Grains of Sand

Google Images Sometimes we make life more difficult for ourselves than we need to. The Hebrews arrived within striking distance of the land God had promised to give them (Numbers 13:2). They say that, “fools rush in where angels fear to tread” and Moses was no fool. He sent out spies to check out this new land. He knew that even though God had given them Canaan, those who lived in the land would not just lay down their arms and surrender themselves at the first appearance of an invader. A representative from each tribe was chosen (13:3-15) and off they went to gather information that would encourage them and also help them plan their strategy (13:17-20). When the spies returned the reviews were mixed—heavily on the negative side. The land was productive. They described it as a land flowing with “ milk and honey ” (13:27) and it took two men to carry a single cluster of grapes (13:23). But the cities were fortified and the people appeared fearsome (13:28). Caleb and Joshua were the ...

Google Images Jesus taught His disciples how to pray. The famous “Lord’s Prayer,” recorded in places like Matthew 6:9-13, is repeated verbatim in many places around the world. It some contexts it has become more mantra, or “rabbit’s foot” than it is actually prayer, but nonetheless it is said.  For decades it was prayed in classrooms and at special events. Unhappily, in many of our North American churches, prayer, if it exists at all, is perfunctory. This is to our shame, if only because prayer was so important to Jesus and, supposedly, we are to concern ourselves with what is important to Him. The Lord’s last action with His disciples before His arrest was to pray. He prayed with them before they left the upper room and then He went to garden to pray again. John 17 records His final prayer with His followers. This morning, as I read the passage again, two verses in particular stuck out. “ I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to...

Google Images The Galatians believers were being lured back into a salvation-by-works theology. The false teachers creeping into the church, described in Galatians 1:6-9, pushed Paul to explain again the principles of salvation by faith and to urge the believers to remain faithful to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. At the end of Chapter 3, we find this beautiful summary statement (though Paul isn’t really finished summarizing yet!). He writes, “ So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male or female, for you are all one in Christ ” (3:26-28). This is the essence of redemption. This is a return to Eden before the fall. Balance is restored. Everyone is equal. In Christ there are no barriers. There are no colours. There are no genders. There are no different strata of society. When Christ was in His last few hou...

Community is important to the First Nation peoples of our country. The horrors that some experienced because of the abuses that took place within the residential school system were one thing. But the removal of the children from their families and their community was the first offense in a long line of offenses. If the church is to attract the peoples of the First Nations (or anyone else) it must become community. That was always God's intention. Redemption is as much about saving community as it is about the saving of an individual soul. I've often wondered why God, who is One, chose to present Himself in three distinct persons. I had an "aha" moment when I though of how wonderful it was that God would give us in the Trinity, the example of perfect community: Father, Son and Spirit in perfect unity. When God created man, He and they were a community—until sin entered and community was damaged. Now the grace of God reaches down through Jesus Christ to restore that c...

Reading: John 15-17 Before prayer meeting last night a group of us were commiserating each other on our aches and pains. You see, we are in this difficult transition period between crisp, dry fall and cold, dry winter. It’s rainy and damp and cold. And everything in our bodies is stiff and achy; hands, hips, legs, ankles and even toes. Transitions can be tough. The Apostle John is recording the last mini-series Jesus will share with His disciples before He goes to the cross. While they might not fully understand, they know that somehow they are about to enter into that nether world of transition—Jesus gone and the Holy Spirit not yet come. The Lord has a lot to share with them. Their foggy minds can’t capture all that He is saying now, but later they will remember and be glad that He took the time to patiently explain what they needed to do, and then to pray for them. Chapter 15 tells us that the disciples needed to endure the pruning, abide in Him, obey Him, bear fruit and ...