Jan 19 Saturday Sundries

Air is real

I can't touch it, but I can feel it

I'm enveloped by it every day but never feel smothered

It fills my lungs and gives me life but I usually don't ever give it a second thought

I hear it on a windy day, but don't take time to listen

It's real so I will live

The sun is real 

I'm enveloped by its warmth every day but never feel smothered

It covers my body and gives me life but I rarely feel thankful enough

I see because of it, but forget to look

It is real so I will live

God is real 

I can't touch Him, but I can feel Him

I'm enveloped by His love but never feel smothered

He fills my body and gives me life but I don't thank Him enough

I hear Him but sometimes don't listen

He is real and so I live  

Jan 18 Friday focus

The text in Acts this week is believed to be part of a sermon that Peter offered about the beginning of Jesus's ministry. It's also believed to be the last message he offered during his ministry. And while that's worth knowing (after all, if you were given a chance to say some last words, you'd probably want them to important), it's just as important to understand who he

was preaching to and where.

The preceding parts of this chapter in Acts tells the story of Simon Peter traveling to Caesarea, which has been established as the Roman capital in Palestine. So symbolically, if not literally, Peter has travelled to the heart of the empire to make this speech. Also, he has been in the house of Cornelius who is a soldier in the Roman the army. Granted, he previously described Cornelius as someone who seemed who was pretty sympathetic toward Jews and who seemed to have a heart for the God of the Israelites, but this whole journey is a big risk.

This makes the introductory verses in this passage especially poignant; Peter is claiming that his God has come for them, his enemies, in spite of the fact that they actively persecuted and killed his own people. In fact, by this point there is no mystery surrounding Peter's fate, given his status among the disciples and the establishment of the new religious movement. He was preaching about life, radical grace, and forgiveness for all wrongs while staring death in the eye.

Within this handful of verses, Peter covers all the essentials those listening need to know to affirm that Jesus was who he said he was. He represents a God for all people and all pasts on earth; he embodies life, death, and rebirth all in one; and he forgives without reservation all who seek it. All they have to do is have the will to summon the humility to ask.

Jan 17 Thursday testimony

1793: Thousands of Frenchmen went into battle on this date wearing a unique badge: a heart topped with a cross and the words Dieu Le Roi—“God the King,” though some said it also meant “God and the King.” These men were not professional soldiers but civilians resisting the antireligious government that ruled France following the French Revolution. The Revolutionary government learned that not all French people hated the king or the Catholic Church, and resistance to the Revolution was particularly strong in the Vendée region in western France. There the locals were horrified that church property was confiscated, women were attacked on their way to church, and priests who would not swear a loyalty oath to the secular government were imprisoned or exiled. 

When the government ordered the drafting of all able-bodied men into the French army, the Vendée broke into armed revolt, so the government sent thousands of troops to “pacify” the region. The rebels had formed a militia calling itself the Royal and Catholic Army, and though they were badly outnumbered, they knew the local terrain better than the government’s troops, and they could rely on the aid of local people. In spring 1793 the Royal and Catholic Army won victories, and Christians all over Europe prayed the victories would continue. But the government’s well-trained professional regiments finally “pacified” the Vendée at the Battle of Savenay on December 23, 1793. Afterward, the troops followed a “scorched earth” policy, burning farms, looting homes, raping women, and killing men and boys. 

Historians know these events as the War of the Vendée, a classic case of a secular government carrying out a policy of genocide against its own people whose only “crime” was being more loyal to God than to a political system. In the short run, France’s secular Revolutionary government won. In the long run, the church continued on, outlasting the Revolution and other political changes.

Jan 13-19 Prayer for the week

Sometimes I think I can make things right on my own; help me have the courage to know better and to do better. Amen

Jan 16 Wednesday wisdom and worship

The seven gifts of the Holy Ghost, which are signified by the properties of the dove. For the dove dwells beside the running stream, in order that, on perceiving the hawk, it may plunge in and escape. This refers to the gift of wisdom, whereby the saints dwell beside the running waters of Holy Scripture, in order to escape the assaults of the devil. Again, the dove prefers the more choice seeds. This refers to the gift of knowledge, whereby the saints make choice of sound doctrines, with which they nourish themselves. Further, the dove feeds the brood of other birds. This refers to the gift of counsel, with which the saints, by teaching and example, feed men who have been the brood, i.e. imitators, of the devil. Again, the dove tears not with its beak. This refers to the gift of understanding, wherewith the saints do not rend sound doctrines, as heretics do. Again, the dove has no gall. This refers to the gift of piety, by reason of which the saints are free from unreasonable anger. Again, the dove builds its nest in the cleft of a rock. This refers to the gift of fortitude, wherewith the saints build their nest, i.e. take refuge and hope, in the death wounds of Christ, who is the Rock of strength. Lastly, the dove has a plaintive song. This refers to the gift of fear, wherewith the saints delight in bewailing sins.

Down by the Jordan, a prophet named John was baptizing,

Preaching a message the people found bold and surprising:

"God will forgive! Show that you'll change how you live!

Surely God's new day is rising!"

There by the river, the crowd came with great expectation:

"Are you God's Chosen One, sent here to rescue our nation?"

"No!" John replied. "He who is mightier than I

Judges and offers salvation."

Jesus, you went to be baptized along with the others,

Taking your place among sinners, God's lost sons and daughters.

Then with great love, God's Spirit came as a dove!

Your work began in those waters.

Here in the Church, we are baptized and filled with God's Spirit.

Freed and forgiven, we're welcomed with joy! Can you hear it?

This is God's sign! This is how God says, "You're mine!"

Let's take the good news and share it!

Jan 15 Tuesday thoughts

It's a bit of an ironic twist that, just after the passage emphasizes that God shows no favourites, the Bible points out that the resurrected Christ didn't appear to all upon rising but only to the few disciples who had been following him before crucifixion. It seems like either the author is trying to drive home the fact that the person who is the subject of these stories spreading like wildfire is the same person many encountered during his life, or the writer is still struggling with his own ego a little. Maybe it's his own way of trying to tell himself he's okay, even after denying the very Messiah they're now preaching about.

Fun fact: John the Baptist and Jesus are cousins. Imagine finding out your family of origin is in the prophet-and-Messiah business. No pressure!

The beginning of the Isaiah passage read's a lot like the ending of the Matthew text. This is likely another literary device to ensure, in case the audience hasn't gotten it by now, that they understand this is the person the prophet was talking about. Remember that fulfilment of prophecy is a really big deal to Matthew.

Another fun fact: this text in Matthew is the only place in the Bible where all three persons of God are present at the same time.

Jan 14 Monday meanings

Nazareth – While we have talked about the fact that prophets foretelling a coming Messiah said he would come from Nazareth, it's worth noting that it wasn’t a place held in very high esteem. It was far more of a ghetto than, say, Jerusalem, where one might expect a Messiah to come from. So this is another indication that Jesus is, and will be, a people's Messiah more than he is a saviour for the wealthy and powerful. 

Holy Spirit -  The fancy way to describe the Holy Spirit is as one of the three persons of the triune God-head. If you're more confused than impressed by all that, basically it means that God is expressed in three ways (God-Jesus-Holy Spirit), and that He is one of them. So when you see a dove depicted in sacred art, it's usually meant to illustrate the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

Jan 13 Sunday summaries

Isaiah 42.1-9 A description of the coming Messiah who will bring justice, but not in the way people are used to. He will be strong, but not brash or violent. He will be transformative but subtle. Nothing will dissuade him from his aim to share the wisdom he has been given by God to share. The final claim in the passage about why God should be believed in this promise is because other prophecies made before have already been fulfilled. 

Psalm 29 This description of the many attributes of God stands in strong contrast with the characteristics listed in Isaiah above that the Messiah will possess. It stands to reason, then, if this is how people see  God, Isaiah would feel compelled to explain how unremarkable in appearance and demeanour God's coming messenger would be. Without a heads-up, it would be easy to miss him otherwise. 

Acts 10.34-43 Peter distills Christ's gospel down into a few words: “God shows no partiality.” Peter proclaims Jesus as anointed by God, as a judge and saviour of all nations, as a healer, and as having risen from death by God’s power. 

Matthew 3.13-17 This is the famous story of Jesus’s baptism in the Jordan river by John the Baptist. In this accounting (all four Gospels have their own respective baptism stories), John balks when Jesus asks to be baptised. John argues that it should be the other way around, since he is the one who needs cleansing, not Jesus. But after Jesus explains that this is necessary to fulfil the Scriptures predictions of how the Messiah will come about, he agrees, after which the dove-like presence of the Holy Spirit descends on them both, and God’s voice proclaims that Jesus is God's son.

Jan 13-19 week as a whole

Isaiah 42.1-9 A description of the coming Messiah who will bring justice, but not in the way people are used to. He will be strong, but not brash or violent. He will be transformative but subtle. Nothing will dissuade him from his aim to share the wisdom he has been given by God to share. The final claim in the passage about why God should be believed in this promise is because other prophecies made before have already been fulfilled. 

Psalm 29 This description of the many attributes of God stands in strong contrast with the characteristics listed in Isaiah above that the Messiah will possess. It stands to reason, then, if this is how people see  God, Isaiah would feel compelled to explain how unremarkable in appearance and demeanour God's coming messenger would be. Without a heads-up, it would be easy to miss him otherwise. 

Acts 10.34-43 Peter distills Christ's gospel down into a few words: “God shows no partiality.” Peter proclaims Jesus as anointed by God, as a judge and saviour of all nations, as a healer, and as having risen from death by God’s power. 

Matthew 3.13-17 This is the famous story Jesus’s baptism in the Jordan river by John the Baptist. In this accounting (all four Gospels have their own respective baptism stories), John balks when Jesus asks to be baptised. John argues that it should be the other way around, since he is the one who needs cleansing, not Jesus. But after Jesus explains that this is necessary to fulfil the Scriptures predictions of how the Messiah will come about, he agrees, after which the dove-like presence of the Holy Spirit descends on them both, and God’s voice proclaims that Jesus is God's son.

Nazareth – While we have talked about the fact that prophets foretelling a coming Messiah said he would come from Nazareth, it's worth noting that it wasn’t a place held in very high esteem. It was far more of a ghetto than, say, Jerusalem, where one might expect a Messiah to come from. So this is another indication that Jesus is, and will be, a people's Messiah more than he is a saviour for the wealthy and powerful. 

Holy Spirit -  The fancy way to describe the Holy Spirit is as one of the three persons of the triune God-head. If you're more confused than impressed by all that, basically it means that God is expressed in three ways (God-Jesus-Holy Spirit), and that He is one of them. So when you see a dove depicted in sacred art, it's usually meant to illustrate the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

It's a bit of an ironic twist that, just after the passage emphasizes that God shows no favourites, the Bible points out that the resurrected Christ didn't appear to all upon rising but only to the few disciples who had been following him before crucifixion. It seems like either the author is trying to drive home the fact that the person who is the subject of these stories spreading like wildfire is the same person many encountered during his life, or the writer is still struggling with his own ego a little. Maybe it's his own way of trying to tell himself he's okay, even after denying the very Messiah they're now preaching about.

Fun fact: John the Baptist and Jesus are cousins. Imagine finding out your family of origin is in the prophet-and-Messiah business. No pressure!

The beginning of the Isaiah passage read's a lot like the ending of the Matthew text. This is likely another literary device to ensure, in case the audience hasn't gotten it by now, that they understand this is the person the prophet was talking about. Remember that fulfilment of prophecy is a really big deal to Matthew.

Another fun fact: this text in Matthew is the only place in the Bible where all three persons of God are present at the same time.

The seven gifts of the Holy Ghost, which are signified by the properties of the dove. For the dove dwells beside the running stream, in order that, on perceiving the hawk, it may plunge in and escape. This refers to the gift of wisdom, whereby the saints dwell beside the running waters of Holy Scripture, in order to escape the assaults of the devil. Again, the dove prefers the more choice seeds. This refers to the gift of knowledge, whereby the saints make choice of sound doctrines, with which they nourish themselves. Further, the dove feeds the brood of other birds. This refers to the gift of counsel, with which the saints, by teaching and example, feed men who have been the brood, i.e. imitators, of the devil. Again, the dove tears not with its beak. This refers to the gift of understanding, wherewith the saints do not rend sound doctrines, as heretics do. Again, the dove has no gall. This refers to the gift of piety, by reason of which the saints are free from unreasonable anger. Again, the dove builds its nest in the cleft of a rock. This refers to the gift of fortitude, wherewith the saints build their nest, i.e. take refuge and hope, in the death wounds of Christ, who is the Rock of strength. Lastly, the dove has a plaintive song. This refers to the gift of fear, wherewith the saints delight in bewailing sins.

Down by the Jordan, a prophet named John was baptizing,

Preaching a message the people found bold and surprising:

"God will forgive! Show that you'll change how you live!

Surely God's new day is rising!"

There by the river, the crowd came with great expectation:

"Are you God's Chosen One, sent here to rescue our nation?"

"No!" John replied. "He who is mightier than I

Judges and offers salvation."

Jesus, you went to be baptized along with the others,

Taking your place among sinners, God's lost sons and daughters.

Then with great love, God's Spirit came as a dove!

Your work began in those waters.

Here in the Church, we are baptized and filled with God's Spirit.

Freed and forgiven, we're welcomed with joy! Can you hear it?

This is God's sign! This is how God says, "You're mine!"

Let's take the good news and share it!

1793: Thousands of Frenchmen went into battle on this date wearing a unique badge: a heart topped with a cross and the words Dieu Le Roi—“God the King,” though some said it also meant “God and the King.” These men were not professional soldiers but civilians resisting the antireligious government that ruled France following the French Revolution. The Revolutionary government learned that not all French people hated the king or the Catholic Church, and resistance to the Revolution was particularly strong in the Vendée region in western France. There the locals were horrified that church property was confiscated, women were attacked on their way to church, and priests who would not swear a loyalty oath to the secular government were imprisoned or exiled. 

When the government ordered the drafting of all able-bodied men into the French army, the Vendée broke into armed revolt, so the government sent thousands of troops to “pacify” the region. The rebels had formed a militia calling itself the Royal and Catholic Army, and though they were badly outnumbered, they knew the local terrain better than the government’s troops, and they could rely on the aid of local people. In spring 1793 the Royal and Catholic Army won victories, and Christians all over Europe prayed the victories would continue. But the government’s well-trained professional regiments finally “pacified” the Vendée at the Battle of Savenay on December 23, 1793. Afterward, the troops followed a “scorched earth” policy, burning farms, looting homes, raping women, and killing men and boys.

 Historians know these events as the War of the Vendée, a classic case of a secular government carrying out a policy of genocide against its own people whose only “crime” was being more loyal to God than to a political system. In the short run, France’s secular Revolutionary government won. In the long run, the church continued on, outlasting the Revolution and other political changes.

The text in Acts this week is believed to be part of a sermon that Peter offered about the beginning of Jesus's ministry. It's also believed to be the last message he offered during his ministry. And while that's worth knowing (after all, if you were given a chance to say some last words, you'd probably want them to important), it's just as important to understand who he

was preaching to and where.

The preceding parts of this chapter in Acts tells the story of Simon Peter traveling to Caesarea, which has been established as the Roman capital in Palestine. So symbolically, if not literally, Peter has travelled to the heart of the empire to make this speech. Also, he has been in the house of Cornelius who is a soldier in the Roman the army. Granted, he previously described Cornelius as someone who seemed who was pretty sympathetic toward Jews and who seemed to have a heart for the God of the Israelites, but this whole journey is a big risk.

This makes the introductory verses in this passage especially poignant; Peter is claiming that his God has come for them, his enemies, in spite of the fact that they actively persecuted and killed his own people. In fact, by this point there is no mystery surrounding Peter's fate, given his status among the disciples and the establishment of the new religious movement. He was preaching about life, radical grace, and forgiveness for all wrongs while staring death in the eye.

Within this handful of verses, Peter covers all the essentials those listening need to know to affirm that Jesus was who he said he was. He represents a God for all people and all pasts on earth; he embodies life, death, and rebirth all in one; and he forgives without reservation all who seek it. All they have to do is have the will to summon the humility to ask.

Air is real

I can't touch it, but I can feel it

I'm enveloped by it every day but never feel smothered

It fills my lungs and gives me life but I usually don't ever give it a second thought

I hear it on a windy day, but don't take time to listen

It's real so I will live

The sun is real 

I'm enveloped by its warmth every day but never feel smothered

It covers my body and gives me life but I rarely feel thankful enough

I see because of it, but forget to look

It is real so I will live

God is real 

I can't touch Him, but I can feel Him

I'm enveloped by His love but never feel smothered

He fills my body and gives me life but I don't thank Him enough

I hear Him but sometimes don't listen

He is real and so I live  

Sometimes I think I can make things right on my own; help me have the courage to know better and to do better. Amen 

Jan 11 Saturday sundries

First off apologies for these, but here are some answer to the “How many x does it take to change a light bulb?” joke. From a J John piece.

Charismatic: Only 1 - Hands are already in the air.

 Pentecostal: 10 - One to change the bulb, and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.

Presbyterians: None - Lights will go on and off at predestined times. 

Roman Catholic: None - Candles only. (Of guaranteed origin of course.) 

Baptists: At least 15 - One to change the light bulb, and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad and fried chicken. 

Episcopalians: 3 - One to call the electrician, one to mix the drinks, and one to talk about how much better the old one was.

Mormons: 5 - One man to change the bulb, and four wives to tell him how to do it.

 Unitarians: We choose not to make a statement either in favour of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that light bulbs work for you, you are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your light bulb for the next Sunday service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, 3-way, long-life and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.

Methodists: Undetermined - Whether your light is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved. You can be a light bulb, turnip bulb, or tulip bulb. Bring a bulb of your choice to the Sunday lighting service and a covered dish to pass.

Nazarene: 6 - One woman to replace the bulb while five men review church lighting policy.

Lutherans: None - Lutherans don't believe in change.

 Amish: What’s a light bulb?

Jan 10 Friday focus

Back before we had portable screens and streaming media, (cue for old guy music) we played with less sophisticated toys. One of my favourite activities was to  take a jar out and hunt for glow-worms. Yes they are technically a beetle, but I'm not writing a science piece here.

Part of the fun was running around trying to predict in the darkness where they'd next glow next. The other trick was getting new ones in the jar without letting the others you'd already caught get out. On a good night, I'd go home with a jar full with about a dozen of these acting like a weird sort of living night-light in my room. While my friends were content to pull them apart and smear their phosphorescent juice on their faces like war paint. I loved these thing, I wanted to keep them.

I would do anything I could do to make them feel at home in the jar. I would put little caps full of water in there along some grass or maybe even a flower. I had no idea what they ate, but I figured the blades of lawn I had there would do the trick. But as careful as I was with them, I would wake up in the morning to a jar of mostly motionless bug carcasses. It always bothered me, but not apparently enough to stop me putting them in there.

After dealing with my post-mortem angst for one too many times, my mum explained to me that these were wild animals, not meant to be captured and kept. But I had been a good bug dad I insisted. What more did they need?

What they needed to survive was that thing I couldn't give them, that was freedom. They were made to wander, to cast their glow on other kids, in other people’s back gardens, too. The thing I had to come to terms with was they weren't mine. While I could appreciate them, I couldn't possess them for myself. In doing so, the very thing I claimed to love died and was extinguished. 

The urge to hunt them has never completely gone, (admittedly harder to do where I am), but to capture them has. This forty four year old still has a thrill from seeing one on a dark evening. But if I want others to see what thrills me, I have to resist the urge to own it, just rather let other know of the wonder I have seen as well.

Jan 9 Thursday testimony

1905: Sometimes God changes the noblest of plans. That was the case with Thomas Barnardo who had intended to be a medical missionary to China but ended up as the founder of homes for poor children. 

Born in Ireland in 1845, Barnardo was converted in his teens to a deep faith in Christ, and right away he began working with poor children in Dublin. Hearing missionary Hudson Taylor speak of the China Inland Mission, Barnardo decided to study medicine and then travel to China. While studying at a London hospital he became aware of the urban poor, especially children. Encouraged by some Christian friends, he gave up his plans for China and in 1870 opened the first of what would be called “Dr. Barnardo’s Homes” in London. When he died on September 19, 1905, there were 112 of the homes in Britain, and more than 100,000 children had been rescued from the streets. The homes’ motto was “the ever-open door.” 

London was full of orphans and “strays,” children detached from families, and many of these often turned to crime (a story familiar from Charles Dickens’s novel Oliver Twist). The Barnardo homes took in these children, fed them, clothed them, and prepared them for useful occupations. Barnardo owned a sixty-acre rural tract which he used to create a model village for some of the children, building cottages that eventually housed more than a thousand. Collectively his homes were known as the National Association for the Reclamation of Destitute Waif Children (which explains the briefer and more familiar name “Barnardo’s Homes”). 

The homes emphasized religious instruction with provision made for two “faith traditions”—the established Church of England and the Nonconformists (Baptists, Methodists, Quakers, and others). As for the children’s physical health, Barnardo found his medical training to be of great use. Barnardo’s is still an active charity in England, the legacy of a man who had a heart for the most vulnerable members of society.

Jan 8 Wednesday Wisdom and Worship

When we have, through Christ, obtained mercy for our persons, we need not fear but that we shall have suitable and sustainable help for our duties.                                                                     John Owen

1 As with gladness men of old

did the guiding star behold;

as with joy they hailed its light,

leading onward, beaming bright;

so, most gracious God, may we

evermore be led to thee.

2 As with joyful steps they sped

to that lowly cradle-bed,

there to bend the knee before

him whom heav'n and earth adore;

so may we with willing feet

ever seek thy mercy seat.

3 As they offered gifts most rare

at that cradle rude and bare;

so may we with holy joy,

pure, and free from sin's alloy,

all our costliest treasures bring,

Christ, to thee, our heav'nly King.

4 Holy Jesus, ev'ry day

keep us in the narrow way;

and when earthly things are past,

bring our ransomed souls at last

where they need no star to guide,

where no clouds thy glory hide.

5 In the heav'nly country bright

need they no created light;

thou its light, its joy, its crown,

thou its sun which goes not down;

there forever may we sing

alleluias to our King.

Never was a book so full of incredible sayings – everywhere the sense of mystery dominates; unless you feel that mystery, all becomes prosaic – nothing about God is prosaic.              Florence Allahorn

Epiphany bonus readings

Isaiah 60.1-6 The prophet speaks of an earth-shattering light that bursts into this mire of darkness that had seemed intent on overtaking everything. It is so powerful that everything is drawn to it. Those at war now come together in awestruck peace, and the light brings abundance and life with it to all within its glow.

Psalm 72.1-7, 10-14 The psalmist offers a prayer on behalf of their king and his people, wishing for peace, honour, bounty, and generosity for the poor. Like the light in Isaiah and Jesus in Matthew are portrayed, the psalm depicts a longing for a leader who will be a ‘king of kings’, one who causes all others in power to kneel in respect and deference.

Ephesians 3.1-12 Paul describes himself as a prisoner for Christ, as that is the depth of his commitment to the gospel message. Although he is helplessly bound to Christ in every way, he still sees the revelation of the mystery of what Jesus is about as a great privilege. While he does find power in his role in the way of the gospel is playing out, he still considers himself to be a servant more than a figurehead. Part of the mystery that is revealed is that God's grace has been broken out of the tribal favouritism and is now available to everyone.  

Matthew 2.1-12 The wise men hear of the birth of a new Jewish king, so they come to Herod, the regional ruler, to ask about him.  Herod, of course, acts intrigued but actually sees this as an insurgent threat and asks them to let him know when they find the new-born. They come to Jesus, bring him gifts, and then leave in secret, as they have been warned in a dream not to share Jesus’s whereabouts with Herod.

Midian\Ephah\Sheba Ephah is a son of Midian, who is a descendant of Abraham. So this Isaiah text is describing a tribal territory identified with the tribes from Abraham’s descendants. This is a region that would have likely been known as a source for frankincense and maybe myrrh. Sheba is a region known for its gold and spices. This ties them to the gifts described in the Matthew text. 

Tarshish A remote region used as an example to show how far away other rulers would come from to offer tribute to the king of the Israelites.

Gold/Frankincense/Myrrh—Gold is a symbol of royalty. This is a reference to the fact that Jesus will be seen as a king among kings. Frankincense is a perfume that would have been used in sacred rituals by priests, alluding to Jesus’s role as a spiritual leader as well. Myrrh is an oil that was often used to anoint bodies at the time of burial, so this is a reference to the significance of Jesus’s death.

The Matthew text is a study in contrasts of how power responds to God’s revelation in the world. The wise men are brought together by this news and drawn to this new king by this compelling celestial light, while Herod—fearful of the loss of his own power—seeks to snuff out this threat to his authority. 

We see these diametrically opposite reactions to God’s revealing truth all of the time. While some people allow themselves to be forever changed by it, others who refuse the opportunity to be transformed feel their only recourse is to respond with force and violence to extinguish any potential for real change in their lives. So the light of transformation in itself isn’t enough; it requires a willingness of those of us it shines on to take it in and allow it to become part of us.

It is God Himself, personally present and redeemingly active, who comes to meet men in this Man of Nazareth. Jesus is more than a religious genius, such as George Fox, and more than a holy man, such as the lovable Lana in Kipling’s Kim. He himself knows that  he is more. The Gospel story is a tree rooted in the familiar soil of time and sense; but its roots go down into the Abyss and its branches fill the Heavens; given to us in terms of a country in the Eastern Mediterranean no bigger than Wales, during the Roman Principate of Tiberius Caesar in the first century of our era, its range is universal; it is on the scale of eternity. God's presence and his very Self were made manifest in the words and works of this Man. In short, the Man Christ Jesus has the decisive place in man's ageless relationship with God. He is what God means by ‘Man’. He is what man means by ‘God’.    J. S. Whale

Down by the Jordan, a prophet named John was baptizing,

Preaching a message the people found bold and surprising:

"God will forgive! Show that you'll change how you live!

Surely God's new day is rising!"

There by the river, the crowd came with great expectation:

"Are you God's Chosen One, sent here to rescue our nation?"

"No!" John replied. "He who is mightier than I

Judges and offers salvation."

Jesus, you went to be baptized along with the others,

Taking your place among sinners, God's lost sons and daughters.

Then with great love, God's Spirit came as a dove!

Your work began in those waters.

Here in the Church, we are baptized and filled with God's Spirit.

Freed and forgiven, we're welcomed with joy! Can you hear it?

This is God's sign! This is how God says, "You're mine!"

Let's take the good news and share it!

Does God remember me personally? I hate to admit it, but I have had this thought. Recently, my life was in transition and doubt as I found myself in a new culture. Complicating my transition, I had the responsibility of ministering to colleagues who had been in various crises, including a kidnapping, armed robbery and assault, death of a missionary child, multiple medical evacuations and emergency surgery. 

I learned that taking breaks were essential to my mental and spiritual health. So, on my birthday, I went with friends to the beach. I went not to swim, but for a chance to see dolphins. In more than three years, neither my friends nor I had seen one. 

As we lounged on the beach, my friend tried to encourage me about my impending stateside assignment and how I would be able to share how Jesus was working in Benin (beh-NIN). She reminded me that today, my birthday, people were praying for me specifically.

 As we watched the waves, I reflected on her words. Suddenly, about 100 yards offshore, a dolphin appeared! I saw his nose, fin and tail as he arched through the air. I shouted, “Hallelujah; thank You, Jesus!” During the next hour, we watched about a dozen dolphins with their young. 

What a birthday present! I received presents and many cards, but only the Lord could arrange such a display of His splendour to me so personally. Happy birthday, Judy! I love you. 

Our God remembers us personally and loves to remind us that He is indeed our caring Father. —JUDY, WEST AFRICA

We can see connections in this prophetic text to lots of other Scriptures, including the first creation story in Genesis and the first chapter in John’s Gospel, both of which emphasize the imposition of light into darkness, not only pushing the darkness back, but also calling things together and into being. But we can’t ignore that this comes up during the season of Epiphany. In particular, it’s hard to ignore that the author talks about two of the gifts the wise men are said to have brought to Jesus, also described in our Matthew text. This is not a coincidence, of course, as Matthew is making sure we think back to that Isaiah text. Remember that Matthew is particularly interested in making sure the audience sees Jesus’s arrival as the fulfilment of ancient prophecy about a coming Messiah.

 But in this Epiphany story, it’s easy to get hung up on the kings and their gifts. After all, they’re probably dressed really well, and the swag they’re giving to the Holy Family is impressive. But they aren’t what Epiphany is about, any more than the nations being drawn toward God’s light are the point of the Isaiah text. 

The point is the light that is drawing them all together. This notion of a single source causing everyone to stop in their tracks, to reassess what’s important in their lives, and to radically change course is remarkable. We rarely talk about it, but kings of different territories were not necessarily the best of buddies. Think of how often the different tribes and regions are in conflict throughout the Psalms alone. And in Isaiah, we’ve had two chapters replete with darkness, struggle, and conflict leading up to this. And now all of a sudden, light breaks through and everything changes.

 It’s all too easy to clean our hands of the Christmas business and move on to the next thing. I talked to a pastor just last week who noted that his church didn’t even recognize Epiphany. Come December 26, the decorations were packed up, loaded out, and we were back to normal until Lent.

 But we can’t go back to normal; that’s the whole point. The terms of our own individual lives and those we share in community have been, and are still being, rewritten. To revert to our old ways after the Christmas disruption is to deny the very meaning of the event itself. 

The point wasn’t the people in their Christmas best, nor was it the gifts, be they under a tree or in packs on the backs of camels. We have to stop, really look, and allow the awe of the big shift that has just taken place in the universe. Then we have figure out how we now become agents, or co-conspirators in facilitating that shift from now on.

God, I’m not exactly the poster-boy for what the good Christian is supposed to look like. Will you accept a work in progress? Amen

How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Prayer of a Mother

I gave you life, but cannot live it for you

I can teach you things, but I cannot make you learn

I can give you directions, but I cannot be there to lead you

I can allow you freedom, but I cannot account for it

I can take you to church, but I cannot make you believe

I can teach you right from wrong, but I cannot always decide for you

I can buy you beautiful clothes, but I cannot make you beautiful inside 

I can offer you advice, but I cannot accept it for you 

I can give you love, but I cannot force it upon you

I can teach you to share, but I cannot make you unselfish 

I can teach you respect, but I cannot force you to show honour

I can advise you about friends, but cannot choose them for you

I can advise you about sex, but I cannot keep you pure

I can tell you the facts of life, but I can't build your reputation 

I can tell you about drink, but I can't say “no" for you

I can warn you about drugs, but I can't prevent you from using them

I can tell you about lofty goals, but I can't achieve them for you

I can teach you about kindness, but I can't force you to be gracious 

I can warn you about sins, but I cannot make you moral

I can love you as a child, but I cannot place you in God's family 

I can pray for you, but I cannot make you walk with God 

I can teach you about Jesus, but I cannot make Jesus your Lord 

I can tell you how to live, but I cannot give you eternal life

Epiphany sundries

How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Prayer of a Mother

I gave you life, but cannot live it for you

I can teach you things, but I cannot make you learn

I can give you directions, but I cannot be there to lead you

I can allow you freedom, but I cannot account for it

I can take you to church, but I cannot make you believe

I can teach you right from wrong, but I cannot always decide for you

I can buy you beautiful clothes, but I cannot make you beautiful inside 

I can offer you advice, but I cannot accept it for you 

I can give you love, but I cannot force it upon you

I can teach you to share, but I cannot make you unselfish 

I can teach you respect, but I cannot force you to show honour

I can advise you about friends, but cannot choose them for you

I can advise you about sex, but I cannot keep you pure

I can tell you the facts of life, but I can't build your reputation 

I can tell you about drink, but I can't say “no" for you

I can warn you about drugs, but I can't prevent you from using them

I can tell you about lofty goals, but I can't achieve them for you

I can teach you about kindness, but I can't force you to be gracious 

I can warn you about sins, but I cannot make you moral

I can love you as a child, but I cannot place you in God's family 

I can pray for you, but I cannot make you walk with God 

I can teach you about Jesus, but I cannot make Jesus your Lord 

I can tell you how to live, but I cannot give you eternal life

Epiphany prayer

God, I’m not exactly the poster-boy for what the good Christian is supposed to look like. Will you accept a work in progress? Amen

Epiphany focus

We can see connections in this prophetic text to lots of other Scriptures, including the first creation story in Genesis and the first chapter in John’s Gospel, both of which emphasize the imposition of light into darkness, not only pushing the darkness back, but also calling things together and into being. But we can’t ignore that this comes up during the season of Epiphany. In particular, it’s hard to ignore that the author talks about two of the gifts the wise men are said to have brought to Jesus, also described in our Matthew text. This is not a coincidence, of course, as Matthew is making sure we think back to that Isaiah text. Remember that Matthew is particularly interested in making sure the audience sees Jesus’s arrival as the fulfilment of ancient prophecy about a coming Messiah.

 But in this Epiphany story, it’s easy to get hung up on the kings and their gifts. After all, they’re probably dressed really well, and the swag they’re giving to the Holy Family is impressive. But they aren’t what Epiphany is about, any more than the nations being drawn toward God’s light are the point of the Isaiah text. 

The point is the light that is drawing them all together. This notion of a single source causing everyone to stop in their tracks, to reassess what’s important in their lives, and to radically change course is remarkable. We rarely talk about it, but kings of different territories were not necessarily the best of buddies. Think of how often the different tribes and regions are in conflict throughout the Psalms alone. And in Isaiah, we’ve had two chapters replete with darkness, struggle, and conflict leading up to this. And now all of a sudden, light breaks through and everything changes.

 It’s all too easy to clean our hands of the Christmas business and move on to the next thing. I talked to a pastor just last week who noted that his church didn’t even recognize Epiphany. Come December 26, the decorations were packed up, loaded out, and we were back to normal until Lent.

 But we can’t go back to normal; that’s the whole point. The terms of our own individual lives and those we share in community have been, and are still being, rewritten. To revert to our old ways after the Christmas disruption is to deny the very meaning of the event itself. 

The point wasn’t the people in their Christmas best, nor was it the gifts, be they under a tree or in packs on the backs of camels. We have to stop, really look, and allow the awe of the big shift that has just taken place in the universe. Then we have figure out how we now become agents, or co-conspirators in facilitating that shift from now on.

Epiphany testimony

Does God remember me personally? I hate to admit it, but I have had this thought. Recently, my life was in transition and doubt as I found myself in a new culture. Complicating my transition, I had the responsibility of ministering to colleagues who had been in various crises, including a kidnapping, armed robbery and assault, death of a missionary child, multiple medical evacuations and emergency surgery. 

I learned that taking breaks were essential to my mental and spiritual health. So, on my birthday, I went with friends to the beach. I went not to swim, but for a chance to see dolphins. In more than three years, neither my friends nor I had seen one. 

As we lounged on the beach, my friend tried to encourage me about my impending stateside assignment and how I would be able to share how Jesus was working in Benin (beh-NIN). She reminded me that today, my birthday, people were praying for me specifically.

 As we watched the waves, I reflected on her words. Suddenly, about 100 yards offshore, a dolphin appeared! I saw his nose, fin and tail as he arched through the air. I shouted, “Hallelujah; thank You, Jesus!” During the next hour, we watched about a dozen dolphins with their young. 

What a birthday present! I received presents and many cards, but only the Lord could arrange such a display of His splendour to me so personally. Happy birthday, Judy! I love you. 

Our God remembers us personally and loves to remind us that He is indeed our caring Father. —JUDY, WEST AFRICA

Epiphany wisdom and worship

It is God Himself, personally present and redeemingly active, who comes to meet men in this Man of Nazareth. Jesus is more than a religious genius, such as George Fox, and more than a holy man, such as the lovable Lana in Kipling’s Kim. He himself knows that  he is more. The Gospel story is a tree rooted in the familiar soil of time and sense; but its roots go down into the Abyss and its branches fill the Heavens; given to us in terms of a country in the Eastern Mediterranean no bigger than Wales, during the Roman Principate of Tiberius Caesar in the first century of our era, its range is universal; it is on the scale of eternity. God's presence and his very Self were made manifest in the words and works of this Man. In short, the Man Christ Jesus has the decisive place in man's ageless relationship with God. He is what God means by ‘Man’. He is what man means by ‘God’.    J. S. Whale

1 Earth has many a noble city;
Bethl'hem, thou dost all excel:
out of thee the Lord from heaven
came to rule his Israel.

2 Fairer than the sun at morning 
was the star that told his birth,
to the world its God announcing
seen in fleshly form on earth.

3 Eastern sages at his cradle
make oblations rich and rare;
see them give in deep devotion,
gold and frankincense and myrrh.

4 Sacred gifts of mystic meaning:
incense doth their God disclose,
gold the King of kings proclaimeth,
myrrh his sepulcher foreshows.

5 Jesu, whom the Gentiles worshipped
at thy glad Epiphany,
unto thee with God the Father
and the Spirit glory be. 

Epiphany thoughts

The Matthew text is a study in contrasts of how power responds to God’s revelation in the world. The wise men are brought together by this news and drawn to this new king by this compelling celestial light, while Herod—fearful of the loss of his own power—seeks to snuff out this threat to his authority. 

We see these diametrically opposite reactions to God’s revealing truth all of the time. While some people allow themselves to be forever changed by it, others who refuse the opportunity to be transformed feel their only recourse is to respond with force and violence to extinguish any potential for real change in their lives. So the light of transformation in itself isn’t enough; it requires a willingness of those of us it shines on to take it in and allow it to become part of us.

Epiphany meanings

Midian\Ephah\Sheba Ephah is a son of Midian, who is a descendant of Abraham. So this Isaiah text is describing a tribal territory identified with the tribes from Abraham’s descendants. This is a region that would have likely been known as a source for frankincense and maybe myrrh. Sheba is a region known for its gold and spices. This ties them to the gifts described in the Matthew text. 

Tarshish A remote region used as an example to show how far away other rulers would come from to offer tribute to the king of the Israelites.

Gold/Frankincense/Myrrh—Gold is a symbol of royalty. This is a reference to the fact that Jesus will be seen as a king among kings. Frankincense is a perfume that would have been used in sacred rituals by priests, alluding to Jesus’s role as a spiritual leader as well. Myrrh is an oil that was often used to anoint bodies at the time of burial, so this is a reference to the significance of Jesus’s death.

Epiphany summaries

Isaiah 60.1-6 The prophet speaks of an earth-shattering light that bursts into this mire of darkness that had seemed intent on overtaking everything. It is so powerful that everything is drawn to it. Those at war now come together in awestruck peace, and the light brings abundance and life with it to all within its glow.

Psalm 72.1-7, 10-14 The psalmist offers a prayer on behalf of their king and his people, wishing for peace, honour, bounty, and generosity for the poor. Like the light in Isaiah and Jesus in Matthew are portrayed, the psalm depicts a longing for a leader who will be a ‘king of kings’, one who causes all others in power to kneel in respect and deference.

Ephesians 3.1-12 Paul describes himself as a prisoner for Christ, as that is the depth of his commitment to the gospel message. Although he is helplessly bound to Christ in every way, he still sees the revelation of the mystery of what Jesus is about as a great privilege. While he does find power in his role in the way of the gospel is playing out, he still considers himself to be a servant more than a figurehead. Part of the mystery that is revealed is that God's grace has been broken out of the tribal favouritism and is now available to everyone.  

Matthew 2.1-12 The wise men hear of the birth of a new Jewish king, so they come to Herod, the regional ruler, to ask about him.  Herod, of course, acts intrigued but actually sees this as an insurgent threat and asks them to let him know when they find the new-born. They come to Jesus, bring him gifts, and then leave in secret, as they have been warned in a dream not to share Jesus’s whereabouts with Herod.

Jan 7 Tuesday Thoughts

It’s interesting one of John's primary messages is to subvert the idea that God is to be possessed by a particular few, or that God shows favouritism. Consider that, until Jesus came along, the Israelites considered themselves to be particularly favoured by God. Jesus’s mission to reach out to Gentiles, or non-Jews, was one of the more controversial components of his ministry.

The text in Ephesians plays a little bit of a balancing act, still touching on the theme of chosenness, while also establishing that we (meaning all of us) were chosen by God to be part of this family in which God sees us through the eyes of love, rendering our sinfulness impotent. 

Another contrast between the themes in Ephesians and John and the themes in Jeremiah and the Psalm is that God's forgiveness, love, or light has nothing to do with the current state of things. In the prophecy and the psalm, the promises of good news is a sign of God's favour. In the latter two texts, God's wide-open forgiveness and decision to relate to all of us in a parental sort of love is the good news.

Jan 6 Monday Meanings

Ephraim – A son of Joseph, who was a son of Jacob. Ephraim represents one of the two tribes of Israel descended from Joseph; the other is Manasseh. Joseph is the only of Jacob’s sons from whom two of the twelve tribes of Israel are descended.

Light – Of course you know what light is, but it's important to understand why this Gospel uses this imagery to describe God in particular. This text was written last of the four Gospels (near the end of the first century), and it was a period when a religious strain called Gnosticism was gaining popularity. Gnosticism proposes that God is a ‘divine spark’ within the enlightened, but that it is inborn, only in God’s chosen. So the contrast of John's Gospel claiming that God is the ‘light that enlightens everyone’ is a direct challenge to the particularism of Gnostics. 

Jan 5-11 week as a whole

Jeremiah 31.7-14  After spending several weeks in Isaiah, we get this text from Jeremiah, which echoes much in the second half of Isaiah, namely that God is calling back the exiled people of Israel to be one nation again. God will provide for them, particularly the weak and marginalised, and they will be made whole as a nation.

Psalm 147.12-20 This psalm refers back to the text in Jeremiah, noting that the good fortune and peace being realised under King David is due to the promises of God made to Jacob and his descendants, who make up the twelve tribes of Israel.

Ephesians 1.3-14 The theme in Jeremiah alluding to God's chosen people being part of God's beloved family continues here, noting like the psalm that all good that comes to us originates from God. It refers to Jesus as the one who both reconciles us back with God and also made God’s will known to us. We are inheritors, as adopted children, of God’s grace and mercy, and the reconciliation is intended to spread throughout all people and the rest of creation.

John 1.(1-9), 10-18  The first nine verses set the tone for John, establishing that all beings were spoken into existence by God. It also speaks of the man to whom the Gospel is attributed, explaining that he, like Jesus, is sent from God. In the second half, the text adopts the images of light and family to describe both what Jesus brought into the world (the light that enlightens everyone) and that he was the living expression of God (the Word) in order for us to come to know God intimately.

Ephraim – A son of Joseph, who was a son of Jacob. Ephraim represents one of the two tribes of Israel descended from Joseph; the other is Manasseh. Joseph is the only of Jacob’s sons from whom two of the twelve tribes of Israel are descended.

Light – Of course you know what light is, but it's important to understand why this Gospel uses this imagery to describe God in particular. This text was written last of the four Gospels (near the end of the first century), and it was a period when a religious strain called Gnosticism was gaining popularity. Gnosticism proposes that God is a ‘divine spark’ within the enlightened, but that it is inborn, only in God’s chosen. So the contrast of John's Gospel claiming that God is the ‘light that enlightens everyone’ is a direct challenge to the particularism of Gnostics. 

It’s interesting one of John's primary messages is to subvert the idea that God is to be possessed by a particular few, or that God shows favouritism. Consider that, until Jesus came along, the Israelites considered themselves to be particularly favoured by God. Jesus’s mission to reach out to Gentiles, or non-Jews, was one of the more controversial components of his ministry.

The text in Ephesians plays a little bit of a balancing act, still touching on the theme of chosenness, while also establishing that we (meaning all of us) were chosen by God to be part of this family in which God sees us through the eyes of love, rendering our sinfulness impotent. 

Another contrast between the themes in Ephesians and John and the themes in Jeremiah and the Psalm is that God's forgiveness, love, or light has nothing to do with the current state of things. In the prophecy and the psalm, the promises of good news is a sign of God's favour. In the latter two texts, God's wide-open forgiveness and decision to relate to all of us in a parental sort of love is the good news.

When we have, through Christ, obtained mercy for our persons, we need not fear but that we shall have suitable and sustainable help for our duties.                                                                     John Owen

1 As with gladness men of old

did the guiding star behold;

as with joy they hailed its light,

leading onward, beaming bright;

so, most gracious God, may we

evermore be led to thee.

2 As with joyful steps they sped

to that lowly cradle-bed,

there to bend the knee before

him whom heav'n and earth adore;

so may we with willing feet

ever seek thy mercy seat.

3 As they offered gifts most rare

at that cradle rude and bare;

so may we with holy joy,

pure, and free from sin's alloy,

all our costliest treasures bring,

Christ, to thee, our heav'nly King.

4 Holy Jesus, ev'ry day

keep us in the narrow way;

and when earthly things are past,

bring our ransomed souls at last

where they need no star to guide,

where no clouds thy glory hide.

5 In the heav'nly country bright

need they no created light;

thou its light, its joy, its crown,

thou its sun which goes not down;

there forever may we sing

alleluias to our King.

Never was a book so full of incredible sayings – everywhere the sense of mystery dominates; unless you feel that mystery, all becomes prosaic – nothing about God is prosaic.              Florence Allahorn

1905: Sometimes God changes the noblest of plans. That was the case with Thomas Barnardo who had intended to be a medical missionary to China but ended up as the founder of homes for poor children. 

Born in Ireland in 1845, Barnardo was converted in his teens to a deep faith in Christ, and right away he began working with poor children in Dublin. Hearing missionary Hudson Taylor speak of the China Inland Mission, Barnardo decided to study medicine and then travel to China. While studying at a London hospital he became aware of the urban poor, especially children. Encouraged by some Christian friends, he gave up his plans for China and in 1870 opened the first of what would be called “Dr. Barnardo’s Homes” in London. When he died on September 19, 1905, there were 112 of the homes in Britain, and more than 100,000 children had been rescued from the streets. The homes’ motto was “the ever-open door.” 

London was full of orphans and “strays,” children detached from families, and many of these often turned to crime (a story familiar from Charles Dickens’s novel Oliver Twist). The Barnardo homes took in these children, fed them, clothed them, and prepared them for useful occupations. Barnardo owned a sixty-acre rural tract which he used to create a model village for some of the children, building cottages that eventually housed more than a thousand. Collectively his homes were known as the National Association for the Reclamation of Destitute Waif Children (which explains the briefer and more familiar name “Barnardo’s Homes”). 

The homes emphasized religious instruction with provision made for two “faith traditions”—the established Church of England and the Nonconformists (Baptists, Methodists, Quakers, and others). As for the children’s physical health, Barnardo found his medical training to be of great use. Barnardo’s is still an active charity in England, the legacy of a man who had a heart for the most vulnerable members of society.

Back before we had portable screens and streaming media, (cue for old guy music) we played with less sophisticated toys. One of my favourite activities was to  take a jar out and hunt for glow-worms. Yes they are technically a beetle, but I'm not writing a science piece here.

Part of the fun was running around trying to predict in the darkness where they'd next glow next. The other trick was getting new ones in the jar without letting the others you'd already caught get out. On a good night, I'd go home with a jar full with about a dozen of these acting like a weird sort of living night-light in my room. While my friends were content to pull them apart and smear their phosphorescent juice on their faces like war paint. I loved these thing, I wanted to keep them.

I would do anything I could do to make them feel at home in the jar. I would put little caps full of water in there along some grass or maybe even a flower. I had no idea what they ate, but I figured the blades of lawn I had there would do the trick. But as careful as I was with them, I would wake up in the morning to a jar of mostly motionless bug carcasses. It always bothered me, but not apparently enough to stop me putting them in there.

After dealing with my post-mortem angst for one too many times, my mum explained to me that these were wild animals, not meant to be captured and kept. But I had been a good bug dad I insisted. What more did they need?

What they needed to survive was that thing I couldn't give them, that was freedom. They were made to wander, to cast their glow on other kids, in other people’s back gardens, too. The thing I had to come to terms with was they weren't mine. While I could appreciate them, I couldn't possess them for myself. In doing so, the very thing I claimed to love died and was extinguished. 

The urge to hunt them has never completely gone, (admittedly harder to do where I am), but to capture them has. This forty four year old still has a thrill from seeing one on a dark evening. But if I want others to see what thrills me, I have to resist the urge to own it, just rather let other know of the wonder I have seen as well.

Help me be a light-bearer instead of a light-possessor. Amen

First off apologies for these, but here are some answer to the “How many x does it take to change a light bulb?” joke. From a J John piece.

Charismatic: Only 1 - Hands are already in the air.

 Pentecostal: 10 - One to change the bulb, and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.

Presbyterians: None - Lights will go on and off at predestined times. 

Roman Catholic: None - Candles only. (Of guaranteed origin of course.) 

Baptists: At least 15 - One to change the light bulb, and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad and fried chicken. 

Episcopalians: 3 - One to call the electrician, one to mix the drinks, and one to talk about how much better the old one was.

Mormons: 5 - One man to change the bulb, and four wives to tell him how to do it.

 Unitarians: We choose not to make a statement either in favour of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that light bulbs work for you, you are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your light bulb for the next Sunday service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, 3-way, long-life and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.

Methodists: Undetermined - Whether your light is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved. You can be a light bulb, turnip bulb, or tulip bulb. Bring a bulb of your choice to the Sunday lighting service and a covered dish to pass.

Nazarene: 6 - One woman to replace the bulb while five men review church lighting policy.

Lutherans: None - Lutherans don't believe in change.

 Amish: What’s a light bulb?

Jan 5 Sunday summaries

Jeremiah 31.7-14  After spending several weeks in Isaiah, we get this text from Jeremiah, which echoes much in the second half of Isaiah, namely that God is calling back the exiled people of Israel to be one nation again. God will provide for them, particularly the weak and marginalised, and they will be made whole as a nation.

Psalm 147.12-20 This psalm refers back to the text in Jeremiah, noting that the good fortune and peace being realised under King David is due to the promises of God made to Jacob and his descendants, who make up the twelve tribes of Israel.

Ephesians 1.3-14 The theme in Jeremiah alluding to God's chosen people being part of God's beloved family continues here, noting like the psalm that all good that comes to us originates from God. It refers to Jesus as the one who both reconciles us back with God and also made God’s will known to us. We are inheritors, as adopted children, of God’s grace and mercy, and the reconciliation is intended to spread throughout all people and the rest of creation.

John 1.(1-9), 10-18  The first nine verses set the tone for John, establishing that all beings were spoken into existence by God. It also speaks of the man to whom the Gospel is attributed, explaining that he, like Jesus, is sent from God. In the second half, the text adopts the images of light and family to describe both what Jesus brought into the world (the light that enlightens everyone) and that he was the living expression of God (the Word) in order for us to come to know God intimately.

Jan 5-11 prayer for the week

Help me be a light-bearer instead of a light-possessor. Amen