"... you took upon yourself our kind of life, just as it is. You let it slip away from you, Just as ours vanishes from us. You held onto it carefully, so that not a single drop of it's torments would be spilled. You hoarded it's every fleeting moment, so you could suffer through it all, right to the bitter end.
... You were supposed to come to redeem us from ourselves, and yet you, who alone are absolutely free and unbounded, were "made" even as we are. Of course I know that you remained what you always were, but still, didn't our mortality make you shudder, you the immortal God Didn't you, the broad and limitless Being, shrink back in horror from our narrowness? Weren't you, absolute Truth, revolted at our pretense?
Didn't you nail yourself to the cross of creation, when you took as your own life something which you had drawn out of nothing, when you assumed as your very own the darkness that you had previously spread out in the eternal distance as the background to your own inaccessible light? Isn't the cross of Golgotha only the visible form of the cross you have prepared for yourself, which towers throughout the spaces of eternity?
...is my surrender to the crushing narrowness of earthly existence the beginning of my liberation from it, precisely because this surrender is my "Amen" to your human life, my way of saying yes to your human coming, which happens in a manner so contrary to my expectations?
...Slowly a light is beginning to dawn. I've begun to understand something I have known for a long time: You are still in the process of your coming. Your appearance in the form of a slave was only the beginning of your coming, a beginning in which you chose to redeem men by embracing the very slavery from which you were freeing them. And you can really acchieve your purpose in this paradoxical way, becasue the paths that you tread have a real ending, the narrow passes which you enter soon open out into broad liberty, the cross that you carry ineveitable becomes a brilliant banner of triumph."

(Karl Rahner)

I Knew You’d Come: A Remembrance Day Recollection (found here)

~Author Unknown

He was very old now, but could still hold himself stiffly at attention before the monument. His war, the one to end all wars, now just a fading part of history. Very few could remember, first-hand, the savageness of the ordeal that had sent millions of young men to their deaths. Cannon fodder, they’d called them, sent before the guns to be mown down — blown apart by chunks of metal which had decimated their frail bodies. The cream of a generation; almost wiped out. He was haunted by the faces of the boys he’d had to order into battle, the ones who’d never come back. Yet one nameless ghost was able to bring a measure of comfort to his tormented mind. At the sound of the gun signaling the eleventh hour he was mentally transported back to the fields of Flanders.

::

The battle had raged for over two hours, with neither side gaining any advantage. Wave after wave of soldiers had been dispatched from the muddy trenches and sent over the top. So many had died already that day that he decided he could not afford to lose any more men before reinforcements arrived. Perhaps they’d give the remnants a few more days of life. There came a slight lull in the battle due to the sheer exhaustion of the men on both sides.

During this interval, a young soldier came up to him requesting that he be allowed to go over the top. He looked at the boy who couldn’t have been more than nineteen. Was this extreme bravery in the face of the enemy or was the soldier so scared he just needed to get it over with?

“Why would you want to throw your life away, soldier? It’s almost certain death to go out there.”

“My best friend went out over an hour ago, captain, and he hasn’t come back. I know my friend must be hurt and calling for me. I must go to him, sir, I must.” There were tears in the boy’s eyes . It was as if this were the most important thing in the world to him.

“Soldier, I’m sorry, but your friend is probably dead. What purpose would it serve to let you sacrifice your life too?”

“At least I’d know I’d tried, sir, he’d do the same thing in my shoes. I know he would.”

He was about to order the boy back to the ranks, but the impact of his words softened his heart. He remembered the awful pain he’d felt himself when his brother had died. He’d never had the chance to say goodbye.

“All right soldier, you can go.” Despite the horror all around them, he saw a radiant smile on the boy’s face, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“God bless you, sir,” said the soldier.

It was a long time before the guns fell silent for the last time and each side was allowed to gather their dead and wounded. The captain remembered the young soldier. He looked through the many piles of bodies. Young men. So many as to give an unreal quality to the scene before him.

When he came to the makeshift hospital, he looked carefully through the casualties. He soon found himself before the prone body of the soldier, alive, but severely wounded. He knelt down beside the young man and gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, son. I knew I was wrong to let you go.”

“Oh no, sir. I’m glad you did and I’m glad you’re here now so I can thank you. You see sir, I found my friend. He was badly wounded, but I was able to comfort him at the end. As I held him dying in my arms, he looked me in the eyes and said: “I knew you’d come.”

The young soldier faded between consciousness and oblivion for some time before he too finally slipped away.

The captain stayed by his side until the end, tears streaming quietly down his cheeks.

::

As the bugle sounded “Taps”, the old captain envisioned once again the young soldier’s face. Looking up, he could almost hear the stone monument calling out to him: “I knew you’d come.”

Jesus said, "There is no greater love than this: that a man lay down his life for a friend."

Ten of One Thousand

Giving thanks for another ten of one thousand endless gifts:

41. a peaceful and beautiful walk by the canal on Saturday
42. seeing the children running, smiling and just being out of doors
43. healing from sickness of various kinds last week
44. for a husband's humility and service in caring for us all when we were ill
45. for a daughter making progress in riding her bike (through a father's perseverance!)
46. for forgiveness for things I said yesterday which did not build up but rather knocked down
47. for a bonfire party with no injuries!
48. Cranmer's collects
49. for mercy which does not give me what I truly do deserve
50. for grace which freely gives me gifts I truly don't

All those prayers we never pray, but should

“Unoffered prayer, and by that I mean prayers that we do not pray that we should be praying, is a direct index to and commentary on the way in which prideful presumption and the sin of self–sufficiency governs us and directs our thinking. I fear... that there are large portions of our lives when we are so proud, so self sufficient, so presumptuous, that we go about trying to get the things we need and want in our own strength as if we had no Heavenly Father to take care of us.”

(Robert Reynold, Jan 1st 2000)

How Thanksgiving Became an Institution

I stumbled across Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863 here.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

Abraham Lincoln

When I don't feel like praying or don't know what to say...

Tim Keller offers the following advice on praying,

October 2010
by Tim Keller

"Years ago when I wanted to become more skillful in public prayer, I was fortunate to come across the collects of Thomas Cranmer, the writer of the original Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. The “collects” (the stress is on the first syllable)that Cranmer wrote were brief but extremely ‘packed’ little prayers that tied together the doctrine of the day to a particular way of living. They were prayed by the minister on behalf of the people, or prayed in unison by the whole congregation.

As I have read them over the years they have brought me two great benefits. First, they have given me a basic structure by which I can compose good public prayers, either ahead of time, or spontaneously. Cranmer’s collects consist of 5 parts:

1. The address - a name of God

2. The doctrine - a truth about God’s nature that is the basis for the prayer

3. The petition - what is being asked for

4. The aspiration - what good result will come if the request is granted

5. In Jesus’ name - this remembers the mediatorial role of Jesus

See this structure in Cranmer’s famous collect for the service of Holy Communion:

1.Almighty God

2.unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid,

3.cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit,

4.that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy name,

5.through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

See how the prayer moves from a doctrinal basis (why we can ask for it) to the petition (what we want) to the aspiration (what we will do with it if we get it.) It is remarkable how this combines solid theology with deep aspirations of the heart and concrete goals for our daily life.

As time has gone on I have come to use Cranmer’s collects in my personal devotional time (this is the second benefit.) I take up one collect at the beginning of each new week. I read Paul Zahl’s volume The Collects of Thomas Cranmer (Eerdmans, 1999) that provides a very short explanation and meditation on the prayer. Then I pray that prayer to God reflectively every morning for the rest of the week as I begin my personal time with God. I commend this practice to you..." (more here)

So, I have taken his advice and found an online version of the collects here.

For many, the idea of praying a prewritten prayer seems stifling or mechanical. This may be true at times, but if we are honest, isn't much of our own spontaneous praying mechanical anyway - simply because we are battling with our natural instinct to be distracted from praying. (This is my experience, at least.) Sometimes it is simply an act of our wills which keeps us there. And isn't this an act which glorifies God? I don't mean to say that we can only expect prayer to be mechanical but simply that praying when we don't feel like praying is hard but nonetheless glorifying to God. It is precisely at these moments that having a prayer which has been carefully composed and well thought out theologically can be a real aid when we are feeling dry and have nothing particular in mind to say.
Lord Peter Wimsey said,

"A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought."

If true learning is simply thinking God's thoughts after him, I see nothing wrong with this statement. When praying is hard, let's make good use of the many sources of wonderful prayers available to us and ask that the Holy Spirit would plant the words deep in our hearts and make them our own.

Another good reason for using prayers such as these is that the theology and truth contained in them can be food for our souls and minds as we inwardly digest it. These truths can then change they way we think and pray in accordance with God's word, eventually filtering out through our own spontaneous prayers too.

The prayer for this week (the 23rd week after Trinity) seems quite apt:

God, our refuge and strength, who art the author of
all godliness, be ready to hear the devout prayers of
thy Church, and grant that those things which we ask
faithfully we may obtain effectually; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.

If you, like me, find praying the hardest thing of all, then take heart and don't give up!

Being specific - Ten of One Thousand

Whilst it is true that followers of Jesus are to have an attitude of thankfulness in "all circumstances", there is a danger that our thankfulness becomes too general and not focussed. Once our prayers lose focus the next step is to ask ourselves, "Is there any point or need to pray that, or something similar again? God has already heard my request and I know he already wills that that it be so, so there is no need to keep waffling about it."
To put it another way, it is hard (although not impossible) to be diligent about something which we can't relate to a specific purpose. Surely this is one of the first subtle barriers to praying "without ceasing". If we accept that it is already hard enough to be persevering in prayer, any steps we can take to aid us should be adopted with enthusiasm.

The other danger is that our thanks are quite specific but only relate to our own particular situation. We are to be thankful for good gifts which benefit others too.
The Bible gives us specific things for which to be thankful, so let's use them to aid us in persevering prayer which also includes a worldwide view.

Here is one:
Thank God for the faith seen in other believers and for their love for one another. We see this prayer offered in several of the letters of the New Testament. Who have I heard of recently for whom this is true - both at home or in the worldwide church?

And so ten more of one thousand:

31. for the women in our study group who are growing in faith and hunger for the truth and their genuine love and service for one another
32. for the faithful teaching and prayers of the one who rallies us each week
33. for a couple recently married who are battling circumstances to keep on showing love in a difficult situation
34. for the evidence of faith and love at the Lausanne Congress a few weeks ago
35. for a son getting better after many bouts of sickness in the night
36. for snatched moments of sleep inbetween changing sheets and pyjamas
37. for a servant hearted husband who was so helpful with the above
38. for a sister's birthday and the fun she enjoyed with friends
39. for the visit of my little sister and time for the children to enjoy their Auntie's company
40. for the gift of grace which means we can enjoy these simple pleasures

Ten of One Thousand

21. For the Lausanne Congress and the encouragement it has brought to so many
22. For truth that teaches us how to do the right thing (Titus 1:1)
23. For the cousins from Bangalore
24. For the smooth running of our globalink site and the opportunity to pray for the worldwide church
25. For the good that can come from information technology
25. For a daughter who loves to listen to stories
26. For a son who loves to help as only two-year-olds can
27. For a little sister coming up to stay this week
28. For the privilege of free medical treatment
29. For the beauty of Autumn
30. For Hope for a broken world and broken people

"Sing a new song to the LORD for he has done marvellous deeds."
(The Bible, Psalm 98 v 1)

"...and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Cyber Attack Hits Global Church Gathering

"I will build my church..."

Cape Town 2010 Opening Celebration | The Lausanne Global Conversation

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise him all creatures here below
Praise him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost!

Overflowing - Another Ten of One Thousand

What if thankfulness were the first evidence of a life lived in an orientation of faith towards our Creator?

I say first, not just in the sense of the beginning but also in the sense of the primary evidence.

If we think about it logically, it is the first right response to the beauty and magnitude of creation itself - not simply to wonder at what we see, but to be moved to give thanks for it - even in the earliest stages of wondering to whom it is we speak. I once read about someone whose first encounter with God was a conscious decision to say thank you for something every day. Once formed, the habit became a lifestyle. The first meeting became a friendship. Thanksgiving is the natural response to a true understanding of God as creator, therefore it is the beginning of worship.

But is it not also the characteristic of one much further down that journey - the one who knows the God to whom they speak and who lives in relationship with Him? If I think of the believers I know who have most influenced me for good in their life's example, I find it's true that they are also the ones who live in an attitude of thankfulness. Cynicism is not a trait for which they are known. They say thank you both with their words and their lives poured out in generosity and service to others. Thansgiving (in word and deed) is the natural response to a true understanding of grace, therefore it is the essence of worship.

"And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your LORD, you must continue to follow him. Ley your roots grow down into him and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught and you will overflow with thankfulness."

(The Bible, Col 2:6-7)

And so ten more of one thousand:

11. for creation which speaks to us
12. for truth which is unchanging
13. for a place to go to study this truth and the leader who teaches us so well
14. for grapes, grapes and more grapes!
15. for time spent with a sister and 2 lovely nieces who now live far away
16. for the hospitality of another sister living not so far away
17. for my baby sister who is always there and ready to help with grape recipes!
18. for a husband who is always so willing to serve
19. for those standing up for truth despite hostility
20. for a reminder to keep on praying and not give up

Ten of One Thousand

It was my intention to begin this on Sunday - Harvest Sunday for us, which seemed a good day to stop and to remember.
But stuff crowded in and yesterday was crazy.
So here I am, better late than never - the first ten of one thousand intentional thangsgivings - because "every good and perfect gift is from above".
May it become not only my habit but my orientation for each moment of every day...

1. For life and breath
2. For food
3. For soul food
4. For family
5. For friends who become family
6. For the means to support ourselves
7. For four walls and a comfy bed
8. For learning to read and write for free!
9. For grace
10. For the inspiration in the first place

The great paradox

"It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom."

(The Bible, MSG)

Our world has alot to say about "freedom" but never this: that the true freedom Jesus gives is not about setting me free to live as I please, but rather setting me free from the inward compulsion to live selfishly and so enabling me to live for the benefit of others.
Much is also said in Hollywood about "love" but rarely this: that true love is service - a laying aside of my needs or wants for the benefit of the other.

To a world of many words but little wisdom, Jesus said, "There is no greater love than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends."

When I am weak...

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." ... That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(The Bible, 2 Cor 12:9-10)

What are the weaknesses I face today?
Physical ailment? Lack of patience? Loss of temper? Habitual patterns of behaviour? Circumstances beyond my control?
Will I embrace them rather bury my head in the sand?
Will I face them with the power He gives?

Jesus said, "Ask and you will receive".

What am I reaping this harvest?

"My beloved had a vineyard
on a rich and fertile hill.
He ploughed the land, cleared it's stones
and planted it with the best vines...
Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes
but the grapes that grew were bitter...
He expected a crop of justice,
but instead he found oppression.
He expected to find righteousness,
but instead he found cries of violence."

The Bible, Isaiah 5

What kind of a crop am I reaping today?
Bitter or sweet?
What part am I playing in bringing about justice for the oppressed?
Where is the violence in my own heart?
Jesus said, "By their fruit you will recognise them".

Get some ideas here and here.

Inside Out

For those who take an interest in personality profiling I am, apparently, an introvert.

This does not mean, as one might assume, that I dislike being around other people but simply that, after spending time with others, I appreciate time alone to recharge my batteries. This may explain why I find social networking sites a little overwhelming so there is a strange irony in the fact that a blog should appeal to me as providing an opportunity for some quiet space.

The other apparent trait of my particular "profile" (INFJ- for those familiar with Jung/Myers Briggs Testing) is that my internal thought world is big or, at least, constantly on the go. In fact, apart from being asleep, there aren’t many moments in the day when I am not thinking about something. To some this may sound silly because surely we must all be thinking about something in order to do anything? But, in my case, I am often thinking about something completely different to the activity in which I am engaged.

This could account for my tendency to be easily distracted.

Some would call it “away with the fairies”... but I prefer the term “musing” (for obvious reasons).

The trouble with all that extra thinking going on is that there isn’t always an outlet for it. What I need is somewhere to put it all. Hence another reason for Museum of Life – museum being a place to store stuff - things of interest, at least to me.

CS Lewis once suggested that a thought or sentiment was never really complete until it had been expressed to another. I guess I find myself writing in order to express, or complete what is going on inside. It also completes the process for me because I often find that it's only when I write something down that the thoughts become fully formed. In short, I need to write to think. Maybe I don’t need a blog for that. Maybe my notebook journal should be enough. But I think there is also something about the way we have been made which means that, even for introverts, we need to live in community. Paul Simon was wrong - none of us is truly an island. To share thoughts, emotions, even the most simple of daily experiences is what being human is all about. In this we reflect the character of the One who made us. When my 2 year old son comes bouncing in from the front room window shouting, “vworry, vworry!” (lorry, lorry) he is doing just that. He has seen something which brings him joy and he wants to share it with me.

We love to share our feelings and discoveries with others because we are made to be like God. How often do I stop to think or remember that every tiny detail in our crazy world is a message from Him about Him? So here I am to do just that - to pause a while and to ponder what He might be saying...