Rejoice This Day

 Reposting from several years ago ...

Streaks of pink and mauve in the sky slowly fading ... the sound of birdsong and a donkey braying in the distance ... the air fresh and clean. They'd been waiting for the dawn for ages, their grief preventing restful sleep. Now, as the women made their way to the tomb, there was no need for words. Their grief bound them together. They'd already talked over the events - again and again over previous days - and still no comfort. All they could do was this last act of love for their beloved Teacher and Friend - anoint His body which had been hastily buried before the Sabbath.

They had seen where they had laid His body. They knew about the stone. They hadn't thought through how they would remove the stone, driven as they were by their grief and desire to do one last service to Him Whom they loved.

And then the confusion. The stone had already been rolled away. Who had been here before them? What had happened to His body? Why would someone steal His body?

The revelation. The wonderful, incredible, mind-boggling revelation. Their eyes opened to the truth. Their minds opened.

He is alive! He is risen! Just as He had said would happen.

It all makes sense now. The rush to tell others: to share the Good News and to turn their tears to joy.

Jesus lives! Oh happy Resurrection Sunday.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the eath, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ 

And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

Luke 24:1-9, NKJV

He is not here, but is risen! Hallelujah!

(All images from Free Bible Images contributed by LUMO Project.)

Priesthood

 Some thoughts this Easter from Faith's Checkbook by Spurgeon, devotional for March 28:

"If we obey the Lord, He will compel our adversaries to see that His blessing rests upon us. ... 

"It is for saints to lead the way among men by holy influence: they are not to be the tail, to be dragged hither and thither by others. We must not yield to the spirit of the age, but compel the age to do homage to Christ. If the Lord be with us, we shall not crave tolerance for religion, but we shall seek to seat it on the throne of society. Has not the Lord made His people priests? Surely they are to teach and must not be learners from the philosophies of unbelievers. Are we not in Christ made kings to reign upon the earth? How, then can we be the servants of custom, the slaves of human opinion?

"... Should we allow the name of the Lord Jesus to be kept in the background? Should our religion drag along as a tail? Should it not rather lead the way and be the ruling force with ourselves and others?"

Today we remember that two thousand years ago the Pharisees and Romans thought they had silenced Jesus. He was crucified and laid in a tomb. Dead. They had removed this troubler from society.

Or so they thought.

But Jesus could not be removed. The Father's plan was far greater than that and men, in their ignorance and evil intent, were assisting that plan.

As Christians we have a risen Saviour. We know, as Job did, that our Redeemer lives. So why, oh why do we remain silent? Why do we try to accommodate the philosophies of this world? Why do we tolerate false gods and false ideologies? Not just in our schools and governments, but sadly, even in our churches?

The world says one thing and we scramble to fit it into what the Bible says, twisting the Word to accommodate sin, instead of starting with the Bible and seeing the world's lies for what they truly are.

As we remember the greatest sacrifice this Easter weekend are we also able to be a holy influence in our homes, our workplaces, our schools, our churches, and our communities and stand up for Truth?

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9, KJV).

A Fixed Heart And A Promise

This year I began reading a devotional that had belonged to my maternal grandmother and which had come to me along with several of her books (including at least one that had survived a devastating flood). The devotional is Daily Light on the Daily Path printed by the family firm of Samuel Bagster.

It has a fascinating history. According to a descendant of Samuel Bagster, this book was a family project, prepared entirely by the family. For those who are not familiar with the devotional, each day has a selection of Scriptures on a given theme. No notes: just verses from the Bible that speak for themselves.

Apparently, each day family members would suggest verses for that day and over the course of days or weeks this would be reviewed until the final draft was arrived at. They did this for not 365 days, but twice that as the devotional contains readings for morning and night for every day of the year.

Not so long ago I found this devotional available on YouDevotion app, along with Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook which I also enjoy daily. Reading it on my phone is far easier than reading it on the yellowed pages of a book in small print (and is easier for me to revisit during the day).

One of the things I love about these older devotionals (and there are more on the app which I plan to look at next year) is that they seem to be more about what the Word of God says than about a feel-good thought for the day. I find myself challenged, comforted, corrected, reproved, and instructed, in accordance with 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Both readings this morning were too good not to share. The first is the morning reading from Daily Light and the second is from Faith's Checkbook.

O God, my heart is fixed. Ps 108:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee, - He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.

What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. - In the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy: I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.

Ps 27:1, Isa 26:3, Ps 112:7-8, Ps 56:3, Ps 27:5-6, 1 Pet 5:10-11.

Plead His Own Promise

Thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever. 2 Sam 7:29

This is a promise pleaded, and so it yields double instruction to us. Anything which the Lord God has spoken we should receive as surely true and then plead it at the throne.

Oh, how sweet to quote what our own God has spoken! How precious to use a "therefore." which the promise suggests, as David does in this verse!

We do not pray because we doubt but because we believe. To pray unbelievingly is unbecoming in the Lord's children. No, Lord, we cannot doubt Thee: we are persuaded that every word of Thine is a sure foundation for the boldest expectation. We come to Thee and say, "Do as Thou hast said." Bless Thy servant's house. Heal our sick; save our hesitating ones; restore those who wander; confirm those who live in Thy fear. Lord, give us food and raiment according to Thy Word. Prosper our undertakings; especially succeed our endeavours to make known Thy gospel in our neighbourhood. Make our  servants Thy servants, our children Thy children. Let the blessing flow on to future generations, and as long as any of our race remains on earth may they remain true to Thee. O Lord God, "Let the house of thy servant be blessed."

(Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash)

Telephones and A Devotion

At Christmas time last year The Most Charming Grandson#1 and I happened to chance by a telephone booth while we were out and about. He willingly posed so that I could take a photo, but he had no concept of what it was or why it would even be necessary. At only three years of age, telephones to him were small devices that slip into a back pocket, or, when you visit Nana and Grandpa, strange handsets on a shelf in the hallway. Phone booths were and are totally foreign to his world.

When Charles Spurgeon wrote the words of the following devotion for August 13 in Faith's Checkbook, telephones were still new contraptions. However, he obviously grasped their significance in the world of communication. Telephones have changed dramatically in ways Spurgeon could never have imagined since these words were penned, but his devotion on prayer is still very much applicable to our day and age.

Before and During the Call

"It shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear" (Isaiah 65:24).

Quick work this! The LORD hears us before we call and often answers us in the same speedy manner. Foreseeing our needs and our prayers, He so arranges providence that before the need actually arises He has supplied it, before the trial assails us He has armed us against it. This is the promptitude of omniscience, and we have often seen it exercised. Before we dreamed of the affliction which was coming, the strong consolation which was to sustain us under it had arrived. What a prayer-answering God we have!

The second clause suggests the telephone. Though God be in heaven and we upon earth, yet He makes our word, like His own word, to travel very swiftly. When we pray aright we speak into the ear of God. Our gracious Mediator presents our petitions at once, and the great Father hears them and smiles upon them. Grand praying this! Who would not be much in prayer when he knows that he has the ear of the King of kings? This day I will pray in faith, not only believing that I shall be heard, but that I am heard; not only that I shall be answered, but that I have the answer already. Holy Spirit, help me in this!

Faith's Checkbook can be found online for free here or, as I've recently discovered, is available on the YouDevotion app. (I especially love the app because I can have Faith's Checkbook and Daily Light on the Daily Path all in the one place and in a font size I can read.)

Adjusting

This Devotion for July 14 from Faith's Checkbook by Charles Spurgeon was oh so appropriate after farewelling Son#5, DIL#5 and The Most Adorable Granddaughter#8 after what was a too-short visit (it would never be long enough for me!). The older I get the more I appreciate the words of renowned Christians such as Spurgeon. Daily Devotions from this book can be found here for free.

Burdens Cast on Him

"Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved" (Psalm 55:22).

It is a heavy burden; roll it on Omnipotence. It is thy burden now, and it crushes thee: but when the Lord takes it, he will make nothing of it. If thou art called still to bear, "he will sustain thee." It will be on Him and not on thee. Thou wilt be so upheld under it that the burden will be a blessing. Bring the LORD into the matter, and thou wilt stand upright under that which in itself would bow thee down.

Our worst fear is lest our trial should drive us from the path of duty; but this the LORD will never suffer. If we are righteous before Him, He will not endure that our affliction should move us from our standing. In Jesus He accepts us as righteous, and in Jesus He will keep us so.

What about the present moment? Art thou going forth to this day's trial alone? Are they poor shoulders again to be galled with the oppressive load? Be not so foolish. Tell the LORD all about thy grief and leave it with Him. Don't cast your burden down and then take it up again; but roll it on the LORD and leave it there. Then shalt thou walk at large, a joyful and unburdened believer, singing the praises of thy great Burden-bearer.

Charles Spurgeon knew what it was to have burdens. He suffered ill health (his and his wife's), controversies and tragedies, and, like me, had a son living overseas (one son served in New Zealand for eight years). I suspect he and his wife Susannah missed their son at least as much as I miss mine (and that was at a time before phone calls and internet made keeping in touch so much easier - although I wouldn't mind the long letters but perhaps not the slow post-by-sea service)!

When Son#5 and DIL#5 first moved overseas I felt that our family had been shattered. I have recently found a group online called Scattered Families which better explains our experience. It's amazing what a difference one letter can make. Yes, my heart was breaking when they left, and yes, I miss them terribly, and yes, it's even harder now that there's a grandchild and I've met her and fallen in love with her. But they have to live their lives and go where they believe the Lord is leading them.

DH and I did a similar thing when we moved from Australia to New Zealand to be closer to his family. I experienced loneliness and a sense of misplacement (I had grown up in an area where my ancestors had settled in the 1800's) and I missed my friends and family. But at the time I had no idea of how difficult it must have been for those I left behind.

For my family, where there was only my sister and I, the loss of one daughter must have been so much harder for my parents to bear. Not that we don't miss Son#5 and DIL#5 and The Most Adorable Granddaughter#8 - we do and very much so - but we still have four other sons and daughters-in-law and a bevy of wonderful grandchildren to add joy to our lives here. Yet, we are only too well aware that one part of our family is absent.

When - and if - DH and I imagined the future, we envisioned ourselves growing old with all our family around us. Travelling the length or breadth of New Zealand to visit was the most that we thought we would have to accommodate. There was always the unspoken assumption (on our part - the family might not have shared in it) that for family events everyone would gather together: Christmas, significant birthdays, other celebrations. They still occur but there are often empty seats at the table (figuratively since with so many every available physical seat is taken up) and most definitely in my heart, but God brings comfort in other ways and for that I am truly grateful.

Meanwhile I treasure the moments I have with Son#5 and his family, just as I treasure each and every moment with every other member of the family ... from the early morning wake up calls ... to the over-long phone calls (I suspect one Son sees it as a way of getting some peace at home by giving the phone to the children) ... to the video chats that bring them closer and yet emphasise the distance ... to the car trips to visit (even though I hate travelling) ... even down to the sticky finger marks on the windows.

And, while my house may have returned to normal and the way I like it after the departure of all the family, I definitely look forward to the next time when it will be overrun with little people and Lego, and alarm clocks will not be needed because there will be at least one early riser capable of stirring a whole household!

 

Bleary Eyed

 

Although a little bleary eyed this morning we managed to make it to church on time. Last night we stayed up to watch the Coronation of King Charles III and his wife, Camilla. I'm still trying to process the event and my reactions.

It was unlike any previous royal ceremony that has been televised during my lifetime. As a child, not fully understanding what was happening or its significance, I watched the wedding of Princess Anne to Captain Mark Phillips. As a teen and early twenty-something, there was the fairy-tale wedding of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer, followed a number of years later by the wedding of Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson. More recently we have been afforded the opportunity to watch the next generation of weddings: Prince William to Catherine Middleton, and Prince Harry to Meghan Markle, to name a few.

There have also been some less joyous occasions: Princess Diana's funeral (who will ever forget the sight of those two young boys courageously walking behind their mother's coffin), Prince Philip's funeral (and the sad sight of Queen Elizabeth II sitting alone in an almost empty sanctuary due to COVID and lockdown restrictions), and, only last year, the funeral of the beloved Queen Elizabeth II with all its pageantry and symbolism.

These two elements - pageantry and symbolism - were present in the Coronation Service, and yet, for me, there was something about it that felt off. I have my own opinions as to whether King Charles III will be a good king. Certainly, Great Britain, and the Commonwealth, have known their share of good and bad monarchs, just as any country that has, or has had, a royal family (and just as Israel and Judah did in the Bible). There have certainly been some notable rulers, and some unworthy ones. In my view, the late Queen was one of the former. Her example is going to be a hard one to follow.

The Coronation Service drew on a lot of traditions from the Church of England. Hymns, choral pieces, Bible readings, all had particular significance, and even though the service is different to what I'm accustomed to (probably having more in common with the nonconformists), I could appreciate some of these elements. Despite Britain (and the majority of Commonwealth countries such as New Zealand) no longer considered Christian, it was, to all intents and purposes, a deeply religious service that reflected the beliefs and practices and drew on the traditions (including prayer and the reading of the Word of God) of Christianity. 

And therein lies my disquiet. Not with the differences in worship but in the marrying of these elements and what they stand for with other faiths. King Charles III, as the reigning monarch, pledged to be "committed to the true profession of the Gospel" during his reign and in the countries and territories over which he reigns. He did so, while at the same time, pledging to "foster an environment in which people of all faiths and beliefs may live freely" and praying that God would grant that he "may be a blessing to all thy children, of every faith and belief, that together we may discover the ways of gentleness and be led into the paths of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord." [Refer Order of Service.]

I felt troubled when I first heard these words. Now as I read them, I am even more troubled. I am reminded of how Jesus threw the moneychangers out of the synagogue because they were making a House of Prayer into a den of thieves. I believe that there were those present at the Coronation service, and many more who were watching, who have been deceived. Deliberately or otherwise.

The Bible tells us that there is only one way to God, and that is through Christ Jesus. Not through my faiths or beliefs or convictions, or by living a good life, or through gentleness or being at peace with my neighbour. No, the only way to God is through His Son, Jesus Christ, who died for us. Who paid the price for our sins on the cross and then rose again. That is the Gospel.

Nor are we all God's children if we are not saved by faith. Regardless of whatever good deeds we may clothe ourselves with, they are as filthy rags before a holy and righteous God if we have not believed on the name of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverent Justin Welby, may believe that there was "nothing that offends against Christian worship" in the inclusion of peoples of different faiths, or in the pledge or prayer that King Charles made or were made on his behalf, but I have to respectfully disagree.

As Christians we should be offended when a false gospel is preached. As Christians, we should be offended when other religions are presented as an equal way to God. As Christians, we should be offended when all we know to be true is watered down to please the non-believer or make them feel comfortable.

Yes, we all desire peace, and should pray to that end. But peace shouldn't come at the cost of someone's soul. Letting people believe that there are many ways to God, is not showing love. The truth may offend but should not be sacrificed on the altar of niceness or not wanting to upset the apple cart.

King Charles III may feel "bound to respect those who follow other spiritual paths, as well as those who seek to live their lives in accordance with secular ideals", and we acknowledge that people have a right to choose what they will or will not believe, and whether they will or will not accept Christ, but a deeply religious ceremony, such as the Coronation was, should not reinforce the idea that all faiths lead to God. They don't.

Sadly, this has become all too common in Christianity today. Charles III and The Archbishop of Canterbury are not alone in this. Too often churches compromise with the world so that people are not offended. It's become a pandemic in the modern church.

So what can we do?

Pray. God is still God and He still answers prayers. And if there's ever a time when people need to hear the Gospel without apology, it's now.

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11, NKJV.

Resurrection Sunday

Streaks of pink and mauve in the sky slowly fading ... the sound of birdsong and a donkey braying in the distance ... a chill in the air for the sun's rays had not yet warmed the earth. They'd been waiting for the dawn for ages, their grief preventing restful sleep. Now, as the women made their way to the tomb, there was no need for words. Grief bound them together. They'd already talked over the events - again and again over previous days - and still they could make no sense of what had happened. Comfort was elusive. All they could do was this last act of love for their beloved Teacher and Friend: anoint His body which had been hastily buried before the Sabbath.

Their hands cradling the precious spices, they remembered the stone. They had seen where they had laid His body. They knew about the stone that sealed the tomb. But driven as they were by their grief and desire to do one last service to Him Whom they loved, they had not considered how they would remove the stone. 

And then the confusion. The stone had already been rolled away. Who had been here before them? What had happened to His body? Why would someone steal His body?

The revelation. The wonderful, incredible, mind-boggling revelation. Their eyes opened to the truth. Their minds opened.

He is alive! He is risen! Just as He had said would happen.

It all makes sense now. The rush to tell others: to share the Good News and to turn their tears to joy.

Jesus lives! Oh happy Resurrection Sunday.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ 

And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

Luke 24:1-9, NKJV

He is not here, but is risen! Hallelujah!

Christ, the Lord, is risen today,

Alleluia!

Sonds of men and angels say,

Alleluia!

Raise your joys and triumphs high,

Alleluia!

Sing ye heavens and earth reply

Alleluia!

Love's redeeming work is done,

Alleluia!

Fought the fight, the battle won, 

Alleluia!

Death in vain forbids His rise,

Alleluia!

Christ hath opened paradise.,

Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King,

Alleluia!

Where, O death, is now thy sting?

Alleluia!

Dying once He now doth save,

Alleluia!

Where thy victory, O grave?

Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led,

Alleluia!

Following our exalted Head,

Alleluia!

Made like Him, like Him we rise,

Alleluia!

Ours the cross, the grave, the skies,

Alleluia!

Hail, the Lord of earth and Heaven,

Alleluia!

Praise to Thee by both be given,

Alleluia!

Thee we greet triumphant now,

Alleluia!

Hail, the resurrection, thou,

Alleluia!

lyrics by Charles Wesley, 1739