"For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea.”
Can you imagine there being a day that the whole world knows, and loves, Jesus? It seems surreal to think about. Do you have people in your life without faith? Can you imagine them coming to Church with you, talking about prayer, or raising their hands with praise beside you? For me, those people are my family. I think their faith is in there, maybe, just hidden away under a few layers. I believe that they know of God, but do they really know Him? I pray all the time for them to truly experience His love and truth in their lives, but sometimes it seems like I’m making a wish as I blow out candles instead of praying in faith that this could be a reality.
Prophets, disciples and even Jesus himself tell us so many times throughout scripture that one day everyone will know God. Do you have trouble believing that this can happen? The scriptures, particularly around this time of Advent are used to stir our hearts for what is to come. Remember, Isaiah was written around 700 years BEFORE Jesus was born but he starts to tell a story to the people of the time (and us!) of the person, the saviour, who will be coming to us soon. These words spoken in Scripture aren’t just a high hope, or a maybe-this-might-happen. These words to us are a promise. Advent is a season that is supposed to peak our anticipation and excitement. Not just for baby Jesus to be born, but for what it actually means for Christ to come into the world, our world, and how we have been forever changed since! We can start by recognising our own need for a Saviour and keep preparing our corners of the world to be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.
This Sunday's Scripture readings:
ISAIAH 11:1-10 | PSALM 72:1-17 | ROMANS 15:4-9 | MATTHEW 3:1-12
‘Let my soul cry out, You’re the one I want/ Living God it’s You’. Do you remember the chorus of Emmanuel Worship’s anthem ‘Cry Out’ echoing through the Kirkwood Hall of QCCC Mapleton throughout Summer Camp 2024? With over 200 young people coming together from January 11 – 14 to praise, what better place is there on earth to witness Jesus working in yourself and those around you?
You may feel as though you are “coming down the mountain” from Ignite Conference 2023, and are perhaps disheartened and worried about how you’ll continue to keep this spark alive in your heart as you enter back into reality. That’s fair- it’s not easy to share our experience of Christ with our school friends, work colleagues, and sometimes even our family, but let me encourage you to see the opportunity that God places before you in this time.
It's easy to be critical when reading Scripture. I cringe when Adam and Eve break the one rule God gives them. The Israelites are so consistently hopeless and just can't seem to get it right. For me, more than any other example, it is really, truly, incredibly easy to be critical of Thomas in today's Gospel.
Maybe that’s why Lent is a good time to read this famous story. Maybe we have to go from recognising ourselves in the righteous older brother, to recognising ourselves in the humbled, down on his knees younger one. The ‘ministry of reconciliation’ that St Paul talks about in the second reading is for US. We need to forgive those we have grudges against. We need the Father to help us drop our guard if we’re going to enter into the party of heaven.
A personal favourite of mine is John 4, the Woman at the Well. It’s a classic verse most people have heard before, am I right? But rarely is time spent reflecting deeper. But, I would vouch it’s worth spending the time reflecting on what else Jesus was saying.
I relate to Peter so much, so often in the Gospels (for obvious reasons) but in this passage when he says, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters,” it is so human, he has seen Jesus in all his Glory and he doesn’t want it to stop, he wants to sit there, in a very real way he doesn’t want to come down from the mountain.
The thing I find hardest about Lent is once I've decided what I'll give up, is sticking to the plan. Nothing looks quite as appealing as that chocolate you've decided not to eat. Suddenly, there are 100 reasons why using Social Media is an essential activity or why fasting won't work today for whatever reason. All of this resides within my very comfortable life and minor Lenten penances.
Over in the gospel, when Jesus says “how can a blind man lead a blind man”, he’s talking to you and me! ‘Cos how often do we do just that? That’s why, as Jesus says, we should listen to the teachers/mentors in our lives and not presume we know better than they do. Humility is the beginning of wisdom!
Ask yourself, who are other people in your life? Is there someone at school, at work, in your street, or on your sporting team that you haven’t spoken with before? When you treat others as you would want to be treated, it becomes a lot easier to not judge or condemn others, to forgive others and to love your enemies.
There are two comparisons Luke wants us to make. Firstly that, in God’s kind of history, it is not the movers and shakers of the earth who are the main characters. The Spirit moves where He wills and builds His kingdom with those who are most receptive to His Word, notably not the emperor called ‘a god’, nor the high priest sitting on the chair of Moses.