Relentless tenderness

Today I have been struck by the relentless tenderness of Jesus.

Earlier today I was reading something that had echoes of what I spoke upon last Sunday. This book applied in some deeper ways. I had been talking about “the journey outward” – how as we are being transformed and united with Christ it will always seek expression in having the heart of the Lord towards others in service and showing God’s love.

I read a wonderful quote from Henri Nouwen, the Dutch priest and writer, who was commenting upon the scripture that I used last week where Jesus was “moved by compassion”  The Greek word for compassion could accurately be translated as having a gut wrenching heart breaking response to someone’s suffering. Nouwen takes it further and says “ The Greek word here is related to the Hebrew word for compassion which refers to the womb of Yahweh. Compassion is such a deep, central and powerful emotion in Jesus that it can only be described as a movement in the womb of God. There all the tenderness and gentleness lies hidden.”

In speaking of our own woundedness, Brennan Manning says that sometimes we seem to cry out with Jeremiah, “ Enough already. Leave me alone in my melancholy. The shepherd replies. I will not leave you alone. You are mine. Do you think that I am a small god that you can keep at a distance?”

This morning I am struck by the relentless tenderness of Jesus. I had been thinking about how the Lord was moved by compassion for others and it spoke to my heart. Today I am overwhelmed by something of the depth of His gentle, tender care of me. 

And today I need that.

Being robbed as a metaphor for being robbed

As you might know, Trinity had a little break in last week. Bless the Lord very little was taken but it was both inconvenient and very frustrating! It has taken a number of people a lot of hours to deal with some of the implications of this.
Understandably, we are evaluating our security to make this even less likely to happen.

As I was walking around the church praying this morning, the very obvious reality of being robbed really impacted me. It is one thing to make sure that we lock the church and be very wise in the way we do things. This might really help us physically as a church.

What about the other forms of robbery that can and does happen. We can get robbed of our peace by so many things. Perhaps one of the most common is forgetting that God is in control and therefore we do not have to be! That is a hard one sometimes.
Proverbs 13:3 says: "Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin."
When our mouth is open too often and without wisdom, it can really make it easy to be robbed.


Probably the most common way in which we get robbed is in forgetting the past. Ps 106 deals very strongly with this idea in verse 12 and 13. Then they believed his promises and sang his praise. But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold. 


When we forget the great things that the Lord has done in our lives, we lack the perspective needed to move forward successfully into the future.  David even says that when we forget what He has done, we fail to wait for his guidance and plans for the future. A vital key to ceasing tomorrow is remembering yesterday and all of the ways in which God has been guide and provider. 


We stand a greater chance of being robbed when we forget the wonderful mercies of the Lord which are still new every morning.

Steering wheels and brakes

I read something very interested this week that has really prompted me to think more about holiness. I was reading an interesting book by Calvin Miller called the Disciplined Life. For me, the best chapter was definitely the first where he addressed one of the major flaws in the way in which we often approach holiness. Essentially he writes that often our attention is on what we need to stop doing rather than where we want to go.

The analogy that he uses is an automotive one - brakes and steering wheel. If all you do in teaching someone how to drive is to use the brake and not the wheel, they will be safe but not really get anywhere!

In terms of learning how to be disciples, if all we focus upon is what we need to give up we often end up either very self disciplined or very frustrated - often going back and forth between the two in my experience. 

Our fight against sin is not merely a fight against sin but rather should be seen in light of where we are trying to go - which is to a closer walk with the Lord.  That is the main objective and it is a life giving one. The path to true holiness is one of trying to get rid of anything that hinders my relationship with the Lord.

Fixing our eyes upon the goal is a lot more satisfying that constantly struggling with the problem. Who wants a car that has a huge brake pedal and no steering wheel?

The challenge for me today is to keep in mind that my major goal is to keep developing a closer and closer friendship with the Lord and letting that relationship change everything else.

I read something else this week from a Jesuit priest that I really liked - 

"Fall in love with God, stay in love with God, and it will change everything". 

Resurrection Sunday!

We may differ in theology, language and style, but all over the world believers in the Lord Jesus will be gathering to reflect on the death and celebrate the resurrection this weekend.
I love the fact that when we gather on Friday and Sunday we will be a part of this international throng who are meeting all over the world to worship!
I am a firm believer that the celebration on Sunday is only part of this weekend of worship. Coming to the foot of the cross to ponder the great gift of love is so important.  We come on Friday not to mourn but to soberly remember that it was for our sins, my sins, that Jesus died.  We gather on Sunday not because it is spring, or tradition; but, because how else can we respond to the resurrection that with a shout and a song.

I pray that in the business of this week you can take time to both gather at the foot of the cross and at the empty tomb. I also pray that you will take the time to prayerfully and thoughtfully read the scriptures telling the story of the path to the cross over this passion week.

Worship - the follow up

Last Sunday, we started to look at the one of my favourite subjects - worship. The difficulty is that this is such a large topic, how do you approach it in just one little message? Impossible!
The definition that I used last week about worship in general is that "worship is any action in response to the God’s initiative of love which is appropriate to His character and in line with the principles and examples of worship in the Bible."
I love the fact that this does not limit worship by what we forbid or what our traditions or tastes dictate. Our worship should be always growing and changing as we learn more about the Lord. It is a fresh response to growing understanding. Worship is an art coming from a heart that encounters God.
Truly encountering God, whether it is in His word, in prayer or any other place where God reveals Himself should evoke a response from us. It is our joyful privilege to keep finding fresh ways to express that response.
Towards the end of the message I asked the question - "What kind of response is appropriate to all that the Lord is and has done?"  Answering that is one of the wonderful challenges of our life!

Onwards Always!
Colin

More on prayer for the church

I really love being the pastor at Trinity! It is a great church with wonderful people. Having said that I am completely aware of how difficult it is to be a pastor and leader and how much I need your prayers.
If I ever assume that I can do this job in my wisdom or strength, I am doomed to failure. The biggest gift that I can bring to this role is the humility to recognize that without the Lord's help, I have little to bring.
It is the same for the elders and other leaders within the church. They might be wonderful and wise people God never intended leaders to function without His help!
If we choose and elect people to these roles and then abandon them without praying for them we are truly abandoning them. It is an awesome privilege to be a leader in the church - and an daunting task.
So how can you pray for church leaders?

1.     Exodus 33:15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.

1. Pray that we will first be followers of the Lord and that we will lead by following where the Lord is going.
2.  Our challenge is not to build the church but to allow the Lord to build the church and let Him use us in that process.

2.    Psalm 127: Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

1. Pray that we as leaders will be watchmen – people of prayer watching out to see not only what God is doing but what the enemy is also doing.
2. Pray that we will have God’s perspective on what is going on around us.\
3. Pray that we will pray

On Saturday morning the elders will be gathering for a half day to seek the Lord and to allow the Lord to pour his life and wisdom back into us. This is a not a business meeting except that the Lord's first business with us is to shape us into the sort of men that He can use.
Can you pray that this will be a very profitable time together? 
We need and value your prayers.\


Onwards always
Colin
 

how to pray for the church

I have had a number of conversations this week about the need for the church to pray, and indeed to become a praying church.
I think we all know that we need to pray more - and we all feel both guilty and ineffective at times in trying to make that a reality.

How do you pray for Trinity?

1. Consider setting a time every week when you pray individually or with a friend for the church. A good time might be when you are driving to church - just don't close your eyes of course.
2. Begin by asking the Lord to show you how to pray - and trust that He will lead you as you pray
3. We should always pray that the gracious presence of the Lord would be evident every time we gather together in His wonderful love, grace and transforming power.
4. When we need to pray we also need to remember that we have an enemy who is the business of condemnation, accusation and division. We need to pray that his plans will not work - and we must ensure that our actions never open the door for his activity. Perhaps a very good prayer is Ps 133

   A song of ascents. Of David.

   1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! 2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes. 3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

Here is a paraphrase into a prayer.
Lord can we be a church where where we all live our lives together in your kind of unity. Can we learn how to be this sort of community of faith? 

Lord we need to see the oil of your anointing flowing through every part of the church. Without you, we can do nothing.

Lord we want to learn how to live and love together so that we can see your blessing and your life flow through Trinity International Church. 

This is the kind of church that I want to be part of! This is the kind of church that the Lord can and will bless! This is the kind of church that we need to pray and work together towards.

Onwards always!

Colin