Fri 22nd May - #47. Hometown boy
A few years ago, a girl from my hometown in Wales won an Olympic silver in sprint cycling. You can imagine how excited everyone was when she returned home. There were banners, parties and everyone had a story to tell on how they knew Becky and her family *1.
In this morning’s reading there is no party or welcome for Jesus as He returns home.
Mark 6:1-5
Jesus left there and went to His home town, accompanied by His disciples. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
‘Where did this man get these things?’ they asked. ‘What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?’ And they took offence at Him.
Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honour except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.’ He could not do any miracles there, except lay His hands on a few people who were ill and heal them.
If you ever return home, are you still treated as the boy or girl that left? I remember preaching after a long time at my home church and people still talked after the service to me like I was still the boy who had left home 20 years ago. They were well meaning but I didn’t feel they could adjust their view of me from the boy who was now a man.
In today’s reading, the locals couldn’t see who Jesus was. Yes, they were amazed at his teaching but were still seeing him as the boy of Joseph and Mary.
Jesus rebukes the people of his home town in Nazareth for their attitude towards Him, they couldn’t see Jesus for who He was.
This story reminds me of friends of mine who were brought up in the church and yet their view of Jesus is very narrow and limiting. They have either not been taught or have forgotten the great one that Jesus is.
In Mark’s gospel he is showing us much of Jesus’ power and authority that sadly many friends have lost
sight of when they hear about Jesus.
People often like the Jesus in the stable because He is helpless and we can leave Him there but once we see the Jesus who shows us his identity, mission and call then people walk away or are not willing to listen.
Pray for family and friends today who’s view of Jesus is narrow and hasn’t moved from the stable.
Pray that they would see the Jesus that Mark’s gospel shows us of his true identity.
Have a good bank holiday weekend.
Much love
Tim
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
*1 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/becky-james-ive-bathed-and-fed-my-disabled-sister-it-gives-me-perspective-8513911.html
Thurs 21st May - #46. Pinball brain
So when I was a young lad, back in the 70s, inspired by The Who with their brilliant song “Pinball Wizard”, I spent ages on the Pinball Machine in the Newspaper Social Club. I became quite good at it, learning the right pressure for the plunger pull, getting in tune with the nudging limit of the tilt sensors and racking up high scores. I mastered the skill of trapping the pinball with the flippers, and then flipping it at just the right time to smash at speed into the bumpers and bounce rapidly around and around, back and forth, back and forth, on an on, on and on. It was hectic, fast and relentless. There was no rest for that ball until it fell sadly between the flippers and out of play.
Our mind can sometimes be like that pinball: our thoughts smashing around from bumper to bumper, on and on, in anything but a logical straight line of thought. First they’re here, then there, then back again, then flipped again, and on and on in a very chaotic way. For many that was your mind during the old-normal! But now it is the mind of many more people in the new-normal. It is hard to find rest for our minds as thoughts bounce around thinking what’s going to happen next with the schools, our work, our family, our future, our church, ourselves. And our thoughts can be muddled, chaotic, exhausting.
Stop and breathe. Our calm and peaceful Saviour said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11v28-30) Ah, thank you Lord Jesus… rest for our weary mind and soul is found when we come to you again and again, on and on.
Many years ago Annie Johnson Flint wrote:
“I believe but do I? Am I sure?
Can I trust my trusting to endure?
Can I hope that my belief will last?
Will my hand forever hold him fast?
Am I certain I am saved from sin?
Do I feel his presence here within?
Do I hear him tell me that he cares?
Do I see the answers to my prayers?
Do no fears my confidence assail?
Do I know my faith will never fail?
I believe – ay, do I! I believe
He will never fail me, never leave,
I believe he holds me, and I know
His strong hand will never let me go;
Seeing, hearing, feeling what are these?
Given or withheld as he shall please.
I believe in him and what he saith;
I have faith in him, not in my faith;
That may fail, tomorrow or today,
Trust may weaken, feelings pass away,
Thoughts grow weary, anxious or depressed;
I believe in God and here I rest.
Love from Paul
To give your mind and soul a treat have a listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UD3yFnw--o
Wed 20th May - What time do you call this?
“I’m late, I’m late! For a very important date! No time to say ‘hello, goodbye,’ I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!” 1
Do you know who said this? It was the white rabbit in the book ‘Alice in Wonderland’.
Some folk are known for being late and sometimes there are good reasons for the lateness. In today’s reading it appears that Jesus is too late to heal the daughter of one of the synagogue leaders.
Mark 5:21-43
21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered round him while He was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at His feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, ‘My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.’ 24 So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed round Him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, 28 because she thought, ‘If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.’ 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30 At once Jesus realised that power had gone out from Him. He turned round in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’
31 ‘You see the people crowding against you,’ his disciples answered, ‘and yet you can ask, “Who touched me?” ’
32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at His feet and, trembling with fear, told Him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’
35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. ‘Your daughter is dead,’ they said. ‘Why bother the teacher anymore?’
36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.’
37 He did not let anyone follow Him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, ‘Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.’ 40 But they laughed at Him.
After He put them all out, He took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with Him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum!’ (which means ‘Little girl, I say to you, get up!’). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Mark in his gospel is showing us the authority of Jesus (unlike anyone else).
If you have lost someone close to you, you know how death is final. There are no surprise moments, once you’re dead you’re dead, the mourning then begins.
Here in our story today Jesus reverses the one thing no one else is able to do. For Jesus, death is like sleep, He says ‘wake up’, and the little girl wakes up!
One day we will all die and one day we will all wake up.
We will wake up (and if we trust Jesus) we too will see Him.
Today watch this YouTube song and praise the one who has all power, even over death.
https://youtu.be/3bvYJL6WhuY Shane & Shane - ‘Come thou fount’ (above all else)
Much love
Tim
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
1 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
Hook Devotional at 11ish - Tues 19th May
#44.Being vs Doing
Who knows the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible? You’ll find it in Luke 10:38-42.
Martha opens up her home to Jesus and prepares all these arrangements for him. Yet her sister Mary just sits at Jesus’ feet and listens to what Jesus is saying.
Martha gets annoyed at this and asks Jesus to tell her sister to help her! Jesus answers “Martha Martha you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed - or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.”
Are you a Mary or a Martha?
I know I fit more into Martha’s shoes. Stressing and running around and keeping to rotas and schedules, trying to please everybody ! Yet, Jesus is saying that we need be worried about few things. Mary chose to listen to the Lord and that is the thing that would benefit her most in life.
So, today, let’s all try and be Mary’s, listening to what our Lord says to us, choosing to pause and reflect and spend time with Him, rather than frantically trying to get everything sorted.
God has it in His hands, hand it all over to Him, and listen.
By *Anna P*
Mon 18th May - #43. Pigs might fly?
This morning’s reading is one of my favourite stories.
It is full of drama and we see Jesus’ authority seen in such a wonderful way (for the man but maybe not for the pigs).
Mark 5:1-20
Jesus restores a demon-possessed man
1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet Him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of Him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!’ 8 For Jesus had said to him, ‘Come out of this man, you impure spirit!’
9 Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’
My name is Legion,’ he replied, ‘for we are many.’ 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, ‘Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.’ 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man— and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.
18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with Him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, ‘Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.’ 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
Much can be said about today’s reading but at the end of the story it is quite interesting to see Jesus' response to the healed man. The man wants to go with Jesus but tells him to ‘Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.’
Jesus knew that the man would have such a wonderful testimony for those in his community (Gentiles).
Sometimes we think that mission has to be about going overseas but of course the mission is all around us with our neighbours and families. J John an English evangelist has said this ‘A missionary isn’t someone who crosses the sea, it’s someone who sees the cross. If we’ve seen the cross, and understood what Jesus did for us, then in the words of the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians: ‘The love of Christ compels us’.
So today lets thinking about mission in a fresh way. Lets look to the cross and all that Jesus has done for us and share that with someone - text it, WhatsApp it, Zoom it, FaceTime it and you may even be able to share it in a social distance kind of way!
Much love
Tim