Those Special Moments

You know those moments that you have that are so profound or life altering at the time that you know you'll never forget them. I'm talking about things like you're earliest memory, or the first bone you broke, your wedding, first loved one who died, childs first steps.

For me - my ealiest memory many people don't believe because it's from when I was just 7 months old - my first steps. The first (and only so far) bone I broke was my collar bone from a mountain bike accident on a school camp. First loved one who died was my nanna when I was two - I don't remember this but I do remember feeling that something was missing. Next person I remember having a fair impact on my by dying was my grandfather.

It is in these moments, looking back on them, I thank God for the blessings which he gives us, the life which is abounding around us, for the memories I have of the people who have gone and the lives they've lived. I find that those memories which are the most dear to me are of people, of relationships, of life - of love. It is only because of how God made us, in His image, that we are able to have such memories, to know such love - and the greatest love of all is that of God.

I have another such memory to add to my repotoire but while it will definitely stick with me for a little while I do not know if it will stay. Just yesterday I was involved in an accident which given its nature, and going by any statistics of such things, I should not still be here - or if I am I should at least have some severe injuries. I have walked away from this without a mark - praise be to God. Just before, during, and afterwards I was praying to God, not for myself, but for those around me. I was on my way to give a sermon on Lent, it's origin, and the things we face each day which try to separate us from God. My prayers as this was happening continued to be for those around me, while also inwardly screaming God save me, before it had ended I found myself turning back from that saying God, I want to live, but I know your plans are much greater than mine - bring about your will and not mine if it is not yours also.

Lent is about a heightened awareness of just who God is and what He has done for us - it is a preparation to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God - it is a time to remind us of our sinfulness and our undeservedness of all that God has done for us in His love for us. Many people give up something which is causing a separation of themselves and God that they might come to spend more time with Him and know him more. What I have found is that we need to be thankful for all that we have and not only having those times which we spend time specifically with Him but be consciously with Him every single moment of the day.

The moments that we look back on and remember - I want to be remembering the God that allowed me to have such memories and such moments along with each one of those memories - because He is the one who was able to show us just what love is, and the one whom is always with us, the one relationship which I value above any other, making each and every moment of my life one worth remembering.

What moments in life do you remember, or would like to share, and which are you looking forward to remembering in time to come?

True Light or Misleading? (Shine, Part 2)

What have we already learnt from the beginning of John 1? We know that Jesus is the Son of God, that He is the Word, that He is Life, that He is Light - and that He shines.

The passage in John continues from verse 6...

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

I don't have a lot of time just now so I will try to make this brief. John number 2, not John who wrote the book, came to direct people to the true light, to the true messiah, the true Christ. We read that he was not the light, but we can also see here from the way that it was written that some people thought of him as the true light. As something other that what he was. With John however they were in for a surprise as he continued to point them away from himself.

They needed someone there to point them in the right direction, someone who was able to see what was true and what was not. There were many others who had come before and claimed to be the Christ, claimed to be something other than what they were. How were they to know one from the other, distinguish the true from the false?

The answer to this last question is found in the final sentence. The true light gives light to every man coming into the world. What did the others promise? How did they show themselves? But also, who bore witness to them? Here is a man who says no, do not follow me, follow Him, he is the true light, he is the only one who is able to give you light. And of course, we heard last time that the light of men is life.

So John, is standing out in the wilderness telling all those who come to him 'don't follow me, but follow Him if you want to have life, for He is the true light and the only one who can give you that light, give you true life.' Jesus also shows who he is throughout his life throught the different miracles he performs, things he does, and words he speaks. You can read more about them in John, or the other gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke).

Are you being true, or misleading others? We are called to be like Christ - here we hear that He was a true light to the world.

Coming Up: Shine, Part 3

God Bless

In the beginning... (Shine, Part 1)

I was thinking and praying about just where abouts I could start this series as there is so much in the bible on light and then I thought, where better to start than in the beginning?? - In more than one sense of the word.

In my first blog to this address (22nd June, 2010) I did what many people do and explain why they have decided to start up a blog. And with this also why they have named it as it is. The latter I explained only briefly but did not go into a lot. An excerpt from that blog 'Beginning'...

It comes from a passage in the Bible, something I have been challenged about recently and which I will probably elaborate on in a later post, but for now.. Matthew 5: 14-16

'You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.'

We are each but a single flame yet so much light can come from us. I guess my hope for this blog is that it can be a testimony to my light. Whether I talk of myself or other things happening, that God may be using me and shining through me so that my ray of light is one that stands out amongst others, one worth following.

Is it not a wonderful passage?!?

Now for looking more at just how that imagery of Light is used in the Bible that we might be able to understand it more... lets start in the beginning!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. -John 1:1-5

Now this passage may take a little bit to explain, just giving you a heads up. I mean at the surface some of what it is saying just doesn't make sense - let's take the first sentence, the Word was with God, and was God. Isn't it one or the other? And what is the Word - how can a word be those things? And in the last sentence - how can darkness comprehend anything? But once there is a light it is no longer dark - of what is this speaking? It's all a bit of a riddle really, isn't it?

Well, let's try to make a little sense of this passage then. It starts In the beginning... so let's go back and see what's in the beginning.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was wtihout form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face fo the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.   -Genesis 1:1-3

In other parts of the Bible, or through many different parts of the Bible we find that there is three in one with God. There is only one God but within Him there is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. Sound complicated? It is. And it's something which you can never convince someone of - it always takes a measure of faith. It sounds too unbelievable to be able to convince anyone of it. Here, in this very first passage of the Bible, we see that the three persons of God are here - when we read it with John 1. God the Father is there - God the Spirit is there - And God the Son is there as the Word.

If we can understand this, then suddenly the first three sentences of John make sense. Those statements are no longer contradictory but supportive of one another. The first thing which is created which gives life to the world is light. Light is the leader and divider which gives life. It is to this imagery that the rest is set also.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

We know now how this is speaking of Jesus, the Son of God, who was there from the beginning, even though he came here only just over 2000 years ago. Trippy, or what? We can see how this passage is linked with Genesis to help explain things but what is it really saying about Jesus? It is saying that He is life. He is our light. And we did not comprehend who He was (we are the darkness, or rather the world is the darkness). So if we want to get away from the darkness of the world, the death that it offers, the only way to find such light, and life, is in and through Jesus - for only He can shine bright enough to overcome.

Kind of random, kind of not - what is your favourite source of light in this world??

Coming up: Shine, Part 2

God Bless

'In Christ'

At the conference I went to in December the theme was 'In Christ' - looking at just how we are in Christ. There was one illustration which was used throughout the talks which I found quite helpful and that is what I'm going to share with you.

So, picture an aeroplane, at the airport, ready for boarding, waiting to depart. The aeroplane is going to... lets say Hawaii. To spell this out the aeroplane is Christ and Hawaii is where we're waiting to go - the New Heaven and New Earth, I suppose.

First use of illustration. Final Destination. If we are in the plane then we are perpetually already in Hawaii - it is a certainty that we will get there. However, we need to be in the plane. We cannot be sitting in the waiting room looking on watching everybody else get on. We can't be standing at the railing thinking about how that might be a good idea to get on. We can't be in another plane. The only way to get to Hawaii is if we are in that plane.

Second use of illustration. Measure of Faith. If there is somebody who has been an avid flyer and travelled many places by plane they might sit down and relax straight away. On the other side of the aisle is an elderly gentleman who has never been in a plane. He is sitting quite upright - shaking a little - double checking his belt is on right - reading through all of the safety procedures and listening avidly as the flight attendant also runs through these things - asking numerous questions about how the plane works to make sure that he's safe. It does not matter what measure of faith one has, it took the same amount to get on the plane in the first place. Likewise, one who gets on at first boarding call and the one who gets on at final boarding call. Both are in the plane, and so both are in Hawaii.

Third use of illustration. Serving in Christ. When you are in a plane, all you do is sit down while others serve you... this is where the illustration does not work. In Christ, we should be serving one another - so lets remove the pilot, this flight doesn't need one as Christ is the only one who knows the way. And now lets remove the flight attendants, as we serve one another in Christ we do not need flight attendants whose job is specifically to serve each of us as that is each of ours job description, to lovingly serve one another in Christ.

I hope you also find this illustration helpful.

Can you think of anything else which this might illustrate - without taking the metaphor too far?

God Bless