easy to talk about the battles that go on in our lives, but here Paul let it all pour out! Here this mature Christian leader and brilliant teacher admitted that, although he wanted to do what was right, he often found himself doing the precise opposite. He recognised that there was a power inside him that encouraged him to be a slave of sin. It was an agonising dilemma and it left him feeling very miserable. But here he celebrated the fact that sin didn’t have to have the last word. And the answer was Jesus. By looking to Jesus and placing his trust in him he could find the liberty that he craved.

The problem with sin is that it keeps knocking at the door of our lives. However long we may have been a Christian it keeps having a go, trying to find a foothold in our thoughts, words and actions. Paul’s astonishingly blunt words remind us that we need to be absolutely honest about ourselves. We can become very good at putting on an act, and trying to make it look as if we’re fine when we know that we are battling with sin in our lives. It isn’t difficult to deceive other people, but we can’t fool ourselves and will never fool God. We need to take a leaf out of Paul’s book and look at ourselves in the mirror.

God is never in the business of humiliating us. As we own up to our sin, and claim his gift of forgiveness, he delights to set us free and to open the door to life.

Question: Are you willing to be totally honest with God today?

Prayer: Lord God our Father, I thank you with everything in me that, through Jesus’ death on the cross, I can be set free from all of my sins. Amen

Romans 5.1 NLT

'Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.'

Everyone will agree that it is desirable to find inner peace. Go along to any book shop and you will find dozens of books that will offer you a quick route to inner tranquility. They will give you a wide range of suggestions from those that encourage you to change your diet, minimise your exposure to conflict or start meditation. None of those things are necessarily wrong but they won’t get to the heart of the problem which is that, as human beings, we fundamentally lack peace because our lives are not right with God. It is only when that relationship is sorted out that we can begin to experience God’s gift of peace. Here Paul celebrates the fact that that is precisely what Jesus has done through dying on the cross.

When we are at peace with God, Paul declares that the door is flung open to all of God’s other blessings. The person who finds peace is introduced to a new attitude to life within which even sufferings are a source of joy. This sounds crazy but Paul discovered for himself that sufferings produced perseverance. If life was always easy we might never learn that. And perseverance produces character. Nothing is more important than to build up a strong Christian character and that happens as we trust God through the twists and turns of life. And, Paul added, character produces hope. That is to say, we can look to the future with confidence because of the presence of God’s Holy Spirit within us.

God’s gift of peace doesn’t offer us a problem-free life. That isn’t the deal. But as we allow the Holy Spirit to shape our lives day by day, we can be confident that God’s peace will be with us whatever storms we face.

Question: What does God’s peace mean to you today?

Prayer: Loving God, I thank you that Jesus died for me and that through his death I can experience peace today and every day. Amen

Romans 4.20 NLT

'Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.'

Paul is absolutely clear that faith is all important for those who want to be put right with God and he uses Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, as the supreme example. He trusted God completely even when life was tough and there was little encouragement. It all began with God calling him to leave his home together with his family and set off on a journey into the unknown. When God promised Abraham, as an old man, that he and his aged wife would have a son, he trusted God even though all the evidence pointed in the opposite direction. I love verse 18 of this same chapter which reads, “Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations.” That’s faith! – total confidence in God.

Now let’s bring this up to date. Let’s talk about today, because God is calling you and me to be people of faith amidst the very different challenges of the 21st Century. God calls us to place our whole trust in him. On this journey it is good for us to be inspired by those who have gone before us. The Bible and Church History are full of inspiring examples. But it’s also important to hear recent stories of faith as well and Premier goes to huge lengths to bring them to you. On the radio stations and in the publications we constantly seek to bring you stories of faith which will encourage and strengthen you. Very often they are stories of people who have faced massive challenges and difficulties and who have found their faith sustain them through it all.

Abraham wasn’t perfect and neither are you or I. God isn’t looking for perfect people but for those who will commit themselves to him and trust him.

Question: How would you describe the life of faith to someone who has just started out as a Christian?

Prayer: Lord God our Father I place my life in your hands. Help me to trust you with every aspect of my life. Amen

Romans 3:29-30 

'After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.'

The apostle Paul was a Jew and was very proud of the fact. In this letter he goes to great lengths to show that Jews have a very important place in the plans of God, but he wants his Roman readers to understand that God’s love wasn’t in any sense confined to the Jews. Indeed, God sent Jesus into the world for non-Jews (who he calls Gentiles) as well the Jews, because all of them had an equal need for forgiveness. Jesus’ death on the cross was for every kind of person because we all fall short of God’s standards.  

Earlier in this chapter Paul asks the question whether Jews were in some sense better than other people and he flatly rejects the idea. Privileged as the Jews undoubtedly are, they all stand in the same place before God. Just like every Gentile they are sinners and fall short of God’s standards. It’s very important that we never gain any sense of arrogance about ourselves, as if we are somehow superior to other groups of people. You may have been brought up by your parents to live a good and moral life, and you may consider that you have never caused intentional harm to another human being. If that is so, that’s splendid and I warmly congratulate you. But you are still a sinner. If you went to visit someone in a high security prison and heard their story you would probably be very shocked by the life that they had lived. I’ve found that prisoners are often very ready to go into massive detail about their crimes. You might well come away from visiting the prisoner reflecting that they are very much worse than you. But Paul says that you would be wrong. You are in the same place as them. You have both fallen short of God’s standards and are in need of his forgiveness.  

As you meet people today, I would encourage you to remember that everyone you meet is in the same place as you before God. All of them are loved by God and are in equal need of him. 

Question: Do you ever feel superior to other people and if so how could you get over that feeling?  

Prayer: Loving God, thank you for the way in which you reach out in love to every kind of person. Amen 

Romans 1:20 

'For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.'

People often ask how God will judge those who have never responded to him. Here Paul makes it clear that everyone has had an opportunity to respond to God, because he has made it so clear in creation. People have no excuse. The tragedy is that people have ended up worshipping what God has created rather than the Creator himself. They have got things exactly the wrong way round.  

Of course our mission, like Paul’s, is to present the Good News to people. We want to help people to understand why Jesus came into the world and we can all have a share in that. We are not all evangelists but everyone who follows Jesus is a witness. We have our story to tell from our own personal experience, and our stuttering words are often far more persuasive than any silver-tongued evangelist. But sadly it would seem that a huge proportion of the world’s population will never hear about Jesus for themselves. This is tragically true but we can take comfort from the fact that creation is continually speaking about God, pointing to his greatness and majesty. 

 Paul is clear that those who have rejected God have chosen a destructive course and he speaks of God’s anger towards those who oppose him. None of us enjoys thinking of God being angry but it is an inevitable consequence of the fact that he is so full of love. His passionate love for humankind and his desire that we should live in partnership with him fills him with sadness and anger when he sees people deliberately rejecting him.  

As we go around today let’s look at people from God’s point of view and remind ourselves that he wants them to live in a relationship of love with him, however far they may be from him at this moment. 

Question: How do you respond to the statement that no one is without excuse for not knowing God?  

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the way in which you make yourself known to people through Jesus and Creation. Amen 

Romans 1:17 

'This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith.'

I once heard about a group of rowdy young people who had too much time on their hands and decided that it would be great fun to push a piano down the stairs in the building where they were meeting and see what happened. With great gusto they launched the piano and the result was inevitable. The piano was wrecked. Hearing what had happened an elderly man decided to take the battered and damaged piano on as a project and he spent the following year restoring it to its former glory. Don’t you love stories like that? We all love hearing when bad situations have been turned to good. But when we look at the world today the problems are so overwhelming and at the heart of them is the fact that humankind is out of step with God. Here in Paul’s amazing letter to the Romans he is going to set out with meticulous care how we can be put right with God. Nothing could possibly be more important than this. 

And the key to receiving this transformational good news is faith. Everything turns on faith, so we had better be absolutely clear that we know what it means. We exercise faith every day. We have faith in our nearest and dearest, in the person who drives our train, in our doctors and garage mechanics. Our lives are made up of a tapestry of faith-based relationships. Our faith in them means that we are confident of them and are happy to rely upon them. Paul is saying that we need to have that kind of relationship with God, but with God it is fundamentally different from other trusting relationships because he is totally trustworthy. He will never let us down. He sent Jesus into the world to be our Saviour, and through dying on the cross, Jesus has made it possible for us to be made right with God. There is nothing that we can do either to impress God or earn our salvation. We simply need to open our hands, day by day, and receive by faith God’s freedom and generosity. 

Question: How would you describe your faith in God?  

Prayer: Loving God, thank you for sending Jesus into this disordered world. Help me to receive by faith all the gifts that you want to pour into my life. Amen 

Acts 14:23 Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. Paul’s first missionary journey is incredibly impressive. Having been nearly killed in Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went on to Lystra where the situation went from them being adored to Paul being stoned so badly that some people thought he was dead (vv19-20). However, he summoned the strength to go on to Derbe where he and Barnabas preached and got a wonderful response. Then with massive courage, they headed back to Lystra and Iconium in order to strengthen the believers and appoint elders. They knew that, if these young churches were to flourish, they would desperately need leadership. As we read about the amazing growth of the early Church, there is no question that leadership was an integral part of God’s plan. And the Church today it is no different. Good, godly, leadership is vital in every age and so it is important to reflect on what it should look like. It is all too easy to assume that it is the same as the leadership that you might find in a business or sport. No doubt there are some elements in common, but Christian leadership is distinctive in that we are called to be servants of the living God. Jesus modelled this. He told the disciples that their earthly leaders exercised leadership by dominating those they led and then said sharply: “But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43–45). Christian leadership is always incredibly rewarding but immensely tough. There can be nothing more wonderful than to work for Jesus and to base one’s life on him but, at the same time, it shouldn’t surprise us if we face the pain of rejection just as he did. Question What are you able to do to support Christian leaders? Prayer Loving God, thank you for the gift of leaders in your Church. Help me to love and support them in their demanding work. Amen

Romans 1:16 

'I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes – the Jew first and also the Gentile.'

We are told that the apostle Paul had a particularly unimpressive appearance. According to tradition he was an ugly little chap with heavy eyebrows, bandy legs, a bald head, a hooked nose, bad eyesight and with no great gifts as a speaker. How could such a person have an impact on the awesome city of Rome which stood at the heart of a vast and confident empire? The fact is that his ministry had an enormous impact on that city and it was because he was absolutely sure of what God had called him to do. He was bursting with pride about the Good News. I love the expression that he was not ashamed of the Good News! It almost sounds like a joke because he was the complete opposite. He was willing to give every second of his time and every ounce of energy to letting people know about Jesus and his gift of salvation.  

I wonder what you speak about with pride. Last year one of our daughters completed her degree and the other got married. As you would probably expect I am more than happy to be given any opportunity to talk about them. Perhaps you love talking about your grandchildren, or your successes at work, or the improvements you’ve made to your home. It’s good for us to speak with enthusiasm and pleasure about all these things. But I wonder what you sound like when you are talking about your Christian faith. Are you full of pride? I’m really pleased if that is the case, but to be brutally honest churches often given the impression that they are deeply ashamed of the Good News of Christ. They keep it to themselves and squirm at any opportunity to share it with others.  

Paul’s example should be a challenge and encouragement to us all. Like Paul, we have every reason to be proud of the Good News. Nothing else in this world can transform a person’s life in the way that Christ can, and he alone can set us free to be the people that God has made us to be. 

Question: What are the things that you are proud to speak about, and how does that challenge the way in which you speak about your faith?  

Prayer: Loving Father, thank you that you have called us to share the Good News of Christ. Help us to become more bold in the way that we pass it on to others. Amen  

Romans 1.9 NLT

'God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.'

Prayer is a blessing in every way. It is the way in which we communicate with God and so it is at the heart of the Christian life. Prayerlessness is the surest path to spiritual weakness and discouragement. By contrast, the person who takes prayer seriously will find every aspect of their life being blessed. However, the blessings of prayer don’t end there. They also strengthen our relationships with our Christian brothers and sisters. One of the greatest privileges of my life is the knowledge that every day people pray for me. I couldn’t demand or deserve it, but I receive it with enormous gratitude.

Here we get an insight into Paul’s life as we hear that he was persistent in his prayers for the Christians in Rome. He prayed for them night and day which shows the intensity of his commitment to them. These were not formal prayers that he offered as a matter of dull religious duty, but prayers which sprang from his passionate desire to see them stand strong in the faith in their strategically important city. Paul probably wrote this letter whilst he was in Corinth in the later 50s AD, about 20 years after the end of Jesus’ ministry. He declared that he was longing to see them and so he would, but probably not in the way that any of them expected. About five years later he would arrive in Rome as a prisoner, having been arrested in Jerusalem. I have no doubt that throughout the intervening years he continued to pray faithfully for the church in Rome, and one can only imagine the joy that he had when he was finally able to spend time with them. It’s clear that this relationship was, and always had been, underpinned by prayer.

The conclusion that we need to draw is that prayer is important in every direction. It not only strengthens our relationship with God but also with our Christian brothers and sisters.

Question: In what ways have you seen your prayers strengthen your relationships with others?

Prayer: Loving God, I thank you for the privilege of prayer and for the way in which it strengthens every part of my life. Amen

Romans 1.7 NLT

'I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people.'

Paul’s letter to the church in Rome is sometimes described as the Gospel according to Paul. It’s not a bad description because in this letter he gives the fullest explanation of his understanding of the Good News of Jesus. Paul never met Jesus during his earthly ministry but his miraculous meeting with Jesus on the Road to Damascus turned his life upside down and from that moment on he lived for Jesus and sought to encourage others to do the same.

Paul began his letter by explaining that he had been called by God and was a slave to Jesus. Paul had an incredibly tough ministry but it was founded upon the complete security of his relationship with God. That’s what sustained him when he was imprisoned, stoned, shipwrecked, mocked, accused and betrayed. As foster carers my wife and I often reflect on the importance of attachment, that is to say the relationship which a child has with their parent or carer. Everything flows from the presence or absence of that secure attachment. It is exactly the same in the Christian life. As we form a strong and secure relationship with God we are able, like Paul, to face any challenge or disappointment.

In today’s verse Paul addresses the members of the church in Rome. It was probably only a small group of people and they were living in the heart of the great Roman empire where their beliefs would have been completely alien to the majority of people. Every day would have been a struggle. So Paul reminds them of their secure attachment to God. They were not only loved but also called by God. Whatever opposition they might face they were safe in God’s hands for time and eternity. However you are feeling today, look to God and remind yourself that you are both loved and called by him.

Question: How will it affect your life today to know that you are both loved and called by God?

Prayer: Loving Father, thank you that you love us and have called us to be a holy people. Amen

Psalm 88.1-3 NLT

'O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you by day. I come to you at night. Now hear my prayer; listen to my cry. For my life is full of troubles, and death draws near.'

This is possibly the saddest of all the psalms. The psalmist cried out to God in a state of total despair. Many of the psalms are referred to as psalms of lament but this one goes even further and is full of absolute desperation. It is painful to read the psalm because it is so bleak, but I am so glad that it is part of the Bible. It reminds us that God is there for us, whatever the circumstances. His love reaches out to us even in the darkest of places. It reminds me of Psalm 139 where the psalmist declared that it is impossible to escape from God’s Spirit. “I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.” (Psalm 139.7-8) We are all different and it may be that you have never been through such desperate times and never will. But from time to time we will all meet people who are struggling with life and it is important for us to be able to point them to psalms like this. For amidst his battling the psalmist knew that he could turn to God and be totally honest about his situation. He didn’t need to dress up and put on a good performance for God. He could come to God just as he was with all the sharp edges of his confusion and disappointment.

I fear at times that people perceive the church as a place for good people who have resolved all the difficult issues in their life. The truth is that the doors are open wide to people who are struggling and who are willing to be open to God. I used to work in a church which had a huge notice on the front of the building declaring, “Welcome. No perfect people allowed.” Of course, since none of us are perfect, the church was saying that everyone was welcome! Whether we are in debt or wealthy, disappointed with life or fulfilled, friendless or surrounded by friends, in employment, unemployed or retired God gladly welcomes us. All of us are welcome, just as we are!

Question: Is your church good at welcoming every kind of person? If not, why not?

Prayer: Loving Heavenly Father, thank you that your arms are open wide to people whatever their circumstances. Amen

Psalm 86.11 NLT

'Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth!'

I wonder what your school teachers were like. I suspect that we all had a wide range experiences. I reflect on my own teachers. Some of them were strict, others were encouraging, a few were inspiring, some seemed to be in the wrong job, others were funny and more of them thought they were funny! Teachers vary enormously. But when it comes to learning about life itself, we need the very best teacher, and here David recognises that God is that teacher.

God is often spoken of as Israel’s teacher. In Isaiah 2.3 the prophet identified Jerusalem as the centre of education for the world when he wrote, “People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem.” Sadly, God’s teaching was often rejected by the people. In Jeremiah’s prophecy we hear God saying, “They have turned their back to Me and not their face; though I taught them, teaching again and again, they would not listen and receive instruction.” (Jeremiah 32.33)

Aren’t they painful words? No one likes to have someone turn their back on them, but when God’s own people reject his teaching it must be excruciatingly painful.

If we are to grow in our walk with God, we need to listen hard to his instruction. Many people will help us on that journey but God is the source of all faithful teaching. He sends us preachers and teachers, Bibles and study books, and surrounds us with Christian friends who can help us to understand what he is saying to us. To use the powerful language of Jeremiah’s prophecy we need to make sure that we turn our faces to his teaching and not our backs.

Question: What is God teaching you at the moment?

Prayer: Loving Father, thank you that your teaching always encourages and strengthens us. Amen

Psalm 86.8 NLT

'No pagan god is like you, O Lord. None can do what you do!'

There have always been lots of gods on offer. A god is anything that calls for our commitment and devotion and in every age there has been a colourful variety of options. I once stayed with a journalist in Mumbai in India who had a remarkable variety of gods in his flat. There were pictures of many Hindu deities but Jesus and Mary were there as well. But gods come in other subtle forms. A person’s family or their job, house, bank balance, hobby or sport can be their god. All of those things are good in themselves but when they are turned into gods they take on a completely different and potentially destructive significance. King David was well aware of the wide range of gods that he could worship but he concluded that the God of Israel was incomparably great. He alone was worthy of David’s commitment and devotion.

The prophets spent a lot of time mocking the false gods of their time. Isaiah mocked the wood carver who carefully worked with his chisel and plane to carve a human figure. He then created a little shrine out of it and fell down in worship before it crying, “Rescue me! You are my god.” But he took another part of the wood to make a fire with which he warmed himself and baked bread. Isaiah laughed at the sheer absurdity of this and called the wood carver a “poor, deluded fool.” (Isaiah 44.20) Tough talk, but Isaiah knew that worshipping the one true God was something of infinite importance.

David’s and Isaiah’s straightforward approaches to false gods needs to challenge our own attitudes. Like them we would let other people down if we didn’t make it clear that any other god will be a complete disappointment. They may give encouragement for a while but ultimately, they are bound to let us down. Only the one true God will be faithful to us for time and eternity. Only he is worthy of our commitment and devotion.

Question: What are the most common gods in our society?

Prayer: Lord God, I commit my whole self to you as the one true God. Help me to be faithful to you and to take every opportunity to speak to others about your incomparable greatness. Amen

Psalm 86.5 NLT

'O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.'

I am sorry to remind you of this but, sooner or later, everything breaks down. Whether you are thinking of your health, car, bicycle, microwave, vacuum cleaner or heating system all of them will, one day, encounter problems. No one can go through life without facing these challenges. It is simply a fact of life. In this psalm David faces up to the fact that all of us sin. It’s not a pleasant fact to face but we would be crazy to suggest that it doesn’t affect us. Of course, we may try to wriggle out of this by suggesting that our sins are not nearly as bad as other people’s sins, but, at the end of the day, we need to acknowledge that we are sinners, falling well short of God’s standards.

The Bible doesn’t draw our attention to our sin in order to humiliate us, or to encourage us to beat ourselves up. It shines the light on our sin in order to show us the remedy. In Romans 3.23 the apostle Paul wrote, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Sadly, we let God down each day through our self-centredness. Our thoughts, words and actions are all cheapened and spoilt through our preoccupation with ourselves and because we are not entirely in tune with God we fail to say and do many things that he would have wanted.

The remedy for sin is truly amazing. God offers to wipe it out. He offers to forgive our sins. We are familiar with the fact that failings normally lead to penalties. If I fail to drive at an appropriate speed, or to park in the right place, I am likely to get a penalty and although we huff and puff we know that’s what happens and we accept it. But what happens about the penalty for our sin? The Bible tells us that Jesus took that penalty upon himself through dying on the cross. He was perfect and so was able to take the weight of our failures upon himself and offer us forgiveness.

God offers his forgiveness to us today and, as we face the facts, we all need to turn to him and receive his gift.

Question: In what ways do you regularly let God down?

Prayer: Lord God, I admit that I have failed you in thought, word and deed and I accept your generous gift of forgiveness. Amen

Psalm 86.1 NLT

'Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help.'

Finding peace and purpose in our lives is something that we all want, and the first step to achieving it is recognising that we need God’s help. David, the author of this psalm, was Israel’s King about 1000BC and had that experience time and again. This is clearly one of those times. He knew that, although he was incredibly wealthy and powerful, he couldn’t manage without God.

Bernard Levin was one of the most respected political commentators in this country. He once wrote, “Countries like ours are full of people who have all of the material comforts they desire, yet lead lives of quiet (and at times noisy) desperation, understanding nothing but the fact that there is a hole inside them and that however much food and drink they pour into it, however many motorcars and television sets they stuff it with, however many well-balanced children and loyal friends they parade around the edges of it. . . it aches!” I firmly believe that it is only God who can answer that ache. Only when we acknowledge our need of him can we start on the road to finding his peace.

Calling out to God is where it begins, and we can all do that. It may begin with a simple cry of “God help me. I can’t do it by myself.” There is no need to come up with a long prayer or something which sounds polished. God loves it when people tell him they need him because he can then get to work. He can then do what he loves to do and answer our prayers. But God steadfastly refuses to work in our lives without our permission. The Bible shows us that time and again God let people reject him and go their own way. He often warned them of the consequences of their actions but he never compelled them to follow him, and he won’t do so today. God waits for us to recognise our need, and then the journey can begin.

Question: When did you last tell God how much you need him?

Prayer: Loving God, thank you that you hear my prayers and are willing to answer them. Amen

Psalm 85.8 NLT

'I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people.'

Listening is crucial to every part of life. But that doesn’t mean that it is a simple process. It requires a huge amount of thought and care so it isn’t surprising that courses in listening are widely available these days. There are essentially five stages to the listening process – receiving, understanding, evaluating, remembering, and responding. I am sure that the psalmist would have totally agreed with this and seen it as a good description of what it meant to “listen carefully” to the Lord. It’s possible to hear someone speaking without taking on board anything that they have said. But, when you listen you deliberately receive what they are saying. However, even that isn’t enough because you need to understand the words that they are using. Without that their words are nothing more than sounds. Having understood the words they need to be evaluated. What exactly was the person trying to say and how does it apply to you personally? When God speaks to us we need to see how his words relate to our everyday lives. We then need to remember his words so that they continue to influence our thinking. But all of this process is worth nothing unless we respond to what we have heard through our actions.

At the end of the day, the Bible’s truths can wash over our heads and have absolutely no effect. Or they can transform our lives. As I write these notes day by day I am acutely aware that the key question is whether we are truly listening to what God is saying. We all hear many voices each day – from friends, family, colleagues, the media and so on. But the crucial question is whether we are giving quality time to listen to the voice of the living God.

QUESTION: What could you do to help you to listen more fully to God’s voice day by day?

PRAYER: Lord God, thank you that you are a God who speaks. Help me to listen more attentively to you each day. Amen

Psalm 84.10 NLT

'A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.'

I wonder if you’ve ever experienced home sickness. I certainly have. I loved the years I spent in India and my Indian friends couldn’t possibly have been more kind or welcoming. But there was still a deep longing to see my family and friends and, if I’m honest, to experience cold weather! At the time, the phone connection between India and the UK was very poor and in two years I only managed to make one call to my parents and it was incredibly expensive. The line was very crackly and it was very difficult to hear anything, but there were tears rolling down my cheeks as I succeeded in hearing the distant voices of my parents. I think the only significant information that we shared that could be clearly heard was them telling me that it was raining in Essex, and me informing me that it was hot in India!!

The psalmist was thoroughly homesick when he wrote this particular psalm. And the home that he longed to be in was the temple. We don’t know why he was unable to get there but he couldn’t have described his anguish more powerfully. He wrote, “I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.” (Psalm 84.2) Clearly the temple itself was incredibly precious to the psalmist but his longing was to be close to God. He spoke of the joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord and then movingly described the way that even “when they walk through the Valley of Weeping it will become a place of refreshing springs” (Psalm 84.6). Even the worst experiences of life can, miraculously, be transformed when we place our lives in God’s hands.

No wonder that the psalmist concluded that it would be better to have the lowest job of all in the presence of God, than to have all power and wealth and live at a distance from God. The psalmist’s words are a good reminder for us all of the incredible blessing and privilege of spending time with God.

QUESTION: How important is it to you to spend time with God?

PRAYER: Lord God, we praise you for the blessing of your continual presence with us. Amen

Acts 14:14–15 When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings—just like you!” After Paul and Barnabas were rudely bundled out of Iconium, they fled 19 miles south to the small Roman city of Lystra, perhaps assuming that due to Paul’s status as a Roman citizen they would receive more respect there. While there, a man who had been lame from birth was healed and the people were so excited that they concluded that Paul and Barnabas must be gods (vv8–13). The missionaries were slow to understand what was going on because the people were speaking in their own local language. Things went from bad to much worse when the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, turned up with bulls and wreaths in order to offer sacrifices to Paul and Barnabas. Paul was determined to put the matter straight as soon as possible. He was clearly horrified to be thought of as a god. In his anguish and sadness, he dramatically tore his clothes and assured the crowd that they had totally misunderstood the situation. Far from being gods, he and Barnabas had come in the name of the one living God. Every public speaker is well aware of the danger of being misunderstood. This is a particularly dramatic illustration, but the principle is the same for anyone who opens their mouth in public. If you are a public speaker then you need humility. However carefully you prepare and speak, there will be occasions when you are completely misunderstood. This should prompt us all to pray for preachers and teachers who perform such a vital and challenging role. Question Which particular preacher or teacher do you need to pray for? Prayer Loving God, grant me your wisdom and a spirit of humility as I speak your truth and as I listen to others. Amen

Psalm 82.3-4 NLT

'Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people.'

When I was in my 20s I lived in an Indian village for a year. I had the incredible privilege of living with a family of Dalits, who have generally been known as untouchables. Dalits form about a quarter of the Indian population and have always been regarded as the lowest of the low. My Indian family was a typical extended family with a granny, mum, dad, three children, and various aunts who would stay with us from time to time. They generously opened their home and their hearts to me and gave me the most amazing insight into their way of life. In doing so they opened my eyes to injustice on a scale I had never seen before. Every part of their life was defined by the fact that they were Dalits. Life was a daily struggle as they lived with the certainty that they would never receive fair treatment from society. It was distressing to see the way in which they were constantly disadvantaged in education, employment and even in the justice system.

This is clearly the experience of many people in our world today, and we need to remember that our God is passionate about justice. This psalm, like so many others, focuses its attention on the obligation that God’s people have to live justly and to speak up for the oppressed. Here Asaph refers to the vulnerable members of his own community – the poor, the orphans, the oppressed, the destitute and the helpless. He is scathing about their leaders who lived in total ignorance “wandering about in the darkness, while the whole world is shaken to the core.” (verse 5) We can’t solve all the injustices in the world but the one thing we can all definitely do is to get informed. We live in an age that has more readily available information than ever before. To be ignorant of the issues can only be because we have chosen to ignore the problems and refused to hear the cries of the vulnerable members of our community. The world is truly being shaken to the core and, for God’s sake, we need to act.

QUESTION: In what ways could you work for justice today?

PRAYER: God of Justice, we praise you for your love for all people and your passionate desire that everyone should be treated with care and dignity. Amen

Luke 2.13-14 NLT

"Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."

The shepherds received the news of Jesus’ birth from a single angel who was then joined by a vast crowd of angels to sing an amazing chorus of praise. The language used recalls Job 38.7 where when God created the world “the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.” With the coming of Jesus into the world there is a new creation and so the whole population of heaven needed to join together in bringing a triumphant act of worship. I am sure that artists through the centuries have been right to depict the whole sky being alight as the angels sang their praises to the surprised shepherds.

The message of the angelic host is interesting and it begs the question, “Who are the people with whom God is pleased?” It’s not an expression that we often find in the New Testament but it reminds us of the words from heaven that were spoken over Jesus at his baptism. “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3.22 NIV) God’s peace is the experience of those who walk in the footsteps of Jesus. It is by aligning ourselves with Jesus’ teaching and being filled with his Spirit that we are able to experience God’s peace.

The Christmas message needs to give us all a new determination to experience God’s peace for ourselves and to share it with our agonisingly unpeaceful world. We will achieve nothing by complaining about the world’s lack of peace. We must simply seek to live in the light of it and take opportunities to point to Jesus, so that others have the opportunity to taste his peace for themselves.

QUESTION: Where will you be able to share God’s peace today?

PRAYER: Loving God, I want you to be pleased with my life. Help me to live closer and closer to Jesus each day. Amen

Luke 2.10-11 NLT

The angel reassured the shepherds. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Saviour—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!”

The angel’s message is fascinating because its content is both incredibly Jewish and yet embraces everyone. The angel makes it clear that the baby who has just been born is the Messiah, the one who came to fulfil the Old Testament scriptures. But, at the same time, the coming of Jesus was for the whole world. Although Jesus was to focus much of his ministry on his own people, the Jews, he consistently made it clear that he had come to bring salvation to the world.

The responsibility of those of us who call ourselves Christians is to do everything in our power to make it clear that Jesus came for everyone. Sadly, churches can be extremely unfriendly and intimidating places, and people often get the impression that they are full of old people who do things in strange old-fashioned ways. That is so sad, but happily far from the truth. Churches are often full of people of all ages and most churches seek to ensure that they worship in a way that is welcoming and understandable to visitors.

There is no doubt that we all have a lot to do to help our world to grasp the angel’s message that Jesus came to bring joy. Jesus often made it clear that following him would be tough and that we would face opposition from many people, but he was consistently clear that he came to bring us joy. And joy is infinitely better than happiness, which depends on things happening. Joy depends upon our relationship with Jesus and because that is unending so too is our joy. In John’s Gospel we hear Jesus talking about the vital importance of obedience and he then says, “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” (John 15.11)

That was exactly the experience of the shepherds who, once they had seen the baby Jesus, returned to their flocks full of joy. We read that they were “glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard.” (Luke 2.20) And that experience of joy can be yours and mine today as we follow Jesus.

QUESTION: How would you describe the joy that you have experienced since you became a Christian?

PRAYER: Loving Father, thank you that you sent Jesus into the world to bring us your joy. Amen

Luke 2.8-9 NLT

'That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified.'

It’s not very surprising that the shepherds were terrified. They were well used to facing dangers in the desert. They were constantly threatened by wolves and other wild animals but angels were a different matter! This was completely outside their experience. But more than that, as shepherds they would have had no expectation of receiving such important heavenly news. Shepherds were widely despised. They were considered to be unreliable and for that reason they were not allowed to give testimony in the law-courts. Although it is likely that they were caring for sheep that would be used for the temple sacrifices in Jerusalem, their way of life made it impossible for them to comply with the requirements of the law. They were outsiders.

Time and again the gospels show us how Jesus gave special attention to the people who everyone else considered to be outsiders. Children, women, lepers, tax collectors, prostitutes and foreigners were all given special attention by Jesus and his harshest words of criticism were often directed at the religious people. So the fact that the shepherds were given front seats at the birth of Jesus is entirely appropriate.

I wonder who would have been given the front seats in our own society if Jesus were born in our day. Perhaps the angels would have come to some homeless people, refugees or asylum seekers. What is certain is that Jesus would have gone out of his way to tell them that they were welcome into his kingdom. The church needs to reflect carefully on this and ensure that it continues to reflect Jesus’ radical welcome to every kind of person whoever they are and whatever their background.

QUESTION: Who do you think the angels might have come to in your own community?

PRAYER: Loving God, thank you for your generous welcome to everyone. Help us to pass on that welcome to all the people who live around me. Amen

Luke 2.6-7 NLT

'While they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. Mary gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.'

When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, they found that it was heaving with people who had come for the census which the Romans had demanded. In the Jewish law, censuses were forbidden and so the holding of a census was a further reason for the people to resent the occupying power. However, Joseph was a law- abiding man and if required to go to his family’s ancestral home he was willing to comply. The fact that there were no lodgings available when they finally arrived in Bethlehem must have been a horrible surprise for the young couple, and especially for Mary. We are in fact told nothing about the location of Jesus’ birth, but it is most probable that it happened in a cave. All we know is that he was placed in an animal feeding trough, a manger, when he was born. That makes it clear that he was in a place where the animals were kept and it is more likely than not that that would have been in a cave.

The fact that there was no room for Jesus at his birth serves as an agonising summary of the lack of welcome that Jesus received throughout his life. In his gospel John sums up the situation by declaring “He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognise him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.” (John 1.10-11) I find these two of the most painful verses in the Bible. In sending Jesus into the world God was showing his incredible love for humankind, but the majority of people simply didn’t want to know. And they still don’t. But we can rejoice with John that “to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1.12)

QUESTION: How can you welcome Jesus this Christmas?

PRAYER: Lord God, we thank you for the miracle of Christmas. Thank you for sending Jesus into our confused and broken world. Amen

Luke 2.4-5 NLT

'Because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He travelled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. He took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child.'

If you travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem these days it is a relatively easy journey. The roads are good and you should get there by car in about two and half hours. Mary and Joseph’s experience would have been completely different. On foot the 90 mile journey would have been arduous and dangerous. They would probably have gone down the Jordan Valley which, at the time, was heavily wooded and was home to wolves, lions and wild boar. They posed a significant threat to the young couple but, in addition, they had to face the ever- present threat from robbers. The journey would normally take walkers about five days but because Mary was in the last stages of her pregnancy they may well have taken a few days longer than that. The weather would also have been a challenge. During the day it would have been hot and at night it would often have been freezing. The young couple must have been absolutely exhausted when they finally arrived in Bethlehem.

It is valuable for us to remind ourselves of the circumstances of Jesus’ birth to emphasise the point that there were absolutely no special privileges surrounding his coming into the world. The romanticised pictures of Jesus’ birth could easily lull us into thinking that all was sweetness and light, but that was far from the case. When John wrote in his gospel that “the Word became human and made his home among us” (John 1.14) he was telling us that God fully took upon himself the vulnerability and awkwardness of human life. He received no special treatment. As we celebrate Christmas we need to praise God that in the sending of Jesus into the world we see the full extent of his love for us.

QUESTION: What do the circumstances of Jesus’ birth tell you about the nature of God?

PRAYER: Dear Father, we thank you for your willingness to send Jesus into our world with all its challenges and difficulties. Amen

Matthew 1.22-23 NLT

All of this occurred to fulfil the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

Loneliness is one of the greatest problems of our society and it is on the increase. This matters because loneliness is incredibly dangerous. It increases the risk of death by 26 percent, is more damaging to health than obesity, and increases the risk of high blood pressure. Loneliness, living alone and poor social connections are as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day (Holt-Lunstad 2010). But the person who knows Jesus personally need never experience loneliness, because he is Immanuel “God with us” and, when we live with him day by day, we are instantly connected to a worldwide family of his people.

The difference between our relationship with God and with other people is that God never leaves us. He is always by our side. We may have the warmest of relationships with our friends, colleagues and family but, because they are human, the experience is constantly changing. They are busy with other things. They have good days and bad days. They have holidays and illnesses, and are continually distracted by other calls on their time. However firm our relationships with others, they are always changing. That’s where our relationship with the Lord is so different. At any time, whatever our circumstances or mood, the Lord is by our side. He is always with us.

As we celebrate Christmas this year, let’s not allow ourselves to be so distracted by the sheer busyness of the celebrations, that we fail to see Immanuel, the God who will never leave us. We have often been told that dogs are for life and not just for Christmas. But immeasurably more important is the fact that Jesus is for life and certainly not just for Christmas.

QUESTION: In what ways are you encouraged by the fact that God is always with us?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you that you never leave us or forsake us. Amen

Matthew 1.21 NLT

“And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Giving a name to a child is a huge moment for parents. If you have ever had that privilege. I am sure you will remember the conversations about the various possibilities. You will probably have thought about names that have been particularly important in your family together with names that you have always liked. But as you make the decision you know that the child will have to carry that name for life, in one form or another, and so you will want to be extremely careful. We have three children and I well remember the long discussions about the various names that we could use. Our third child is called Bethany for the simple reason that that is where my wife and I first met. I was leading a student group around Israel and my future wife was one of the students and we were staying in a cheap hotel on the West Bank very near Bethany. Many have asked us since then what we might have called her if we had met in Bognor Regis or Nuneaton ... and I guess the answer is probably Bethany!

Jesus was given his name because that’s what the angel commanded. It was a very common name and has the same root as Joshua, meaning God saves. From the very beginning of his life, it was clear that Jesus had a special mission to the world. There is no doubt that Mary became fully aware that she was bearing a very special son after her meeting with Gabriel during her pregnancy. But I would so love to know what kind of conversations Joseph and Mary had together about Jesus. It must have been a lot for this young couple to cope with and we should be amazed that they handled the situation with such grace and calmness.

Jesus was going to become an inspiring teacher and a miraculous healer, but before anything else he came to be the Saviour of the World. His unique identity as fully man and fully God enabled him to do what no one else could ever do, and set humankind free from their sins.

QUESTION: How important has your own name been to you?

PRAYER: Loving Father, thank you for sending your Son into the world to save us from our sins. Amen

Matthew 1.20 NLT

As Joseph considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.”

This account is so familiar to us that we need to take a moment to try to imagine what the experience must have been like for Joseph. In all probability he would have been in his 20s and Mary may well have been a teenager. He was clearly a good man and he took his Jewish faith very seriously. His decision to end the relationship quietly was understandable but he must have been experiencing a riot of emotions. He was thinking of Mary, himself, his family’s name and reputation and his desire to do what God wanted. As he turned over these things in his mind he had a dream in which he was addressed with his family title. He was Joseph, belonging to the line of the great King David. In the dream he was told not to be fearful but to take Mary as his wife because the baby was a gift of the Holy Spirit. What I love about this story is that those words were enough for Joseph. Having heard them, he then went and took Mary as his wife. He must have known that people were always going to assume that he was the father. He would have to cope with people’s sniggers and gossip but he could cope with that because he knew that he was being obedient to God.

It’s a matter of fact that God will often ask us to do things which are not well understood by those around us. Jesus lived with this continually. He was forever being accused of acting with bad motives and even of being inspired by the devil. The prophets in the Old Testament were rarely thanked for their utterances and were often cold-shouldered by their communities. Following God’s will is rarely easy. We may know little about Joseph but his obedience to God’s will in an incredibly awkward situation is impressive and should inspire us as we seek to serve God today.

QUESTION: How do you hear God speak to you?

PRAYER: Loving Father, thank you for the ways in which you make your will known to us day by day. Give us courage to be obedient to you whatever the reaction from the people around us. Amen

Matthew 1.19 NLT

"Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly."

At the centre of the account of Jesus’ birth is a man about whom we know very little. Joseph was the legal father of Jesus and Matthew’s gospel begins with Jesus’ family line through Joseph. But after the birth of Jesus we meet Joseph on only one occasion. That was when the family went for a Passover visit to Jerusalem when Jesus was 12 years old. We get the distinct impression that Mary was a widow by the time Jesus’ public ministry began. One verse in the New Testament tells us that Joseph was an artisan (Matthew 13.55) and it has been generally assumed that he was a carpenter but we can’t even be sure of that. He could have been a worker with iron or stone.

Although we know so very little about this extremely important man, we know about his character. He was described as a “righteous man”, which means that he was concerned to be obedient to the law. But that made life incredibly difficult for him because he was engaged to a woman who was pregnant. Engagement, at the time, was a much deeper commitment than it is these days and it could only be brought to an end by death or divorce. When a woman who was engaged became pregnant by another man the original penalty was death by stoning, but by this stage it had become divorce. So, according to the law, Joseph was obliged to divorce Mary. But he was clearly a gracious and sensitive man and although he was eager to obey the law, the last thing he wanted to do was to disgrace or humiliate Mary. He resolved that the best course of action was to divorce her quietly. An angel was just about to step in and change things, but I warm to the way in which Joseph set about handling this incredibly awkward situation.

Life is full of awkward situations and challenges. I thank God for the Josephs of this world who are good and honourable people and are always striving to do what is kindest and most honouring to God.

QUESTION: What do you learn from the way in which Joseph handled his predicament?

PRAYER: Loving Father, help me to live so close to you that I will always make wise and careful decisions. Amen

Acts 14:2–3 Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. Paul and Barnabas were having an amazing time on their first missionary journey. A large number of people were becoming followers of Jesus. At the same time, they were meeting fierce opposition. At Iconium, in central Turkey, the mob was stirred up against them and, after a while, the situation became so dangerous that they fled the city. There was every possibility that they were going to be stoned to death (vv5–6). But I love the fact that, amidst the intensity of the opposition, their message was one of grace. It must have been very tempting for them to turn on the crowd and to deliver a message of judgement and condemnation. But they chose to speak about the grace of the Lord. Grace is a dominant theme in Paul’s ministry. In Ephesians 2:8 he wrote: “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” There is nothing that we can do to gain salvation. It is completely outside our grasp. But, because God is so incredibly generous, he was willing to do for us what we could never do for ourselves and set us free from our sins. And our gracious God goes on being generous to us. In our Christian lives we, sadly, continue to fall far short of perfection. But God continues to love and forgive us, setting us free to live lives of liberty and fulfilment. We Christians have many things that we would like to say to our society but, above everything else, we need to ensure that we are declaring boldly the grace of the Lord. Question How would you explain the grace of God to someone who had never heard about it before? Prayer Gracious God, thank you for your generosity to me. Help me to take every opportunity to tell other people of your amazing grace. Amen

Matthew 1.16-17 NLT

"Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah. All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah."

Matthew shows here how the Old Testament has prepared the way for the coming of Jesus. He points out that there were 14 generations from the time of Abraham, the father of the nation, up to the reign of King David. This was undoubtedly the high-water mark in the Old Testament. David was the one who established Jerusalem as the city of God and who prepared the way for the building of the magnificent Temple. After that everything went catastrophically downhill in the next fourteen generations ending with the people being taken off into exile in Babylon. The following 14 generations were ones in which the prophetic voice was almost entirely silent. There is a four hundred year gap between the final book of the Old Testament and the coming of Christ. However, throughout those dark years, there were some who held on to the conviction that God would send his Messiah, his anointed one, who would usher in a new age of the Spirit.

The coming of the Messiah was the fulfilment of many prophecies and saw the purposes of God move into a completely new era. History had been pointing in this direction but now finally it had become a reality. When the apostle Paul spoke of these things he wrote, “When the right time came, God sent his son, born of a woman.” (Galatians 4.4) People had waited centuries for this special moment but God knew exactly what he was doing. We cannot be sure how many people were awaiting the coming of Jesus, but it probably wasn’t many. Jesus’ arrival certainly came as a complete surprise to many people. However, we thank God for Simeon and Anna, two old people whose lives were given over to prayer and who immediately spotted the Messiah when they saw him. (Luke 2.25-38)

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, let’s give thanks to God that he sent Jesus his son as Messiah and that, through his death, he opened the way for us to find new life in him and to participate in the new age of the Spirit.

QUESTION: Looking at Galatians 4.4 what do you think made the time of Jesus coming exactly the right time?

PRAYER: Lord God, thank you for the new era which Jesus our Messiah opened up and in which we can share today. Amen

Matthew 1.1 & 16 NLT

"This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham ... Joseph was the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah."

If you were writing a book about someone famous I suspect you wouldn’t start like this. But Matthew was writing his gospel for people from a Jewish background and so it was vital that he started with an account of Jesus’ ancestors. It was crucial that they could clearly see where Jesus fitted in the history of the people of Israel. Matthew points out that there were three groups of 14 generations. The first ran from Abraham to David; the second went up to the exile in Babylon: and the third concluded with the arrival of Jesus, whose legal father was Joseph. This firmly placed Jesus in the family line of David, and so he could be properly called the Son of David.

The list of people in this chapter doesn’t seem to make great reading, but if you look at the individuals mentioned it is absolutely gripping. The most startling feature of this line of people was the inclusion of women. That in itself was remarkable because of the low place of women in Jewish society. Women had no legal rights and were, tragically, simply seen as the possession of their father or husband. In the regular form of Jewish morning prayer a man would thank God that he had not been born a Gentile, a slave or a woman. But it is even more incredible when you see who these women were in Matthew’s genealogy. Tamar was a seductress and adulteress; Rahab was a prostitute and Ruth wasn’t even Jewish. As a Moabitess she belonged to a hated people whom the law stated should not “be admitted to the assembly of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 23.3) In addition, there is reference to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, whose affair with King David led him to arrange for the murder of her husband. It’s a mirky story but all of it goes to show that Jesus was part of a human family, warts and all.

Matthew was absolutely clear that Jesus was fully God, but he was equally clear that he was also fully human. This is the amazing truth which we celebrate at Christmas.

QUESTION: Why is it so important that Jesus was fully human?

PRAYER: Loving God, we praise you for the way in which you showed us your love for us by sending your son Jesus into the world. Amen

Psalm 81.10-11 NLT

”For it was I, the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things. But no, my people wouldn’t listen. Israel did not want me around.”

We probably all know the feeling when someone doesn’t want us around. It’s painful. For some reason they don’t come out with it plainly and clearly, but we get the clear impression that we are not welcome. But how much more tragic it is when people decide that they don’t want God around, and that’s how the psalmist described Israel. He was the God who had led them out of slavery in Egypt. He was the God of salvation, but time and again they rejected him and refused to listen to him.

But we are not just talking about ancient history. We are describing our society today. The majority of people totally ignore God. They don’t want him around because they think that he will spoil their fun. They are concerned that they will lose their freedom. However, we need to take every opportunity to inform people that actually he is the God who wants to fill their lives with good things. As the psalmist put it in Psalm 84.11 “the Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” Far from spoiling their fun, God’s desire is to complete our enjoyment of life. Far from limiting our freedom, God’s purpose is to enable us to find true freedom for the first time.

The key to receiving God’s blessing is listening. It was Israel’s refusal to listen to God that was at the heart of their downfall. God is kind and merciful and as soon as we listen to him, he is able to bless us. Listening is much more than simply hearing. The listening that we need to do is all about giving God our full attention and showing our willingness to turn his words into action. When we listen like that it is like opening our mouths wide, and when we do that God is then able to fill us with good things.

QUESTION: Why do we often find it hard to listen to God?

PRAYER: Lord God our Father, we thank you that you are always looking for an opportunity to bless us. Help us to listen hard to your voice and be willing to turn your words into action. Amen

Psalm 80.19 NLT

"Turn us again to yourself, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved."

We all know that look, when someone looks at us with their full attention and warmth. The look tells us everything that we need to know – that we are welcome and that they are on our side. On three occasions in this psalm, Asaph expresses his longing that God’s face would shine upon the people. This psalm was probably written at the time of the fall of Samaria to the Assyrians in the 8th century BC. The destruction of the ten northern tribes left little Judah terribly exposed and the people feared for their lives. In their despair they turned to God and longed that he would turn his face to them and give them his blessing.

The fact is that God longed to give his people his blessing. That is what any loving father longs to do, and the Old Testament makes clear to us that it was consistently God’s desire. Today’s verse reminds us of the Aaronic Blessing which we find in Numbers 6.24-26 “May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favour and give you his peace.” I love every opportunity to use those precious words. They poignantly express God’s desire to smile on us, but he will only do so when our lives are turned towards him in obedience and trust.

Long ago a friend showed me a picture of her father. He was smiling warmly and she explained that when the photo was taken he was looking at her. I think that’s a beautiful picture of our God who longs to smile at us, and throw his arms around us, but can only do so when our lives are turned towards him.

QUESTION: In what way do you believe God smiles on you?

PRAYER: Loving God, thank you for your continual love and faithfulness. Help me to turn my full attention to you each day. Amen

Psalm 78.2-4 NLT

"I will teach you hidden lessons from our past — stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders."

In a speech in the House of Commons in 1948, Winston Churchill paraphrased Santayana when he said “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” This was precisely the concern of Asaph in this particular psalm. In this long psalm he reflected on five centuries of the life of the people of God. Time and again they had disobeyed God, but he had consistently responded with love and forgiveness. Asaph was concerned that future generations should be reminded of their history, and of the gracious way in which God had provided for his people.

Teaching the next generation about God always needs to be a priority for the church. I often find that the approach to children’s and youth work is incredibly patronising. I hear people say, “They are the church of tomorrow” but that precisely misses the point. Children and young people are an integral part of the church of today, and we will have no future unless we are energetically and enthusiastically reaching out to them with the Good News of Jesus.

Passing on the faith to younger generations is always a challenge because the world changes so fast. The ways in which we communicate have changed out of all recognition in the last few years. Twitter came into the world in 2006. Snapchat was born in 2011. TikTok arrived in 2016. Billions of messages are sent every year on platforms that didn’t exist only a few years ago. Of course, the Good News of Jesus Christ doesn’t change. But the way in which we communicate needs to be continually changing and we need to ensure that the resources are available to ensure that it happens. If we fail to do so then the danger is that the sad history of people’s disobedience to God will repeat itself.

QUESTION: What are you doing to ensure that younger generations are hearing the Good News of Jesus?

PRAYER: Lord God, we praise you for your faithfulness through thousands of years. Help us to be faithful in passing on this wonderful message to others. Amen

Matthew 14.29-30 NLT

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

It was about three o’clock in the morning when this took place. The disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and had been battling with a major storm. Then suddenly a stranger appeared to them walking on the water and they shouted out in terror, “It’s a ghost!” Jesus then revealed that it was him and that they had no need to be afraid. It was typical of Peter that he should be the first to respond and he suggested that Jesus should invite him to come to him, walking on the water. Jesus duly invited him and Peter attempted to walk on the water, but with disastrous results. Within seconds he was crying out to the Lord to save him.

In one way Peter’s attempt to walk on the lake was really impressive. Although his faith was clearly not as strong as it needed to be, he did at least make the attempt which is more than any of the other disciples did. I am sure we all warm to his enthusiasm even if it was rather impetuous. But Peter’s fundamental problem was that he concentrated his attention on the waves and not on Jesus. He focused on the problem and was immediately overwhelmed by it.

We all face problems and challenges. There’s no way to avoid them. But this incident reminds us that we need to focus our attention on the Lord, and not on the problems. When we place our faith in him, we will learn that we can be confident whatever the circumstances, and we can then see whatever challenges are thrown at us in a proper perspective. Like Peter we too will often fail. Sometimes we are overwhelmed by the problems we face and we feel ourselves drowning. How wonderful that we can cry out to the Lord and know that he will save us! But you can be sure that in the same breath he will be telling us, as he told Peter, that he longs that our faith should grow.

QUESTION: Do you consider that you are growing in faith?

PRAYER: Lord God, thank you for your patience with me when my faith falls short. Help me to grow in my relationship with you each day. Amen

Matthew 14.23 NLT

"After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone."

Finally, at the end of an exhausting day, which had seen 5000 people miraculously fed, Jesus had time to be alone with his Father. There’s no doubt that he had planned for this to have happened some hours earlier but now, at last, the time has come. It’s interesting to see how important such times were for Jesus. Because he was the perfect Son of God one might have thought that he didn’t need such times, but clearly these moments of intimacy were crucial for him and we find him at prayer on a number of occasions.

If Jesus needed to spend time alone with his Father, clearly we do as well. It’s good to be busy doing God’s work, and enriching to spend time in fellowship with his people, but we all need to have time when we are alone with God. That relationship will only develop if we spend time with him. It’s a principle which is true of all relationships. There is no way in which a relationship can be strong and resilient unless it is given time. I like the expression “quality time” that is to say unhurried time. Time that is set apart for the relationship and which is protected from all distractions.

I don’t believe that there should be rules as to what this time should look like for us. Some people set apart what is often called a “quiet time” at the beginning or end of the day. I have heard many people say that their time alone with God is when they are walking the dog. Others have a special place in their home where they sit in a particular chair to meditate on the Bible and listen to God. What matters is not the time or place where such times of intimacy with God take place, but that they happen. Times to nourish our relationship with God. Times to stand back from life and to hear what he has to say. However busy we are, those times need to be guarded carefully if we are to be the people that God wants us to be.

QUESTION: When do you find the time to be alone with God?

PRAYER: Loving Father, help me to guard my time with you, however busy life may be, so that my relationship with you is constantly growing stronger. Amen

Matthew 14.17 NLT

“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” the disciples answered.

Jesus had just ordered his disciples to feed the vast crowd. They were understandably overwhelmed by the challenge. How on earth were they going to do it? They pointed out the absurdity of the situation by informing Jesus that they only had five loaves and two fish. It was a complete joke! Anyone could see that they couldn’t possibly feed the thousands of hungry people with such meagre resources. The problem with the disciples was they hadn’t counted on Jesus. They looked at the little packed lunch that they had available to them and had concluded that the situation was completely hopeless.

We all know the end of the story. Jesus blessed the loaves and fishes and there was not only enough food to feed the crowd, but plenty left over. What the disciples had to learn was that however little their resources they needed to put them into Jesus’ hands for him to bless. I am quite sure that, in later life, they often reflected on that amazing day. The disciples faced massive challenges as the mission of the church opened up in the coming years. Their tiny resources seemed trivial in the face of the might of the Roman Empire and the violent opposition that they were going to confront. But as they placed their lives in God’s hands and sought his blessing, amazing miracles were going to take place, well beyond anything that was humanly possible.

When you look at your community I wouldn’t be surprised if you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the challenge. You have been commissioned to make disciples and to baptise the people amongst whom you live. But if you are serious about Jesus’ commission and are taking the Good News out to people you will often face rejection and ridicule. Your church’s resources might seem totally inadequate. So remember that your mission belongs to Jesus and not to you, and that he is able to take whatever you place in his hands, however small, and bring about a miracle.

QUESTION: What are you going to do when you next feel overwhelmed by the challenges that your church is facing?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, I commit what I am and have into your hands and ask you to do a miracle with them. Amen

Matthew 14.15-16 NLT

That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”

You can’t blame the disciples. They were probably exhausted trying to keep up with Jesus, who always seemed to have energy to minister to people. When they come to Jesus at the end of this busy day, they feel that Jesus ought to send the crowds away. They use the sensible argument that they were in a remote place and that it was getting late and so it would be good to encourage the people to go and get some food. But Jesus turns the tables on the disciples. Rather than agreeing with them, he tells them to feed the people. They needed to take responsibility for sorting out the situation.

When we see situations of need it’s always a relief when we can see someone else who is willing to respond. But that isn’t always the case. Sometimes the Lord tells us not to look for anyone else – because we need to respond. Perhaps you see someone who is deeply unhappy and they simply need someone who will calmly and patiently listen to them. Or you see a person who is struggling financially who just needs a little money to help them through the next few days. On many occasions you can stand back and bless the Lord that someone else steps in, but there are times when the Lord says to us, “This is your moment. You can help them.”

We should thank God for the Welfare State. It is a privilege to live in a country where so many needs are catered for. In many parts of the world this is not the case and it has been the thoughtful work of many people, including many Christians, over the years who have devised a way of supporting the vulnerable. But, wonderful as the Welfare State may be, there always have been, and always will be, those who slip through the net, and the Lord calls us to respond.

QUESTION: Who might the Lord be asking you to help?

PRAYER: Loving God, help us to be willing to respond to those in need, even when we’re at the end of the day and feeling tired. Amen

Matthew 14.13-14 NLT

'As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.'

The background to this story is the gruesome murder of John the Baptist. Herod Antipas was the ruler of Galilee at the time. He is not to be confused with his father Herod the Great who was king at the time of Jesus’ birth. Herod Antipas had married his half-brother’s wife and John the Baptist had bravely spoken out against the marriage. This had greatly angered Herod but he was fearful of taking any action against John because everyone spoke so well of him.

One day Herod’s daughter had a birthday party at which she danced so beautifully that he promised unwisely to give her whatever she asked for. Herod’s new wife knew exactly what she wanted and prompted Herodias to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a tray. Herod was a man of his word and that is what she got. It’s a gory story and Jesus was clearly shocked and saddened by the appalling news of his cousin’s death. It’s not surprising that his response was to get away from the area on a boat to a remote place so that he could be alone.

Sadly, Jesus’ plan didn’t work out. Far from allowing him space to cope with his bereavement, the people followed Jesus to the other side of the lake and there he was met by a huge crowd. He could have pleaded with the people to give him some space. It was only reasonable that he should have some time to himself. But no, when Jesus saw the people he had compassion on them and had to respond to their needs. Jesus came to be a servant and in this moment when he desperately needed to be served, he insisted on serving the people. As we live for God it is important for us to make sure that we are walking in Jesus’ footsteps of service. Like Jesus, there are times when we desperately need a rest, but we have to remember that first of all we are servants.

QUESTION: What do you learn from Jesus’ example in this story?

PRAYER: Loving God, thank you for the privilege of serving you. Help me to be ready to serve you at any time, even when it’s not convenient. Amen

Acts 13:5 There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God. John Mark went with them as their assistant. This verse describes the start of the first missionary journey. It was an incredibly important moment for the Christian gospel and it started on the island of Cyprus. Saul (who suddenly became known as Paul) was happy to preach about Jesus anywhere, but it was his usual practice to start in the synagogue and work outwards from there. I find it fascinating that, on this most sensitive of missions, he and Barnabas took young John Mark with them. John Mark is first introduced in the previous chapter. He was clearly well known to Paul and Barnabas, but it was a major initiative to take him on this strategically important missionary journey. You can think of many reasons why it might not be wise to take a young and inexperienced person on such a crucial mission. But they were convinced that his presence was important. It’s impossible to know exactly why they took him, but it is always wise to ensure that young people are being trained up for ministry. I once worked with a very gifted youth minister who was convinced that it was vital to give significant leadership responsibilities to young people by the age of 15 in order to help them to grow. I saw many young people grow into mature leaders by their late teens as a result. I am grateful for those leadership teams on which I have served where there has been a conscious desire to ensure that there is at least one younger person in the group. I can think of some who looked very much out of their depth when they joined, but because they were trusted and encouraged they quickly grew into effective leaders. The example of Paul and Barnabas should give us the encouragement to do the same today. From a human point of view they were taking a risk, but they gladly took it for the good of the Church and how grateful we should be that they did so. The confidence that they placed in Mark might well have been the reason why he later became the author of Mark’s Gospel. Question Does your church encourage younger people to take on leadership roles? Prayer Lord God, help me to encourage young people to grow in the use of their gifts. Amen

Matthew 13.54-55 NLT

Jesus returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?” Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son.”

I suspect that we have all known the hurt of being put down by somebody, and it hurts. Even if it happened many years ago, I suspect that you can still remember exactly where you were, and every word that was said. People’s cruel words often disfigure a person’s life. This may not have been the intention of the person who spoke them, but the words live on and continue to do damage. This is especially true if the words were spoken by parents, siblings or partners.

Jesus had to withstand many put downs. In our reading today people were so amazed by his teaching and miracles that they couldn’t believe that he could have been a local boy, and the son of a carpenter. They knew the family and it all seemed incredible. If he had been the son of a religious leader in Jerusalem it would have made much more sense. But a carpenter’s son from Nazareth sounded ridiculous. They knew the whole family and it just didn’t seem to fit.

If you are still living with put downs then the most important thing you can do is to listen to God’s evaluation of you. John puts it powerfully in his letter when he says, “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!” (1 John 3.1) If you have you have received God’s forgiveness and given your life to him then the fact is that you are loved by God and an eternal member of his family. What people think of you should matter very little alongside the permanent security that you have in your relationship with your loving Heavenly Father.

QUESTION: How have you dealt with the put downs that you have received?

PRAYER: Lord God, thank you for the eternal security that we have with you as your children. Amen

Matthew 13.52 NLT

Then Jesus added, “Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old.”

When I was nine or ten years old, one of the great delights of my life was to visit my grandmother’s house. She lived quite close to our home and I was allowed to go and see her whenever I liked. Her house was like an Aladdin’s cave for me. It was full of generations of treasures and, whenever I found something that appealed to me, I would take it to my grandmother and almost always she would ask me the right question which was, “Would you like to have it dear?” Many of the things she gave me, and particularly her postcard collection from before the First World War, lit up my interest in history and geography and gave me a much bigger appreciation of life. I thank God for her generosity.

In this parable Jesus speaks about the teacher of the law who had a great knowledge of the Old Testament teaching. His knowledge was like a house filled with treasure from which he could get hold of riches from the past and, because he had become a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven, he was also able to take hold of brand new gems. Jesus was always careful to say that he hadn’t come to scrap the Old Testament law but had come to help people to see it in a new way through the illumination of the Holy Spirit. In Christ everything had been renewed.

In every generation there are those who want to abandon the past. Anything which looks traditional is mocked and rejected. But that wasn’t Jesus’ way. He looked to the past with respect and encouraged people to see it with the eyes of the Spirit. God is constantly at work and we should be eager to grasp hold of the gems that he gives to us from the past, as well as the new insights which he reveals to us as we open our lives to his Spirit.

QUESTION: What are the gems that you have discovered recently?

PRAYER: Lord God, thank you for the treasures that you bring to us from the past, and for the ways in which you speak directly and clearly to us today. Amen