Sunday Reflections
Pentecost 6
2 Samuel 1.1,17-27; Psalms 130; 2 Corinthians 8.1-15; Mark 5.21 – 43
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord” Ps 130.1
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.” Ps 130.5
“Out of the depths” – Out of what depths do you pray? - Depths of despair, hopelessness, need or urgency? - The depths of love, devotion and faith? - Or maybe the depths of your soul, your very being, the place deep within where the Spirit of God resides, urging you to pray? Do you pray from the depths, or know what it is to do so?
“I cry to you, O Lord.” – Does this resonate with you? Do you “cry”, reach out, look to, longing for, the Lord when you pray? Where in your body do these words stir in you? What is rising in you when you read them?
“I wait for the Lord” – Do you have time to wait for the Lord? Can you just sit in his presence, or wait in silence for a sense of God’s presence? How long will you wait? Is it just a waste of time? Have you waited before and found nothing, or something?
“My soul waits” – Yes the soul waits, but can the mind wait as well? How does it feel in the soul when the Lord arrives?
“In his word” – what word? Do you hear God speak to you in pray? Where in your body do you hear God’s word? How do you distinguish God’s voice amongst the other voices in your head? What is God saying to you now?
“I put my hope” – what is hope? What do you hope for? What does your soul hope for?
Contemplation is prayer that waits, that ponders, and transforms. It is through contemplation that we foster an awareness of God’s presence and God’s wisdom and take note of it. Without contemplation these jewels may go unnoticed. Is God calling you to wait? Is God calling you to greater depths of union with him through contemplation?
Pentecost 5
1 Samuel 17.32-49; Ps 9.9-20; 2 Corinthians 6.1-13; Mk 4.35-41
“The wicked are trapped in the work of their own hands.” Ps 9.16b
How many of the great world threats of today are the works of human hands? Wars, pollution, global warming, radioactive waste, drug abuse, gang warfare, corruption, AI, scams, domestic violence and so many more evils are all essentially forms of human greed. Greed is feed by either, fear and insecurity or by selfish pride. When I watch the news each night I too can join the lament, “What is the world coming too?!” How do we fight such evil? It seems very much a David and Goliath battle.
The early books of the Old Testament are full of laws, by which God’s people were to live. We need laws to guide us. But laws are limited. And someone will always find a way around them, or just simply break them. Five years ago we didn’t need laws about AI. Now we have a whole new realm to monitor. Fifteen years ago, those who might rob you generally lived in the same town or country as you. Now anyone at any computer anywhere in the world can try to scam you, and our laws cannot find them.
It can all look a bit daunting. We seem to be caught up in a storm we are powerless to change. But Jesus came to show us a better way. He gave us just two laws, and his laws bring life not destruction. David did not fight Goliath with a sword as was expected. He used a different kind of weaponry. You, my fellow Christian know God. You know how to love. And you know how to pray. You know what is good. You have a different kind of weaponry – wisdom, love, truth, faith, joy, kindness, thanksgiving, praise and intercession. Take up your stance; salvation belongs to the LORD.
Pentecost 4
1 Samuel15.34-16.13; Ps 20; 2 Corinthians 5.6-17; Mark 4.26-34
“So that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.” ( 2 Cor 12.c)
“We live by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5.7)
How do you answer those who trivialise, dismiss, or discredit your faith? Do you answer them? Is there any point? How are those who measure everything by monetary value, fame, and fun, to understand the value we put on love, worship, Spirituality, wisdom, and faith? How are those who measure everything in terms of self, to understand the otherness of God?
As Christians we do not see the world the same way as others do. We don’t just see what is tangible; we see what is Spirit as well. We feel the energies of souls, we notice the wonder of creation, we are aware of God’s presence at all times in all things. And with this comes a world of contemplation, prayer, union, joy and peace. It also brings freedom and truth and a healing wholeness beyond explanation.
To live by faith and not by sight, does not mean that we deny reality and hope desperately for whatever we have prayed for. It means that we see another dimension to life. We judge by a different set of values, we pursue different goals. We don’t need to “prove” ourselves, we are secure in Christ. We don’t follow the latest trends, we listen to the Spirit. We love, we don’t have to compete.
So don’t be discouraged if others don’t get you, and say you are wasting your time. We are meant to be different! We are meant to love. We are meant to yearn for our heavenly home and God who resides there. So, live as God has called you to be, become your best self, and let God’s Spirit flow through you. You were meant to live by faith, not just by sight.
Pentecost
Acts 2.1-21; Psalms 104.26-36; Romans 8.22-27; John 15.27-27; 16.4b-15
“For we do not know how to pray as we ought” Rom 8.26b RSV
In today’s readings there are several descriptions of how we can experience the Holy Spirit: the sound of wind, mystical fire, counsellor, intercessor, speaking in tongues, prophecy, visions, dreams, advocate, truth, witness. The Holy Spirit is given to us by Jesus, resides with us always, and connects us to the Father.
The gift of the Holy Spirit that is most prominent in the Acts reading is the gift of speaking in tongues. Obviously this was needed to tell people of so many nations about Jesus. But many, even today, speak in tongues when they receive the Holy Spirit. TV evangelists have made this into a mockery. Some Pentecostals have made it a pre-requisite. If you know this gift, what is it to you? Do you still use this prayer language? How does it help you?
There are many languages of prayer and the Holy Spirit helps us with all of them. Some are voiced, knowingly or unknowingly, with words that are understood, or foreign, composed or spontaneous. But some prayer languages are simply groans, some are movement, some stillness, some ride on a light breeze or a glimpse of light, a wave of exhilaration or a leap within our heart; but all are born from truth and love, from the Holy Spirit who resides with us. It is there also that we hear, see, feel and know the voice of God speaking to us. Our great Counsellor guides, teaches, loves, encourages, coaches, heals and transforms us. Prayer in the Holy Spirit is so much more than words spoken, written or read. It bypasses our rationale but does not exclude it. It stills our intellect but does not offend it. The Spirit exposes our pretence, pride and failings and patiently waits for us to grow in truth. It brings God’s presence in us, through the saving grace of Christ, to the Holiness of God. It enables us to pray and become prayer.
2 Samuel 1.1,17-27; Psalms 130; 2 Corinthians 8.1-15; Mark 5.21 – 43
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord” Ps 130.1
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.” Ps 130.5
“Out of the depths” – Out of what depths do you pray? - Depths of despair, hopelessness, need or urgency? - The depths of love, devotion and faith? - Or maybe the depths of your soul, your very being, the place deep within where the Spirit of God resides, urging you to pray? Do you pray from the depths, or know what it is to do so?
“I cry to you, O Lord.” – Does this resonate with you? Do you “cry”, reach out, look to, longing for, the Lord when you pray? Where in your body do these words stir in you? What is rising in you when you read them?
“I wait for the Lord” – Do you have time to wait for the Lord? Can you just sit in his presence, or wait in silence for a sense of God’s presence? How long will you wait? Is it just a waste of time? Have you waited before and found nothing, or something?
“My soul waits” – Yes the soul waits, but can the mind wait as well? How does it feel in the soul when the Lord arrives?
“In his word” – what word? Do you hear God speak to you in pray? Where in your body do you hear God’s word? How do you distinguish God’s voice amongst the other voices in your head? What is God saying to you now?
“I put my hope” – what is hope? What do you hope for? What does your soul hope for?
Contemplation is prayer that waits, that ponders, and transforms. It is through contemplation that we foster an awareness of God’s presence and God’s wisdom and take note of it. Without contemplation these jewels may go unnoticed. Is God calling you to wait? Is God calling you to greater depths of union with him through contemplation?
Pentecost 5
1 Samuel 17.32-49; Ps 9.9-20; 2 Corinthians 6.1-13; Mk 4.35-41
“The wicked are trapped in the work of their own hands.” Ps 9.16b
How many of the great world threats of today are the works of human hands? Wars, pollution, global warming, radioactive waste, drug abuse, gang warfare, corruption, AI, scams, domestic violence and so many more evils are all essentially forms of human greed. Greed is feed by either, fear and insecurity or by selfish pride. When I watch the news each night I too can join the lament, “What is the world coming too?!” How do we fight such evil? It seems very much a David and Goliath battle.
The early books of the Old Testament are full of laws, by which God’s people were to live. We need laws to guide us. But laws are limited. And someone will always find a way around them, or just simply break them. Five years ago we didn’t need laws about AI. Now we have a whole new realm to monitor. Fifteen years ago, those who might rob you generally lived in the same town or country as you. Now anyone at any computer anywhere in the world can try to scam you, and our laws cannot find them.
It can all look a bit daunting. We seem to be caught up in a storm we are powerless to change. But Jesus came to show us a better way. He gave us just two laws, and his laws bring life not destruction. David did not fight Goliath with a sword as was expected. He used a different kind of weaponry. You, my fellow Christian know God. You know how to love. And you know how to pray. You know what is good. You have a different kind of weaponry – wisdom, love, truth, faith, joy, kindness, thanksgiving, praise and intercession. Take up your stance; salvation belongs to the LORD.
Pentecost 4
1 Samuel15.34-16.13; Ps 20; 2 Corinthians 5.6-17; Mark 4.26-34
“So that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.” ( 2 Cor 12.c)
“We live by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5.7)
How do you answer those who trivialise, dismiss, or discredit your faith? Do you answer them? Is there any point? How are those who measure everything by monetary value, fame, and fun, to understand the value we put on love, worship, Spirituality, wisdom, and faith? How are those who measure everything in terms of self, to understand the otherness of God?
As Christians we do not see the world the same way as others do. We don’t just see what is tangible; we see what is Spirit as well. We feel the energies of souls, we notice the wonder of creation, we are aware of God’s presence at all times in all things. And with this comes a world of contemplation, prayer, union, joy and peace. It also brings freedom and truth and a healing wholeness beyond explanation.
To live by faith and not by sight, does not mean that we deny reality and hope desperately for whatever we have prayed for. It means that we see another dimension to life. We judge by a different set of values, we pursue different goals. We don’t need to “prove” ourselves, we are secure in Christ. We don’t follow the latest trends, we listen to the Spirit. We love, we don’t have to compete.
So don’t be discouraged if others don’t get you, and say you are wasting your time. We are meant to be different! We are meant to love. We are meant to yearn for our heavenly home and God who resides there. So, live as God has called you to be, become your best self, and let God’s Spirit flow through you. You were meant to live by faith, not just by sight.
Pentecost
Acts 2.1-21; Psalms 104.26-36; Romans 8.22-27; John 15.27-27; 16.4b-15
“For we do not know how to pray as we ought” Rom 8.26b RSV
In today’s readings there are several descriptions of how we can experience the Holy Spirit: the sound of wind, mystical fire, counsellor, intercessor, speaking in tongues, prophecy, visions, dreams, advocate, truth, witness. The Holy Spirit is given to us by Jesus, resides with us always, and connects us to the Father.
The gift of the Holy Spirit that is most prominent in the Acts reading is the gift of speaking in tongues. Obviously this was needed to tell people of so many nations about Jesus. But many, even today, speak in tongues when they receive the Holy Spirit. TV evangelists have made this into a mockery. Some Pentecostals have made it a pre-requisite. If you know this gift, what is it to you? Do you still use this prayer language? How does it help you?
There are many languages of prayer and the Holy Spirit helps us with all of them. Some are voiced, knowingly or unknowingly, with words that are understood, or foreign, composed or spontaneous. But some prayer languages are simply groans, some are movement, some stillness, some ride on a light breeze or a glimpse of light, a wave of exhilaration or a leap within our heart; but all are born from truth and love, from the Holy Spirit who resides with us. It is there also that we hear, see, feel and know the voice of God speaking to us. Our great Counsellor guides, teaches, loves, encourages, coaches, heals and transforms us. Prayer in the Holy Spirit is so much more than words spoken, written or read. It bypasses our rationale but does not exclude it. It stills our intellect but does not offend it. The Spirit exposes our pretence, pride and failings and patiently waits for us to grow in truth. It brings God’s presence in us, through the saving grace of Christ, to the Holiness of God. It enables us to pray and become prayer.
For daily thought to inspire and encourage prayer, please visit www.encouragementforintercessors.com